Cub Scout Pack 255 got together on Saturday Oct 2, to do a major cleanup on Moss Beach Park. The Cub Scouts ranged from 1st through 5th grade and family members ranged from 3 years to grandparent age. We had 50-60 Scouts and family members come to the park from 2:00 - 5:30.

We did trash pickup, mowing, weeding inside and outside the playground, we swept the pavement, moved piles of dirt, swept the play structures and then fluffed the bark chips in the entire playground so that the surface would be softer and will drain the winter rains better. All of the tiles that donors placed into the park have been cleaned. The proprietor of Mountain Man Tree Trimming is a new Scouter and he climbed into the trees to tidy up some damaged branches.  Many broken and discarded toys were removed. Several volunteers also worked to install some decorative pieces that were never put into the park at the original build 6 years ago. The park is now in remarkably better shape, it’s basically as though the clock has just been rolled back several years.

As an objective measure of the progress that the Scouts accomplished, I took the accumulated green waste that was pulled out of the park to the green waste recycling center on Sunday morning. There were 24 very large garbage bags of weeds in the back of my full size pickup truck. The pile in the back was higher than the cab of the truck and on top of it all were some mats of weeds that the scouts pulled out from behind the swings. Each mat was about 4 feet by 4 feet square and there were 5 such mats of weeds. Each mat took 4 Scouts to carry out of the playground. I also took an entire truckload of discarded toys that had been left in the park and which had subsequently become broken and damaged.

I sure hope y’all enjoyed the Cavalcade of Colossal Cucurbits, and are returning to what passes for normal around here.

I’d like to remind you that the Saturday version of Coastside Farmer’s Market will be back at Shoreline Station this week and every week, Rain or Shine, through December 18th this season. 

PLUS - Our Wednesday afternoon Market at Rockaway Beach in Pacifica is open for your shopping pleasure from 2:30 to 6:30!

So grab your mackinaw, galoshes and balaclavas and c’mon down for some Kabocha, Lacinto and Stupice, which when steamed, chiffonnade-ed and chopped, respectively, and in that order, then combined with a bit of vindaloo and topped with a dollop of creme fraiche a la chevre make for a very colorful,  comforting and vibrant soup. 

Which will go down nicely on a rainy Saturday afternoon, along with The Phillies, one hopes

Erin Tormey

At a meeting of the Cabrillo Unified School Board earlier this month the Board unanimously voted to roll the fees for using CUSD facilities back to the 2009 rates. Rates had been increased dramatically as part of an effort to raise revenue before the passage of Measure E. In early 2010 the Board had directed staff to raise the fees for using school rooms and athletic fields to raise an additional $35K per year which resulted in some fees tripling.

The Board recognized that the rate increases were hitting some community groups particularly hard and were having unintended consequences for those groups. They then voted to roll back the rate partially as a way to help support the community in the face of the support that the community gave to CUSD with the passage of Measure E.

This rollback is a great step by CUSD and should be applauded by the whole community. Rolling back the fees will mean that after school programs and community groups that were threatened can be reinstated or assured of continuing. The Board deserves congratulations and thanks for this move.

Todd McGee
Parent of children at Farallone View Elementary
Assistant Cubmaster, Cub Scout Pack 255, Montara

You’re invited to attend presentation of the San Gregorio Watershed Management Plan [download pdf], Saturday, October 23rd, 2010 from 10am to noon.  The event will be held at the Cuesta La Honda Clubhouse in La Honda. The Watershed Management Plan describes environmental conditions in our watershed and makes recommendations for management, restoration and research priorities.

There’s more information on the San Gregorio Environmental Resource Center website.

The Coastside Design Review committee is looking to fill two openings for Montara residents—a regular member and an alternate.  The Design Review Committee reviews the building plans for new development in the unincorporated Coastside, and has a regular an alternate member from each of Montara, Moss Beach, and El Granada. The deadline for applications is Nov 22. the application and more information about the committee can be found on the County’s website.

The Design Review Committee is appointed by the Board of Supervisors to ensure that new development is compatible with the physical setting of the site and the visual character of the community. The committee meets on the second Thursday of each month at 1:30pm, in the Sheriff’s North Coast Substation, 500 California Ave, Moss Beach.

For additional information about the requirements and procedures for submitting an application to the Design Review Committee or an item on the Committee’s agenda, call the Design Review Officer at (650) 363-1831.

Tuesday, in Sacramento, the State Water Resources Control Board voted unanimously to approve an additional $202,683 for the increased costs incurred for our project to identify sources of fecal pollution impacting Pillar Point Harbor due to suspension of the project during the bond freeze.  After nearly two exhausting years of working towards its restoration, the project will proceed as originally envisioned! 

Pillar Point Harbor is heavily used by boating enthusiasts, kayakers, windsurfers, hikers, dog walkers, bird watchers, swimmers, waders, families, clam diggers, surfers, and spectators for the world famous Mavericks big wave surf break.  Water quality in the harbor is chronically is so poor that it is  listed as impaired by coliform bacteria on the 303(d) list submitted to the United States Environmental Protection Agency.  Capistrano Beach in the harbor has been ranked for several years by the Heal the Bay’s Report Card as a “Beach Bummer,” meaning that it is in the top ten most polluted beaches in California in dry weather conditions, and is permanently posted by the San Mateo County Environmental Health Department as a potential health hazard.

The City/County Association of Governments of San Mateo County (C/CAG) is hosting an Open House for the public to provide input on the development of the County Comprehensive Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan. The Open House will be held on Thursday, October 28 at the SamTrans Building, 1250 San Carlos Avenue, San Carlos, second floor auditorium from 6 to 8pm. The C/CAG Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee meeting will follow.

C/CAG is updating the Comprehensive Bicycle Route Plan, which was adopted in 2000, and adding a new pedestrian component. The goal of the plan is to develop an interconnected system of safe, convenient and accessible bicycle and pedestrian facilities for both transportation and recreation. The Plan will identify bicycle and pedestrian projects with countywide significance.

For more information, please visit the project website at www.sanmateocountybikepedplan.org.

If you would like more information about this topic, please contact John Hoang, City/County Association of Governments of San Mateo County at 650-363-4105

The National Weather Service forecasts that we’ll be getting heavy rain from Saturday night through Sunday—followed by big waves beginning Monday.

The main storm is forecast to arrive later Saturday night  into Sunday. Steady rain will redevelop in the north bay and become heavy at times by sunday morning. The main rain band will then  shift from north to south across the greater bay area… Rain totals of 0.50 To 1 inch is forecast for the urban areas around the bay. ...  Rain will taper to showers by sunday evening. Behind the storm the first big swell set of the fall is forecast to reach the area beaches by monday and tuesday when 15 to 20 foot seas will be  possible.

Two auto burglaries in two nights in Moss Beach, Gang graffiti in Moonridge, an mysterious attack in a County park,  and a home burglary in Montara were the most notable events in a week of DUI’s, intoxication, warrant arrests, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

The Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Services reports a mountain lion sighting in Miramar this morning.

At 1100 this AM a mountain lion was seen in the vicinity of 22 Terrace Ave. near Miramar Dr. above Nursery Men’s Exchange in Miramar California.