Portola Valley Update October 5, 2023

This week's update:

• This Saturday - Neighborhood Clean-Up Day
• Sign up for SMC Alerts
• Monarchs at Town Center
• Wildfire Preparedness Committee Tip -It's a Good Time to Prune Your Trees
• Make and Appointment for the Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Drop-off event in Portola Valley
• Town Hall Lobby Hours
• Hawthorns Property Public Access Working Group Meeting 3: Design Discussion
• Portola Valley School District Ribbon Cutting
• Upcoming Events

This Saturday - Neighborhood Clean-Up Day

Saturday, October 7th from 8 AM to 11 AM

Please note: No items will be accepted after 11 am

Please review the sample postcard and load your vehicle accordingly! This event is free for Portola Valley residents - you will need to bring a copy of your GreenWaste garbage bill or the "original" postcard received in the mail as proof of residency. GreenWaste is asking that residents containerize or bundle their yard trimmings.* View a

• Medication is NOT accepted at this event
• Hazardous materials are NOT accepted.

Please call the County of San Mateo Household Hazardous Waste Program at 650.363.4718 or visit the County's website to schedule a drop-off appointment. Also, you may wish to note that the Town will sponsor a Household Hazardous Waste Disposal event here in Portola Valley on October 14, 2023.

*Containerizing or Bundling = branches bundled together with rope or twine and loose leaves and clippings containerized in bags or carts. Bundled or containerized yard trimmings makes loading the material into trucks safer for GreenWaste’s staff and helps the Clean Up run smoothly and efficiently.

Sign up for SMC Alerts

Are you signed up to receive official emergency notifications? If you have not signed up or it has been a while since you last accessed your SMC Alert account, sign up today for San Mateo County’s emergency notification system.

SMC ALERT is an alert notification system used to immediately contact you during urgent or emergency situations. You can set alerts to send emergency and/or non-emergency text and voice messages to your:

• email accounts
• cell phones, smartphones, tablets
• voice messages to landline phones (home & work)

To enroll in SMC ALERT, please click here.

SMC ALERT is free. (Your carrier may charge you a fee to receive alerts on your wireless device). SMC ALERT is available in all cities and towns in San Mateo County.

Monarchs at Town Center

Did you know you can find two species of milkweed at Town Center? As you walk around the Town Center you can find both the Narrow-leaf milkweed (Asclepias fascicularis) and the Showy milkweed (Asclepias speciosa)

In Portola Valley, milkweed plays a crucial role in the life cycle of monarch butterflies. Monarchs rely on milkweed plants as their sole food source during the caterpillar stage. Female monarchs lay their eggs exclusively on milkweed, and once hatched, the caterpillars feed voraciously on its leaves, absorbing toxins that make them unpalatable to predators. The availability of milkweed directly influences the monarch population in the region. As essential nectar plants for other pollinators, milkweed also contributes to the overall biodiversity of the area, ensuring a healthy ecosystem. In Portola Valley, preserving and planting milkweed not only supports the magnificent monarch butterflies but also sustains the delicate balance of the local environment, highlighting the plant's vital importance in the region's ecological web.

The Conservation Committee and Town Staff play a vital role in keeping the native ecosystems at Town Center a healthy and thriving place for our monarch population. Learn more about our Native Plant Demonstration Garden at Portola Valley Town Center. Download the flyer here.

Wildfire Preparedness Committee Tip -It's a Good Time to Prune Your Trees

The Conservation Committee recently published a tip of the month with illustrations on pruning your trees and shrubs. Fall season is a good time to do it for the health of the plants, but removing dead and dying branches and limbing up trees also contributes to wildfire mitigation.

“Limbing up” or uplimbing your trees means removing the lower branches so that there is at least 6 feet of vertical clearance between the ground and the lowest part of the branch. This helps prevent fires from spreading into the crown of trees (crown fires), where they will burn with higher heat intensity and spread to nearby trees or structures.

So join the community, get out those pruning shears and limb up!

