The City of Dublin hosted a Downtown Dublin environmental impact scoping meeting this past Thursday to provide a quick overview of the Specific Plan, share environmental impact considerations, and obtain community feedback. The Dublin Downtown District is generally considered to be the area bound by San Ramon Road to the west, Village Parkway to the east, I-580 to the south, and Amador Valley Boulevard to the north. The main thrust of the Downtown Dublin Specific Plan is that the area will be split into three districts: transit, Village Parkway, and retail. The primary objectives of this Specific Plan are to provide property owners with more development flexibility than what they current have and to also unify all of the other plans that cover sections of the downtown area: Dublin Downtown, Downtown Core, Dublin Village Historic, San Ramon Road, Village Parkway, and West Dublin BART.

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The 2010 Dublin Pride Week will start Saturday, April 24th, and run through Saturday, May 1st. Dublin Pride Week is an annual event that promotes a positive image for the City of Dublin. The goal is to demonstrate ways in which individuals or groups can act to improve the community.

“Volunteer Day” will be on Saturday April 24th from 8:00AM to 12:00 noon. Please note that volunteers are needed to help with Senior Assistance, School Beautification, and Tree Planting Projects. Volunteers will be invited to a BBQ at Shannon Park following all volunteer activities.

The City of Dublin has planned a wide variety of activities with the environment as the central theme this year. A water-wise workshop on drought tolerant gardening techniques will be held on Saturday April 24th from 2PM to 3:30PM in the Dublin Library Community Room. Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Collection and Compost Give-a-Way Day will be held on Saturday, May 1st. Other fun activities include the Guided Nature Walk and the Planet Dublin Poster Contest. The Guided Nature Walk will take place on Saturday, May 1st, along the Martin Canyon Creek Trail. The Planet Dublin Poster Contest is open to all the K-12 students. Winners will receive gift certificates and City Council recognition.

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Land owners in the unincorporated area of the Tassajara Valley have submitted a proposal to build a new community just north of Dublin in what will soon be part of San Ramon. Spread over 771 acres, the proposed community is tentatively being referred to as “New Farm” and would have roughly 150 single family homes on estate-sized lots and roughly 30 condos or townhomes. Developers have also proposed to build a cemetery, a religious worship center, and a fire training facility. The new cemetery, currently known as the Corrie Creekside Cemetery, would be located approximately two miles from Silvera Ranch and one mile from the future Wallis Ranch project in Dublin.

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The City of Dublin, CA, recently joined the CaliforniaFIRST program to assist in financing energy projects for private property owners. Coordinated by California Communities and launching in Summer 2010, the CaliforniaFIRST program will provide residential and commercial property owners with a lower-cost option to finance renewable energy, energy efficiency, and water efficiency improvements on their properties. Dublin property owners can borrow $5K to $75K for projects over a 5 to 20 year period. Property owners will be able to repay the loan through a parcel-specific assessment on their property tax bills. California Communities will issue bonds to provide the financing for these projects.

Qualified residents can benefit from the CaliforniaFIRST program in many ways. CaliforniaFIRST will likely offer property owners a lower financing rate than they otherwise would get through private financing companies. Additionally, payment for the CaliforniaFIRST loans will be collected along with the property tax, so property owners will enjoy the convenience of making semi-annual payments for their energy efficiency projects. The CaliforniaFIRST financing program is also unique in that assessment obligation transfers with the sale of the property, so the loan does not have to be paid in full as part of the property sale process. In fact, CaliforniaFIRST will assess a 5% prepayment penalty to discourage property owners from paying back their loans early.

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As Bay Area schools cope with ongoing budget cuts — forcing, in part, larger class-sizes and the elimination of key curriculum — Galileo Learning’s creative summer enrichment programs have emerged as an integral part of the educational equation. By spurring creativity, innovation and collaboration through hands-on art, science and outdoor activities, Galileo Learning picks up where cash-strapped schools leave off, delivering a quality educational experience that extends learning beyond the school year. The Oakland-based operator of Camp Galileo (Pre-K through 5th graders) and Galileo Summer Quest (5th through 8th graders) at 26 Bay Area sites is bridging the educational gap by offering high-quality curriculum delivered by extraordinary staff, while also providing early-bird discounts to families who enroll by March 1, 2010.

