Whether a resident is insured or not, local options for testing are available Marin County residents seeking COVID-19 testing have more options than ever. Every day, an average of more than 1,000 Marin residents are tested for the disease, and residents should be aware of their options as case counts rise. Because navigating new choices can be challenging, an updated...
The Transportation Authority of Marin (TAM) has kicked-off a study of the feasibility and potential benefits of allowing buses to bypass heavy traffic on the US 101 by using the existing shoulder from Atherton Avenue/San Marin Drive in Novato to Mission Avenue in San Rafael. When buses can bypass congestion, transit (and sometimes even private...
Last week, based on an increased number of positive cases in a short time frame, Bay Area health officers made the decision to tighten local restrictions to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. The motivation was to get ahead of a surge and a possible state mandate to move back into Tier 2 (Red/Substantial). However, despite this attempt, the State announced that Marin, along with eight other counties, would be moving back...
Starting November 23rd through November 25th, City Hall and most non-essential City facilities, which include Public Works, will be closed in accordance with the non-public safety Furlough Schedule, which is a cost-saving measure in response to significant COVID-19 related revenue losses the City continues to experience. The 13-day closure schedule, as approved by our City...
With a surge of Coronavirus cases in Marin, regionally, and nationally, Bay Area health officers are tightening local rules for higher-risk indoor activities where the virus can spread more easily. Case rates in Marin County have nearly doubled in the past 10 days and continue to rise, prompting Public Health Officer Dr. Matt Willis to...
The following announcement is from PG&E in regard to gas meter inspections this week. PG&E is conducting gas meter inspections in the Terra Linda, San Anselmo, Marinwood and Fairfax areas today through Friday due to low odor reads upon completion of testing a section of one of our gas transmission pipelines. The safety of our...
Parks around the City have been experiencing an increase in vandalism. Recently, our Facilities Division discovered some vandalism to a fence at the Albert Park Tennis court. The damaged section had been impeding the pedestrian walkway. The damaged section of fencing that was causing the sidewalk to be blocked was cut and removed.
Facilities department (re)installed a previously used vice in the new Police Department armory using all of its existing hardware. This device will be used to service the police departments firearms as needed.
With all the recent wildfires and extreme poor air quality we all experienced around the city, the Facilities department installed a PurpleAir device at the Terra Linda pool area in order to monitor the air quality. A PurpleAir device has “sensors that measure airborne particulate matter. Particulate matter describes solid particles suspended in air; this...
The Facilities team installed a new commercial vacuum cleaning system in order to better assist staff at the Public Safety Center with the maintenance of City vehicles. The new system is located in the basement level of the new Public Safety Center.
The San Rafael Police Department has 20 marked patrol units that our two garage techs work diligently to keep in operating order. As you can imagine, these patrol cars, along with many other City vehicles and equipment, see a lot of hard use and require constant attention. As the fleets age, they begin to require...
The Parks and Streets Divisions have been busy cleaning catch basins in preparation for the rainy season. In the photos, you see Parks Maintenance Worker Valente Curiel cleaning out one of the catch basins that is full of leaves, debris and soil. The Parks and Streets Divisions have also been very busy cleaning up illegal...
At the Council meeting on Monday, DPW Staff presented the Third Street Rehabilitation project to the Council. The rehabilitation design includes a new bike path along Second Street from West Street to Shaver Street. This new two-way facility will go a long way towards getting bicyclists into the center of San Rafael in a safe...
Caltrans is planning to improve the intersection of the 101 Freeway northbound exit at Freitas Parkway and Civic Center Drive/Redwood Highway to relocate the Golden Gate Transit bus stop and make pedestrian access much safer and more efficient. Caltrans has proposed two alternatives, one a signalized intersection and the other, a round-about. The City plans...
The City’s contractor on Francisco Blvd East has made significant progress over the past several weeks by completing the installation of storm drainpipe between Vivian and Harbor Streets. The new sidewalk has been installed in multiple stretches, including Vivian to Medway and Hoag to Harbor. The contractor’s electrician has installed foundations and underground conduit for...
