February 21, 2025

Full Bloom

Did you notice that the trees are blooming? That must mean spring is just around the corner! What a joy to have some sunshine after the much needed rain. The grass is vibrant and the first signs of spring are bursting forth! It's the perfect time to starting thinking about what to plant. Good thing we have Milkweed seeds to share at our Tam Tuesdays Speaker Series featuring Mia Monroe. She will be speaking about how we can make Tam Valley even more butterfly friendly - sign up today with the link listed below!

Next Friday is Movie Night! We will be featuring Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit. It's a free event and will be fun for the whole family! Sign up below so we know how many to expect.

And save the date for Spaghetti Bingo on March 21st - still a month away but we'll start selling tickets soon.

Enjoy the lovely sunshine and we hope to see you next week at one of our events.

Wishing you a safe and joy filled weekend!



We Need Your Support to Continue TCSD Events

Note: Thank you to those of you who signed the letter in support of TCSD’s use permit. Approximately 600 people have signed the letter of support. For those of you not familiar with the issue, below is information on the use permit applications.

TCSD has recently submitted two use permit applications to the County of Marin for 203 Marin Ave (Tam Valley Community Center) and 305 Bell Lane (TCSD main office and corporation yard) to allow TCSD to continue to provide services and community events for its residents.

Specifically, the use permit application for 203 Marin Ave. will allow TCSD to continue to have bands (amplified outdoor music) at Creekside Fridays, Oktoberfest, and Earth Day events at the Tam Valley Community Center. The use permit application for 305 Bell Lane will allow TCSD to continue to offer Debris Day twice a year as well as clarify what constitutes solid waste vehicle operations.

The applications are in response to threatened litigation against TCSD by a neighboring resident and a code enforcement action triggered by a resident’s anonymous complaint. 

The Tamalpais Design Review Board (TDRB) is scheduled to consider the use permit applications at its March 5^th meeting at 7:00pm in the Tam Valley Community Center.

It is very important that we demonstrate to TDRB community support for continuing TCSD events and operations at our current location.

We encourage you to e-sign a letter of support for the TCSD applications. Click here to sign or send a letter.

Thank you in advance for your support.

Community Center Masterplan Feedback

There is still time to give your feedback on the preliminary concepts for the Community Center Masterplan. The CMG presentation from the meeting is available here.

Share your input:

• Fill out the on-line form or
• Send us an email at info@tamcsd.org

Let us know your preferences for the various concepts and/or components of each concept. Attendees at the workshop were encouraged to mix-n-match components from each concept.

Please note, we need to receive your input by February 23 so we can pass the comments on to CMG. CMG is tentatively scheduled to bring a revised concept plan based on the feedback received at the workshop to the Board for review at the Board’s March 12^th meeting.

TRASH TALK

All About Service Calls

TCSD does track calls (emails or phone calls) for service for its solid waste operations. In 2024, we received approx. 750 calls for service, which was slightly less than 2023.  Of the total, 321 calls were for “missed pick-ups” which is approx. 43% of the total calls for service. The table below shows the type of calls for service in 2024.

In terms of overall service, TCSD has approximately 2,200 residential accounts. Each residential account has three carts, which equates to the pick-up/collection of approximately 6,600 carts per week or 343,000 carts per year. However, it is true that not everyone puts out all three carts per week. To account for that, let’s say TCSD collects 340,000 carts per year. 

If we round up to 350 (annual number of missed pick-up calls plus other) and divide by the total of 340,000 annual pick-ups, the result is 0.1% of the total. In other words. 99.9% of the time our drivers are picking up your carts on your day of collection. That seems fairly accurate to us, but sometimes things happen, so we do apologize in advance for when we miss your cart. That being said, we encourage residents to call or email the office with requests or service issues. We just ask for your understanding when making the call since the drivers are human and will make mistakes every once in a while (0.1% of the time).😊

Next TCSD Board Meeting

February 26, 2025 at 8:30am

Tam Valley Community Center 

The Board will hold a work session to discuss/consider: a) proposed wastewater CIP projects over the next 10-15 years and b) private sewer lateral inspection and repair programs.

