Assistant City Manager

Los Altos PREPARES Inspires Volunteers

Tuesday night, community members and emergency preparedness volunteers from across the City gathered in the Los Altos Youth Center for their quarterly “Inspiration Session” with Los Altos PREPARES. A City program, Los Altos PREPARES coordinates the work of our community volunteers, City staff, and Santa Clara County Fire Department to help Los Altos improve our emergency preparedness.

Forty people attended the session, including Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), Amateur Radio Emergency Service, and Block Action Team volunteers from Los Altos and neighboring cities.  Patti Eaton, the Public and Risk Communications Officer of the Santa Clara County Office of Emergency Services, spoke on “Deployment to Disaster: What I Learned About Community Response.” Patti shared experiences from her recent work at the Emergency Operations Centers for the Sonoma fires and the Carpinteria debris field disaster. Ann Hepenstal, City of Los Altos Community Emergency Preparedness Coordinator, shared some reminders for emergency preparedness at home and appreciation to the volunteers for their efforts. Her tips included:

City Clerk

Commission Recruitments

City Council would like to invite residents to apply for appointment to openings on the Environmental and Planning Commissions. Each Commission serves as an advisory body to City Council on their respective topics. Serving on a Commission provides a unique opportunity for residents to positively influence decisions made on behalf of the greater Los Altos community.

Interested parties can find more information about each Commission online and must submit applications by Friday, April 20. For more information, contact the City Clerk’s Office at (650) 947-2720.

Community Development

Building Inspectors Abuzz with New Energy Storage System Knowledge

In addition to advances in solar energy, there have also been advances in the systems that store energy produced by solar panels. With these advancements, there are also new code requirements for how these systems tie together and connect into the power supply of the building that they serve. Building inspectors participated in training this week that covered these topics and building code / inspection requirements that provide for the safe installation of these systems. In this time of rapidly changing technology, building inspectors are rising to the challenge of keeping pace with system updates so they are best able to address them when encountered on project plans or in the field.

New Design Review Commissioners

Michael Ma and Frank Bishop were recently selected by the City Council to serve on the City’s Design Review Commission. This Commission principally reviews applications for new two-story homes and additions or expansions of a second story. The new Commissioners have been sworn-in and provided an orientation on the Commission meetings and the key elements of being a Design Review Commissioner. They will take their seats at the next Design Review Commission meeting on April 4, 2018.

Police

New K-9 to Complete Training this Month

We are pleased to announce our new K-9, Bo is on track to complete training at the end of this month. Officer Kelli Janda will lead Bo in service to the Los Altos community. We look forward to having Bo join us following the retirement of K-9 Lord last year.

Public Works

Traffic Calming on Cuesta between El Monte and Springer

The Complete Streets Commission is scheduled to review and discuss traffic calming plans for Cuesta Drive between El Monte Avenue and Springer Road. The meeting will take place in the Community Meeting Chambers at City Hall, 1 N San Antonio Road, on March 28, 2018 starting at 7:00pm.

This meeting is an opportunity for residents to voice their support or concerns regarding the proposed measures. Meeting notifications were sent to residents within 500 feet from Cuesta Drive and parallel roadways in the vicinity. Staff reports and materials will be posted this afternoon on the Commission meeting page.

Police Department Roof Replacement Project

Engineering opened bids this week for the Police Department Roof Replacement project. The project includes removal, repair and replacement of the roof system at the Police Department building. The City received 5 bids and plans on awarding the contract at the April 10, 2018 City Council meeting. The work is anticipated to be completed early this summer. 

Milverton Road Storm Drainage Improvements 

Engineering staff held a meeting this week with the awarded design firm, Schaaf and Wheeler, to kick-off design of the Milverton Road Storm Drain project. The project will evaluate and design the installation of a new dual chamber drywell system, replacing an old system that is no longer functional. The design efforts will begin with geotechnical exploration to determine permeability of various soil layers and the best location to site new drywells.

Household Hazardous Waste Disposal Event

The City of Los Altos will once again partner with the County of Santa Clara Household Hazardous Waste Program to host a recycling and disposal event in Los Altos on Saturday, April 14, 2018. Drop-off may be made by appointment only. Call (408) 299-7300 or visit  hhw.org to schedule your appointment. The drop-off location will be disclosed once your appointment is made. Acceptable items to dispose of include:

Community Center Update

At its March 13, 2018 meeting, City Council received a presentation from staff and the Noll & Tam Architects design team outlining the new Community Center Schematic Design. With input received from this Council meeting, the design team is further developing the details of this project in the current Design Development phase. To review the Schematic Design documents, click here.

