Mission Palo Alto

East Palo Alto Police Beat 4 Meeting

2009-04-12T19:19:00.001-07:00

From Patty Frontino: The EPA PD Beat 4 meeting will be on Tuesday
April 14th, at 1761 Woodland Ave. at 6:00pm.

March 2009 HOA Board Meeting

2009-03-25T18:23:00.001-07:00

The March 2009 Homeowners Association Board of Directors meeting will take place tonight, March 25, at 7:00 pm at 112 Mission Drive. As always, homeowners and residents are encouraged to attend.

Pool maintenance to begin Monday, February 23, 8:00 AM

2009-02-20T15:05:00.000-08:00

Pool maintenance approved by your Board will begin on Monday, February 23. Lewis Pools will be out to drain the pool starting at 8:00 AM, weather permitting. The pool area will be off-limits to all but maintenance personnel for the duration of the process, which is expected to take two to three weeks.

News: Stimulus adds tax credit for home solar panels -- San Francisco Chronicle

2009-02-18T15:59:00.000-08:00

Stimulus adds tax credit for home solar panels -- San Francisco Chronicle

Homeowners interested in sticking solar panels on their roofs got a big boost from the $787 billion economic stimulus package signed Tuesday by President Obama.

Homeowners will now be able to get a federal tax credit worth 30 percent of the cost of their new solar system even if they're also receiving state or local financing.

That could make a big difference in California, which offers rebates to homeowners who install solar systems. And Berkeley has a new solar financing program that lets homeowners pay the cost of their solar systems over 20 years, a program that San Francisco and other cities plan to emulate.

A typical home solar system generates about 3 kilowatts of power. The installation cost in California averages roughly $8.10 per watt, according to Adam Browning, executive director of the Vote Solar advocacy group, meaning the typical cost is $24,300.

January 2009 HOA Board Meeting

2009-01-28T18:50:00.000-08:00

The January 2009 Homeowners Association Board of Directors meeting will take place tonight, January 28, at 7:00 pm at 116 Mission Drive. As always, homeowners and residents are encouraged to attend.

Just a friendly reminder, unit 116 is also home to feline residents; if you have allergy issues, please take appropriate precautions.

Redwood Tree Trimming Near Front Gate, Saturday, January 17, 2009

2009-01-16T18:04:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, January 17, 2009, the large redwood tree located as you enter the front gate will be trimmed. We are requesting that all cars be moved from the front area near the large redwood tree between the hours of 8:00-11:00 AM. We are also advising that residents of units 101-106 refrain from parking in front of their units during these hours. This is not a permanent restriction; merely a temporary measure to ease trimming the tree.

Thank you.

-- your Board of Directors

November 2008 HOA Board Meeting

2008-11-12T10:28:00.000-08:00

The November 2008 Homeowners Association Board of Directors meeting will take place tonight, November 12, at 7:00 pm at 116 Mission Drive. As always, homeowners and residents are encouraged to attend.

News: Leaf Blowers’ Legacy / Leaf Blowers Cause Dust, Pollution, and Hearing Loss

2008-11-01T17:10:00.000-07:00

Leaf Blowers’ Legacy / Leaf Blowers Cause Dust, Pollution, and Hearing Loss -- Santa Barbara Independent, October 23, 2008

The leaf blower is 27 years old, having hit the market in the early 1970s; the controversy over its use is just a few years younger. As early as 1975, Carmel and other cities were discussing banning them or regulating their use. While their design and efficiency may have improved slightly, to many people, they still seem like an idea in need of serious refinement or abandonment altogether.

Leaf blowers in general (and we’ll get to specifics about gas-powered versus electric ones shortly) do one thing — move lots of air (at 185 miles per hour or more) and anything else that can go along with it. Their designers imagined that those things would be leaves, grass, and other clippings and finer debris. What they may not have considered is how much else they could be expected to transport as well. These include dust, pollen, animal fecal matter, herbicide and pesticide residues, and other toxic chemicals related to any other pollution source such as paved roadways with lead and carbon residues. The effect of this dust cloud, composed of particulate matter that is 10 microns in diameter or smaller, can last for hours. The California Environmental Protection Agency’s Air Resources Board (ARB) has estimated that a single leaf blower can put five pounds of particulate matter per hour into the air. About half of that is in this size class. The ARB states that such particulate matter can create health risks similar to other pollutants such as exhaust.

