LTWCA Newsletter - December ‘03/January ‘04

Safe and Sane Santa Season

Here are a few simple but important tips.

If you are going to be gone during the holidays:

1. Let someone in the neighborhood know where you will be and when you will be gone. They can watch after your house, pick up stray newspapers, and check out any suspicious circumstances. Remember this is the busy season for house fires and burglaries.

2. Either have the post office stop your mail or have a neighbor pick it up each day to prevent theft or soggy mail from rain.

3. Turn down the heat to the minimum and turn off all but safety lights.

4. Water heaters are easy to turn down and up these days. Turn off or to pilot while you are gone. Record on a sticky note the setting that you keep it at while home. Put the note on the water heater as a reminder for when you get back.

If you are going to be home:

1. Offer to look out for the neighborhood. You may need the favor returned next year.

2. Make sure you turn off all tree lights when you are out of the house. Be fire safe and save energy during this high energy use season.

3. Be aware of not blocking the roadways with vehicles. Let your guests know where to park.

Honoring Carol Wagner

Thank yous and bouquets to Carol Wagner for her many years of dedicated work on the Emergency Preparedness Program! The community had the golden opportunity at the 2003 Los Trancos Woods Annual Picnic to honor Carol with a plaque and gift certificate. Carol started from scratch in 1997 and single-handedly assembled not only the supplies but also the know-how that our community would need in an emergency. Over the years she and her family attended countless classes in first aid, evacuation, and running the Operations Center. Carol’s living room and side rooms have overflowed with supplies to organize, and people. Community members have gathered there innumerable times to learn, practice, and plan what to do (and to eat the delectable goodies Carol always provided for the meetings). Without Carol we would not have one of the best prepared divisions in the Woodside Fire District. We might not even have an Emergency Preparedness Program at all. Your legacy will live on for many years to come, Carol.

Emergency Preparedness News

On October 25 while “the Woods” was participating in a Wildland Fire Emergency Preparedness Drill, real fires raged in Southern California, poignantly reminding us of the need to be ready. During the drill we practiced our community communication systems, reviewed the contents of our disaster relief kits, reminded ourselves to update our family plans and make our homes fire safe, and learned from each other how to respond in an emergency. Thanks to all participants. Even though fire season is over, it is always time to ensure your home and family are prepared for any emergencies. Contact Jamie Sovereign (851-8287, jamie.sovereign@usa.net) or David Smernoff (851-9202, DavidS@Acterra.org) if you need any information about disaster preparedness.

Give yourself and your family a gift that could save a life, attend a CPR class.

Dec. 16           Orientation for First Responder, 6:30-7:30 p.m.  Woodside Fire Station

Jan. 17                        CPR                10 a.m. to 4 p.m.                   Woodside Fire Station

Feb. 21                       CPR                10 a.m. to 4 p.m.                   Woodside Fire Station

To make your reservation or get more information call Gaylynne Mann at 851-1594.

Submitted by David Smernoff and Jamie Sovereign

Zoning Committee News

Last Spring a majority of our community voted to support a ballot for a zoning change in the Woods. The ballots were sent to the County for review, and we are awaiting their response. We anticipate that they will initiate their own process toward a zoning change that would include another round of public meetings. As the County moves slowly, it will be a while before we hear from them.

Submitted by Armin Staprans

Sewer News

The preliminary sewer design is nearly complete and the group will be further investigating financing.

Submitted by Julie Duncan

Water Board News

The District has approved and signed the contract with California Water Service Company for the sale of the water delivery assets. The acquisition by Cal Water must next be approved by the California Public Utilities Commission. Note that the Los Trancos County Water District will continue to exist after the sale and will retain title to the District property along Lake Road. Water Board Meetings are held the third Thursday of odd numbered months and anyone in the District is welcome to attend.

The Hetch Hetchy Aqueduct is temporarily shut down until early February. You may notice that our water is harder than usual since all of the water delivered to the District will be coming from treated water that has been stored in reservoirs near Sunol. The conversion to Chloramine as a disinfectant for our water supply is now scheduled to occur sometime in February.

Submitted by Stan Gage

Neighborhood Notes

- You can save your District Representative a few hours of collecting time by sending your 2004-2005 dues ($10) and emergency fund ($20) checks for $30.00 to our LTWCA Treasurer, Julie Duncan, at 111 Carmel Way. Or if it is more convenient, give the check to your District Rep. within the next month. Thank you for your support!

Next Meeting - 7:00 p.m., 14 Jan., 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 œ for copying our newsletter.