District 3 News                                                                        Fall 2012

 

IN THIS ISSUE:

Climate Change and Sea Level Rise, Muir Woods Shuttle, Marin’s Largest Solar Power Project

 

Welcome to our new Marin County District 3 News! These periodic updates will highlight our work on important county issues, as well as announce recent accomplishments. Our goal is to keep it short – just a wee bit longer than our e-Gov blasts which provide updates on particular projects, important items on the Board of Supervisors’ agenda, and upcoming events. You can find additional information about the Marin County Board of Supervisors on the county website: www.marincounty.org.

 

A special thank you to everyone who took the time to send in a Community Feedback form. We have collected your comments and posted responses on our website on the Community Comment page.

I hope you will continue to share with me your thoughts and ideas about Marin. Communication is a vital part of the democratic process and to finding solutions that bring positive change to our community. Representing you gets better with your participation and communication – these are key to building a strong community. Join my e-mail list or find me on Facebook and I will let you know about key meetings in your community. I also welcome the chance to come to your neighborhood, so please call my office and let’s find a time. My Aides, Leslie Alden and Maureen Parton, are available at 473.7331. My door is open and I welcome your thoughts.

 

I wish you and yours a very Happy Thanksgiving and a wonderful holiday season.

 

With Kind Regards, 

Kate Sears

Climate Change and Sea Level Rise: Our Local Responsibility  

 

We all want a cleaner, healthier future. It’s up to us to both mitigate climate change and to adapt to those effects we won’t be able to forestall. In Southern Marin, we already see the effects of rising seas with increasing incidents of King Tides flooding our roads and highways.

 

Preparing for the effects of climate change and resulting sea level rise will be one of the most difficult and important issues for our local communities. The time to make progress on this issue has arrived. The devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy highlights the need for all of our communities to plan and prepare for both extreme weather events and more regular flooding that impacts our natural and our developed environments.

Local Study Group to Address Sea Level Rise

 

I am convening a Southern Marin study group focused on the Tamalpais Valley and Marin City areas to map out expected sea level rise for this area, to build awareness of the issue, to identify strategies to mitigate impacts of sea level rise and protect vulnerable lowlands, and to devise adaptation strategies.

 

Contact my office if you would like to be placed on an e-mail list to receive notices for public meetings we expect to convene in 2013. All are welcome. We need everyone to help frame up a local sea level rise plan.

 

Marin Transit’s Muir Woods Shuttle Beats Ridership Records and Receives a Prestigious Transit Award  

 

Marin Transit, in partnership with the National Park Service, operates the popular Muir Woods Shuttle, now in its 8th year of operation and continuing to break ridership records. In its 2011 season (between May 7th and September 25th), the Muir Woods Shuttle made 47,572 one-way passenger trips, an increase of 46% over 2012, and the highest level of ridership since service was initiated in 2005. In May 2012, ridership increased by 35.9% over 2011. The shuttle now carries more than 20% of park visitors on peak summer weekends and holidays.

 

On November 7, 2012, the California Transit Association named Marin Transit its 2012 Service Excellence award winner for the Muir Woods Shuttle.

  

The award recognizes an outstanding small transit operator for innovative service concepts, effective problem-solving techniques, and promoting a positive image of transit in the community. Over 50 regional transit authorities operating hundreds of service lines are eligible for this award. Marin Transit is honored to receive this recognition from the transit community. In addition to the Muir Woods Shuttle, Marin Transit operates the West Marin Stage Coach, Novato Dial-A-Ride, Marin Access for seniors and the disabled, and intra-Marin bus service.

 

 Pictured: Marin Transit General Manager David Rzepinski and Supervisor Kate Sears receive award from the California Transit Association.

 

Marin County’s Largest Solar Power Project Starts Generating Local Renewable Energy at the San Rafael Airport

 

The largest local renewable energy project in Marin County flipped the switch and began generating electricity on October 24, 2012. The private San Rafael Airport, in the first project to be completed through the Marin Energy Authority’s feed-in-tariff program, mounted 4,600 solar panels on 48 hangar rooftops. At peak production on a clear, sunny day, the project will provide 972 kilowatts to electricity, enough energy to power 280 homes for a year. It will offset about 1,138 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually, the equivalent of removing 223 cars from the road.

 

The solar panels were built in the United States and the installation was designed by San Rafael-based REP Energy. The installation work was done by Synapse Electric, a Muir Beach-based company, which collaborated with the Marin City Community Development Corporation to hire local workers for the project.

 

The project is a model of local business and local government working together to develop local renewable energy, create jobs, strengthen our local economy and benefit our environment.

http://marintv.mirocommunity.org/video/11441/mea-press-conference-oct-24-20