Their other, very unpleasant, attribute is their noise. Most leaf blowers emit a minimum of 63 decibels at a distance of 50 feet and significantly more (some near 90 decibels) for the operator. Hearing damage is cumulative, and gardeners who do not use ear protection designed for this high level of sound will impact their hearing significantly. Then there are the people in homes and businesses nearby who are affected by this noise. Irritating enough to healthy adults (loss of concentration and plain old aggravation), kids, elderly, and the ill particularly are impacted by this trauma.

All leaf blowers pollute by blowing particulate matter into the air and adding to noise levels, but gas-powered ones add another level of pollution. Most of them still are running on two-cycle combustion engines that burn a mixture of gasoline and oil (a few new models have four-cycle engines that run on gasoline only), producing carbon monoxide, nitrous oxides, hydrocarbons, and other particulate matter. It has been calculated that the pollution from one leaf blower in use for one hour is equivalent to that from 17 car engines running during the same time period. The particulate matter from combustion is particularly insidious because of its small size (2.5 or microns or less). These particulates remain suspended in the air for hours, even days, and are assimilated easily in the lungs and are harmful particularly to people with asthma and other breathing problems. In Orange County, the ARB calculated that leaf blowers inject more than two tons of combustion pollutants (those insidious small particles) per day countywide. An additional 20 tons of larger particles (those 10 microns in size) also are made airborne.

What did we do before 1976, anyway? Interestingly, the rise in popularity of leaf blowers was in large part due to the serious drought California had been facing. Prior to that, hosing down landscape surfaces was pretty normal. All that water wasted, only to flow into the gutter and down the storm drain. Although many of us were sweeping and raking, leaf blowers were attractive to many others. In light of our increased awareness of the contribution of carbon emissions to climate change, along with no relief in water demand issues, maybe it’s time to go back to mechanical ways. Some professionals will claim that they will go broke by abandoning leaf blowers. Experience is proving otherwise when concerned and intelligent landscapers turn back the clock. When all the costs, obvious ones like the high initial and ongoing maintenance expenses, as well as the extended costs due to air and water pollution are taken into effect, leaf blowers may not come out on top. For example, the City of Claremont, California, decided not to use leaf blowers in 1990. Officials calculated that the increase in workload using rakes and brooms was only 6 percent more than with the use of blowers in the maintenance of city property.

Within Santa Barbara city limits, gas-powered leaf blowers have been banned since 1997. Leaf blowers may not be used within 250 feet of a “residential zone” and all leaf blowers must be certified to meet a decibel limit of 65 and carry a sticker to that effect. In addition, leaf blowers may only be used between 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday through Saturday; never on Sunday, nor on holidays. Everyone admits that enforcement of this ordinance is problematic. If you want to report an infraction, you must call the police department at 897-2410. Chances are that, given all the other important issues our men and women in blue need to respond to, the offending leaf blower will have already moved on to the next job. Educating yourself and the landscape service providers you use or encounter could go a long way to turning the tide.

What gardeners everywhere, whether they do their own landscape maintenance or hire others to do it, need to know and remember is that just blowing the debris around does not get rid of it. Organic matter in the shape of grass and hedge clippings, fallen leaves, and other plant debris can, and should, be collected and returned to the nutrient cycle. Even if you don’t compost your own garden refuse, we have an excellent green waste recycling program to deal with it. And most leaves and certainly grass clippings can be left in place under the plants that produced them without removal at all. Sure, sweep the walk and the large bits off the driveway, but don’t rake (or blow!) leaves out from under trees and shrubs. Leave them to return their organic matter and nutrients back into the soil to nurture your garden.

September 2008 HOA Board Meeting

2008-09-16T14:24:00.000-07:00

The September 2008 Homeowners Association Board of Directors meeting will take place tomorrow night, September 17, at 7:00 pm at 112 Mission Drive. As always, homeowners and residents are encouraged to attend.

Driveway asphalt work and seal coating: Mondays in August

2008-08-08T10:19:00.000-07:00

Driveway seal coating is scheduled for Monday, August 11 and Monday, August 25. Also, preparation work (jackhammering existing asphalt) began today, Friday, August 8.

You must plan to move your car on the seal coating days.

The seal coating of driveways near the garages and carports of units 101-124 and 143-151 will take place on Monday, August 11. The remainder will be seal coated two weeks later on Monday, August 25. On the date of seal coating in your area, you will not be able to park in the affected areas or move your car in or out of your carport. Cars parked in the work areas will be towed.

The fire gate near units 130-131 will be opened on Monday, August 11 for your access in and out. Canty Security will patrol the area from 2:00 to 10:00 pm. The gate will be closed at 10:00 pm and residents entering after that will have to use the main entrance and turn right immediately to minimize driving over the new seal coating.

Be prepared to show Canty Security your driver license or some other ID showing you live at Mission Palo Alto to enter the fire gate.

