By Alicia diVittorio
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By Gina SilvestriGPNA Board Member and President for more than six years. We’re starting off 2018 great with two new GPNA board members. They’ll be instrumental in helping us accomplish all that needs to get done to continue making Gerstle Park a great place to live.
By Gina SilvestriPresident of the GPNA On January 25, 2018 the GPNA held its annual meeting where the entire neighborhood was invited to learn about all the great things done in 2017, and what to look forward to in 2018. Attendance was great --nearly 100 people from the neighborhood came! Thank you to everyone who came, it’s with our collective participation that we make change happen.
The meeting started by covering our usual business, including the treasurer’s report, approving last year’s meeting minutes, and our membership numbers. We had some amazing guests, including San Rafael Mayor, Gary Phillips, who discussed everything from the 2040 city planning, homelessness and upcoming district elections that will impact how neighborhoods will be represented with the city. He gave an update on the SMART train; daily, it has 2500 riders! I encourage you to take a ride on the train if you haven’t yet. It’s a beautiful ride, and if you get off in Petaluma you can easily walk downtown to Brewsters for a bite to eat! Bill Guerin of Public Works stopped by to discuss how our sidewalk initiative is moving forward, and many projects should start in March. Knowing that the new LED lights on D street is a big issue for the community, he also addressed this issue, explaining the department will be putting shields on some of the lights that shine directly into houses. After the devastating fires in Santa Rosa, we asked Chris Gray from the San Rafael Fire Department to swing by the meeting to give residents a few tips on how to “harden their properties”. Clearing brush and cleaning gutters are two things that will go a long way. He also recommended that people sign up for Alert Marin, our local emergency alert system. Katy Rice, our county Supervisor also encouraged homeowners to take steps to safeguard their homes from fires. Stay tuned for details on a community meeting Katy intends to plan where fire safety will be discussed. Diana Bishop, the San Rafael Police Chief brought along, Phil Melodia, Gerstle Park’s designated evening police officer (READ: if you call the police at night, Phil will most likely be the officer on duty). She advocates for reporting any crime so they can keep a thorough record of all criminal activity. She also asks that any homeowners with a surveillance camera register it. Police will not have access to the camera systems, but will be aware that a camera exists when investigating a crime in or around their neighborhood. You can register your camera by visiting the San Rafael Police Department website. Overall it was a great meeting, with a wonderful turnout. Continue to subscribe to our blog to get regular updates on what's happening in the neighborhood! |
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