Fairfax Update
News From Around Town...
November 13,2020
COVID-19 Status Update

Marin County Recommends Urgent Next Steps to Avoid Economic Regression
 
Marin County worked hard to graduate from red to orange COVID-19 status in October, but its residents will have to double down on efforts to prevent a step backward in the pandemic economic recovery.
 
As coronavirus cases surge in Marin, regionally and nationally, the Public Health Division of Marin County Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said new precautions in the next few days and weeks will determine whether Marin is relegated back to the red Tier 2 (substantial risk) from the orange Tier 3 (moderate risk) on the State of California’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy scale.
 
Marin HHS has introduced recommended actions for industries and activities labeled higher risk for virus transmission. Businesses and organizations are being asked to take the following steps immediately: 
 
  • Reduce indoor dining capacity from 50% to 25%;
  • Reduce indoor movie theater capacity from 50% to 25% and close concessions; and
  • Reduce capacity of indoor faith-based and cultural ceremonies from 50% to 25%

Dr. Matt Willis, the County’s Public Health Officer, said the recommendations will become requirements Tuesday, November 17, if the trend of increased cases numbers continues.
 
Click here for the most recent County update.


Fall and Winter Holiday Celebrations

Upcoming holidays and events will likely need to be different this fall and winter to prevent the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19.

  • CDC Recommendations - CDC offers helpful considerations to help protect individuals, their families, friends, and communities from COVID-19. Learn more.

  • Our Annual Fairfax Craft Faire will be held virtually this year. We are still accepting applications from vendors. Find out more here.
Citizen of the Year Nominations

Last year, the Town Council reinstated the Citizen of the Year Award at their April 3, 2019 meeting. The award was awarded annually from 1992 through 1997. A plaque with the recipients' names engraved upon it still hangs in the Women's Club.

The Fairfax Parks and Recreation Commission (PARC)
is taking nominations from the public for the 2020 award starting on November 1st. The nomination period will be open from November 1 - December 1, 2020.
2020 ELECTION SPOTLIGHT

Fairfax Town Council Election Results
 
The Marin County Elections Department will release updated elections results and post them before 5:00 p.m. every Wednesday and Friday until the election is finalOnce final, the results for our local election for Town Council will be certified to the Fairfax Town Council at a public meeting in December. The newly-elected Councilmembers will be sworn in and take office at that time.
TAM Kicks-off Part-time Transit Lane Study
Buses on Shoulders Could Help Reduce Congestion

The Transportation Authority of Marin (TAM) has kicked-off a study of the feasibility and potential benefits of allowing buses to bypass heavy traffic on the US 101 by using the existing shoulder between Atherton Avenue/San Marin Drive in Novato and Mission Avenue in San Rafael. When buses can bypass congestion, transit (and sometimes even private vehicle) commute times shorten, making the bus a more reliable choice for some commuters.
 
The part-time transit lane project will help determine where the right shoulder of US 101 can function as a transit-only lane only during heavy traffic. Buses would only use the shoulder when freeway travel speeds drop below 35 miles per hour, and bus maximum speed on the shoulder would be 35 miles per hour.
 
To learn more about this project visit www.tam.ca.gov/pttl.

Share Your Thoughts & Take the Part-time Transit Lane Survey!

TAM believes that community input is vital to shaping a project that responds to the needs of all US 101 travelers. You can submit your ideas, questions, and comments to info@tam.ca.gov.

We also encourage you to take the Part-time Transit Lane Survey: https://tinyurl.com/PTTLsurvey

The survey results will inform recommendations for future part-time transit lane service. TAM will be collecting survey responses through Friday, November 20, 2020.

Creek Maintenance

Winter is around the comer and the Town would like to remind property owners whose property is adjacent to the creek the importance of keeping the creek clear and ready for the rainy season. It is the property owners' responsibility to keep the creek free of vegetation, debris, trash, or any other obstruction to winter flows that could possibly cause erosion or flooding. 

A creek maintenance fact sheet is available on our website. It has useful information regarding creek maintenance, ownership, permits and other resources that can be useful if you are considering doing work in the creek. 

Please contact the Department of Public Works at 415-453-1584 or mlockaby@townoffairfax.org if you have any questions or concerns.
Outdoor Seating Area in the Mono Parking Lot

The Town, in partnership with the Fairfax Chamber of Commerce, is closing the lower half the Mono Parking Lot weekly from Thursday through Sunday during COVID-19. The closed portion of the lot (nearest to Bolinas Rd.) will have tables, chairs, and umbrellas for patrons of downtown restaurants to use. The Chamber has teamed up with Gestalt Haus to disinfect the tables and chairs between uses. Customers can still access the Mono Parking Lot from the Bank St. entrance. This seating area is open to the public to use and is not limited to customers of certain restaurants.

