A blog about Marinwood-Lucas Valley and the Marin Housing Element, politics, economics and social policy. The MOST DANGEROUS BLOG in Marinwood-Lucas Valley.
A sign advertising the arrival of the Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit train is pictured on northbound Highway 101 in Novato in 2012. (Alan Dep — Marin Independent Journal)
The Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit agency needs another $225 million to get commuter rail and a pedestrian pathway from Larkspur to Cloverdale, as promised to voters in 2008.
That's according to SMART's strategic plan, which was discussed by the agency's board Wednesday. The report is conducted once every five years and offers an assessment of where the rail project is heading.
In the short term, the $427.9 million first phase is on financial track as it rolls toward a 2016 opening. It will provide rail service from downtown San Rafael to Airport Boulevard in Santa Rosa. Marin rail stops will include downtown San Rafael, the Marin Civic Center and stations in Novato at Hamilton and at Atherton Avenue.
"Our phase one project is financially very sound," said Erin McGrath, the agency's chief financial officer. "We are good to go and in very good shape."
But future phases to extend the rail line, along with a pedestrian and bike path, to Larkspur to the south and Cloverdale to the north are not as sure.
For years, talk of a North Bay rail line was slammed as a "train to nowhere" because initial plans had it ending in San Rafael, without connecting to a ferry terminal or large transit center to take people into San Francisco.
When voters in Sonoma and Marin counties approved a quarter-cent sales tax in 2008 to fund SMART, the project was for train service from Cloverdale to Larkspur, along with a path for walkers and bicyclists.
But the downturn in the economy left the plan without full funding and the ability to borrow the needed money to complete all the work as promised. Now the project is being phased.
Finding money for the path and the rest of the rail line is an ongoing pursuit, said Farhad Mansourian, SMART's general manager.
"We're actively trying to find the money," he said of the path. "It is a priority, as is completing Larkspur to Cloverdale." See the full story HERE
Susan Adams meeting at the Marinwood Community Center on June 26, 2013 to discuss the Marinwood PDA, housing challenges, Dixie School funding, Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG), Housing Element for unincorporated Marin and her record of community advocacy.
Here is Susan Adams spinning her way out of a difficult question from a constituent in Marinwood Lucas Valley, "Why do we have 70% of affordable housing concentrated in Marinwood Lucas Valley?" . Listen to her answer. That housing element passed in 2013 and they rushed to pass a whole new housing element for 2014 that puts 80% of all the affordable housing in Marinwood-Lucas Valley. The other sites she mentions as alternatives in Strawberry, Santa Venetia, West Marin and Tam Almonte were either eliminated and severely downsized leaving the bulk of housing in just two development in Marinwood-Lucas Valley. Little wonder after this and other deceptions, she was defeated in a landslide. Is representing your constituents all that hard? Why did she insist on representing developers and special interest groups over her neighbors? She made her mark on Marin History. It is now our duty to regain sanity at the Board of Supervisors and vote in candidates who represent the people.. We have great hope for Damon Connolly who starts on January 6, 2015.
Editor's Note: We really love bikes. That is one of the reason's we think, improving the Walk-Bike score of Marinwood-Lucas Valley is important. This can ONLY be gained by developing Marinwood Plaza back into a vibrant commercial center and placing housing elsewhere. Marinwood Plaza is our ONLY commercial lot that is next to a freeway exit and centrally located in the community. For over a decade the toxic waste has been allowed to spread under Marinwood Plaza imperiling the health of our residents and the Silveira Ranch dairy cows. Clean up the toxics now and develop the Plaza as a commercial center. Merry Xmas to our friends at the Bicycle Coalition.
Stop with the pine-scented candles already: This year, get an actual tree! It’s easy. All you need is a bungee cord, a cargo rack, and a bike. Yep, you heard me.
Step 1: Prepare your bike.
Unless you want the experience of biking home with a large hedgehog between your legs, you’ll need to stand the tree up and strap it on like a backpack. This works best with a cargo rack or basket to brace the trunk—especially if you plan to buy something larger than Charlie Brown's tree.
