A new street sweeping schedule for Redwood City neighborhoods will begin on April 1^st. The entire City-wide NEW schedule can be viewed online now at www.redwoodcity.org/publicworks.

With the new schedule, any given neighborhood will be cleaned on the same identified day each month – for example, always the third Tuesday of the month, or the fourth Wednesday of the month, or the first Friday of the month, and so on.

• It’s easier for everyone to remember to move their vehicles off the street to make room for cleaning
• It makes for more efficient scheduling of the street sweeper.
• It ensures no conflicts with garbage and recycling pickup.

This year, to save on printing and postage and to be more green, the City will NOT be mailing out printed copies of the schedule. Instead, go to our Community GIS at www.redwoodcity.org/gis and click on “Search” then enter your address. General property information will appear on the right side of the screen, and near the bottom of that window will be your next upcoming street cleaning.

The new schedule will be included on GIS as of April 1 – until then, the existing schedule is displayed in GIS. You can view the upcoming schedule at www.redwoodcity.org/publicworks.

Have you checked out the Community GIS page? There, you will also note your street cleaning “District” (such as District 3B) – and by clicking on that link, you go to the appropriate street sweeping map and schedule for your neighborhood. If you want to see a map of all the street sweeping districts, go to the left side of the page, and under “Layers” click on “Other” and then check the box for Street Cleaning Districts.

As you know, street cleaning is performed once a month in residential neighborhoods to remove debris that may enter the storm drain system and San Francisco Bay, and to maintain a clean appearance of our roadways. REMEMBER: please move your vehicles from the curb and gutter on your monthly street cleaning day to allow the sweeper to clean in front of your home. Vehicles can be moved back to the curb once the sweeper has passed. When vehicles are not moved for street sweeping, the litter and debris will be an eyesore until the following months’ cleaning and, during the rainy season, can flow into the Bay.

2012 Annual Wild West Days May 4 – 6

Our annual three-day festival, held each spring, provides us with an opportunity to accomplish this goal, while at the same time creating special memories for all. Over these three days, we expect over 5,000 local families to join us for thrilling carnival rides, delicious treats, festival game booths, live local entertainment, and socializing with friends and neighbors.

Be a Sponsor

We promote this community wide event through local papers, Public Service Announcements, local schools, press releases, social networking websites, banner signs and posters at local businesses. All proceeds from this event directly benefit our students by supporting technology, science, sports, P.E., enrichment and other vital programs.

            The festivities begin early as we kick off the Festival on Monday, March 26^th   with our pre-festival Jog-a-Thon.  Students will wear the Jog-a-Thon T-shirts (with Sponsor names printed on the back) around town during April and May promoting the Festival.   Our cash raffle is back with the best odds ever, with the drawing to be held Sunday afternoon, May 5.   Find out about all our sponsorship opportunities.

Walk a Thon March 26

We kick off the Festival with our Walk a Thon. The children ask for sponsors and walk around the school on Monday, March 26 to earn money to support school programs, and win prizes too.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is urging consumers to replace the batteries in their smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) alarms this weekend for Daylight Saving Time. This year, Daylight Saving Time begins on Sunday, March 11. Fresh batteries allow smoke and CO alarms to do their jobs saving lives by alerting families of a fire or a buildup of deadly carbon monoxide in their homes.

CPSC estimates there was a yearly average of 386,300 residential fires resulting in nearly 2,400 deaths between 2006 and 2008.

Two-thirds of fire deaths occur in homes where there are no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms. That is why it is important to replace batteries at least once every year and to test your alarms every month to make sure they work. CPSC recommends consumers have smoke alarms on every level of their home, outside bedrooms and inside each bedroom.

CPSC estimates there was an annual average of 183 unintentional non-fire CO poisoning deaths associated with consumer products between 2006 and 2008. CO is called the “invisible killer,” because it is a colorless, odorless and poisonous gas.

Because of this, people may not know they are being poisoned. Carbon monoxide is produced by the incomplete burning of fuel in various products, including furnaces, portable generators, fireplaces, cars and charcoal grills.

That is why it is important to have working CO alarms in the home, on each level and outside each sleeping area.

