On SATURDAY, MAY 20, 2017, the City of Mill Valley will be conducting its annual emergency drill in the Edgewood and Homestead Valley neighborhoods. If you live in these neighborhoods we invite you to participate in this VOLUNTARY EVACUATION, which is held in cooperation with the Mill Valley Fire Department, PG&E, Southern Marin Fire Protection District, Mill Valley Police Department, Marin County Sheriff's Office, and the Mill Valley Emergency Preparedness Commission. 

If you don't live in these neighborhoods, but are interested in learning more about emergency preparedness - you are invited as well! Come check out the informational booths and meet with representatives from the Mill Valley Emergency Preparedness Commission, the American Red Cross, the Marin Humane Society, the Salvation Army, Mill Valley CERT, Whistlestop Wheels, Marin Medical Reserve Corps, and more!

Click here to read more about the event  |  Click here to learn how you can be prepared

Saturday, May 20, 2017

Mill Valley Community Center

Open House until 1:00 pm

The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) and the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) want to hear from you on Draft Plan Bay Area 2040, a regional plan that addresses how the Bay Area will grow over the next two decades and identifies transportation and land use strategies to enable a more sustainable, equitable and economically vibrant future. The Draft Plan Bay Area 2040 has been released for public comment through June 1, 2017 at 4pm. View it online at 2040.PlanBayArea.org. You can comment online or attend the Open House in Mill Valley

Tell the MTC and ABAG what you think of the Plan's goals, proposed growth pattern, transportation investment strategy, and key actions identified to address ongoing and long-term regional challenges. 

 

Tuesday, May 30, 2017 - 5:30 pm -  8:00 pm

Mill Valley Community Center

Please join the Mill Valley City Council for a Community Meeting to get an update on current City initiatives and events. Come meet with Councilmembers and staff from every department to share your questions, concerns and suggestions.

Doors open at 5:30 pm. Refreshments will be served. Please check the City website for updates to the agenda.

Sewage - specifically the safe, environmentally sensitive management and treatment of it at the Sewerage Agency of Southern Marin (SASM)'s Wastewater Treatment Plant at the end of Sycamore Avenue across from Mill Valley Middle School - is likely not a topic that you spend much time thinking about.

Fear not.

Plant manager Mark Grushayev and his staff have you covered with both their deep knowledge of the subject, and their abundance of enthusiasm for it. That enthusiasm is not without merit, as SASM is on the cusp of implementing its Wastewater Treatment Plant Master Plan (WWTP), a comprehensive 30-year roadmap for SASM's efforts to deal with aging infrastructure, plan for expected new legal requirements, protect it from flooding due to 100-year flood events and sea level rise, prepare for its future growth needs, incorporate sustainability initiatives and reduce the impact of the plant's odor on its neighbors. 

In April, Grushayev gained the approval of design and implementation of the initial, nearly $20 million first phase of the Master Plan by the SASM Board, which is comprised of representatives from each of its six member agencies - the City of Mill Valley, the Tamalpais Community Services District and the Alto, Almonte, Homestead Valley and Richardson Bay sanitary districts. Grushayev is sending it out to bid in the coming weeks.

Learn more about the SASM Master Plan

We have received reports of coyotes in the area, and wanted to share this article from San Rafael's WildCare, in collaboration with Project Coyote, the Marin Humane Society and Marin County Parks. It has great info and tips for living with coyotes.

Coyotes are common in urban areas. Understanding canine behavior and modifying our own behavior is essential to peaceful coexistence with our wild neighbors. Most interactions with coyotes in urban areas result from the presence of a dog, and/or from intentional or  unintentional food availability.

Click here to read the article and tips for living with coyotes.

Wednesday, May 24, 2017

Marin Housing will conduct a Below Market Rate (BMR) Lottery Drawing for a newly-built 3 BR/2.5 Bath Townhome at the Strand in San Rafael. 