Yesterday we received the State’s weekly update on the Blueprint for a Safer Economy. Marin has completed its second week in Tier 3 (orange status); the State’s November 4th assessment for Marin includes: Testing Positivity: 1.0% (decrease of 0.4% since last assessment) Adjusted Case Rate: 2.6 (no change) Health Equity Quartile Test Positivity Rate: 1.5% (decrease of 0.9%) In order to achieve Tier 4 (yellow status) Marin must: have been in the current...
At the end of June the Governor announced "Project Homekey", which set aside approximately $600 million for the acquisition of hotels, motels, and other existing buildings for both interim and permanent housing for people experiencing homelessness and who are vulnerable to COVID-19. Marin's Project Homekey Sites The County of Marin has applied for Project Homekey...
Work is scheduled to start on Friday, November 13 at 9 PM and continue until Saturday, November 14 around noon. The scheduled work is located on Merrydale Rd at Las Gallinas Ave and north of El Prado Ave. The work will be large transmission pole replacement, which will require power shutoffs. The timing is limited...
As of yesterday, Marin County has officially been assigned to Tier 3 (orange status) or “moderate” risk level as part of the Blueprint for a Safer Economy. The State approved this move due to fewer daily cases, a reduction in the proportion of positive tests among those who are tested, and progress in addressing the County’s lowest-income communities. The County must spend at least 21 days...
As of Monday, October 19th all City park bathrooms have been reopened. Bathrooms will be cleaned on a Monday and Friday schedule by Public Works and as needed. Since October 7th, all playgrounds have also been reopened with specific guidelines. A lot of effort has gone into implementing these State guidelines for parks with collaboration and assistance from the Library...
DPW staff have played a huge part in assisting the Police Rangers with clearing homeless encampments in the City. With the new full time and part time Police Rangers in place, DPW maintenance crews are assisting them on almost a weekly basis with encampment cleanups. Both the Parks and Streets Division assist in this and...
Third Street Projects scheduled to go to Council City staff with the consultant team will be presenting an Informational Report for the Third Street corridor projects to City Council on Monday November 2nd. If you would like to listen and participate, the City Council meeting starts at 7pm and the link to the virtual meeting...
Construction for the San Rafael High School crosswalk begins Monday October 26! This crosswalk is being installed about 350 feet east of Third Street/Union Street. It will come with a pedestrian hybrid beacon that will be dark unless a pedestrian activates the button to cross. Pedestrians will cross in two phases and this beacon will...
The Streets and Parks Division recently went into their winter zoning schedule. There are 8 maintenance zones in the City which two maintenance staff members are assigned. Using a GIS based app, they go through all the storm water catch basins (and there are many!) and headwalls cleaning out debris such as leaves, trash and...
The Parks Division been very busy the last couple weeks. They have been working hard to finish up regular maintenance before most of crew joins with the Streets Dept crew for winter zoning. They have also been busy preparing for a big Arbor Day tree planting ceremony that occurred over the weekend. Volunteers planted 100...
PD is the Vehicle Maintenance divisions #1 customer. It is crucial that these vehicles are kept in top condition for safety. In the photo below, you will see Garage tech Angel Lopez replacing a broken ballistic panel in the door of one of the City's police cruisers. Due to the constant opening and closing of...
Construction for the San Rafael High School crosswalk begins Monday October 26th! This crosswalk is being installed about 350 feet east of Third Street/Union Street. It will come with a pedestrian hybrid beacon that will be dark unless a pedestrian activates the button to cross. Pedestrians will cross in two phases and this beacon will...
Marin County has been in Tier 2 (red status) for five weeks and has met the Tier 3 (orange status) threshold for seven consecutive days. If Marin County maintains this threshold of low testing positivity and cases for 14 consecutive days, we are eligible to move to Tier 3. If the State approves Marin’s move on October 27, further business reopenings can move forward, including increased indoor capacity at retail, restaurant, entertainment...
Public Works and our construction management team, Substrate Inc, will host a virtual public outreach meeting on November 4th at 6 PM for the City’s project to reconstruct the Southern Heights bridge, located at 116 Southern Heights Blvd. This is a neighborhood meeting for not only residents directly affected by the new bridge, but adjacent...
From March of 2016 through September of 2017, a pilot program in San Rafael called the Homeless Outreach Team (HOT) created a new collaborative service model that housed 23 of the hardest-to-serve, chronically homeless people in San Rafael. On October 1, 2017, this strategy of prioritizing housing and services for the most vulnerable, high-needs members...
