Professional Documents
Culture Documents
(Van Available)
conversations are so difficult is because they are deeply emotional. Deep
650-921-2038
inside everybody, there’s an internal scale of justice. Everybody has a
deep belief of what’s right and wrong. When that’s out of balance, it
hurts us deeply.” While i acknowledge that some conversations may
be difficult, they are essential for us to educate each other and grow.
our city council has articulated Redwood city’s vision to be a
community where people of all backgrounds and income levels
can thrive. As a city, we have been, and will continue to be,
committed to fostering an organizational culture that promotes
public trust and accountability. We are also committed to
650-722-6556
with the need to modify the Fiscal Year 2020-21 Adopted Budget
in october based on our actual revenues and community needs.
To inform and shape the revised budget to come before the city
Redwood Shores
council in october, we are also developing additional listening and
or email shenderson4@aol.com
in community Spirit,
diane Howard, Mayor of Redwood city
(650) 208-4774
Page 6 August 2020 e PILOT
e PILOT August 2020 Page 7
Your Library is Fine Free
— Read More, Worry Less
i’m so excited to announce that
we are closing the chapter on daily
overdue fine for items that are
returned late. in mid-July the city
council unanimously voted to end
the practice of charging overdue
fines. As part of this new policy,
we have waived all existing
Redwood city overdue fines on your accounts. Please note, however,
that the library does still charge a replacement fee for lost items.
one of RcPL’s Service Priorities for RWc and North Fair oaks is to
provide opportunities for community members of all income levels.
one of the supporting activities to achieve this aspiration was a
complete equity audit of Library policies and procedures, and to
develop a plan to change practices with a disproportionately negative
impact on low income residents and people of color. e elimination
of fines is a major step toward our equity aspiration for the community.
By eliminating fines, we join libraries across california and the nation
who have ceased charging fines. User surveys in the field consistently
include fines and fees as one of the greatest barriers to library use.
in 2016, the Peninsula Library System, which includes the San Mateo
county Libraries system and all seven city-run libraries in San Mateo
county, eliminated overdue fines for children and teens. in the first
year after that change, circulation of materials by children and teens
increased by 33% over the previous year, and library card registrations
for children and teens increased by 61% over the previous year.
in addition to increased usage of libraries by the community, library
staff in libraries without fines have the opportunity for more positive,
proactive customer service interactions as a result of the elimination of
fines. Libraries that have studied the personnel costs of administering
fines, including a very comprehensive study in San diego,
demonstrated that libraries were paying staff significantly more to
collect fines than the amount of revenue actually being collected.
e most compelling argument for eliminating fines is the inequitable
impact fines have on low income residents and the Latino community.
in our studies, the percentage of library cards in Redwood city
blocked because of money owed corresponds directly with both the
proportion of Latino residents and with lower median household
incomes. By eliminating fines, we provide more equitable access to
library collections and services.
our staff have developed frequently asked questions that you may have;
find them at www.redwoodcity.org/libraryfinesfree.
i am immeasurably proud of Redwood city for voting on the side of
equity in library service. Libraries are a great equalizer in our society.
You can now use the library without fear of fines you can’t afford to
pay. We welcome all to enjoy free access to literacy and learning.
derek Wolfgram, Library director
G
N
DI
EN
P
THANK YOU AS ALWAYS FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT! I AM LOCAL AND HERE TO HELP YOU AND THOSE YOU KNOW.
e PILOT August 2020 Page 11
Q u a ra n - T E E N
Insights from a Teenager in Quarantine
by Payton Zolck, a rising Junior at Carlmont Highschool
Although, for many, summer stands as a time for relaxation and
a break from school, this year many students have decided to take
online summer courses. Scouts of America
Because of current shelter in by Star Scout, Joshua Edwards, Troop 61 Redwood Shores
place restrictions, many
students find themselves not i am currently a scout, and i absolutely love it. i want to share the
being able to participate in awesome scout experience with other boys (and girls). Scouting
usual summer activities. due offers activities can enrich many kids’ lives. it teaches skills such
to this fact, students are left as cooking, camping, communication, leadership, survivorship and
with free time. With their free many more. in fact, there are over 135 different merit badges,
time some approached online each focused on a valuable skill. Scouting also provide practical
summer courses as a way to knowledge applicable to daily life. For example, we learn what to
graphic by Maya Kornyeyeva bring on outdoor trip, what to do in emergency situations, and
learn new & interesting topics.
how to manage our money. in addition, scouting strengthen soft
one carlmont student said she decided to take a summer course
skills, such as public speaking, teamwork, accountability,
because, “I like physics and had no summer camps due to Covid-19.”
leadership. i find myself becoming more confident, capable and
in the past, summer school may have been seen as a bad thing — mature during my scout journey.
a sign that you failed a class. due to the situation this summer, it
Scouts of America provide a variety of exciting activities. ey
has transformed more into an opportunity to learn new topics.
