On October 25th, the Council received a presentation from City staff and RMW Architects outlining the schematic design for the City offices. The staff report and accompanying handouts from this meeting can be viewed on the City office webpage at this link. Staff highlighted the fact that in addition to serving as a work location for employees, the new City offices will also provide an integrated point of service for residents and businesses at a central location within the City.

The Council provided feedback on various aspects of the plan including: the site plan, parking considerations, the tradeoffs associated with pursuing putting solar panels on the building and other topics.  Overall, the Council liked the lower roof line but felt that the design needed to be softened to be more traditional.  The architects took this feedback and will be making adjustments.

City staff will be hosting an "Open House" on the project on Saturday, November 5th from 10am to 12pm.  This meeting will be held at the Council Chambers at 901 Sherman Avenue. The open house provides an opportunity to ask questions and discuss the office building's design with the project architect and City staff in an informal setting. A presentation will be given at the beginning of the session.

In addition, the Design Review Commission will conduct a public workshop on the design on November 9th at 6pm. This workshop will be held at the Council Chambers.

Following the Design Review Commission's workshop, the City Council will conduct a public meeting on the design.  The Council will provide their input regarding updated design details addressing the roofline and roofing material, exterior glazing and walls, and extrerior building finishes. 

For information regarding the project, please contact Julian Skiiner, Senior Civil Engineer at 899-8961 or at jskinner@novato.org.

The community also can also receive email updates on the project. The public can sign up here to receive information. To sign up for the notifications, enter your email address, check the "City Office Project" box under "News" and then click, "Subscribe."

At its September 27th meeting, the City Council opted to join the Marin Energy Authority (MEA) and participate in the Marin Clean Energy Program. The Council reconsidered this item after an announcement from the MEA Board in July  The Board adopted a four-month amnesty period for any Marin jurisdiction that was not currently a member of MEA to join without having to pay a entry fee. The Council, who had previously opted not to join MEA back in February in 2010, asked staff to obtain an independent, third-party assessment of the risks associated with joining MEA under current conditions. 

Staff worked with Oakland-based, MRW & Associates, who had provided independent assessments of MEA for other Marin jurisdictions. MRW & Associates produced a report and made a presentation to the Council outlining the issues for consideration. The staff report and MRW's report can be viewed at this link.

After asking questions and listening to community comments, the Council approved a motion to join MEA. A majority of Council Members felt that MEA had demonstrated its financial viability and that by joining MEA, Novato residents would have a choice regarding their electricity provider. Residents will have the opportunity to receive service from MEA or stay with Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E).

MEA will begin notifying residents in May of 2012 regarding the transition to the Clean Energy Program. Residents will receive a notice the first week of May and June asking them if they wish to opt-out of MEA. It is important that households respond to this notice if they want to opt-out. Starting in July, MEA will begin enrolling the Novato community in the Clean Energy Program.  However, residents will receive two additional notices allowing them to opt-out of the service.

If you have any questions regarding MEA and the opt-out process, please contact City staff at 899-8900.

At the October 25th City Council meeting, the Friends of Dogbone Meadow, a non-profit auxiliary to Novato's dog park, presented another $1,000 check to the City of Novato, making a total of $2,000 that it has donated to the City this year. The group requested that this money be used toward the repairs to the entrance to the park to make it ADA compliant (as it was when the park first opened).

Friends of Dogbone Meadow President Brian Pearson (right) and Vice President Judy Ahern (left) present check to Mayor Kellner (center).

Friends of Dogbone Meadow, which formed last February and now has over 80 members, raised this money at their first fundraiser, "Barkfest 2011," held at the park on October 16th. The President of the group also informed the City Council that it organized a Clean-Up Day on August 27th during which 25 volunteers armed with rakes, clippers and bags turned out to prune all the trees in the park and to rake and clean the entire area.