In the last 90 days, a little more than a dozen homes in Mt. Carmel have closed escrow. Looking at how the sale prices compared to original price, the average is that homes are getting 96% of their original asking price.  Of course, remember, this is an average.  The “range” of all those homes is between 92% and 104% of asking price.   Also noteworthy:

Average days on market (last 90 days): 91 days

Average $/sq. ft.: $496

Here is a small sampling, in no particular order:

• 271 Jeter St.: original list: $939K, sold for $915K, 22 days on market
• 152 Iris St.: original list: $1.448M, sold for $1.438M, 7 days on market
  
• 232 Outer Cir..: original list: $1.099M, sold for $1.0725M, 45 days on market
  
• 32 King St..: original list: $998K, sold for $928K, 571 days on market
  
• 145 Nevada St..: original list: $899K, sold for $800K, 96 days on market
  
• 505 Jeter St.: original list: $999.95K, sold for $875K, 82 days on market
  
• 27 Lowell St..: original list: $1.149M, sold for $1.1525M, 5 days on market
  

Fluff up that taffetta dress, starch that baby blue ruffled tuxedo and dust off your dancing shoes because Our Lady of Mount Carmel School is proud to announce our 2011 Annual Benefit Auction: “A Night At The Prom”

Whether your theme was “Good Golly Miss Molly”, “I Got You Babe”, “Stairway to Heaven”, “Two Tickets to Paradise”, or “More Than Words”, we can guarantee a great evening for everyone with delicious food, good friends, and, of course, fantastic Auction items!

Save the date of Saturday, October 22nd starting at 5:30pm at Our Lady of Mount Carmel School.

We can’t wait to see you there!

ARE YOU CONNECTED?
We would like to offer our guests some “Prom Specials”. Do you have any connections or could you get us a good deal on any of the following?
:: LIMO SERVICE
:: TUXEDO RENTALS
:: DRESS RENTALS
:: FLORISTS for “Prom Boutonniere and Corsages”
:: HAIR SALONS for “Prom Up-Do’s”
:: NAIL SALONS for “Prom Mani / Pedi’s
:: and any others you can think of

DONATION IDEAS
School families are our best and most creative donors! Maybe you know Brian Sabean, Jim Harbaugh or the CEO of EA Sports? Robin Williams, Sean Penn, Mike Rowe, Steve Perry or Sarah & Vinnie… Maybe you can help us get some “once in a lifetime” donations. No donation is too small.

Also, here are some other donation ideas to help you get started:
:: SCRIP
:: A getaway to the Russian River, Lake Tahoe, or Carmel
:: Host a themed dinner for 8, 10 or 12
:: A sailing trip on the Bay
:: Host a party for the Super Bowl, March Madness, Indi 500, World Series, Stanley Cup, Fashion Week, or The Oscars
:: Tickets to a sporting event, a play, or concert
:: Homemade jewelry, floral arrangements, hair styling, or home decorating
:: Teach a class on cooking, wine tasting, cake decorating, or beer brewing

CHILDREN’S RAFFLE
We will have the Children’s Raffle again this year. The raffle is held Tuesdays and Thursday during Morning Assembly. To participate all you have to do is complete and return a Children’s Raffle Form each time you complete one of the following activities:

1. donate an item to the Auction
2. donate Scrip to the Auction
3. complete your 2 hour volunteer commitment, or
4. sign up for extra volunteer hours

Return your form to school via the Blue Envelope or drop it in the Raffle Box located in the school office.

Donate an item or time and your child could be a big winner!
You can enter again, and again, and again …

Thank you for your support!
We look forward to seeing you at The Prom.

Warm Regards,
Adrienne Herro and Kathleen Sochan
Your Auction 2011 Auction Co-Chairs

You’ll probably encounter a good handful of block parties as you drive through Mt. Carmel on July 4th. That’s one of the great things about living in this area, is the vast sense of “community” present in so many different blocks and pockets. But of course, that’s just one of the great things about the 4th in this neighborhood — there’s also the whole 4th of July parade and festival downtown.

