Belmont Weekly News for Sept. 2, 2022

Labor Day Weekend Is Here

We're honoring and celebrating our dedicated City of Belmont staff for their contributions to our city on the upcoming Labor Day. 

City Hall is closed on Monday, Sept. 5. 

Police and Fire emergency services are fully operational. For emergencies, call 9-1-1.

For non-emergency Police matters, please call (650) 595-7400. Public Works and Parks Department after hours and emergencies call Police dispatch (650) 595-7400.

Weekend Weather - We're Ready

Warmer weather is expected this weekend and continuing through next week. 

In the event that the heat becomes extreme, the City has planned for cooling centers to be made available.

In such circumstances, that information will become available on Belmont Police Department's Twitter page @belmontcapolice or you may call 650-595-7400 for assistance.

And please remember to hydrate!

SOLD OUT -- First Responders Hero Training
Wait List Opened 

San Mateo Consolidated Fire Department let us know that its upcoming CERT training course is at capacity and a wait list has been created. 

Training begins on Sept. 8, and you can add your name to the wait list in the event of last minute cancellations. 

Registration is at:  www.smcfire.eventbrite.com. CERT training is free, though registration is required. Minimum age is 16.  

For more details and to see a complete class list, click here: https://bit.ly/3SFz7B6.

Thank you to all registered heroes-in-training! 

Belmont Joins Coastal Cleanup
Mark Your Calendar for Sept. 17, 2022

Join us as we help to keep our shorelines clean of debris that harms wildlife -- and our -- health. Belmont residents are encouraged to make Saturday, Sept. 17 a day to give back to the planet's health right here in Belmont. 

Cleanup:
9 a.m. to Noon
Check-in at City Hall (One Twin Pines Lane) at 8 a.m.We encourage volunteers to bring their own gloves and cleanup supplies. Limited cleanup supplies will be available at time of check-in. 

Once signed in, choose your shoreline in Belmont to clean of debris. Need a reminder? Find this event on our City's calendar. 

Senior/Community Center Re-Opens Soon

We are pleased to announce that we will be re-opening the Senior & Community Center on Tuesday, Sept. 6. 

The Lobby and Game Room will be open for drop-in socialization and activities, and those registered for the lunch program will now have the option for dine-in services

To register for programs or to reserve a lunch, please call 650-595-7444.

Starting Sept. 6, Senior & Community Center drop-in hours are Tuesday-Thursday, 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. 

*Face Coverings Recommended*

THANK YOU BELMONT
Another Successful Movie In The Park 

Belmont Parks and Recreation would like to give a huge thank you to the crowd of almost 200 who joined us for our first ever on-the-road Movies in the Park at McDougal Park with a showing of Luca!

Shoutout to Belmont 4-H and our raffle sponsors, Toto’s Pizzeria, Hobee’s and Mid-Peninsula Water District, for their generous support.

We look forward to going on-the-road again for the final Movies in the Park of 2022; mark your calendars for Oct. 14 at Barrett Park for the original "Hocus Pocus" at sundown. Let’s get in the Halloween spirit!

Anti-Asian Discrimination Exhibit Opens
Belmont Library Hosts Month-long Event

Local Belmont artist, Cathy Quon, has created an exhibit that raises awareness of anti-Asian hate using mixed media artworks.

The collage works on display combine images, text and other media to highlight the history of anti-Asian discrimination in the U.S. (the exhibit does not include the picture with this article)

Visit the Belmont Library during its opening hours, or click on: Silent No More: A History of Anti-Asian Discrimination in the U.S.

Hot Enough For You? 
Belmont Talks Goes in Deep on the Sun

Join us in person or online for a fascinating journey of discovery. Imagine a fireball whose volume is 1.3 million earths, made up mostly of hydrogen and helium, with a temperature of 27 million degrees Fahrenheit at its center, and sitting 93 million miles away from us. That is our sun! It holds the entire solar system together; without it, life as we know it would not be possible.

On Thursday, Sept 8 at 6:30 p.m., our Parks and Recreation Department welcomes all to the Belmont Library to learn everything sun related from Mohsen Janatpour, Professor of Math, Physics, and Astronomy at The College of San Mateo.

Open to all ages on Zoom or at the Belmont Library. 

Deadline Monday
Climate Leadership Program for Teens

Applications are now open for a yearlong leadership program for high school students in San Mateo County who are interested in learning about climate change and motivated to take action within their schools and community.