Read the agenda here.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Tam Tuesdays Speaker Series

February 25th at 7pm

Tam Valley Community Center

FREE

“LET’S WELCOME MONARCHS TO TAM VALLEY” with Mia Monroe

Join us to hear from retired NPS Ranger Mia Monroe and learn the bigger challenges monarch butterflies are facing in North America, their success stories right here in Tam Valley and tips for each of us to make this a safer, welcoming world again! Your homework: find a place in your garden for them and be ready to be both a gardener and community scientist!

We will have milkweed seeds for all our attendees so you can get a headstart on planting for spring and support the butterflies!

MIA MONROE – A Tam Valley resident, Mia is a Xerces Society volunteer and has been monitoring the monarch butterfly overwintering population at coastal sites along California for decades. She helped start the Marin Monarch Working Group, volunteers for OneTam and returns to the roots of her ranger career as a National Park volunteer often! Her bumpersticker says, "I Brake for Monarchs"....

There is no charge for this event however an RSVP is greatly appreciated so we can plan for the evening.

Click here to RSVP.

Movie Night

February 28th

6pm

Tam Valley Community Center

FREE

Join us for a fun and cozy evening in the Community Center! Bring pillows and blankets to get cozy.

Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit

Claymation sensation about the bumbling inventor and his silent canine companion trying to trap a beast that's been ravaging neighborhood vegetable patches.

This is a free event but it's helpful to know if you are coming so we can have enough chairs set up. RSVP here!

Senior Bingo

Every Wednesday at 11am

Tam Valley Community Center

Free and lunch provided

Join us for bingo, every Wednesday at 11am, in the Community Center. Jack Schwartz calls the numbers and keeps everyone entertained. Lunch is included and usually served around 12noon. Come on down and join the Bingo Bunch!



SAVE THE DATE! Spaghetti Bingo

March 21st

6pm

Marck your calendars for this super fun, family friendly event! We'll have tickets available in early March. Keep an eye out here for the link.

RESOURCES

Mill Valley Library

Empowered Caregiver Series

March 7th at 10:30am

Managing Money: A Caregiver's Guide to Finances

This Alzheimer's Association series teaches caregivers how to navigate caring for someone with dementia. Participants receive activities to apply person- centered care approaches to your own caregiving situation.

Wildfire Watch Special: LA Fires – Lessons for Marin

On February 10th, a special edition of Wildfire Watch aired, featuring a panel of local experts who shared insights on the recent fires in Los Angeles and the crucial lessons we can apply here in Marin. At Southern Marin Fire District, our top priority is safeguarding our community by actively reducing wildfire risks.

This special episode featured:

• Marin County Fire Chief, Jason Weber
• Director of Marin’s Office of Emergency Management, Steven Torrence
• Mill Valley Chief of Police, Rick Navarro
• Marin Wildfire Executive Officer, Mark Brown

Together, they discussed the ongoing projects and initiatives focused on reducing wildfire risks in Marin, drawing valuable lessons from the Southern California fires.

Watch the Broadcast:

To learn more about the proactive measures being implemented in our community and discover how you can prepare yourself and your family for wildfire emergencies, click here to watch the recording.

Get Prepared with Southern Marin Fire District

Now is the time to take action to prepare your home, property, and family for emergencies. Southern Marin Fire District offers a variety of services to help you stay safe, including:

• Home Inspections
• Chipper Program
• Public Education Programs

Visit our website to learn more about the services provided to you through Measure U.

Together, we can build a safer, more fire-resilient community.

It is an honor to bring you the news of Tam Valley each week. If you have any questions about our newsletter, want to see something included or would like more information about our events, please reach out to me at events@tamcsd.org.



Camille

Communications & Events Coordinator