The 4th of July Redwood City tradition continues, as the Peninsula Celebration Association (PCA) brings tons of family fun all day long to Downtown Redwood City. It’ll be another great family 4th, and the entire community is invited to join family, friends, and neighbors for a spectacular day of celebration at the finest 4th of July party on the peninsula. All of the day’s details are online on PCA’s website at www.parade.org.

The day starts with a gourmet pancake breakfast benefit by the Redwood City Firefighters Association from 7:30 – 10:30 am at Station 9, 755 Marshall Street ($6 adults/$4 kids). As a special treat, as part of the Redwood City Fire Department’s 150th anniversary, there will be an antique fire engine display behind the fire department, at 700 Bradford Street.

Then comes the annual Parade Fun Run, this year benefitting the Redwood City Education Foundation. Information and registration is at www.paraderun.org. The race starts at 8:45 am at Brewster and Arguello streets, and goes 3.5 miles along the Redwood City parade route. Proceeds from the Parade Run support RCEF funding of music in our Redwood City schools.

After the run, the fabulous 4th of July extravaganza gets fully underway! It’s the 73rd Annual Independence Day Parade starting at 10 am. This year’s featured theme will recognize the Redwood City Fire Department’s remarkable 150 years of service. Leading the parade will be fire-fighting units from a number of local cities, including antique fire-fighting equipment. There will also be a fly-over of a restored Vietnam era Huey helicopter. The fly-over is sponsored by the Living Room Lounge at 2048 Broadway in Redwood City. This year’s parade is expected to have over 1,500 participants representing 78 organizations and will include the newly crowned Miss California, bands, floats, equestrian units, drill teams, vintage vehicles, and local performing groups.

The Annual Independence Day Festival will be going on from 9 am to 5 pm with fabulous arts and crafts vendors, a Main Stage featuring live entertainment, food booths, a children’s entertainment stage, and info booths from local non-profit service organizations. The festival will also have a children’s play area which benefits Adelante School. And, the ever-popular Battle of the Bands between Stanford University and UC Davis, plus a Classic Car Show from 8 am to 4 pm on Broadway featuring custom and classic vehicles with live entertainment in the Court House Square.

Please note that a fireworks display will not be provided this year. PCA reports that in the current economic environment it has been difficult to generate the funding and sponsorship needed to support the fireworks show. Both the PCA and Redwood City regret this situation, but remind the community that this year’s festival, parade, and other activities will be second-to-none. Over 40,000 people are expected to participate, as Redwood City’s 4th of July extravaganza is renowned throughout the region.

The Peninsula Celebration Association is very proud that the members of their organization have been involved since 1939 as a true volunteer group. Their goal is to help make Redwood City not just a place to live, but a real community of people who care. Visit their website at www.parade.org.

FREE Confidential Document Destruction Event for REDWOOD CITY Residents

You can get full destruction of confidential paper documents at this special event in Redwood City!

Saturday, June 11^th – 8 am to 3 pm

Redwood City Public Works Parking Lot

1400 Broadway, Redwood City

Bring your personal documents and confidential materials* for safe and secure on-site destruction – for FREE! No need to worry about paper clips or staples.

*Limit of 5 (five) boxes (10”x12”x15”) worth of materials per household.

Please be prepared to show proof of Redwood City residency.

For more information contact

Mike Gibbons

650-780-7464

mgibbons@redwoodcity.org

Did you know???….$737M of single family homes were sold in San Mateo County in Q1-2010, and in Q1 of this year, that number was $736.6M? Or that the average price of a home in San Carlos was almost $75,000 more this past quarter, versus the same period last year?

Market stats, market stats, and more — plus, another esteemed guest!

Back for his 4th time visiting us in the sound studios of San Carlos is the always interesting Adam O’Donnell, from Guaranteed Rate…He again rejoins the first and longest running real estate podcast in the SF Bay Area, The Gory Details, for its April/May 2011 podcast.

As always, Adam brings useful information and perspectives on today’s mortgage environment.

Click away below, because the April/May 2011 edition of “The Gory Details Podcast” is now available!

(1) iTunes users, get it right here

(2) Or get it at http://edgory.podshow.com

(3) And, always available at http://www.edgory.com

Happy listening!