(Boring practical details: Make sure tires are properly inflated and, if you’ll be biking more than a mile or without a friend, pack a patch kit or spare inner tube. A tow truck may not have room for you and the tree in the cab.)
Step 2: Pack a three-strap bungee cord and some twine.
Once the tree is braced on the rack, the idea is for it to essentially spoon you the whole ride home. Trees do not do this naturally, so you’ll need a bungee cord or cargo net to secure your prickly passenger. A three-strap bungee cordor small cargo net works best. Basically, you want to wrap the cord/net around the tree, then get an arm through each loop, like the straps of a backpack.
If you need to test the length and stretch, have a friend the size of your tree lean against you while a second friend helps you position the bungee or cargo net. If it’s hard to move your arms, you probably need a something bigger … or a more helpful friend.
Look for a 3-in-one strap bungee, like this one from Vktech.
Step 3: Wear a coat with large pockets, made from material that can handle pitch and peanut butter.
This is not the time to tack on errands like dry-cleaning or groceries. Pack as lightly as possible. Add jingle bells or a holly sprig if you’re feeling festive, but be prepared to sweat more than usual. If you’re worried about your laundry bill, consider a plastic rain jacket or cut holes in a clean trash bag (use the yard-waste kind, not the kitchen waste-bin size, unless you’re especially vain about your figure). Peanut butter, hand sanitizer or oil can help remove any pitch that gets on your clothing.
Step 4: Once at the lot, choose a daintier variety of evergreen.
According to my own tree supplier, Douglas firs tend to be lighter than others. But whatever you do, choose a tree slightly smaller than you think you can handle—especially if you will need to use mass transit for part of your bike ride home. Trees are tricky to handle no matter how well prepared you are, and you might have to manage yours one-armed, at least at some point.
Step 5: Ask the tree lot to net or shrink-wrap your tree.
You don’t want to get a stray branch in the eye, and a compact tree will be easier to deal with. The netting or plastic may also make the ride more comfortable, and greatly eases maneuvering in a quick mass transit exit.
(Boring practical detail: If your bike doesn’t have a rack or basket to brace the tree trunk on, you can also ask your tree supplier for some extra twine with which to fashion a yoke. You’ll want a small, central loop that can hold the tree trunk, with two larger shoulder loops coming out of each side. Secure the tree with additional pieces of twine that bind the tree to your chest. You should be able to untie these yourself without much contortion or discomfort.)
The author poses with a kind stranger at the tree lot. (Anna Broadway)
Step 6: Recruit a helper to hold the tree in place against the cargo rack while you position yourself.
Or have them help you slip the trunk through the twine yoke you fashioned, and test to ensure that the knots won’t give way.
Step 7: Slip one arm through the bungee cord or net, then have your helper pull it around you and the tree so you can get your other arm through a loop.
Test to ensure you can move your arms, then thank the helper profusely, especially if they are a stranger. If he or she asks for a photo with you, don’t charge them.
Step 8: Take a test run on a side street or driveway to get used to the weight and movement of the tree.
Be prepared to ride mostly on the front end of the saddle or even slightly standing up. If you’re a woman, rejoice that you don’t feel this way more often.
A helmet is also key. (Anna Broadway)
Step 9: When you feel comfortable, move the pedals normally, but slightly more slowly than usual.
This isn’t your night to set a personal land-speed record. Take turns widely and gently, as your load will be harder to balance.
If you or the tree fall off the bike, calmly but quickly move out of the roadway. (Suggested whistling music: that old Fred Astaire ditty, “I pick myself up, dust myself off and start all over again.”) Re-secure the tree as in steps 6 and 7 and resume your journey.
Step 10: Be courteous on mass transit.
If you need to use mass transit for part of your trip, be sure to travel outside peak commute hours. The tree will impair your sight lines, and you’ll probably have to shoulder it while managing your bike with your other arm.
If there is an elevator available to the platform, take it. A few people will offer to help you. And if that involves carrying the tree out of the train, you should let them—because this is probably the stranger who's going to help you wrestle the tree back into its bungee-cord-backpack for the final leg home.
