news – Page 7 – Barron Square

Food Scraps Composting

Jun 272015

New Residential Program begins July 1st

As part of the Zero Waste program in Palo Alto the city is initiating a program for composting of residential food scraps. While this new program is NOT MANDATORY, we ask you to consider participation to reduce the amount of landfill waste in Palo Alto.

With this new program, many of the items you now dispose of as ‘garbage’ (landfill waste) will move to the compostable category. This includes not only food scraps, but also food soiled paper products and containers.

That being said, as a multi-family common interest development, we have special considerations in order to implement this program properly. More than half of our units SHARE common areas for the garbage, recycle, and yard waste bins, and with that, must SHARE the task of moving the bins to and from the curb on collection day. Even though every unit is entitled to their own black, blue and green bins, there simply isn’t enough space available to accommodate them. Here at Barron Square, we have identified a multi-tiered approach:

The GREEN Yard Waste bins are available in several sizes: 32 gal, 64 gal and 96 gal. (The jumbo 128 gal bin will not fit through the door of the shared trash area.) All of these will be supplied free of charge by Green Waste.
New 96 gal GREEN bins will be located in the SHARED trash areas for use by the units listed:
- Building 3 – Units 4142 – 4152
- Building 8 – Units 522 – 528
- Building 9A – Units 502 – 508
- Building 9B – Units 510 – 516
- Building 10 – Units 531 – 541
- Building 12 – Units 4131 – 4141
In other buildings where there is no shared trash area, we suggest that neighbors whose trash cabinets adjoin each other consider sharing a combination of 2 black bins (garbage), 1 blue bin (recycle) and 1 green bin (compost). The recommended green bin size would be 64 gal which is the same size as most people’s blue recycle bin. You will need to contact Green Waste Customer Service at (650) 493-4894 to arrange for a bin swap.
In the future as we determine our actual volumes of compostables, the bins can be exchanged for the appropriate sizes.
Now that there will additional bins being processed, we urge everyone to place the bins at the curb as late as possible on Tuesday afternoon and return them to the storage areas as soon as possible after collection on Wednesday.

RECYCLE YOUR OLD GARBAGE CANS

As you may be aware refuse rates in Palo Alto will be increasing, in part to cover the cost of the new program. But there is still an opportunity for you to save money. Most ‘old fashioned’ garbage cans are 32 gal capacity. We suggest that you recycle your old plastic and rubber cans and replace them with a 20 gal black garbage cart which is available FREE from Green Waste. This will reduce your refuse fee by about $20 per month. The 20 gal carts are easy to roll to the curb so you can also save the $3 per month ‘side yard’ collection charge.

PLEASE DO NOT DUMP RAW FOOD SCRAPS INTO THE GREEN BIN.

Green Waste has distributed 3 gal ‘pails’ to each residence for collection of food scraps. These scraps, along with other compostable materials, are to be put into the GREEN yard waste bins. We ask that you put your food scraps in “compostable” bags to help eliminate odors and reduce the attraction of animals (raccoon, skunks) and rodents. These bags are available in several sizes, including a 3 gal size which fits the small pail, in local stores or online at minimal cost. If there is sufficient interest, we may set up a bulk order for our residents. IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO USE THE COMPOST PAIL YOU RECEIVED, please do not discard it. Contact our Zero Waste Block Coordinator, Vickie Martin, at 424-9872 or leave it at her residence (4168, Bldg. 4) and she will return it to Green Waste.

WHAT ITEMS DO I PUT IN THE GREEN BINS?

Food Scraps (in a compostable bag) including meat, bones, vegetables, dairy products, coffee grounds and filters, and tea bags
Food soiled paper (paper towels, cups, napkins, take-out containers, pizza boxes)
Compostable plastics (made from corn, potato or other starch)
Yard trimmings

MEET AND LEARN SESSION

On Monday, July 20th, 7 PM to 8:30 PM there will be a Meet and Learn session with representatives of Zero Waste in the Barron Square Community Center. Come and learn about the Zero Waste program and get answers to your questions about composting. If you are planning to attend please RSVP to our Zero Waste Coordinator, Vickie Martin at (650) 424-9872 or email her at vickiem@barronsquare.org as soon as possible. For additional information on the composting program, visit the Zero Waste website

The City of Palo Alto has provided a colored brochure and a detailed list itemizing what goes where. For a quick overview watch the video below.

TAKE A TEST

Think you know what goes where for Zero Waste? Test your knowledge with the CAN-TASTIC Smart Sorter Game!

