City of Lafayette CA : The Weekly Roundup

The Weekly Roundup

January 19, 2018 | What's Doing in Lafayette?

What Should the City's Goals Be for 2018?

The City Council will discuss that very question next Monday night at its 7P meeting. To get the discussion started, Mayor Don Tatzin has suggested the following goals:

• Develop a Code of Conduct for commissioners and require ethics and harassment training.
• Complete the reorganization of the City's Commissions.
• Begin implementation of the City's new Downtown Congestion Plan.
• Add a new parking lot on the East End of Mt. Diablo Boulevard near Ace Hardware.
• Review the zoning code to ensure that its goals and requirements are clear, easy to understand, and otherwise more objective and less subjective.
• Convene a semi-centennial celebration celebrating the City's 50th birthday.
• Encourage businesses to use MCE's Deep Green program.

All are welcome to attend and provide input. If you can't make that meeting, you can deliver your thoughts right now (we know you're at a computer!) via LafayetteListens!

Interactive Public Art Map

The interactive Public Art Map is now on the city's website. Includes Ben Trautman's new 'Shadow' sculpture. Check it out here! Thank you to Kiera Peacock and Janice Peacock for bringing this idea to LIFE!

Speaking of Public Art, We're Looking for Artists

The City of Lafayette Public Art Committee invites artists living or working in the Bay Area to submit proposals for exhibitions in the Library Art Gallery, which was created to support rich and diverse artistic expression and to encourage the appreciation of the visual arts in the community. It provides an exciting opportunity for local artists to display their work in Lafayette's cultural center. Artists interested in displaying artwork in the Library Gallery must submit a complete a LLLC Gallery Exhibition Application . Completed applications will be reviewed by the Public Art Committee. The committee meets on the first Wednesday of each month. For more information contact

Juliet Hansen.

Downtown Congestion Reduction Plan Presentation to City Council on January 22^nd

On Monday, January 22^nd, City staff and consultant, Arup, will present the Lafayette Downtown Congestion Reduction Plan to the City Council with recommendation for adoption. The multi-year effort to develop this Plan was led by a Council-appointed, volunteer Plan Steering Committee. Through the course of a dozen public Committee meetings, complemented by multiple public outreach events held in November-December 2015 and May-June 2017, the Plan is deemed ready for final review by the Council. Under supervision by City staff, Arup provided technical expertise and analysis for the recommended traffic congestion reduction strategies in the Plan. More information about the Plan, including its process and background technical memos, is available here and also here. Funding for this Plan has been provided through a grant from the Contra Costa Transportation Authority. If you have questions about the Plan, please contact James Hinkamp, Transportation Planner, at 925.299.3229 or [e-mail].

New City Web Page for Pleasant Hill Road & Reliez Valley Road Traffic Issues

The City website features several distinct web pages dedicated to issues of significant interest for the Lafayette community. New to the lineup this week is an informational page that focuses on Pleasant Hill Road and Reliez Valley Road traffic issues. You may click HERE to view the new page, which features a summary of the issue and the recent public review process. Towards the bottom of the page are also informational resources that may be of interest to site visitors. Included among these are background documents like the Pleasant Hill Road Signal Operations Study document (completed March 2017) and the Lafayette Traffic Calming Guidebook. Additional resources include the 'menu' of traffic solution ideas suggested during the course of public discussion, as well as the City Attorney's legal analysis of those ideas, plus technical analysis of suggested turn lane extensions on approach to the Pleasant Hill Road/Deer Hill Road intersection. If you have questions or comments about this new web resource, please contact James Hinkamp, Transportation Planner, at 925.299.3229 or [e-mail].

Need Help With Your Taxes? Who Doesn't!

The Lafayette Library is happy to announce that it will be serving as an AARP tax-aide center for the Lamorinda area this year. AARP volunteers will be working here every Friday from Feb 2 through April 13, serving primarily people with limited to moderate income levels. This service is offered to people of all ages, with special attention to those aged 50 and older. One appointment per tax return can be scheduled - walk-ins are accepted, but priority is given to those with an appointment. Please call the library at 925-385-2280 to register!

Lafayette Garden Club General Meeting

Lafayette Garden Club is pleased to present Lori Palmquist, Irrigation Designer and Consultant, who will discuss how everyday gardeners can deal with the challenges of water conservation and be part of the solution.

Thursday, February 8, 2018

Lafayette Veteran's Building

9:45 AM to 12 noon. Visitors are welcome!

Please email Carolyn Poetzsch [e-mail]

BART'S Got New Train Cars!

BART's new Fleet of the Future train is here. The very first customers to ride the new train cars boarded the train at MacArthur Station this morning as it made its inaugural passenger run. The new cars feature a wide spectrum of improvements over BART's legacy fleet, currently the oldest fleet in the nation. The Fleet of the Future cars are:

• Quieter: micro-plug doors help seal out noise and a new tapered wheel shape will provide a quieter ride
• Cooler: cooling systems distribute air directly from the ceilings, making it more comfortable for standees on hot days
• Comfortable: padded seats will have lumbar support and are covered with wipeable fabric for ease of cleaning
• Easy to use: routes are color coded like the BART system map, and next stop information is readily available via automated announcements and digital screens.

Perhaps the most notable difference is that the new cars have three doors on each side instead of two which will allow for quicker on-and-off boarding. This is important as BART works to improve its capacity to carry more passengers; since BART first ordered 775 new rail cars in 2012, ridership has grown 14 percent.

This Week at the Library

To see what's happening at the Lafayette Library and Learning Center this week, click http://www.lllcf.org/program-calendar/. Support your Library - Shop at Friends Corner Book Shop, corner of 1st St. & Golden Gate Way!

Poetry for the Week

you have to understand,

that no one puts their children in a boat

unless the water is safer than the land

Warsan Shire

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This weekly summary is prepared by City Manager Steven Falk for the Lafayette City Council, staff, and the Lafayette community. Do you have thoughts about this week's Summary or a contribution for next week's message? Forward it tohimnow! Do you have opinions about Lafayette? Share them atLafayette Listens!