BART + tree + bike = doable, though perhaps not *fun.* (Anna Broadway)
Step 11: Once home, be sure to drink something, but spare your tree the vodka.
Despite your friend’s uncle’s claims, a vodka-spiked water bath will actually dry your tree out faster. Give it a bucket of plain ol' H20, and don't forget to hydrate yourself. Happy trimming!
Park Rangers Play to a ‘Standing-Room-Only’ Crowd - Recap
of the June 18th National Park Service Meeting re: Muir Woods Reservation,
Parking & Shuttle System
Dear Citizen Marin Friends,
Thank you to all of you who attended the National Park Service’s June 18th
meeting regarding their Muir Woods Reservation, Parking & Shuttle
System. We had a GREAT turn out! The Tam Valley Rec.
Center was packed to the brim with a ‘Standing Room Only’ crowd of concerned
Marin residents. Many of them YOU!
NPS’s LACK OF INTEREST IN COMMUNITY CONCERNS:
Unfortunately, it was apparent from the start that the National Park Service
(NPS) had little interest in listening to our concerns or recommendations.
It was another government event orchestrated to control the outcome and just
check the box on “public input”. An expensive contracted ‘Facilitator’
(Always beware when they bring in those expert fancy facilitators!) began the evening
by laying out the format of the meeting:
1) Presentations by Supervisor Sears and Supervisor Kinsey; then
2) A presentation by the Park Rangers; followed by
3) A “Q & A”, with the Rangers answering questions that attendees were
supposed to write on very small white cue cards. (So much for my prepared
2-minute presentation!)
I called out; “What about comments?” They reluctantly agreed to allow
residents to also write comments on the cue cards. Yet, I can’t recall
the Facilitator ever reading a single comment from the cue cards. They
seemed to selectively choose cards with “acceptable” questions. Of course
my written questions and comments never saw the light of day. They very
occasionally called on a resident who had stood up with one hand above his/her
head for a tiring amount of time, but, for most, the only way to make a
meaningful comment was to shout it out.
NPS PRESENTATION
Having ignored most comments from local residents and organizations, the
National Park Service’s PowerPoint presentation about the Muir Woods
Reservation, Parking & Shuttle System was virtually the same as the one
they gave on September 18th 2013. The only change they made was that they
eliminated parking on Panoramic Hwy. And this was done only after very strong
advocacy by Congressman Huffman.
In a Nutshell
The Park Service gave lip service to reducing traffic associated with Muir
Woods, but all their plan offers so far is to reduce peaks of traffic by
spreading the same amount of traffic throughout the week. They stated that
4000 daily visitors to Muir Woods is acceptable. This does nothing to
reduce impacts on Muir Woods habitat and wildlife or reduce traffic-related
pollution. Their current plan to establish a Muir Woods Reservation
System offers no reduction in the number of annual Muir Woods visitors and no
real reduction in traffic and without an acceptable CAP on the number of people
allowed to visit Muir Woods, would likely increase visitation and traffic.
The Influencers & Decision Makers
It quickly became apparent that Marin County Supervisors have significant
influence (if not control) over the outcome of National Park Service’s (NPS)
Muir Woods Reservation System. This is because the County owns Frank
Valley Road, which, according to NPS, is key to the success of the Reservation
System. NPS wants to use part of Frank Valley Road as an extension of the
Muir Woods Parking lot and charge visitors $15 for two hours use of each
parking space. The Supervisors are considering entering into a Memorandum
of Understanding “MOU” with the park service regarding Frank Valley Road.
Negotiations between the Supervisors and NPS will determine the fate of Muir
Woods and the neighboring communities.
Chris Carr, an attorney with Morrison-Foester, introduced himself and stated he
is representing the Mount Tam Task Force (MTTF). Mr. Carr asked some
pertinent questions regarding whether or not NPS is upholding the Endangered
Species Act and the Clean Water Act. He tipped his hat that his efforts
will help to influence the outcome. According to the MTTF website; “We
will sue to protect the eco-system from Muir Woods to Muir Beach in the way the
Founders intended.”
