Town Meetings & News

The Planning Commission will hold a regular meeting on Wednesday, March 22, 2023. To view the agenda visit: Planning Commission Agenda

To view meeting videos of The Town of Atherton Committees andCommissions visit: Atherton YouTube

This week's Atherton Online features:

Weather Updates + How to Prepare, Stay Informed, & Recover
Invitations to the upcoming community events:
- MARCH 29: Electric and Battery Landscaping Equipment Training and Introduction
- APRIL 6: Everything You Need to Know to Build or Rent an ADU in Atherton Informational Workshop
- APRIL 8: Atherton's Annual Waste Wise Event with GreenWaste
- APRIL 17: ADAPT's Celebration of Resilience
- APRIL 22: Atherton's Annual Earth Day Celebration - Love Our Earth Festival
- APRIL 29: ADAPT's Emergency Preparedness Fair
Opportunities to serve on a Town Committee or Commission

Emergency Preparedness

The seemingly endless cascade of storms in 2023 – with still more rain in the forecast for this weekend and the week of March 20 – is a sharp reminder to get ready for all sorts of things that could go wrong. The best time to prepare for any potential disaster is now, not when the lights go out or emergency managers are issuing evacuation orders.

BE PREPARED

We might see power outages again. Many Atherton residents were without power this past week; make sure you are prepared. Do you need new batteries for your lanterns and flashlights? Fresh candles? Gas for your generator? Have you charged your EV, phone battery packs, etc.? Do you have nonperishable food? Don’t forget to plan for your pet’s needs as well.
Secure loose outdoor items such as patio furniture and decorations that could be blown away by strong winds. Make sure your sump pumps and other water detention systems are ready to go.
Sandbags are available at the self-service sandbag station at Holbrook Palmer Park. To learn more about proper sandbag placement, visit the Town's Emergency Preparedness resource page at https://www.ci.atherton.ca.us/653/Winter-Storm-Preparedness
Plan in advance to assist your neighbors or have them help you in an emergency.

STAY INFORMED

Sign up for Town of Atherton emergency alert notifications here: https://www.ci.atherton.ca.us/list.aspx
Follow latest storm updates on the Atherton City Manager Alert Center here: https://www.ci.atherton.ca.us/AlertCenter.aspx?AID=10
Sign up for County-wide alerts (text or email):https://www.smcgov.org/ceo/smc-alert
If you lose power, you can visit the PG&E Outage Center for information regarding specific outages and ETA on restoration (if available):https://pgealerts.alerts.pge.com/outagecenter/
Follow the National Weather Service Bay Area on Twitter (@NWSBayArea) or Facebook
If you live close to the Atherton Channel, you can monitor water levels on the OneShoreline website.

Last Chance to Register for Electric and Battery Landscaping Equipment Training

The State recently adopted legislation to ban the sale of small off-road engines (SORE) beginning January 1, 2024. Small off-road engines are spark-ignition engines with rated power at or below 19 kilowatts (25 horsepower). Engines that use diesel fuel and engines that are used in stationary equipment, including standby generators, are not subject to the SORE regulations. Here is a link to a fact sheet, but examples of some residential landscaping equipment with engines that are subject to SORE regulations banning the sale include edgers, hedge trimmers, lawn mowers, leaf blowers, and riding mowers.

In response to the State’s action to ban the sale of such equipment, local jurisdictions are adopting regulations that ban the use of such equipment. At the April 15, 2023 City Council meeting, the City Council will consider introduction of an Ordinance to ban the use of gas-powered leaf blowers beginning July 1, 2024. Be a part of this transition and learn everything you need to know about going electric at our March 29 workshop with the American Green Zone Alliance and Gardenland. See below for flyer and link to register.

Register for the March 29 Landscaping Workshop Here

Accessory Dwelling Units in Atherton

Register for the April 6 ADU Workshop Here

Go Green this Spring

As we welcome Spring (it officially starts this Monday, March 20), set aside electronics to bring to our annual Waste Wise Event. Go green and avoid sending items to the landfill when they can be properly recycled. Additionally, there will be fresh compost to get your garden ready for planting and on-site shredding to help you declutter sensitive documents.

Questions? Email Management Analyst, Rachael Londer at rlonder@ci.atherton.ca.us

ADAPT's Celebration of Resilience

The Atherton Disaster and Preparedness Team (ADAPT) would like to invite all residents to a celebration of our community’s resilience on Monday, April 17 at 7:00 PM in the Atherton City Council Chambers at 80 Fair Oaks Lane. Come to enjoy food and refreshments, and share tales of surmounting our recent challenges.

ADPAT will also share information about their future direction and invite your thoughts about how they can best serve the Atherton community. Let’s get prepared together, and have fun while doing it! Register by scanning the above QR code or by visiting: https://tinyurl.com/ADAPTApril17

Love Our Earth Festival

Register to Attend the Love Our Earth Festival Here

ADAPT's Disaster Preparedness Fair

Disasters can happen to anyone....Are you prepared? To celebrate Earthquake Preparedness Month, come and join your friends and neighbors in learning how to be safe and prepared in case of earthquakes, fires, and floods. Menlo Fire Protection District, FEMA, Red Cross, USGS, PG&E, CERT, ADAPT, MPC Ready, Cal Water and much more will be at the Free Disaster Preparedness Fair on April 27 from 11 am to 3 pm. Location: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1105 Valparaiso Ave., Menlo Park.

Interactive demonstrations and classes each hour. Events that day include fire engine tours, safety tips for earthquakes, hands only CPR training, AED demos, HAM radio operation information, fire safety training, sign ups for free smoke detector installation from the Red Cross, flood protection information, free giveaways each hour, CERT training sign ups, vendors selling preparedness equipment, and much more!

Join a Committee

The Town of Atherton has 7 Committees and Commissions:

Audit and Finance
Bicycle and Pedestrian - 1 Vacancy
Environmental Programs - 2 Vacancies
Park and Recreation
Rail - 1 Vacancy
Transportation - 1 Vacancy

To learn more or apply to serve on a Town Committee - Click Here.

Weekly Atherton "Did You Know?"

Did you know that you can get up to $3,000 in rebates to replace your old or failing methane gas water heater with a clean, efficient heat pump water heater.
You could also get a 0% interest loan up to $10,000 with no credit check and no money down. These financial incentives are offered by Peninsula Clean Energy, the County's official electricity provider.

Learn more & get started: https://pencleanenergy.co/hpwh1

Thank You!

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Have a great weekend!