Pool Construction Update

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May 152015

Pouring the deck

The improvements in our pool are progressing on schedule. Today Gonzalez Masonry poured the concrete for the new pool deck. On Monday May 18th Corby-Gould will begin the fiberglass resurfacing of the pool itself.

The last one to take a dip in the old pool before it was completely drained was a visiting duck.

One last dip

Pool Upgrades Begin May 4th

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Apr 292015

Work will begin Monday, May 4, 2015 on a series of upgrades to the pool and spa. These include:

Replacement of the concrete deck around the pool.
Repair, cleaning and relining of the pool with a fiberglass coating
Replacement of the current chlorine system with a salt water chlorinator.
Refinishing of the wood deck adjacent to the pool.
Replacement of the pool umbrellas.
Replacement of the linoleum floors in the restrooms with tile.
Coating of the tiles floors in the spa, hallway and restrooms with a non-slip finish.
Repainting of the meeting room and hallway.

We are working to schedule completion of all work before Memorial Day for the opening of the pool. This is obviously a major project with multiple contractors involved. Your cooperation is needed.

NO ENTRANCE WILL BE ALLOWED into the pool area during the construction work on the deck and pool. The spa may be accessed through the front door of the clubhouse until we begin the tile work.

2015 Annual Meeting

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Apr 292015

The 2015 Annual Meeting of the Barron Square Homeowners Association was held on April 15, 2015 in the clubhouse with approximately 30 members in attendance. A total of 35 ballots, constituting a quorum of the membership, were received. Two incumbents, Maurice Green and John Morrissey, were re-elected to the Board and the Tax Reduction Resolution was passed.

In his President’s report to the membership, Maurice Green reviewed the accomplishments of the past year and described some of the current issues and ongoing and upcoming projects for the association. These included:

Lighting project(s)
Roofing project(s)
Exterior repainting
Pool and Spa upgrades
Clubhouse wifi and security system
Emergency services center
Garage door upgrades
Trash/Recycle/Composting changes
Earthquake Insurance

Additional details on many of these projects are found in other articles on this website.

The Association Treasurer was unable to attend the Annual Meeting. He provided the following statement regarding financial activity for the previous year:

Homeowners were provided a copy of the Reserve Study and Annual Operating budget. The monthly assessments were increased due to lack of increases in earlier years even as operating expenses increased, increased operating expenses mostly expected as annual inflation, and shorter than expected lifetimes for capital assets and previous repairs, even as unplanned reserve expenses were transferred to the homeowner, e.g. windows and sliding glass doors. Keep in mind that monthly assessments are for operating expenses and to contribute to the reserve fund. Also keep in mind that the reserve fund is a method to avoid special assessments.

Further information regarding the current financial status is included in the minutes of the monthly Board meetings.

Marion MacGillivray provided a brief report from the Landscaping Committee. Board Secretary Jo Stiene expressed the appreciation of the Board and the Association for services to the community by:

Debbie McGraw from PML for all her services to our community, including her skills with the Landscape Committee.
Marion MacGillivray for her time-consuming and caring service on the Landscape Committee.
Laszlo Tokes and Ruth and Mike Lowy for their many years of overseeing the pool opening and closings and general oversight.
Ree Desfresne and Ruth Lowy for their ongoing oversight on City actions regarding the adjacent El Camino property.
The Volunteer Building Captains under the leadership of Maury Green. It was noted that Captains for buildings 2, 4, 5, 10 and 11 are still needed.
Maury Green for stepping up as Emergency Preparedness Board Liaison as well as being the Communication radio contact for Barron Square and other sites in Barron Park. And for setting up and managing the Barron Square website.
Volunteers working with Perky Perkins who made our Annual Social an enjoyable (and delicious) event: Karen Wirth, Marion MacGillivray, Terry Gammon, and Junko Serizawa for their help in making it such a nice afternoon, with special thanks to Mike Wirth as our cameraman.
Laszlo Tokes for continuing as our Lamplighter, with Ruth Lowy as backup.

President Maurice Green then expressed thanks to our longtime Board Secretary ‘Perky’ Perkins who had retired from the Board and presented her with a bouquet of flowers in appreciation of her 10 years of service to the community.

My Water Heater Runneth Over

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Jan 232015

Hot water heaters age and can leak when they fail, causing serious damage to your own or your neighbor’s Unit. The average life span of a hot water heater is 8 to 10 years. We have had two recent incidents which need to be brought to the attention of all owners. Continue reading »

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