Preparedness counts. Are you ready for Winter Celebrations?
The first fall rains in Marin County usually mark the end of fire season and the beginning of the holidays. While the tail end of 2020’s devastating fire season is most welcome, many are apprehensive about how the coming holiday celebrations will look.
When planning your holiday celebrations, think “safety first”. To protect your loved ones, our community, and our healthcare workers, keep these tips in mind:
Keep it SMALL. Private gatherings are permitted up to three households. The smaller the gathering, the safer it is for everyone especially those more vulnerable to severe disease from COVID-19.
Keep it SHORT. The longer the duration, the higher the risk of transmission. Gatherings should be two hours or less.
Keep it OUTDOORS. Are you “winter ready”? Temperatures are dropping. Is it time to add another layer (literally) of protection against the cold? When visiting with others outdoors, it’s especially important to keep your head, feet and hands warm.
Keep it CLEAN. Remember to wash your hands frequently for at least 20 seconds with soap and water, or with hand sanitizer when washing is not an option, especially after coming into contact with frequently touched surfaces.
Keep it SAFE. The best way to protect yourself and those you care about this holiday season is to practice safe social distancing. Remember to stay at least 6 feet apart and wear a face covering while not actively eating or drinking.
Related Resources:
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Holidays can be stressful even without a pandemic in the mix. Behavioral Health and Recovery Services Director Dr. Jei Africa has put together a short video on self-care during the holidays.
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Marin Avoids State-mandated Curfew by Staying in Red Tier 2
Governor Gavin Newsom’s mandated curfew announced today does not extend to Marin County. The state-ordered curfew applies to counties in the purple tier, or most restrictive tier, which is reserved for counties with the highest COVID-19 case rates. Marin remains in the red tier, and the County is not mandating a curfew as a local order.
“We’ve taken a lot of steps in the past week to control spread in Marin,” said Public Health Officer Dr. Matt Willis. Marin County Public Health preemptively moved the county into the red tier last week, to tighten restrictions in response to rising case rates, and closed all indoor dining and bars. “The curfew is a step we may have to take eventually, but we need more time to see the impact of the measures we’ve just taken,” he said.
If case rates continue to increase in Marin, the county would move int the purple tier and the curfew would become mandatory. As of this week, 95% of California residents live in counties in the purple tier. Marin case rates — at six cases per 100,000 residents per day — is approximately three times lower than current state averages.
“We’re a bit of an outlier,” Willis said. “Thanks to our residents wearing masks, physical distancing, and limiting indoor activities we have the freedom to make these decisions locally at this point. As the holidays approach, we need to stay the course and do the hard work to slow the spread of the virus in our community. We urge people who are celebrating together to keep their gatherings outdoors and small.”
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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.
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2020 ELECTION SPOTLIGHT
Fairfax Town Council Election Results
The Town Council will certify the election results at its December 2nd meeting. At the meeting, the incoming Councilmembers will be seated and we’ll say good-bye to the outgoing Councilmember.
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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.
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.
The survey results will inform recommendations for future part-time transit lane service. TAM will be collecting survey responses through Friday, November 20, 2020.
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Creek Maintenance
The rains are here 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.
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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 Wednesday 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.
Please Note: This seating area is open to the public to use and is not limited to customers of certain restaurants.
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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
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Flying Dutchman Gymnastics
Our beloved gymnastics program is back at the Pavilion!
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!
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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
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.
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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.
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Upcoming Meetings & Events |
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Open Space Committee Meeting
November 24th - 7pm
Town Council Meeting
December 2nd - 7pm
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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).
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Fairfax Climate Action Committee
The Climate Action Committee for the Town of Fairfax is thankful, this year, for all of the energy, passion, and work of the members of the CAC, and the people who have joined us. This group of volunteers is working hard to preserve the beauty of our natural world for the generations to come. In the spirit of the Native Americans, who we celebrate this month, we seek to think about the next seven generations. Join us, help us; we need you. See our blog for opportunities!
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Town of Fairfax COVID-19 Resources
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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.
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Email for Reporting Shelter-in-Place (SIP) Violations
The Town has created an on-line process for reporting SIP violations by businesses.
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.
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Next week's newsletter will be a special Holiday Edition featuring ways to shop local and celebrate the holidays close to home. |
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