June 20, 2025

Good to Be Back

Wow! What a wonderful time we had last week at the Cabin! It was such a joy to see so many happy kids and relaxed parents, enjoying the music, the face painting and the great company. We were so lucky that the weather actually got better as the evening went on.

Summer is finally here and we can feel the excitement in the air along with a hint of better weather. We'll be back at the Cabin next week with Pacific Standard. There will be free face painting again and for the entire concert series. We might even have some merch to sell! We are working with a print on demand provider so we can offer hats, tee shirts, tote bags and more! By using print on demand, we will minimize our overhead while expanding our offerings which is a win/win! The best part is that there is an excellent story about the image we are using this year. See below for more info.

We got good news at the County meeting about our use permit applications. There is still some work to be done around that but right now we are basking in the community support and flexibility that has come from this process. A silver lining has been our return to the Cabin. I heard the sweetest story from a local mom whose daughter returned from college last Friday evening, as she drove into Tam Valley she saw kids happily playing near the creek, parents picnicking and happiness filling the Cabin grounds. When she got home she exclaimed "Mom! Creekside is back at the Cabin!". Her mom replied, "yes, but there is no food or beverages being sold." and she said, "I don't care! Creekside is BACK at the CABIN!" Her sentiment really sums it all up. It's so good to be back and we will keep adapting, keep gathering and keep the heart of Tam Valley alive and well.



Wishing you a safe and joy filled weekend!



A Big Thank You Note From the General Manager

Good News- Use Permit Applications Approved

The County of Marin Deputy Zoning Administrator (DZA) approved, with conditions, both use permit applications:

203 Marin Ave- allows amplified music at Creekside Fridays, Oktoberfest, and Earth Day at the Community Center.

305 Bell Lane- allows for 2 Debris Days and 1 Household Hazardous Waste Day (HHWD) per year in the Corporation Yard.

The approvals are subject to appeal to the Planning Commission. An appeal must be submitted within eight (8) business days of approval, which in this case is June 27^th.

A few weeks ago, due to the initial uncertainty regarding the use permit and appeal timeframes, the TCSD Board decided to move forward with scheduling Creekside Unplugged events at the Cabin for the summer. The schedules for Debris Day and HHWD are also dependent on whether an appeal is filed or not.

Thank you to all of you who signed the on-line letter of support or submitted letters of support. Over 800 people indicated their support of the TCSD use permit applications. The on-line and submitted letters were part of the materials reviewed by the DZA. Also, a big shout out to those residents who attended the public hearing on June 16^th at the Marin Civic Center.

All your overwhelming support was essential to TCSD’s use permit applications.

On behalf of the TCSD Board, we thank you once again.

Garrett Toy

General Manager

TCSD Board Work Sessions Meeting

June 25th

Kay Park and Eastwood Park

(Please note the change in location for the work session)

The Board will be holding a special Board work session at Kay Park at 8:30am by the picnic tables. Following the Kay Park meeting, the Board will hold a special work session at Eastwood Park at approximately 9:00am. 

These special work sessions are part of the Board’s annual field trips to Kay and Eastwood Parks.

Click here to read the agenda and staff reports.

Upcoming Fee Increases

Effective July 1, 2025

With the adoption of the FY25-26 Operating and Capital Improvement budget, the fees listed below will increase as follows:

Wastewater (EDU & usage)- 4% increase in service charge (per the adopted five year fee schedule- FY21-22 through FY25-26)

Wastewater fees for service (e.g., permits, hook-up fees)- 2.7% increase*

Solid Waste- 2% increase in service charge (per the adopted five year fee schedule- FY23-24 through FY27-28)

Solid Waste fee charges (e.g., extra pick-up, dump bins)- 2.7% increase*

Parks & Recreation rental fees- 2.7% increase*

All other fees- 2.7% increase*

*Note: 2.7% is based on the Feb. 2024 to Feb. 2025 Customer Price Index (CPI) for the San Francisco Area prepared by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Creekside Swag - Coming Soon!!!

We are so excited to share the tee shirts, hats and totes that we are working on for Creekside this year. The best part, is that the design was created by local resident, Matt Sterling, way back in 2020 and never got to be used because the pandemic shut down events for two years.

Click here to read more.

Tam Valley Tuesdays Speaker Series Survey

We have just completed the first year of our Tam Valley Tuesdays Speaker Series. The series started in June of 2024 with a local author, John Byrne Barry, reading from his book, Sausalypso. We have had a diverse group of presenters from the area over this first year of the series. We want to extend a huge thank you to all of our presenters!

Click here to see the archive of presentations.

Our Parks and Recreation Commission oversees the series and they would like to get some feedback about what has worked well this year and what might be improved. Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughtful responses with us. The data collected will help craft the series and allow us to move forward with more information.

Click here to take the survey.

The survey will be open for two weeks so click today and let us know what you think about the Tam Valley Tuesdays Speaker Series!

Controlled Burn

A controlled burn was successfully completed by Marin County Fire in partnership with the TCSD Park and Recreation Department, below Carrera Drive, by the Rhubarb Meadow. Goats grazed the area recently and then large debris were piled, ready to be burned. This will help to create defensible space between open space and Marin View and important to fire safety in Marin View specifically. The Rhubarb Meadow is inaccessible for a chipper, so a prescribed burn was necessary.



UPCOMING EVENTS

Creekside Unplugged

Next Up - June 27th

The Cabin

60 Tennessee Valley Road

Join us next week for Pacific Standard at the Cabin. We'll have face painting, picnic tables, room to spread out your blanket for a picnic and a great group of friends and neighbors. Come on down!

Pack a picnic or head into Tam Junction for some delicious food to go! Click here for a list of the wonderful options nearby, complete with QR codes for easy ordering. We will also have an easy drop off location for food if you decide to do delivery - the address at the Cabin is 60 Tennessee Valley Road. We will make it easy for drivers to drop off food.

Get more info here!

Senior Bingo

Every Wednesday at 11am

Tam Valley Community Center

Free and lunch provided

Our Bingo Bunch just keeps growing! Join us, 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 fun!



RESOURCES

Chipper Days

The Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority (MWPA) is providing FREE chipping service for most areas in Marin County six times in 2025. 

The dates for Tam Valley Chipper Days coming up are as follows:

Week of July 7th

Week of August 25th

Week of September 29th

Week of November 3rd

Schedule your pick up now so you can plan ahead and be sure to get a spot! Please note that you need to reserve a spot on each date needed.

Watch a "How To Prepare" video here.

Marin Wildfire is providing this service to residents within the Southern Marin Fire District's service area, which includes Tam Valley, as well as to those residents within the jurisdiction of other MWPA member agencies.

Click here to register.

RESOURCES

Marin Transit - Youth Ride Free!

June - August

Youth Ride Free for Summer: Marin Transit is offering free rides for youth riders (18 & under) from June to August 31, 2025! Youth aged 5 – 18 can take advantage of this promotion and ride free through the county all summer long.

Click here for more information!

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