“Amidst the severe budget constraints at schools today, Galileo Learning is more dedicated than ever to providing a quality summer enrichment program that inspires children to discover their passions,” remarked Glen Tripp, Galileo Learning founder and CEO. “Our highly qualified staff of educators delivers an engaging art, science and outdoor curriculum that not only bridges the gap, but also nurtures a love of learning.”

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The City of Dublin, CA, recently conducted a survey amongst 400 likely voters to gauge their support for a new city tax. The survey questions were prefaced by the fact that Sacramento borrowed $2M from the City this year to bridge the State budget deficit; however, what the survey did not mention is that the City of Dublin was able to get all $2M back from the California Communities Prop 1A financing program. In exchange, California Communities gets the interest that the State would have paid to Dublin for the $2M loan.

The survey found that residents are most concerned about losing police and fire services as a result of budget cuts. The respondents noted that if a new temporary City tax were approved, fire stations, police services, and emergency response operations should be first in line to receive the extra money. Most residents noted that they are largely unaware of the many steps taken by the City of Dublin to balance the budget, the impact the state seizure of local funds had on City operations, and the choices the City will face without a new City tax. Residents don’t see us taking cuts internally,” Councilmember Kasie Hildenbrand said to Robert Jordan of Contra Costa Times. In the same article, Councilmember Hildenbrand warns that “the cutbacks may become much more apparent.”

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The Dublin City Council voted unanimously to “conceptually support” a Dublin Farmers’ Market that will launch in Spring 2011. The new Farmers’ Market will be held on Friday evenings from 4PM to 8PM at Emerald Glen Park on the Gleason Drive side. The Dublin Farmers’ Market will be distinct from other farmers’ markets in that it will feature live music and other forms of entertainment to augment the parade of organic fruits, farm-fresh vegetables, kettle corn, baked goodies, and other farmers’ market staples. The goal is to merge some of the current city programs in Dublin like the Summer Concert Series and movie nights with the new Friday night Farmers’ Market. Local businesses and restaurants at the Shops at Waterford may also benefit from the increased foot traffic, once the new Farmers’ Market becomes a destination spot in Dublin. “I’m very excited as I can just walk over to purchase fresh fruits from local farmers and use it for our toppings,” said Jonathan Rim, the owner of Blush Organic Frozen Yogurt.

Council’s support was bolstered by the more than 97% of survey respondents who voted in favor of a farmers’ market in Dublin. More than 900 residents participated in the survey, and most of them voted for the potential market location closest to their home. Most of the people living west of Silvergate, for example, voted to have the market at the future Dublin Historic Park. Residents living in central Dublin, on the other hand, voted to have the market at Dublin Place (the Target shopping center), while most of the folks in east Dublin voted to have the Farmers’ Market at Emerald Glen Park. Based on the survey results, the Historic Park was top choice for Dublin’s new Farmers’ Market, and Emerald Glen Park was the second most popular choice. As for the preferred time slot, Saturday and Sunday came in first and second, respectively. Friday was a distant third place.

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The 2010 St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Dublin, CA, will be held on March 13th starting at 9:30AM. Here is a quick summary of the route for the 2010 parade. The 2010 Dublin St. Patrick’s Day Parade will start on the corner of Dublin Boulevard and Amador Plaza Road and then travel east on Dublin Boulevard. The parade will then march north on Village Parkway and then west on Amador Valley Boulevard. The 2010 Dublin St. Patrick’s Day Parade will end at Donohue Drive by the Dublin Senior Center.

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The City of Dublin, CA, saw a dramatic decrease in crime for the month of January 2010 in comparison to the month December 2009. January’s preliminary tally of 171 incidents was far less than December’s revised total of 211 incidents. Theft comprised a little more than half of all cases. Traffic and Quality of Life cases accounted for about a third of all crime, while acts of violence made up the remainder. Quality of Life cases include disorderly conduct and incidents involving drugs or alcohol. The most significant improvements were in the Quality of Life and Sexual Offense categories. Sadly, most of the 19 Assault cases involved domestic violence between spouses and/or cohabitants.

Similar to past months, a total of 12 Burglaries were reported in Dublin for the month of January. Given the distribution of the dates and locations of the cases, none of the Burglaries appear to be related. The most shocking incident reported was the Battery of a Wells Middle School employee on January 14, 2010. CrimeReports.com did not specify whether the Battery was committed by a student, parent, another employee of Wells Middle School, or someone not affiliated with the School.

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