Your Man Around Town! - June 29, 2016
Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose
nothin', don't mean nothin' hon if it ain't free
–Janis Joplin
Born on the Fourth of July. This Fourth of July, the United States of America will be celebrating her 240th birthday. I think she looks darn good for her age! I am proud to be an American, and like so many others, I love celebrating our amazing country with friends and family. Let us also keep in mind the significance of this date, and take a moment to be truly grateful for the freedoms we all enjoy. Hopefully many of you can make it to Foster City's annual Fourth of July festivities at Leo Ryan Park - what a spectacular evening to watch fireworks!
It's all in the balance. I am pleased to share that our city has a balanced budget for our fiscal year 2016/17! Thanks to my fellow colleagues on the City Council and to our dedicated staff who presented a well-developed budget that will allow all of us to continue appreciating the quality of life we have. At the start of the year, the City Council met and set our vision for what goals we wanted to accomplish for each of our residents and businesses. Those priorities were folded into our budget, making our city fiscally strong, all the while keeping our infrastructure intact and our reserves maintained for the next 10 years! Kudos to all involved!
Beep beep'm beep beep yeah. Social media sites such as NEXTDOOR keep me busy reading comments about the goings on in various neighborhoods. Lately, however, there seems to be quite a bit of chatter about the speeds on our city roads. Comments about lowering the speed limit to avoid accidents, and questions about adding stop signs to slow people down and help pedestrians get from one side of the road to the other, are top concerns. My thoughts: our city is going to be undertaking a citywide traffic, pedestrian and bicycle study to determine what is best for our city now, and in the future. I assure you that as we begin the process and get the results, I will keep each of you who want to know, in the know! As I have learned since being on the City Council, you cannot just lower the speed limit because we want to slow traffic down. Nor can we just add a stop sign here or there without fully understanding the impact. The traffic study will help us determine what the best course of action is so that we can all feel safe and sound!
Shred Fest. On July 9th, join the Foster City Police Department and our youth at SHRED FEST. Come for a great time, watch some cool skateboarding, and enjoy a community BBQ at our very own skate park, located next to the VIBE from 11am – 3pm! Be there or be square!
Won't you be my neighbor? Neighborhood Nights have been successful in Foster City since they launched in the summer of 2013 - so much so that the Parks and Recreation Department added two more for this season! The next planned evening to come out and meet your neighbors is scheduled for July 7th at Shad Park. For other dates and parks, please visit the Foster City Web site: http://www.fostercity.org/parksandrecreation/
FREE Summer Concert Series. Are you ready for Foster City's SUMMER CONCERT SERIES??!! Join us on July 15th from 6-8pm, as the band "Pure Ecstasy" kicks off the series. Come early to grab a spot, eat, drink, and enjoy the live music, friendship and good weather…all for FREE!!
If you wish to comment or share your thoughts, please contact me at gpollard@fostercity.org or 650-286-3505.