Please contact Dominic Ferrari or any member of your Board of Directors with any problems or concerns.

August 2008 HOA Board Meeting

2008-07-30T15:06:00.000-07:00

The August 2008 Homeowners Association Board of Directors meeting will take place tonight, July 30, at 7:00 pm at 112 Mission Drive. As always, homeowners and residents are encouraged to attend.

Summer Block Party tomorrow!

2008-07-11T16:46:00.000-07:00

It looks like we're getting a break from the heat for the 4th Annual Mission Palo Alto Summer Block Party -- the high is supposed to be 81°F. Don't forget, the party is tomorrow, Saturday July 12th starting around 3:00 pm in the cul-de-sac in front of units 112-115. Do note that this area will be a "no parking" zone for the afternoon and evening.

If you can help out with a grill or picnic table, please contact Andrew or Jennifer Rich at unit 116. Non-alcoholic beverages (sodas and water), plates & bowls, napkins and utensils will be provided.

Plan on bringing something to sear and something to share -- your favorite appetizer, side dish, salad or dessert! We've had some great contributions from residents in the past and we want to keep that up this year.

Once again I will be DJing the party with great music, and we'll show a movie on the big outdoor screen at dusk.

Hope to see you there!

4th Annual MPA Summer Block Party: July 12, 2008

2008-06-07T15:38:00.000-07:00

Save the date! The 4th Annual Mission Palo Alto Summer Block Party will be Saturday, July 12, 2008. We'll have more information as the date approaches, but you can count on good food, good music and good times, plus the return of movies under the stars.

Easy email link and announcement list

2008-06-06T11:47:00.001-07:00

Two quick updates to the Web site:

I've added a mailbox icon to the upper-right corner of every page on the site. Clicking that icon will take you to the mail form, from which you can easily send email to the Board, individual Board members, Property Management or committee chairs.
There was a request at the Board meeting Wednesday night for an announcement email list which would be notified when the Web site is updated. I'm working on that and it is a bit more challenging than initially thought, but modern Web browsers can automatically receive updates to the Web site as soon as they are published by subscribing to our news feed.

June 2008 Homeowner's Association Meeting

2008-06-04T16:57:00.000-07:00

The June 2008 Board Meeting will be tonight, June 4, at 7:00 PM at unit # 116. Homeowners and residents are encouraged to attend.

Just a friendly reminder, unit 116 is also home to feline residents; if you have allergy issues, please take appropriate precautions.

Summer 2008 Security Bulletin

2008-05-01T11:35:00.000-07:00

To: All Mission Palo Alto Homeowners and Residents
From: Board of Directors

Several security issues in the complex have been noted and reported recently. Among these are:

Young people who are not residents climbing over the emergency gate from West Bayshore.

The same young people using the pool and hot tub, and acting belligerently or threateningly when told by residents to leave the property.

Unit 117 broken into through rear balcony—accessed through Newell Rd apartments.

Empty alcoholic beverage cans and bottles and drug paraphernalia found in planter areas.

At least one car break-in.

If you encounter anything that looks wrong or feels unsafe, do not hesitate to call the East Palo Alto Police dispatch desk at 650-853-3171. If you are threatened, if you spot a crime in progress or other emergency, call 911 immediately.

We can only be safe and secure if everyone in the community helps out.

2008 Homeowners Association meeting

2008-03-05T11:20:00.000-08:00

The 2008 annual HOA meeting is scheduled for Thursday, May 1, at 6:30 PM, at the pool--please bring a chair. At the annual meeting, we will elect (or re-elect) the Board of Directors and discuss homeowner issues.

Free Web services from MissionPaloAlto.org

2008-03-03T11:57:00.000-08:00

As a homeowner or resident of Mission Palo Alto, you are eligible to receive these free Web services from MissionPaloAlto.org:

Free @missionpaloalto.org email address -- keep a single email address even if you switch from dial-up Internet to cable or DSL, or change Internet Service Providers.

Your own Web page -- personal Web page, blog, photo album, whatever you want at www.missionpaloalto.org/yourname

Public calendar -- have your public event placed on the Mission Palo Alto public calendar so your friends and neighbors can see it.

Email the Webmaster to take advantage of any of these free services!

March 2008 Board Meeting tonight, March 3

2008-03-03T11:04:00.000-08:00

The March 2008 Board Meeting will be tonight, March 3, at 7:00 PM at unit # 116. Homeowners and residents are encouraged to attend, keeping in mind the restrictions embodied in California Civil Code 1363.05 as revised this year (basically, anything you want to talk about with the exception of "Homeowner's Forum" needs to be on the agenda, and the agenda is determined no less than four days in advance of the meeting).