Contradictions, Inconsistencies and Misinformation Stewardship:
The Park Rangers touted what good stewards they are of Muir Woods. They
initially failed to mention that endangered Coho salmon in Redwood Creek have
been in rapid decline for a number of years. Only after Sierra Club
Executive Member Laura Chariton noted that the Coho salmon are at the point of
extinction, with only 5 Coho salmon counted in Redwood Creek this year, did the
Park Rangers chime in to state their concern about the salmon.
The Numbers:
The National Park Service representatives stated that they need parking on
Frank Valley Road to accommodate 4000 visitors per day. Yet, Clayton Smith’s
detailed analysis, using NPS’s own information, demonstrates that, if the
current bus service is continued to Muir Woods, then parking on the
environmentally sensitive road shoulder of Frank Valley Rd would not be
necessary to accommodate 4000 daily visitors. Moreover, Clayton’s
accounting indicates that the park service’s request for more parking and more
shuttles, along with the reservation system and corresponding marketing, would
actually allow for more than 4000 visitors per day.
Silence about Reservation Systems Boosting Sales:
One of the questions I asked, which was not addressed, was; “How will the
reservation system boost Muir Woods ticket sales?” This topic was never
discussed during the entire meeting. Most organizations engage a
reservation system to increase sales, among other objectives. Now, it is
possible that Muir Woods would not use the reservation system to boost ticket
sales. Moreover, the reservation system could be used to lower sales and
attendance. However, the only way to ensure this is to establish a
sustainable CAP.
Reservation systems have great advantages for boosting sales, including:
- The ease of online real time booking (24 hrs. / 7 days a week);
- Increased utilization of the destination by booking visits throughout the
entire day;
- Up-selling, cross-selling, offering package deals and promotional discounts;
- Online performance measurement and sales matrix - A business story can be
measured and scaled as online systems will display the performance matrix and
act as a critic for every move you make. Real-time reporting shows the
number of prospects, and how many were converted to actual reservations.
This builds a profile of customer behavior and identifies sales trends information
that can be used for strategic planning purposes;
- Currency and language settings to appeal to a global audience; and
- Repeat business with more sales - The customer database generated through
sales can also be used for targeting future marketing campaigns.
Muir Woods Welcome Center near Hwy 101 and Hwy 1:
When asked about whether or not they were planning to build a Muir Woods
Welcome Center in Manzanita, one Ranger downplayed it and said it would be a
very small overhang to protect visitors from rain and maybe a bathroom.
Another Ranger stated that there were no plans for a Muir Woods Welcome Center
in Manzanita. Yet, below are excerpts from the GGNRA General Management
Plan (GMP), which describe the Welcome Center.
GGNRA GMP Excerpts:
“A New ‘Welcome Center’ in the vicinity of State Route 1 and Highway 101 to be
developed in collaboration with Marin County, California State Parks, and
Caltrans…The welcome facility would provide necessary visitor services that
could include parking, sheltered waiting areas, restrooms, and orientation to
the monument and other regional park destinations.” (Pg. 245, Volume I, GGNRA
GMP)
“The ‘Welcome Center’ area can serve as a transfer hub for users to connect
from private vehicles, tour buses and transit to the shuttle service.” (Pg.