The Youth Climate Ambassadors (YCA) Program is offered by San Mateo County’s Office of Sustainability, in partnership with the Citizens Environmental Council of Burlingame, which piloted the project in 2018; the county’s Office of Education; and Peninsula Clean Energy. Students in grades 9 through 12 are eligible.

The deadline for applications is Monday, Sept. 5.

The program is offered from October 2022 through May 2023, with twice-a-month Thursday meetings on Zoom and three in-person retreats on Saturdays. Students will build their knowledge of climate change, explore various climate solutions and develop a final project to create positive environmental change in their school or local community. The schedule and online application are available at https://tinyurl.com/SMCYouthAmbassadors.

The Youth Climate Ambassadors will receive a stipend of up to $500, and additional funds will be available for students living in households with limited financial resources. Students who are part of the program can also apply for funding of up to $500 for their final project.

Details are available at https://tinyurl.com/SMCYouthClimate2022. 

Food Waste Tips - Unburden our Landfills

Did you know, according to a statewide study, Californians throw away nearly 6 million tons of food scraps or food waste in the landfill each year.

Read the latest blog for tips on how to incorporate food-saving techniques from before you visit the grocery store to after you finish your meal! 

Adaptive Signal Update
Implementation Live This Week

Last week, we told you about the new adaptive signals coming to Ralston Avenue. 

In case you missed it, the new real-time adjustments that will adapt with traffic volumes is being implemented along the Ralston Avenue corridor from Hiller Street to Christian Drive. Since it will mean less time for cars idling, and less time in traffic waiting for signals to turn green, this project is funded through a grant from San Mateo C/CAG via the Transportation Fund for Clean Air (TFCA) program.

This week, you might have seen our Public Works Traffic & Streets Division making those adjustments. Our team worked with vendors Cubic Transportation Systems (GridSmart) and Kimley Horn to update traffic signal hardware and software at eight intersections on Ralston Avenue from Sixth Avenue to Hallmark Drive.

The work entailed adding a GridSmart camera to the Hallmark intersection, adjusting the existing GridSmart camera at the Belmont Canyon Road intersection, and updating traffic signal cabinet components at all eight intersections.

Thank you to residents who might have had to wait longer in these intersections while our team did their work. This was an essential step of the Adaptive Signal Control Technology project in progress that aims to relieve traffic congestion through the Ralston corridor.

 Find more about this project on the project page.

SamTrans Route 62 Carlmont Extension
Effective Sept. 6

Starting Tuesday, Route 62 will now serve Belmont on Ralston at Christian Drive. 

EARLIER START: Current Route 62 bus riders to Carlmont High School from eastern Belmont (Sterling Downs), continuing to Notre Dame Avenue and Cipriani Boulevard will need to catch the bus earlier in the morning.

Click on the link below for routes, maps, and more. 

Belmont Creek Cleanup Before the Rains
Public Works Teams with Sheriff's Furlough Crew 

Our Public Works Department's Field Operations met San Mateo County Sheriff's Department work furlough crew this week to conduct the annual removal of overgrown vegetation in Belmont Creek at Harbor Boulevard from El Camino Real to Old County Road.

Though the job typically requires dredging to get at the weeds that can cause flooding in the rainy season, the crew was able to complete all of its work without the heavy equipment this year. 

We hope this effort prevents Harbor Industrial area flooding this winter. 

Major Milestone for High-Speed Rail On The Peninsula

In August, the High Speed Rail Authority achieved a major milestone in bringing high-speed rail to the Bay Area. 

After a detailed presentation, the Authority’s Board of Directors certified the Final Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement (Final EIR/EIS) and approved the approximately 43-mile San Francisco to San José Project Section–completing the environmental clearance for high-speed rail in Northern California.

Maintenance Work this Week
New Irrigation Saves Water

Our Parks and Recreation Maintenance Team made irrigation improvements this week that will keep Belmont beautiful while lowering our water consumption. 

The team installed subsurface drip irrigation to reduce water consumption in the City’s decorative beds on Sixth Avenue.

Expect to see more of this type of innovation and creativity as the team plans for more water-wise irrigation upgrades and drought tolerant planting soon.

Are you following Caltran's 101 Express Lanes news? 

The project continues with temporary, overnight freeway lane closures on US 101, and sound wall work in the City of San Mateo. 

Watch for detour signs and workers on or near the freeway. For recent updates, Click here for current freeway closure information.