Just a friendly reminder, unit 116 is also home to feline residents; if you have allergy issues, please take appropriate precautions.

Welcome to the New MissionPaloAlto.org...

2008-02-22T17:14:00.000-08:00

...pretty much the same as the old, only with a new Web host. If you're seeing this post, it means the transfer has completed successfully.

Changes to MissionPaloAlto.org

2008-02-21T15:01:00.001-08:00

I am moving MissionPaloAlto.org to a different Web host, to consolidate the Web sites I manage and also save the Association over $100/year. This may cause a day or two of downtime for the Web site, and definitely will result in any saved email being lost.

I'll repeat that last part:

If you are saving your MissionPaloAlto.org email messages on the Web mail server, you need to download or save them somewhere else as soon as possible. They will be deleted when your email accounts are moved to the new Web server.

Next HOA Board meeting scheduled

2007-12-30T00:38:00.000-08:00

The next Mission Palo Alto HOA Board meeting will be Monday, January 14, 2008 at 7:00 pm, at 116 Mission Drive. As always, owners and residents are welcome to attend but should be aware that these are Board meetings, not general membership meetings.

News: Solar roofing tiles comes to tract housing

2007-11-15T10:22:00.000-08:00

Solar roofing tiles comes to tract housing -- CNet News.com

Call it building-integrated solar power for cookie-cutter housing.

DRI Energy has developed roofing tiles with solar cells built in them. For commercial customers, it has solar panels that literally glue onto flat roofs. The products, branded under the Lumeta name, will be available in the second quarter.

The green tech company sells to builders of commercial constructions, like retail outlets and office buildings, and developers of tract housing, large developments of new homes.

The problem with installing solar electricity in these types of developments is that builders don't want to work solar panels and the racking systems, said Stephen Torres, chief operating officer at DRI Energy. "They don't do rack installs unless they have to," he said.

In the southwest United States, where DRI Energy operates, many roofs aren't strong enough to support a large installation of solar panels, he added. And residential customers in many cases would prefer not having visible panels.

At the same time, there is growing interest in solar power because it's cleaner and it's a hedge against rising electricity prices. So, DRI Energy has designed roofing tiles that have the solar cells within them.

They start with standard terra-cotta colored s-tiles or flat concrete tiles and add a cavity to hold the wiring and solar cells which convert light to electricity. The added photovoltaic cells make their roofing tiles slightly thicker than tiles but are far less noticeable than adding flat panels, Torres said.

For business customers, it has designed solar panels that stick onto a flat roof with an adhesive. That "peel and stick" approach eliminates the need for brackets, said Torres.

Placing panels flat on the roof does have drawbacks. The panels will not generate as much electricity as others that are tilted to optimize the sun angle. Also, they will get hotter than rack-mounted systems which benefit from an air flow below them. That extra heat will lower their overall efficiency.

The company hopes to make up that loss with lower installation costs because there is less labor involved and they eliminate the cost of the racking, Torres said.

DRI Energy has a partnership with Chinese solar manufacturer Suntech Power to supply the cells and manufacturer the panels and solar tiles.

News: East Palo Alto plan hits bump -- SV/SJ Business Journal

2007-10-24T18:04:00.000-07:00

East Palo Alto plan hits bump -- SV/SJ Business Journal

According to public record, including hundreds of documents on file in San Mateo County court, Taran has spent well in excess of $100 million since September 2006 to acquire 70 parcels, mostly contiguous, in a thin ribbon of land fronting U.S. 101 and a stone's throw from what is arguably the most status-laden community in the South Bay. Yet, all of the properties lie in East Palo Alto, among the region's most humble communities, and they range from modest and aging apartments to some that can only be described as blighted.

The properties also flank University Circle, East Palo Alto's redevelopment centerpiece completed in the last five years that includes a four-star hotel, sparkling fountains and three stunning Class A office towers.

News: East Palo Alto hazardous waste plant ordered to close and clean up

2007-09-05T11:01:00.000-07:00

East Palo Alto hazardous waste plant ordered to close and clean up -- San Francisco Chronicle, 2007-08-31

The state has ordered an East Palo Alto plant that treats and stores hazardous waste to permanently close.

Romic Environmental Technologies Corp., which runs the plant, also must clean up its 10-acre bayfront site and return it to "productive economic use," according to a statement issued Thursday by the California Environmental Protection Agency's Department of Toxic Substances Control.

"(The department) has constantly monitored the facility's operations and ultimately found that it could not be operated safely," said Maureen Gorsen, director of the department.