Make and Appointment for the Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Drop-off event in Portola Valley

The Town of Portola Valley is hosting a Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Drop-off event in Portola Valley on Saturday, October 14, 2023, 8:30am-12:15pm. Accepted items include cleaning products; fertilizers and garden chemicals; pesticides, herbicides and rodenticides; solvents; flammable liquids; fluorescent lights (compact and tubes), paint thinner, acids/bases, aerosol cans, and automotive supplies (car batteries, motor oil, oil filters, antifreeze, brake fluid). All waste collected is reused, recycled, or stabilized for proper disposal to achieve zero waste and prevent any items from going to the landfill and contaminating our water and soil. No electronic, radioactive, explosive, or medical waste is accepted. This event is open to all who live in San Mateo County.

To participate, you must schedule an appointment at San Mateo County’s HHW Program: smchealth.org/hhw-appt or by calling (650) 372-6200. The event location is disclosed once your appointment is confirmed. Limit 10 gallons or 50 pounds per appointment (per car load). If you have greater than 10 gallons, you must schedule an appointment for each 10 gallons of waste and make separate vehicle trips for each appointment. No commercial waste allowed.

OPTIONAL: Residents unable to attend this event can still dispose of household hazardous waste for free at San Mateo County’s permanent HHW facility Thursdays-Saturdays (except major holiday weekends). You must make an appointment at smchealth.org/hhw-appt or call (650) 372-6200. Recycling/safe disposal of paint, fluorescent lights, household batteries, and used motor oil/filters can be done at a local collection center – no appointment needed. Visit smchealth.org/hhw-most-wanted for local drop-off sites. For more information, visit smchealth.org/hhw

Town Hall Lobby Hours

The Town Hall lobby is temporarily closed Monday - Thursday 12- 5 PM and Friday all day. Staff will still be working but the lobby will be closed to visitors. The Planning & Building Department has virtual appointments for services that include meetings with a planner, building/planning permit submittals, and more. The PV Connect system is available for submitting service requests. You can still reach staff by email and phone.

Hawthorns Property Public Access Working Group Meeting 3: Design Discussion

Thursday, October 26th, 6pm to 9pm

Location: Midpen Administrative Office – 5050 El Camino Real, Los Altos, CA 94022 and Zoom (link available on 10/23/23 on the MROSD Website or by their enotifcation system)

Meeting agenda: Discuss parking and driveway options, as well as internal connections, trailheads, trail uses, and local and regional connectivity opportunities. Select two co-chairs.

Portola Valley School District Ribbon Cutting

It is with great pleasure and enthusiasm that I invite you to PVSD's upcoming Ribbon Cutting Ceremony. This celebration will mark the successful, and long-awaited completion of the construction and modernization projects on both school campuses. It will also provide an opportunity for us to express our gratitude, and give the community a chance to come together and witness the transformation first hand. Your unwavering support and patience throughout the duration of these projects has been very, very appreciated.

Friday, October 20, 2023

4:00 - 5:00 pm at Ormondale, 200 Shawnee Pass, Portola Valley

5:00 - 6:30 pm at Corte Madera, 4575 Alpine Road, Portola Valley

Our dedication to providing the best possible learning environment for PVSD students has been the driving force behind these projects. With your trust and collaboration, we have achieved significant milestones, including:

• State-of-the-Art Facilities: New, cutting-edge classrooms, laboratories, and recreational spaces that will inspire and support student growth.

• Enhanced Safety: New, modern security systems ensure the safety of students and staff, and create a secure and welcoming environment for everyone.

• Energy Efficiency: Upgraded energy-efficient systems will reduce PVSD’s environmental footprint, save valuable resources reflecting our commitment to sustainability.

We believe these improvements will not only benefit our current students, but also future generations who will have the privilege of learning and growing within these enhanced facilities.

Please join us on this momentous occasion to celebrate our achievements together. Your presence will make this event even more special. We have a fantastic program planned, including a ribbon-cutting ceremony, tours of the newly renovated areas, and refreshments. To assist us in planning this event efficiently, kindly RSVP by October 6 by clicking on this link.

Once again, thank you for your unwavering support, and we look forward to seeing you on October 20 – starting at Ormondale ay 4:00.

Warmest regards, Roberta Zarea - PVSD Superintendent