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Belmont Weekly Update  -  February 18, 2022

Community Workshop - This Saturday, February 19th 

The City of Belmont is preparing to transition from having five councilmembers elected at-large to having four councilmembers elected by-district and a mayor elected at-large. The first by-district elections of councilmembers will be held in November 2022.

Transitioning to district based elections will ensure the method of electing councilmembers complies with the California Voting Rights Act and will resolve a legal challenge to the current at-large election process.

The City of Belmont urges you to engage in the process by attending an upcoming Council meetings, using the online district map drawing tool or visiting a pop-up information booth.

An in person Community Outreach Presentation is scheduled for this Saturday, February 19, 2022 10 a.m. at the Twin Pines Senior Center

Check the City’s website District Elections | City of Belmont for more upcoming opportunities to engage in the process.

Next City Council Public Hearing is February 22, 2022 (Second Draft Map Presentation) Held virtually, Login to: https://belmont-gov.zoom.us/  Meeting ID: 95745673035.

City Council, Commission, Committee Meetings

City Council Special Meeting, February 22, 2022, 6:30 pm
City Council Regular Meeting, February 22, 2022, 7:00 pm
City Council Strategic Plan Workshop, February 23, 2022, 10 am 

Stanford/NDNU Campus Visioning Outreach Event Stanford invites you to their upcoming Belmont Campus Virtual Discussion and Information Session on Thursday, March 3 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. They hope the community members will join to share their thoughts and ideas as they develop a vision for the future of the campus. EVENT DETAILS DATE: March 3, 2022 TIME: 6:30 p.m.-8:00 p.m. JOIN: engagement portal If you are unable to join, project information is available at https://belmont.stanford.edu and you can add your voice to the discussion by visiting Their engagement portal.

Black History Month Zoom Talk ⇒ Saturday, February 26, 10am-12noon ⇒ Dr. Kim Rhoads- Vaccines, disparities & impact on the African-American Community ⇒ Chika Ofodu- 'Healing Centered Engagement' addressing the need for treatment and support beyond trauma-informed care. ⇒ Cultural Performance Art presentations ⇒ Black History Trivia Game ⇒ Community Resource and Support Information ⇒ Raffle Prizes Register here: bit.ly/2022BelmontBHM

Year of the Tiger in Belmont

In the spirit of celebrating the members of our community’s diverse cultures, the City of Belmont held its first-ever Lunar New Year Celebration on Wednesday, February 16th. Mayor Julia Mates (the first Chinese-American Mayor of Belmont), Belmont City Council, representatives from Senator Becker’s and Assembleymember Kevin Mullins’ offices, City partners welcomed the community members of all ages and City staff who attended the outdoor event. A special Kung Fu demonstration by young members (aged 5-6) of Belmont-based Stepping Stones Enrichment Academy and a professional Lion Dance ceremony by White Crane’s Lion Dance Association enhanced the colorful celebration.  Footsteps Childcare Interact Club also attended to support and assist at the event. 

More pictures and videos can be found at: https://www.facebook.com/BelmontCalifornia

Share your ideas on how Belmont's history can be portrayed with art

MidPen Housing Corporation is excited to announce the commission of two 5 foot by 2foot mosaic wall murals that will be placed adjacent to a public sidewalk for the Belmont community’s enjoyment at our new project, Firehouse Square, located at1300 El Camino Real in Belmont. MidPen, in collaboration with the selected artist, is soliciting the community’s input to shape the vision for these two murals.

Complete the survey here: https://bit.ly/3oA39bY

Parks, Recreation and Open Space Master Plan – We want to hear from YOU!

Visit BelmontProsPlan.com to view draft recommendations for ALL of Belmont’s parks.  Tell us what you think.  Or, check out the January, February, and March Park & Recreation Commission meetings to hear discussions about specific parks, as well as updates on the Open Space Management Plan, and more!

A Sweet Success Belmont Parks & Recreation hosted the annual Sweetheart Dance last Friday, where youth and their guardians danced the night away! Attendees had a blast making crafts, visiting with Princess Tiana, enjoying sweet treats, and taking silly photos in the photobooth. Thank you to the VOICES team for dedicating their time to ensuring the dance ran smoothly. Belmont Parks & Recreation is overjoyed to have had the opportunity to offer this family fun event in person this year and is already looking forward to next year!

Let’s Go Fly a Kite! The teens at The Hideout are still going strong this week kicked off with a Birthday Card service project. Filled with  poems and art to spread birthday cheer. The cards will be donated to a local community organization. The breezy weather conditions were a natural reason for the teens to fly a kite on the field. The teens hit the kitchen and made homemade-style chili and garlic bread and ended the week with a second field trip of the year, an evening hike around Waterdog Lake.

Project Updates

Firehouse Square 

This past week, the contractor began to remove building scaffolding, revealing the new building façade. Scaffolding on O’Neill is scheduled to be removed next Wednesday, including the reveal of the historical fire station arches that were salvaged from the previous structure. It is anticipated that next week the contractor will also install the final load of roof tile.

Storm and Sewer

69 Full Trash Capture Devices Help the City Improve Water Quality

Preventing trash from entering the storm system and ending up in bay improves water quality and helps the environment.  It is also a requirement of the City’s storm water permit from the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board which requires each municipality in the bay area to reduce trash in local waterways. One way the city reduces trash in the storm system is with full trash capture devices in the storm inlets. 

These devices are comprised of a stainless-steel mesh box the is secured in the storm catch basin at the storm inlet.  The trash capture devices prevent trash and small debris including cigarette butts and candy wrappers from passing through into the storm system and ending up in the bay. The Public Works Storm Maintenance crew removes the debris during their routine storm basin preventative maintenance and cleaning. Last week City staff inspected and cleaned all 69 devices in less than two days and removed approx. 1 yard of debris. 

Sewer Line Repair on South Road During routine video inspection of the City’s sewer mains, the Public Works Sewer Division discovered a section of sewer main completely obstructed with roots in the 900 block of South Road. On Wednesday February 9th the sewer crew removed a 6-foot section of 6” VCP sewer main and an abandoned tap lateral and replaced it with a 6-foot section of 6” SDR-35 grade PVC pipe.

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