The lottery drawing will be held on Wednesday, May 24, 2017!  The deadline for applications to be received by Marin Housing is NOON on WEDNESDAY, May 24, 2017. Please see attached Sale Flyer for more information.

The BMR Brochure, Application, and information for acquiring the required Homebuyer Ed Certificate is attached; and all information can be found the BMR page of the Marin Housing Authority website. There will be a Homebuyer Workshop held at Marin Housing on May 18th, which will provide the certificate required with the BMR Application.

As part of a $30 million major infrastructure investment, the Sewerage Agency of Southern Marin is replacing a critically important sanitary sewer pump station at the corner of Camino Alto and Miller Avenue. This facility was originally constructed in 1972 and is not capable of performing reliably at needed service levels. The pump station serves several thousand Marin County residents and businesses in Mill Valley by pumping an average of 85,000 gallons of sewage to the SASM Treatment Plant every day in dry weather and about 750,000 gal a day during storms. The $1.5 million project will provide safety and reliability upgrades by converting the existing pump station from a confined space and providing three new submersible pumps, an emergency generator, new electronic control and remote communications systems.

The adjacent pedestrian path will remain open for the duration of the seven-month improvement project. Please "Share the Path" and be cautious when passing the construction site during working hours (M-F, 8am-5pm).  Heavy equipment, work vehicles, and truck deliveries will be using the path to gain access to the work site. The project includes comprehensive site landscaping to screen the pump station and enhance the appearance of this much traveled intersection.  Existing trees and vegetation removed will be replaced with twelve new trees (four redwoods, eight western rosebuds, shrubbery and vines), an irrigation system, various rock accents, and native mow-free grass. A concrete bench wall is also being installed.  Please visit www.SASMWWTP.org to learn more about the project.

The City of Mill Valley City Council recently adopted changes to the Tree Ordinance (MVMC 20.67, which will go into effect on June 1, 2017). While no changes were made regarding the types/number of trees that require City review prior to removal, the fines for illegal removal or damage to trees that require City approval have been strengthened. Requirements for replanting have also been adopted to ensure continued health of the City's woodlands.

On April 26, 2017, Mill Valley public safety personnel joined SMART and local emergency responders in a SMART Train Emergency Training.  

Please click here to learn more and view a short video about the training.

 

Want to join a fun team and become a greater part of your community? Now is the time! The City of Mill Valley's Recreation Department is now accepting applications for several part time positions (Front Desk Part-time staff, Camp Staff, Kidzwatch Staff, Teen Program Aides, Facility Attendants, Field Monitors, Lifeguards and Swim instructors). These positions vary in starts dates, schedule and hours but all have the ability to be flexible.

Job descriptions and applications for all these positions can be obtained on our website or by calling the Mill Valley Community Center at 415-383-1370.

Dacher Keltner of the Greater Good Science Center detailes the latest thinking about power--how it is more than class, money, or might, but instead how we make a difference in the world. He discusses how people rise in power through Machiavellian and virtuous strategies, and how humans evolved social processes to reign in abuses. He will also discuss the latest science on the abuses of power, including links of poor health to inequality and powerlessness.

Registration highly recommended. 

Click here to register.

For adults and high school students only. No one younger will be admitted. 

This event is free and open to the public.

Celebrate 50 years with The Friends of Mill Valley Public Library in Old Mill Park. Festivities include a commemorative cake and entertainment in the Amphitheater. Don't forget to visit the Friends' all-day Book Sale!.

Each summer the Mill Valley Arts Commission hosts the annual Comedy in the Plaza. The event always features top comedic talent and is always FREE! Bring your chairs for a lively evening of comedy sponsored by the Arts Commission. 

This year's comedians include, Greg Proops (Co-Star of Whose Line is it Anyway?), Jann Karam (The Tonight show), Brian Copeland (host of KGO Newstalks' The Brian Copeland Show), and Master of Ceremonies Mark Pitta.

For questions contact the Mill Valley Arts Commission at (415) 383-1370 or email [email protected].