JUNE 2004

19^th AVE PARK NEWSLETTER

Our next meeting:

Date:     Thursday, JUNE 10, 2004

Time: 7:30 PM **(Please note new time)

Place:     Marriott Hotel     (meeting room, refreshments, and free parking courtesy of the Marriott Hotel)

We welcome all NEW and OLD residents of 19^th Ave Park, please join us and get acquainted with your neighbors.

Our Guest Speaker will be CHRIS MEANY, from the Bay Meadows Land Company. He will make a presentation to our group on the plan that would create 1,250 residential units, 1.25 million square feet of office space and 150.000 square feet of retail space on the 83 acres where the racetrack currently stands. Mr. Meany will explain how the Bay Meadows Land Company will be take over track operations from Magna Entertainment Company. Plus all eyes are on the Gaming Revenue Act of 2004, which is one of four initiatives aiming to be on the November ballot. The initiative could allow slot machines at 11 cards rooms and five racetracks statewide, including Bay Meadows in San Mateo. If it passes all the legal hurdles, it could light up about 3,000 slot machines at the track. To put things in perspective, there are 669 slot machines at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. Developers are now proposing to build one 10-acre park and five acres of smaller neighborhood parks scattered throughout the 83.5-acre project. The Citizen advisory committee has asked for a 15-acre contiguous park in a proposed redevelopment. Our 19^th Ave Park members who sat on this advisory committee from the start recommended 15-acres of a contiguous park as a public benefit for all of San Mateo to enjoy. This will be an important meeting for all residents in 19^th Ave Park to attend and voice their thoughts on this project. We must be heard before it goes to the Planning Commission and City Council.

Please save the date on your calendar and show up! JUNE 10^th  at the Marriott Hotel 7:30 PM

For those who missed our May homeowner’s meeting, we received lots of important information by our guest speaker Robert Muehlbauer, Neighborhood Improvement and Housing Manager for the City Of San Mateo. Mr. Muehlbauer profiled the Code Enforcement activities, which were Priority 1 cases, uniform housing codes, vacant/dilapidated structures and uniform building codes. Priority II cases are auto repairs, home occupation, accessory structures, garage conversion, other zoning violations, prohibited signs, and no sign permit. Priority III cases are other nuisances, shopping carts, junk household items, weed/tall grasses, inoperative vehicles and trash accumulation. The area that receives most of the calls for the code Enforcement Unit is priority III cases.

How to report a code violation

Mr. Muehlbauer stated, to help them to respond to your complaint and provide the best possible service; they ask that when reporting a violation you follow the instructions provided in the automated telephone system message. Please listen to the message carefully. The message will instruct you to select the type of violation and get you the extension to contact the correct Code Enforcement Officer for that area.

Include: The exact property address for the complaint. His staff cannot respond if the address is incomplete.

A description of the alleged violation.

Provide your name and telephone number. It is kept confidential. We ask for your information so that we may call you for more details. We cannot respond to anonymous calls that do not provide adequate information. Please remember that not every condition reported is necessarily a violation enforced by the City of San Mateo Code Enforcement Division.         Code Enforcement 522-7150.

Seniors San Mateo/Foster City Elementary School District Parcel Tax

Seniors may elect, before June 11, 2004, to renew or apply for a senior exemption from the San Mateo/Foster City Elementary School District Parcel Tax under the 2004-2005 Property Tax Bill. Call (650) 312-7777, ext. 7936 and leave a message if there are any questions about the annual exemption that amounts to about $ 76.00.

City of San Mateo City Service Academy

Applications for the next City of San Mateo Service Academy are now being accepted. The City Services Academy is a comprehensive hands-on learning experience that gives participants an opportunity to interact with City Staff and learn about the challenges facing municipal government today. To receive an application by mail or fax call (650) 522-7740 or (650) 522-7419.  Applications for the Fall session must be submitted by August 18, 2004. Visit the City of San Mateo website too!  www.cityofsanmateo.org

New Police Station

Planning for the new station at Saratoga and Hillsdale is underway. Community input will be sought and the design will blend with the surrounding areas. It will be a two-story structure with underground parking. Look for a January 2007 opening.

Safety Tips Avoid Identity Theft:_ SM Police Chief Susan Manheimer

Don’t clip outgoing mail to the outside of your mailbox, especially if you have checks in the mail. Mail should fit all the way in your box. Don’t make it easy for someone to come and take it. Destroy credit card offers or checks with your name on them. Thieves actually search through trash to find them. Invest in a shredder too! Don’t leave valuables in sight in your car, even if it is locked. This is an invitation to a break-in.

Contact Information for Code Enforcement Unit – 522-7150

Abandoned Shopping Carts – call 740-0698; Abandoned Vehicles (Private Property) 522-7150: (Public Property) call 522-7766, give location, lic # and description of vehicle. Fire Hazard Fire Prevention 522-7940 and Garbage – BFI 592-2411 Recycling BFI 637-1411

19^th Ave. Park Neighborhood Association Membership Notice

Have you renewed your membership in our 19^th Ave. Park Neighborhood Association for the year 2004? Our association depends on member dues to support its functions throughout the year and 19^th Ave Park dues are a bargain – still only $12 a year per household! The membership fee covers costs for printing the newsletters and incidental expenses of running our association.

New members who join now will be members through December of 2004. You will receive monthly newsletters keeping you up-to-date regarding important events in the neighborhood and our community. We have a general meeting at the Marriott Hotel on the 2^nd Thursday of each month at 7:30 p.m.  Our association represents residents on important issues that come before the City Council. Please join our Neighborhood Association and make your voice heard!

#1-Mail your check of $12, to 19^th Ave. Park HOA, P. O. Box 2024, San Mateo, CA 94401 or #2- bring your check with you to the JUNE 10^th meeting, or #3- drop it in the mailbox at 1767 Wolfe.

Thank you for your support.

Editor – Henry Friedlander