Portola Valley Update May 22, 2025

This Week's Update

• Notice from the Town Memorial Day Closure
• Balancing Fire-Smart Landscaping with Wildlife Habitat Preservation: A Sustainable Approach to Defensible Space and Diverse Habitats
• It's Time to Whack those Weeds!
• PV Palooza Saturday May 31
• Rapid Rectangular Flashing Beacon (RRFB) Project Update
• Sun. June 1, 11 a.m. to noon. Family Fun on the Bay Trail
• Upcoming Town Events

Notice from the Town Memorial Day Closure

Upcoming Town Hall Memorial Day Closure

Town Hall will be closed Monday May 26th for Memorial Day.

Please note, per the Town's Noise Ordinance, no construction/landscaping activities allowed on Monday May 26th.

Balancing Fire-Smart Landscaping with Wildlife Habitat Preservation: A Sustainable Approach to Defensible Space and Diverse Habitats

Tuesday June 3 6pm

Community Hall, Portola Valley Town Center

Our Fire Marshall Kim Giuliacci will clarify the details of current local Fire Smart ordinances.

Conservation Biologist Nona Chiariello will explain how to protect wildlife habitat while complying with fire recommendations.

You do not have to choose between fire safety and thriving local habitat and wildlife. A conversation between the 2 presenters will include illustrations of good solutions. There will be time for Q&A.

Co-sponsored by Portola Valley Conservation Committee and Woodside Fire Department.

It's Time to Whack those Weeds!

May is National Wildfire Preparedness Month, and it’s also the time of year when rain stops, and those tall green grasses growing around Portola Valley turn yellow, dry, and flammable. This photo from research on prescribed grazing by Roxanne Foss demonstrates the difference in flame height and intensity between well-managed and poorly-managed tall grasses. Cut your weeds to 3” or less and remove the debris to reduce fuel load.

PV Palooza Saturday May 31

The fourth annual PV Palooza Summer Music Festival will be on Saturday, May 31 from 10:30 AM to 8:30pm PM at the Portola Valley Town Center, featuring 20 local bands. This year the festival will have 3 stages, two adjacent main stages on the soccer field, and one main stage with an adjacent showcase stage on the library lawn. Attendees will enjoy food and beverage options from local vendors. For a complete experience Local art exhibitors will be featured and There will be a smaller stage for smaller bands, youth acts and kids' activities.

This year The Town of Portola Valley has asked the PV Palooza Foundation to coordinate the entire PV Palooza Summer concert on a trial basis. PV Palooza Foundation is a nonprofit volunteer-run foundation.

Rapid Rectangular Flashing Beacon (RRFB) Project Update

The Town is pleased to announce the successful completion of the Rapid Rectangular Flashing Beacon (RRFB) project. Two new safety crosswalks are equipped with push-button activated flashing beacons to alert drivers when pedestrians are crossing. These enhancements are part of the Town’s ongoing efforts to improve pedestrian safety and walkability throughout the community.

Background on the RRFB project:

• In 2017, the Town Council approved the Pedestrian Safety Plan Study, which recommended the installation of RRFBs at key crosswalks.
• Following these recommendations and in collaboration with the Bicycle, Pedestrian & Traffic Safety (BPTS) Committee, the Town pursued grant funding through the San Mateo County Transportation Authority (SMCTA).
• A grant agreement with SMCTA was approved by the Town Council circa 2022. This agreement included specific project milestones and a final date of May 15, 2025.

The project was designed to meet all current regulatory requirements, including those outlined in:

• The Americans with Disabilities ACT (ADA)
• The Public Right-Of-Way Accessibility Guidelines (PROWAG)
• The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) - 11th Edition

Some of the requirements set by the Americans with Disabilities ACT (ADA), the Public Right-Of-Way Accessibility Guidelines (PROWAG), and the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices - 11th Edition (MUTCD) include:

• The project must provide an audible locator tone.
• The tone must be audible from 6 – 12 feet away.
• The locator tone should adjust to ambient noise.
• There must be speech walk indications and vibrotactile feedback to assist visually impaired pedestrians.

Community-Focused Adjustments

In response to feedback shared during the May 7 BPTS Committee Meeting, several adjustments were made to balance safety, accessibility, and quality of life:

• A simpler, less disruptive flash pattern was selected to help maintain the Town’s “dark sky” initiative.
• The locator tone volume was reduced by 70%, maintaining quiet enjoyment for the community, while still providing an audible locator tone for pedestrians within 6 feet of the crosswalks.
• The Town Engineer confirmed that the new crosswalk striping is very clear and visible.
• The maximum volume of the tone above ambient noise was adjusted, so the tone remains non-disruptive, even during times of heavy traffic.

A “Quiet Mode” was set to reduce the locator tone and speech walk indication noise during nighttime hours:

• Alpine Rd. & Golden Oak Dr.: Quiet Mode set to reduce the audible tone and walk indication noise levels between the hours of 9pm – 7am.
• Portola Rd. and Brookside Dr.: Quiet Mode set to reduce the audible tone and walk indication noise levels between the hours of 10pm – 7am. The crosswalk adjacent to the school is set for Quiet Mode from 10:00 PM to 7:00 AM to align with student activity.

The Rapid Rectangular Flashing Beacon (RRFB) project was finalized ahead of the May 15th deadline and the safety crosswalks are now fully operational. Early observations have shown drivers slowing down and yielding for pedestrians at the safety crosswalks – an encouraging sign that these safety enhancements are making a positive impact. These improvements were completed just in time for the Horse Fair and PV Palooza. We are grateful for the community’s continued support and engagement in making our roads safer for all.

Sun. June 1, 11 a.m. to noon. Family Fun on the Bay Trail

CEC invites you to a family-friendly nature walk along San Francisco Bay. We’ll be picking up trash (plogging) as we go, so please bring gloves and a bucket if possible. CEC will provide complimentary trash pickup kits, including grabbers and gloves, for kids. Free. No pre-registration is required. Please meet at 1350 Bayshore Highway, Burlingame. Ample free parking is available.