MARIN CIVIC CENTER}Novato-Petaluma 101 Narrows{Desination as scenic highway>Trans.Aut.M.

Novato Narrows report to be presented Thursday
Staff Report From IJ
Article Launched: 07/24/2007 11:40:09 PM PDT

The Transportation Authority of Marin will present a report on the Novato Narrows project Thursday.
The 7 p.m. meeting is in room 330 of the Civic Center in San Rafael. For more information, call 507-2680.
All About Marin: Novato Narrows could be designated a 'scenic highway'
Brad Breithaupt

Article Launched: 06/04/2007 11:56:06 PM PDT

THE NOVATO Narrows should not only be widened, it should be declared a California "scenic highway." That's the latest proposal that Transportation Authority of Marin staff is looking into.
Marin Supervisor Judy Arnold wants to know the benefits and drawbacks of the state designation.
"I'm not carrying the banner for it. I just want to get the facts," she said.
The idea has been kicked around before, but was revived by Petaluma Mayor Pam Torliatt, who said it might be a way to protect some of the "pristine open space" that lines 101.
Another benefit, she said, is that the designation could free up money to help pay for burying miles of overhead power lines.
She noted that the change would require state legislation.
TAM chief Dianne Steinhauser said she wants to make sure that the designation doesn't trigger any restrictions for the long-planned freeway widening or for owners of land that borders the 17 miles of 101 from Novato through Petaluma.
It may not rival Monterey's 17-Mile Drive, but it is a pretty stretch of highway, lined by rolling oak-studded ranchlands, a state park, the Silveira family's picturesque dairy cows, a patch of grape vines and not-so-scenic elements such as a landfill.
Steinhauser said
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the designation does protect "the pristine nature of the corridor," but that goal may bring restrictions on properties that border the highway.


Smaller is better, says Marin Supervisor Susan Adams, who has asked county staff to look into having garbage companies hand out smaller garbage cans that would also mean lower bills.
Adams says the small cans could encourage more recycling. Besides, she says, she hardly fills the standard-sized 32-gallon cans.
It's time to reward people for "living small," she said.


SMART needs to fix its timing.
In April, SMART's bicounty board met in Santa Rosa to figure out how it could woo enough Marin voters to pass its tax measure in 2008.
Last month, the SMART board met in San Rafael to talk about plans for a housing development at Santa Rosa's Railroad Square, a controversy there, but not here.
If SMART really cares about getting cars off Highway 101, it might consider reversing the order.


The May 6 edition of the "Damn Gumption Tidings" was sent to us by an unnamed Tam Junction reader.
Nobody's quite sure who wrote it, but it offers a barbed tongue-in-cheek debate over the neighborhood's so-far-successful fight to protect itself from a county proposal to designate the junction as a possible site for building some affordable housing.
The county's idea has not been warmly received by neighborhood activists, who say the area cannot handle any more traffic. So far, they have won support from the county Planning Commission and county Supervisor Charles McGlashan.
But the newsletter has a different take: "Join Damn Gumption leadership and fight to keep our commercial area a useless strip mall," implores one article.
In another poke, the Tidings jokes about "Supervisor Charles McGlashen" telling traffic-fearing neighbors to "have no worries" about the affordable-housing project under construction at the old Fireside Motel site along Shoreline Highway. "McGlashen" adds: "If you look at the place, it is evident that once we get them in there with their belongings, they will not be able to get out. There simply is no way for them to get to Tam Junction."


There were cake and kudos Thursday afternoon in the IJ newsroom as colleagues gathered to honor Nels Johnson, who celebrated the 35th anniversary of the start of his career as a reporter and editor at the IJ.
From disastrous storms to wily politicians and from causes and deeds worthy of praise and celebration to reasons for tears, Nels' journalistic expertise, enthusiasm for reporting the news and love for Marin and its people have helped keep IJ readers on top of local news.


Marin Center Presents has closed the books on its 2006-07 year and the top grosser was the Beach Boys, which drew a crowd of 1,879 people and netted more than $16,000 for the county hall.
Another big money-maker was the Soweto Gospel Choir, which drew an even larger crowd, 1,973 people while netting $15,580.
Box office losers last season were Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, which drew only 524 people and lost $15,230 and Drummers of Burundi, for which 917 tickets were sold and cost the Marin Center $19,800 at the box office.
After 24 shows, the center made a modest profit.


For the record, Fairfax Mayor Larry Bragman and his dog, Irish, were not identified in the town's Open Space Committee flier, seeking donations to help secure more open land.
This columnist reported last week that Bragman had paid for printing and mailing of the flier because, he said, the town had loaned the committee money for the pitch and he felt his picture gave the appearance of a town-paid political promotion.
Bragman, who is up for re-election in November, had asked that he not be identified in the caption. He wasn't. The caption read: "A hiker & friend looking over the Wall property."
But he also had asked that the mailer be reviewed by the town manager before it was printed and mailed.
When that did not happen, because the manager was on vacation, he decided to pay for the flier himself.
"I felt there was a mix-up," he said on Monday. "I felt I needed to deal with it."


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