Portola Valley Update August 3, 2023

This week's update:

• Neighborhood Cleanup Day - Saturday, August 5, from 8 to 11 am
• Summer Concert Series - August 17th
• Save the Date for the Annual Town Picnic and Zotts to Tots Race - Sept 23
• Conservation Committee What is Blooming Now - Coyote Mint
• Wildfire Preparedness Committee Tip
• Town Hall Doors Closed on Fridays
• County of San Mateo’s 19th Annual Disaster Preparedness Day
• Save the Date - Portola Valley Arts Fest
• Styrofoam Collection
• Upcoming Events

Neighborhood Cleanup Day - Saturday, August 5, from 8 to 11 am

Please note: No items will be accepted after 11 am

Please review the sample postcard and load your vehicle accordingly! This event is free for Portola Valley residents - you will need to bring a copy of your GreenWaste garbage bill or the "original" postcard received in the mail as proof of residency. GreenWaste is asking that residents containerize or bundle their yard trimmings.*

• Medication is NOT accepted at this event
• Hazardous materials are NOT accepted. The sample postcard describes the kinds of things that are accepted, as well as those items that are not. Please note that hazardous materials will not be accepted at this Neighborhood Clean-Up Day event.

Please call the County of San Mateo Household Hazardous Waste Program at 650.363.4718 or visit the County's website to schedule a drop-off appointment. Also, you may wish to note that the Town will sponsor a Household Hazardous Waste Disposal event here in Portola Valley on October 14, 2023.

*Containerizing or Bundling = branches bundled together with rope or twine and loose leaves and clippings containerized in bags or carts. Bundled or containerized yard trimmings makes loading the material into trucks safer for GreenWaste’s staff and helps the Clean Up run smoothly and efficiently.

If you do come early and see a long line please come back later. The lines were a lot shorter after 10 am at the last event The Sheriff let us know they will not allow lines along Portola Road.

Summer Concert Series - August 17th

Join us for the second in a 3 part summer concert series with an evening of music with Fleetwood Macrame, on the Performance Lawn by the Library. Food Trucks will be at the Farmers Market. Please also feel free to bring blankets and lawn chairs and a picnic basket with your favorite snacks and beverages.

Fleetwood Macrame is a Bay Area, tribute band covering all the hits of one-and-only Fleetwood Mac. They sound so much like Fleetwood Mac that if you closed your eyes, you would think it was the real thing.

Save the Date for the Annual Town Picnic and Zotts to Tots Race - Sept 23

This exciting family event will bring family and friends together for a day of outdoor fun. Lace-up your running shoes or hop on your bike for the exciting race, or simply enjoy a leisurely stroll along the picturesque route. Afterward, indulge in a delicious bite to eat and immerse yourself in the plethora of activities at the picnic. From games and entertainment to face painting and pony rides, there's something for everyone to enjoy. Mark your calendars for a day filled with family fun and memorable moments!

Conservation Committee What is Blooming Now - Coyote Mint

Coyote Mint - Monardella villosa

Is your yard in need of some summer color? Look no further than this terrific, locally native ground-cover in the Mint family. It gets no more than 2 feet tall and 3 across and needs virtually no water once it’s established. It has a minty fragrance, soft grey-green leaves and is deer-resistant. It is the perfect “tuck-in” plant, especially where it’s too dry for other plants. It will take some shade and a little summer water (if well-drained) but needs plenty of sun to bloom vigorously. Tolerates serpentine soils.

The beautiful purple flowers last into the heat of the summer and attract butterflies and other pollinators at a time when many other flowering plants are spent.

Native Americans used it for stomach upset, sore throat and respiratory symptoms and it can be steeped into a mint tea. Its fragrance is amazing.

Coyote mint is available commercially and grows well from seed if you can find it. Plan to include it in your fall planting plans. Your local California native plant nursery can help and provide any advice that you might want.

More information can also be found here: https://calscape.org/Monardella-villosa-(Coyote-Mint)?srchcr=sc64c1fd071db68

Wildfire Preparedness Committee Tip -Upcoming Safety and Preparedness Training

It’s been a long time since WFPD’s EPiC (formerly known as CERPP) has been able to offer in-person classes in CERT (Community Emergency Response Team). From Thursday Sep-7th to Oct-19th at 6:30-9:30 PM, learn to act in a disaster: safely check on neighbors, provide basic help to victims, and communicate boots-on-the-ground information to first responders. The 7 sessions at Station 19 are followed by a Skills Day on Sunday Oct-22-2023. Register at https://bit.ly/Fall-2023-CERT-Basic-Skills. Cost is $35.

Teens should be interested in the WFPD Safe Sitter class 9:00-3:00 PM on Saturday Aug-12-2023. Learn skills in safety, first aid & rescue, life & business, and childcare. To register, email Selena Brown or call 650-423-1406. Cost is $35.

Town Hall Lobby Closed on Fridays

The Town Council approved physically closing Town Hall’s doors every Friday until September 15th, 2023. Staff will still be working but the lobby will be closed to visitors. The Planning & Building Department has virtual appointments for services that include meetings with a planner, building/planning permit submittals, and more. The PV Connect system is available for submitting service requests. You can still reach staff by email and phone.

County of San Mateo’s 19th Annual Disaster Preparedness Day - Aug 5

The County of San Mateo’s 19th annual Disaster Preparedness Day will provide attendees the opportunity to learn from experts in a family-friendly setting with free hotdogs while supplies last and the opportunity for kids (and adults) to get up close with emergency-response vehicles.

The free event takes place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 5, 2023, at the San Mateo County Event Center. Free parking will be available at the entrance at 1346 Saratoga Drive, San Mateo.

Workshops will include how to make a basic family communications plan (where to go, who to contact) and what to pack in a basic and inexpensive emergency supplies kit. Local experts will teach classes on CPR, basic first aid and how to be firewise.

Save the Date - Portola Valley Arts Fest - September 9th

The second annual Portola Valley Arts Fest will take place on Saturday, September 9th from 10:00-5:00 on the grounds of the Ladera Community Church. The Arts Fest exists in a unique place between other events you may have attended. It is more home-spun and intimate than your average town art festival, and yet it is of a higher quality than your average community art event since many local, professional artists are on display. It is a festival of the arts, but at its core, it is an expression of our creative connections to each other. Come catch up with friends, do some art activities, hear local authors read their work, buy a painting or maybe just kick beachballs with your toddler in the field under the redwoods and relax with local wine and food. Please join us for this celebration of talent and community. More information can be found here.

Styrofoam Collection - September 17 & 18

September 17 | 11:45 - 1PM and September 18, 19 | 10 - 2PM

Valley Presbyterian Church (Lane Family Hall) - 945 Portola Rd.

The most effective way of preventing Styrofoam from harming our planet is to eliminate its use altogether, but we know this is not always possible.

VPC is collecting Styrofoam (polystyrene) blocks* and delivering it all to the Newby Island recycling plant in Milpitas. There it will be compressed into blocks to be sent on to sites that will find alternative uses for it, keeping it out of landfill and waterways.

* The blocks need to be clean, white, block, rigid, not squishy foam, and no peanuts. And please do not leave any outside the church after these hours.

Donations gladly accept to offset truck rental.