The program needs volunteers to help with set-up and take-down. 
If you can help, please reach out to David Smadbeck at david@fairfaxchamberca.com or call (415) 456-9604.
Fairfax Recreation
Music Pods with Dani Levy
New Classes Added -- Sign Up Now!

Class is held behind the Pavilion with spaced out hay bales and under lovely trees and nature during nice weather. We will move inside the Pavilion when it rains using safety protocols. 

Ages 0-6 years
 
Pod I 
Tuesdays, November 17 – December 22, 2020 -- $90 for 6 week session 
10:30am – 11:15am 
 
Pod II 
Tuesdays, December 1 – December 22. 2020 -- $60 for 4 week session
11:30am – 12:15pm 

Flying Dutchman Gymnastics
Our beloved gymnastics program is back at the Pavilion!

Please go to their website to sign up for classes


The fall catalog is here! Watch for it in your mailbox or stop by Town Hall to grab a copy. We hope you like the special layout and content that honors these challenging times and our unique community!

We have adapted our offerings to work with this "new normal". Download a copy here - we have class offerings for all ages!
In Person Yoga at the Pavilion
with Veronica Geretz, M.A., E-RYT500
Mondays from 5:30-6:30pm
We have moved into the Pavilion during rainy season
Maximum of 15 participants
FREE

To find out more about Veronica’s yoga offerings visit www.veronicageretzyoga.com.

Join your community in our spacious Pavilion for a socially-distanced yoga class. We are moving this class indoors during the rainy season and on nice days when possible it will happen outside on Contratti Field. The class will be geared toward yoga students with a Beginner to Intermediate yoga practice. Please bring your own yoga mat, two yoga blocks and a yoga strap. If you do not have any of those props and are unable to procure them for any reason, please reach out to Veronica at geretzvj@gmail.com and she will work with you to find what you need at no cost.

Peri Park Update
Peri Park Playground is open! Please follow the recommended safety guidelines posted at the park. We will be cleaning the Peri Park playground restroom once a day during the weekdays. There will be no cleaning service during the weekends. 

The Parks and Recreation Committee is working on the plans to replace the play structure. And the fundraising is continuing - please visit our Peri Park page for more information.
Upcoming Meetings & Events
Volunteer Board Meeting
November 16th - 6:30pm

Tree Committee Meeting
November 16th - 7pm

Climate Action Committee Meeting
November 17th - 7pm

Town Council Special Meeting
November 18th - 6:30pm

To view the agendas visit our Public Meetings page.
Fire Season and Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority Update
Monday, November 16th
6pm 
via Zoom

Join Supervisor Katie Rice and Mark Brown, Executive Officer of the Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority (MWPA) and former Deputy Fire Chief Marin County Fire, for an update on fire season 2020 as well as an update on the work of MWPA, including the mission/goals, the projects/programs throughout County and importantly the local projects planned in the Ross Valley. All are welcome and participants will have an opportunity to ask questions.

Please click the link below to join the webinar: 

Fairfax Food Pantry

Saturday mornings from 8-10am
Fairfax Community Church 
2398 Sir Francis Drake Blvd, Fairfax.

The Fairfax Food Pantry continues to be open. Drive through or walk up service is available. In addition to our regular bagged groceries, folks will be receiving 15lb produce boxes as part of the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP). 
Fairfax Climate Action Plan Community Forums
Second Monday of each month, from 6:30-7:30pm

Over the next four months, the Climate Action Committee will host meetings to go through the different sections of the Climate Action Plan. Our meetings are public, open to all, and occur on the second Monday of every month, from 6:30 – 7:30pm.

We will post notices of them on our CAC website. The meetings will be held by ZOOM, with no password. Click below for the meeting ID and the schedule.
PG&E Updates:
New Watch and Warning Notifications
PG&E has implemented Watch and Warning notifications to provide the community more notice of potential or scheduled PSPS events. To receive alerts sign-up at pge.com/mywildfirealerts.
Town of Fairfax COVID-19 Resources

Town of Fairfax sitio web se puede traducir al español

El sitio web se puede traducir al español usando el ícono del globo que se encuentra en la barra verde de cada página.

Our website can now be translated into Spanish (and other languages) using the globe icon found on the green bar at the top of each page.
Masks Available at Town Hall

If you or someone you know, needs a mask, come to the Town Hall lobby and grab one!
Email for Reporting Shelter-in-Place (SIP) Violations

The Town has created an on-line process for reporting SIP violations by businesses.

The email address is: sipviolations@townoffairfax.org

In the email, we ask that you include the business name, address, and as much detail as possible regarding the perceived health order violation. Town staff will follow-up with the businesses regarding the violations. Our goal is to gain compliance by informing and educating businesses of the need to follow shelter-in-place (SIP) orders. All businesses will be given a grace period to comply before additional follow-up actions are taken by staff.


The updated status of businesses and industries reopenings in Marin County can be found at MarinRecovers.com.