On March 22, 2018, Noll & Tam led a LEED Charette with design and engineering consultants, City staff, and two members of the Environmental Commission. Under direction from Council, this project will obtain a LEED Gold equivalent. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a rating system devised by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) to evaluate the environmental performance of a building and encourage market transformation towards sustainable design. The LEED Charette is a type of workshop where project participants brainstorm, discuss, strategize, and integrate a shared vision across all aspects of the building design.

During the Noll & Tam LEED Charette, the team reviewed and discussed the detailed LEED scorecard which rates the different elements and efforts toward sustainability. The categories in which points are given include water efficiency, sustainable sites, innovation and design process, indoor environmental quality, energy and atmosphere, and materials and resources. Within each category, points may be given if targets are met for such items as heat island reduction, rainwater management, construction waste diversion from landfills, low-emitting interior components, acoustical performance, interior lighting levels, energy performance, and water and energy consumption. Moving forward, the team will continue to coordinate and strategize how best to achieve the LEED Gold equivalent level while maximizing flexible building design, providing for the needs of the community, and meeting the project budget. For more information on LEED, visit https://new.usgbc.org/leed.

Following the completion of the Design Development phase, the Construction Documents phase will further detail and specify the project requirements so that we will have documents for contractors to bid on. The start of construction is anticipated in summer 2019.

Recreation & Community Services

Dodgeball Tournament

The 4th Annual Dodgeball Tournament will be taking place on Friday, March 30, 2018 from 3:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the Egan Junior High Large Gym. This activity is for middle school-aged youth. This event is sponsored by the Los Altos and Los Altos Hills Youth Commission. For more information, visit tinyurl.com/ladodgeball.

Summer Job Opportunities

If you are looking for a fun and exciting place to work for the summer please check out our job postings online. Individuals must be 16 years or older to apply.

Counselor In Training

Our Counselor In Training (CIT) program provides teens an opportunity to learn leadership skills while working with young children. CITs will learn the natural history of redwoods and California habitats in a one-day workshop. Participation is through an application process; staff will notify applicants if they have been accepted into the program. The age range for this activity is 12-15 years. CITs are required to attend one of the mandatory trainings which will are scheduled from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on May 12, 2018 and June 15, 2018. For more information about this program, call at (650) 947-2790 or click here.

 

Senior Program Updates

Senior Dance Exercise: Never miss a chance to dance! Join us at Grant Park Community Center for this fun and healthy class. Get a chance to learn Salsa, Cha Cha, Cumbia, Bachata, Swing, Rock ‘n Roll, Line Dancing and other dancing genres. Taught by Bob and Marilu. Classes are held on the 1st and 3rd Mondays and every Wednesday from 12:45 to 1:45 p.m. in the Multi-Purpose Room.

Senior Spring Fling: Calling all seniors! A Senior Spring Fling is scheduled for Friday, April 6, 2018 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Garden House located in Shoup Park, 400 University Avenue. Join us for a casual evening to welcome spring while mixing and mingling with old friends and new. Enjoy heavy hors d’oeuvres, beverages and an “Oldies, but Goodies” DJ. Tickets cost $10 per person and must be purchased by Thursday, March 29. Tickets can be purchased online or at the Hillview Community Center front office. The activity code for this event is 440711-01. This event is sponsored by the Senior Commission and Club 55. For more information, call (650) 947-2790.

To register or for more information about Senior Programs, call (650) 947-2797.

Reminders

Annual Spring Egg Hunt

Enjoy the fresh air, hunting eggs and carnival games at the City of Los Altos Spring Egg Hunt at Hillview Community Center soccer field (97 Hillview Avenue) on Saturday, March 31, 2018. Games and a visit from E. Bunny begin at 9:30 a.m. The Egg Hunt starts at 10:00 a.m. sharp! Ages are walking to 10 years old. Please be sure to bring your own baskets. Plan to stick around after the hunt to enjoy a fun show for the kids by Sean Mendelson beginning at 10:20 a.m. There will be lots of singing and dancing. For more information, click here.

Event co-sponsored by Friends of the Library

 

April LAYC Dance

The next LAYC Dance for Los Altos middle schoolers will be Friday, April 6th from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. This activity will be taking place at the Los Altos Youth Center, located at 1 N. San Antonio Road. Play ping pong or dance as the D.J. plays your favorite songs!

Tiny Tots Preschool Program

The award-winning Los Altos Tiny Tots Preschool Program is now accepting deposits for the 2018/19 Terrific 3’s and Fabulous 4’s program. Preschool runs September through May and follows the Los Altos School District Calendar. For more information and to schedule a tour, visit our website or call Recreation Coordinator, Candace Avina at (650) 947-2890.