promote awareness in the community, offer ways to help the less
Some students such as Sophomore Britney Fong, find the class as
fortunate, socialize with other kids in the community, and
an easy way to learn new things, “I am taking a CSM class and the
provide positive experience. our scout troop organize events to
workload is maybe a few hours a week. Even though it is online, it is
serve the community, such as levee clean-ups, and preparing food
easy to do the work and I can log on whenever I want. A lot of the
packages for third-world countries. My goal is to reach the
deadlines are very loose, so I can really do the class on my own schedule.”
highest rank and become Eagle Scout. By then, i will have
While other students see it as strict but a fun new challenge as completed over 20 hours of service, created a project to help the
another carlmont student said, “I have class every day except for community, earned at least 21 merit badges, and ultimately
Friday for 3 to 3 and a half hours in the morning. en there is an demonstrated years of perseverence, discipline, and responsibility.
additional few hours of homework. e teacher is very nice, but things it’s an experience and honor for a life time.
are very unclear and the technology is tricky to work with. It is very
i highly recommend students aged between 10-17 years old to
much like regular school with strict due dates, exams, online homework,
check out Scouts of America. Troop 61 is here in Redwood Shores.
and everyday graded quizzes to make sure you are attending the class.
http://rwstroop61.org
I learn new material by reading the textbook which I enjoy doing.”
sCout oath: on my honor i will do my best to do my duty
While for some it remains a relaxing way to fill time in the summer,
to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; to help
for some students it can cause some stress as they try to fit it into
other people at all times; to keep myself physically strong,
their summer. As Adri Ten cate, a high schooler taking a
mentally awake, and morally straight.
trigonometry course this summer said, “I really enjoy math but since
I’m taking two classes a day that also means I have twice as much sCout LaW: A scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly,
homework. It’s stressful trying to fit so much math into one day because courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, & reverent
I also have work for the AP classes I’m taking next year as well as a sCout motto: Be Prepared
couple of music lessons a week. It gets really difficult having to plan out
how to fit all the work into one day.”
despite some of the challenges, summer courses are being used as
a summer activity and a way to learn new things that might be Note: cub Scout Pack 61 membership is open to girls and boys
filled by “usual” summer activities such as camps or hanging out entering 1st - 5th grades in August. cub scouts have the opportunity
with one’s friends. As we are pressed with this difficult time this is to have fun building friendships, encouraging teamwork, building
one example of adapting to our surroundings. i continue to find character, developing skills, and exploring new adventures.
gratitude and hope everyone and their families are healthy. For more information, please visit https://cubscoutpack61.org
Page 12 August 2020 e PILOT
e PILOT August 2020 Page 13
After a successful first tunnel drive, Salus, the Tunnel Boring Machine, is ready for her next journey – tackling
twice the distance of the first drive with ease and precision as part of Silicon valley clean Water’s (SvcW) Gravity
Pipeline Project. Based on monitoring and data derived from the first drive, you won’t be able to tell that she will
be hard at work beneath the surface on her 2.5-mile voyage (approximately 12,500 feet), launching from the
Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) launch shaft located at Holly Street and Shoreway Road, as she heads to the
TBM Receiving Shaft located at the Front of Plant at SvcW’s wastewater treatment site.
Salus completed her first tunnel drive and broke through into the shaft of inner Bair island in March 2020. She
came in on time and on target to the “Tunnel Eye.” She traveled nearly 1 mile and stayed well within the 0.50
inches of the contract-mandated ground surface settlement, mostly staying within half that at 0.25 inches, along
the centerline of the tunnel over the length of the entire first drive. ere was no vibration felt by stakeholders
along the drive, including the hotel on Skyway Road at Monte vista, near the tunneling alignment under the San
carlos Airport! SvcW and its tunnel contractor partner, Barnard-Bessac Joint venture (BBJv), continuously
monitored the performance of Salus during the first tunneling drive and conducted daily Tunnel Task Force
meetings to review progress and to anticipate and resolve potential issues.
e subsurface conditions for the second drive are similar to the first, and SvcW anticipates similar performance
from Salus in safety, production and non-settlement. e depth from the ground surface to the bottom of the
tunnel will range between approximately 50 feet at the launch shaft to approximately 65 feet at the TBM Receiving
Shaft located at SvcW's wastewater treatment plant. As was the case for Salus' first drive, there should be no
indication at the ground surface of the tunneling operation; residents should not experience noise or vibration
from the tunneling operation.
As was done for the first drive, to initiate the launch of Salus for her second drive, the BBJv team will construct
concrete excavation support rings in the starter tunnel immediately behind Salus. once the first rings are
constructed, Salus will begin mining towards the SvcW wastewater treatment plant. First steps of the launching
phase require slow progress as the TBM operations team re-familiarizes with the properties of the soil through
which Salus will be mining. operations crews will monitor Salus’ performance during these early stages, and
continuously monitor her performance throughout the entire second tunnel drive.
We are wishing Salus a safe and happy journey!
To view more about SvcW’s Regional Environmental Sewer conveyance Upgrade Program (REScU), please
visit https://svcw-rescu.org/. Updates on Salus’ drive will be posted every two weeks, and you can also follow us
on Facebook at @siliconvalleyCleanWater