LTWCA Newsletter - October/November 2003

WILDFIRE! The Woods will be on FIRE!, Saturday October 25th, 8:30 to 11:30 a.m.

Help yourself, your family and your neighbors practice what to do in the event we are faced with a real fire. In conjunction with San Mateo County, our neighborhood will be participating in a CERPP

emergency preparedness simulation. This promises to be an exciting and educational opportunity for you and each of your family members to experience firsthand what's required in the event of a wildland fire in Los Trancos/Vista Verde/Portola Valley. Remember there is a higher probability of a wildland fire than an earthquake. As a participant you will be given the opportunity to help survey your neighborhood for damage, communicate issues via radio, practice for an evacuation, learn some fire fighting skills and more.

Look for details in your e-mail, on neighborhood posters or contact your co-coordinators Jamie Sovereign (jamie.sovereign@usa.net, 851-8287) and David Smernoff (DavidS@Acterra.org, 851-9202).

Submitted by David Smernoff and Jamie Sovereign

New Los Trancos Woods Community Association Board

A BIG thank you to everyone who served the last 2-year term and to everyone who volunteered to serve the next 2-year term. It is rewarding and fun. Think about volunteering!

President - vacant                                                    District I - Gale Smith & Armin Staprans                                                                    

Treasurer - Julie Duncan                                         District II - Ann Beckwith & Nelson Dake

Secretary - Peri Nielson                                          District III - Jan Avilla Emergency Preparedness                                  District IV - Linda Drey-Nightingale & Rebecca

Co-Coordinators - David Smernoff                                              Reynolds

                                  Jamie Sovereign                     Reps-at-Large - Michael Glenn, David Lowin,                                                                                                                                              and Marguerite Thayer                    

Sewer News

The ground survey here in the Woods has been completed by our engineering firm. Design of the sanitary sewer system is now in progress. When the design is completed, the project will be turned over to San Mateo County who will coordinate the Assessment District for the 53 sewer participants as well as oversee the sewer construction.

Submitted by Julie Duncan

Water Board News

The water pipe replacement project started about 8 Sept. with a target completion date of mid-to-late-Oct. Currently they are laying the large pipe on Los Trancos Circle, Bonita, part of Los Trancos Rd., and Ramona. Expect delays on these roads during the construction period. The connections to the houses will be installed before they repave road. After the final paving is done, if you see that there are still items to repair, please let Tom Hubbard, 854-6334, know right away.

Submitted by Stan Gage

District I News

Long time resident, Chloe Gartner Tremble, who moved up here in the 60’s recently passed away. She will be missed by her neighbors when she lived here and her family.

District II News

Peter and Tessa Tapscott, and Patt and Wilma(an English Bull Terrier) Baenan all had starring roles in a lovely wedding ceremony up in Vista Verde on 20 September. Strains of rollicking music could be heard into the night as everyone enjoyed a perfect evening of celebration. Congratulations, Peter and Patt!

Duke Eisenberg, our oldest and longest resident (moved here in the early 50’s), was honored at a 97th birthday party put on by Tom and Nusi Uridel on 14 September. Tom really spruced up Duke’s place and gathered a host of neighbors together for a barbecue. Duke impressed everyone by how sharp he was mentally, and how sharp his teeth were as he gnawed on his rack of lamb. Note from Julie Duncan: Duke died just 13 days after his birthday. He will always be remembered by his nickname “Duke” which was bestowed on him when he first came to the States. He was a real nice dresser and had that stately appearance. How lovely to have honored Duke while he was still alive. Thank you, Tom and Nusi!

Submitted by Nelson Dake

District III News

Clothilde Wiseman, another original resident who moved here in the 40’s, passed away on 6 July at Woodside Terrace in Redwood City. She and her husband, Fred, had moved up here in the 40’s and had grown to love the country feel. They raised their son, Chris, up here and then continued to live here in their original (pink) house. Clothilde could be seen often out for a walk with her dog.

District IV News

Another hiker was born into our midst on 6 June. Frazier and Tia Miller welcomed baby Carson

(7 lbs. 10 oz.) into their family. Carson is no slouch when it comes to getting around. He has already done an overnight in Yosemite, many miles on trails, and even visited 4 different states. Welcome to the Woods!

Submitted by Linda Drey-Nightingale

Neighborhood Notes

- Was that a great picnic, or was that a great picnic?! Once again Nelson and Joan Dake with a whole host of volunteers put together a wonderful afternoon full of over 60 neighbors, new babies, scrumptious food, wine and beer, pertinent tree maintenance information, a well deserved thank you to Carol Wagner, and lots of hearty conversation. A big thank you goes to Nelson and Joan Dake for the site, and Peter Tapscott for the donation of the tasty beer on tap from the Tied House.

- If you want to contact John McClenahan of McClenahan Co. Tree Service who gave the excellent talk at the LTWCA Picnic, you can do so at 326-8781 or john@spmcclenahan.com. For those of you who missed it, be sure to check in with someone who was there. It was an enlightening session.

- If you missed the picnic, you can save your area reps a few hours of collecting time by sending your 2004-2005 dues and emergency fund checks for $30.00 to our LTWCA treasurer at 111 Carmel Way, or if it is more convenient give the check to your District Rep within the next 2 months. Thank you in advance for your support of our community, Julie Duncan, Treasurer

- A time for complaining, a time for thanking. We let Palo Alto Public Works know when we were unhappy with the state of their section of Los Trancos Road. Now is the time to let them know how much we appreciate the velvet smooth ride on their section. Give Paul Dornell at Public Works a call, 496-6904, and brighten up his day.

Next Meeting - 7:00 p.m., 12 Nov., 21 Old Spanish Trail. Agenda includes discussion of future activities. For minutes of the last meeting , please see the LTWCA Web Site or your District Rep.

Los Trancos Woods (LTWCA) Web Site

The web site address is:                                                                         The group e-mail list is:

http://lostrancoswoods.org/                                                              ltwca@yahoogroups.com

Our thanks to Jerry Jensen for maintaining this site AND Thank you to Alex Kostrikin for copying our newsletter.