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Join Us Saturday, April 16, for Opening Day of Sailing Season
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Redwood City Mayor John Seybert will be Master of Ceremonies for the 78th annual South Bay Opening Day of Boating Season Saturday, April 16, at the Port of Redwood City.
The decorated boat parade begins at 11 a.m.
The Santa Clara University Hawaii Club will present a dance demonstration before the boat parade and some other informal dance entertainment during the day.
There will be booths presenting information. Lunch will be at the Sequoia Yacht Club.
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Port Among Sponsors of First-Ever Festival to Introduce Youth to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM)
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The Port of Redwood City is among the sponsors of the San Mateo County STEM festival, the first-ever county festival to introduce youth and adults alike to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) through fun experiments, presentations, speakers, and demonstrations. The event is scheduled for April 16th as part of Global Youth Service Day.
The festival will be from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the Courthouse Square at 2200 Middle field Rd., Redwood City.
The San Mateo County STEM Festival will feature the talents of local experts to demonstrate fun aspects of science, technology, engineering, and math. A generous grant provided by State Farm and the support from Youth Service America allows the festival to provide
 important demonstrations, experiments, and speakers for free to the community. There will be more than 20 booths covering many facets of STEM to allow kids to gain an interest in these topics in school and to later consider STEM careers.
"The Port of Redwood City is delighted to help sponsor the San Mateo County STEM Festival and offer this innovative and interactive event to the youth of our community," stated Richard Claire, Port Commission chairman. "Thank you to all the festival partners for offering this free event to help youth see the fun side of STEM and expose them to potential careers."
Families will also be able to enter the San Mateo County History Museum for free to participate in special Maritime Day activities.
STEM skills are important because in the decade ending in 2020, United States employers will create about 2.1 million jobs in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) as well as the professional sector, according to the Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. 80% of future jobs will require STEM literacy.
Exposure to everyday applications will plant the seed for students to pursue more advanced degrees in STEM careers so that the U.S. can then fill the demand for these jobs with local employees, helping these young people remain employed.
To see the details of this event or to participate as a booth participant, sponsor, or speaker, visit the website at:
www.stemfestival2016.com.
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Earth Day on the Bay Set for Saturday, April 16, at Marine Science Institute
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Marine Science Institute's annual "Earth Day on the Bay" is scheduled for Saturday, April 16, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 500 Discovery Parkway, Redwood City.
The free all-day event is designed to provide fun, safe, and special memories for the whole family that will foster and grow cherished connections between your family and the San Francisco Bay.
Events include:
- Shark Feeding.
- Touch live sharks, sea stars, crabs, flounder, and more.
- 2-hour Eco Voyage (book in advance at http://sfbaymsi.org/earthday.
- $20 single admission for ship voyage (must be 5 years old, all children must be supervised).
- Ocean Critters arts & crafts.
- Local business and non-profit environmental fair.
- Live lunch raffle.
- Flows to Bay relays and watershed activities.
- Variety show and juggling by Rock Steady Juggling!
- Live lunch time entertainment courtesy of the Banana Slug String Band!
- Capelo's Barbecue Truck on site!
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Port Celebrates Western Hemisphere Ports Day
April 5 marks day of recognition for port contributions to regional economy
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Port of Redwood City Board Chairman Richard Claire announced today the Port's participation in Western Hemisphere Ports Day on April 5, a day of recognition acknowledging the industry's role in job creation and economic prosperity, and its commitment to education, training and environmental stewardship initiatives on behalf of the communities they serve across the Americas.
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Port Chairman Richard Claire |
Led by the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) under the banner "United for the Future," the Port of Redwood City joins hundreds of ports in North, Central and South America, and the Caribbean to highlight and celebrate the value of ports.
"We're pleased to recognize Ports Day as part of our ongoing commitment to remind our community and its leaders about the important role we play in Silicon Valley and as a vital link to the global economy," said Claire, who before joining the Port Commission nine years ago served on the City Council for 20 years, including two as mayor. "Like ports worldwide, our work continues to support an industrial workforce, a vibrant community and a growing economy."
 The Port of Redwood City specializes in bulk, neo-bulk and liquid cargoes. The Port operates with its own revenues and receives no tax revenue.
"Our combination of having a strategic location, available deepwater facilities and efficient service, has enabled the Port of Redwood City to become the fastest growing small bulk port in California.," Claire said. "By focusing our port development efforts on dry bulk, neo-bulk and specialized cargo, we look forward to the Port's continued growth."
Many of the construction materials that are imported across Port docks are used in numerous public and private building projects in Redwood City and Silicon Valley.
"We're proud to recognize members like Redwood City in celebration of Western Hemisphere Ports Day," said AAPA President and CEO Kurt Nagle. "On behalf of workers, employers, manufacturers and consumers everywhere, our ports are truly united for the future."
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Port Chairman Urges WETA Action on Ferry Service for Redwood City
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The San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA) is a regional public transit agency tasked with operating and expanding ferry service on the San Francisco Bay and with coordinating the water transit response to regional emergencies.
http://sanfranciscobayferry.com/weta
This is a letter recently sent to the WETA Board and staff by Port of Redwood City Commission Chairman Richard Claire:
Vice Admiral Jody A. Breckenridge, USCG, Ret.
Board Chair
Water Emergency Transportation Authority
Pier 9, Suite 111
San Francisco
, CA 94111
Dear Vice Admiral Breckenridge & Members of the WETA Board:
On behalf of my fellow Commissioners and staff at the Port of Redwood City, we want to voice our dismay that the draft WETA Strategic Plan and draft Short Range Transit Plan (SRTP) both fail to accurately reflect the dynamic economic growth and demand for ferry passenger service in Redwood City and Silicon Valley.
We recommend that both plans update ridership projections for ferry service at the Port of Redwood City before they are adopted because circumstances in Silicon Valley and the Peninsula have changed dramatically since WETA's outdated projections. Redwood City is ready for water transit service now, not 20 years from now.
WETA's 2011 SRTP did not include any specific action to develop Redwood City ferry service and unfortunately five years later the new draft SRTP is the same - no action for Redwood City and the South Bay. We commented five years ago that the 2011 plan was based on inaccurate assumptions and outdated information and now five years later the 2016 plan essentially repeats the same language dismissing that Redwood City is ready for ferry service now.
In our view, both WETA's plans - the SRTP and the 20 year Strategic Plan -- should have definitive implementation steps for Redwood City ferry service in the next 10 years if not sooner.
Other facts to consider in developing plans for Redwood City ferry service are that Google and Facebook have both conducted ferry service trials with positive results and both are located within proximity to a ferry terminal at the Port of Redwood City. Google has retained the majority ownership of Pacific Shores Center, acquiring six building totaling one million square feet in October 2014. Pacific Shores Center is located within walking distance from the proposed ferry service terminal for the Port of Redwood City. Facebook is located only one freeway turnoff from the Port of Redwood City. The proposed terminal already has $15 million set aside through San Mateo County Measure A funds dedicated toward its construction.
Parts of the "Seven Steps Process" for new WETA expansion projects have already been completed for Redwood City including site selection and preliminary design. WETA should set a timeline for the next steps which would include updating feasibility studies with new ridership estimates, a project M.O.U., detailed design and environmental review.
Thank you for your consideration and opportunity to comment.
Sincerely,
Richard Claire, Chairman
Cc: Nina Rannells, Executive Director - WETA
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