Portola Valley Weekly Update November 10, 2022

Wanted, Volunteers for Toyon Trail Project, December 3rd

Toyon trail, part of Coal Mine Nature Preserve, was built in the late 1970’s by Town volunteers. They worked for 44 weekend days for over 3 years to build the trail.

Once again Town volunteers will have a chance to work on this beloved trail, making repairs along a one-mile section. This project, jointly sponsored by Portola Valley Ranch and The Trail Center, is scheduled on December 3rd.

Volunteers will receive onsite training and work alongside experienced volunteers from The Trail Center (www.trailcenter.org). Volunteers will be restoring the trail width and grade where needed, and potentially installing retaining boards where the outside edge has broken down. They are looking for about a dozen volunteers from the Town to join The Trail Center volunteers. The only requirements are that you don’t mind getting dirty, you sign up in advance and you can commit to the entire time frame (approximately 8:30am through 3:00pm). If interested or for more information, please contact Denise Gilbert (carly745-portolavalley@yahoo.com)

Portola Valley School District - Big 5 Safety & Wildfire Preparedness Informational Meeting

Sheriff’s Contract Update – Share Your Thoughts

What are your public safety concerns? How would you like to see public safety enhanced in Portola Valley? What public safety efforts in Portola Valley are working well?

The 5-year public safety agreement between the Town of Portola Valley and the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office expires in June 2023. The Town needs input from Portola Valley community members as it enters into discussions with the Sheriff’s Office about a new public safety contract.

There are several opportunities for you to provide input on your feelings about public safety. This input will be used to inform discussions about a new contract:

Learn how you can participate in the process

County Road Work and Traffic Delays on Arastradero Road Nov 2-22

Santa Clara County Roads and Airports Department will be doing road work on Arastradero Road near Alpine Road Nov 2 – Nov 22. Expect traffic control and delays.

Please note this is not a project run by the Town of Portola Valley. If you need more information, please call Santa Clara County Roads & Airports Department at (408) 573-2400

Wildfire Preparedness Committee Tip - Camp Fire 4th Anniversary; SMC Alert Transition

The Wildfire Preparedness Committee has created a series of tips to help the community prepare for wildfire season. You can see the current tip and download any past tips on the website.

Draft Safety Element Available for Review

The Public Review Draft of the Safety Element is available for review and public comment. The Town’s technical team, including staff and consultants, have developed this draft based on the content of the existing Safety Element, State law, guidance from the State and regional agencies, and best practices. This draft was guided by preliminary comments received from the Sustainability Committee, Geologic Safety Committee, and Emergency Preparedness Committee on early memos prepared by the technical team.

Town Committee Review of Draft Safety Element

View the recording of the October 26 Joint Committee meeting with the Wildfire Preparedness, Emergency Preparedness, Sustainability, and Geologic Safety Committees. The technical team presented the Draft Safety Element at the meeting. These committees will have opportunities to further discuss the Draft Safety Element at their individual committee meetings.

Opportunities to Provide Input on the Draft Safety Element

There are several opportunities for members of the public to provide input on the draft Safety Element:

Submit written comments

• Submit electronic comments using the form on the Town’s website at www.portolavalley.net/safetyelement.
• E-mail comments to safetyelement@portolavalley.net

Provide input at public meetings.

• TBD Emergency Preparedness Committee meeting
• TBD Geologic Safety Committee meeting
• TBD Sustainability Committee meeting
• TBD Wildfire Preparedness Committee meeting

Members of the public are encouraged to engage in these committee meetings and provide feedback at any stage in the process. Comments on the Draft Safety Element are requested by January 13, 2023.

In addition to the committee meetings, the Planning Commission and Town Council will review the Draft Safety Element. These meetings will provide additional opportunities for community members to provide input on the Draft Safety Element. Dates for these meetings will be added to the Safety Element webpage when available.

To receive updates on meetings and other Safety Element matters, you may sign up for eNotifications on the Town’s website by going to the “Community” page, navigating to “Stay Informed,” then “Subscribe to Town eNotices” and selecting Safety Element. You may directly access the “Subscribe to Town eNotices" page here.

Pickleball Thank You Banner for New Court Lines