196, Volume II, GGNRA GMP)
“In alternatives 1 and 2, a new off-site ‘Welcome Center’ would be created in
the vicinity of State Route 1 and Highway 101 where visitors would board the
shuttle. The center would provide parking, shelter, restrooms, park
information, and snacks, and would be a transfer point between regional and
local transit and national park destinations. The creation of the Welcome
Center would have a long-term, major, beneficial impact on transit facility
capacity, amenities, conditions, and on unsafe road shoulder parking on Muir
Woods Road near the monument.” (Pg. 335, Volume II, GGNRA GMP)
“The proposed new or reconstructed facilities, such as the Highway 101 / State
Route 1 'Welcome Center' and parking area, would require additional capital
investments.” (Pg. 344, Volume II, GGNRA GMA)
Trustworthy Independent Scientific Carrying Capacity Study:
In response to questions pertaining to a trustworthy Independent Scientific
Carrying Capacity Study for Muir Woods and the surrounding communities, the
Park Rangers stated that a Carrying Capacity Study for Muir Woods had already
been completed. Yet, when they described the study, it seemed to only pertain
to customer satisfaction, determining how many people can visit the park and
still feel they had a rewarding experience. Moreover, they admitted that
the study was not independent, not pier reviewed and did not address impacts to
neighboring communities.
It wasn’t clear but the Rangers implied that the 3500 to 4000 daily visitors,
which they based their Reservation System on, fell within an acceptable
capacity (potentially determined by their Carrying Capacity study). These
attendance numbers are lower than a few reported peaks of 5000 to 6000 visitors
per day. However, if you multiply 3500 and 4000 by 365 (the number of
days in the year), the result is between 1,277,500 to 1,460,000 visitors per
year. This is much higher than last year’s annual visitation of 954,000
visitors. With declining endangered Coho salmon and hazardous traffic
congestion, it doesn't make sense that an acceptable annual capacity is equal
to or greater than current conditions.
Furthermore, although many of us have made repeated requests for an Independent
Scientific Carrying Capacity Study, NPS had never before mentioned their study
nor made it publicly available. The Rangers acted surprised when
residents said they wanted a copy.
Cart Before the Horse:
Ann Spake was the last speaker called on. She remarked that NPS’s GGNRA
General Management Plan (GMP) put the “cart before the horse”. Ann
continued; “Without comprehensive studies of the baseline condition of Muir
Wood’s resources and visitor use upon which to base decisions, such as the
extent of allowable visitor use in relationship to preservation of natural
resources, and without subsequent commitment in professional staffing to
monitor conditions in the future, NPS has failed to fulfill its primary
responsibilities.”
Ann then sited excerpts from the GGNRA GMP, which indicate that NPS plans to do
the exact opposite – approve the General Management Plan and then conduct
baseline studies. Yet, another excerpt shows that NPS has not allocated
enough staff to conduct the studies. The excerpt also demonstrates that
NPS has only assigned 4% of its staff to provide what many consider the park’s
most important duties – protection of a diverse array of aquatic, vegetation,
wildlife, and physical resources.
GGNRA GMP Excerpts:
“Implementation Planning: After the approval of this general management plan,
the park staff would complete other more detailed studies before specific
actions would be implemented. These studies would investigate the baseline
condition of resources and visitor use in the park.” (Pg. 299, Volume I, GGNRA
GMP)
“The Natural Resources Management and Sciences Division Staff includes
responsibility for protection of a diverse array of aquatic, vegetation,
wildlife, and physical resources… Division staff manages the park’s
ecosystems and numerous plant and animal species, including many sensitive,
rare, threatened, or endangered species… With only 4% of the park’s total staff
working in this division, current staffing levels prevent the park from
completing the baseline studies and monitoring necessary to guide the park’s
natural resources preservation efforts in the future. The division is central
in addressing the effects of climate change on park resources and habitats.”
(Pg. 165, Volume II, GGNRA GMP)
CONCLUSION
All in all, it appears that the National Park Service (NPS) has little interest
in Marin citizens’ concerns. However, NPS needs cooperation from the Marin
County Supervisors to accomplish their goals. So, the Supervisors can
influence the outcome. And we need to keep influencing the Supervisors to
make certain that that outcome is environmentally sustainable in regard to
future impacts on Muir Woods, Redwood Creek, the Mount Tamalpais ecosysytem and
adjacent communities.
The county and the NPS wants more visitors to Muir Woods but the tenacious Tam/Almonte residents want reasonable restrictions. Steve Kinsey and Kate Sears now are on-board with limiting bus sizes on the narrow roads of Highway One and Muir Woods. Remarkable what an upcoming election will do for democracy.
