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Health & Fitness

Mayor's Weekly (Jan 6 - Jan 12)

Novato's Mayor Eric Lucan shares city news, events and meetings on the horizon, and on occasion a few spontaneous thoughts.

On my Mind
This past week, I had the privilege of attending the Recreation, Cultural, and Community Services (aka Parks & Rec) Commission meeting on Thursday night to provide a brief overview/presentation, share some of my 2014 goals, and hear from the commission.  For me, it wasn’t just a presentation though—it was more of a homecoming.  In fact, it was my involvement in Parks and Recreation that ultimately led to my run for city council.  Back in 2006, I was a part of Leadership Novato where our class was broken up into project teams and were tasked with contributing towards a community service project.  Three months into the program though, our group was still without a project.  Then, on Halloween, the beloved gazebo at Pioneer Park burned down.  Our group (also known as the A-Team) quickly organized to assist with the rebuilding efforts and ended up raising over $15,000 for Parks and Recreation.  The project led to several interactions with the department and shortly after completing Leadership Novato, I saw an opening on the Recreation, Cultural, and Community Services Commission.  The commission was a perfect fit and a few years later, I served as the commission chair.  Over the years, I slowly found myself attending more and more council meetings—especially as difficult budget decisions were impacting Parks and Recreation.  At the time, I never even considered that my involvement with the gazebo and the commission would ultimately lead to the city council, but I am certainly glad they did.  Special thanks to all the current Recreation, Cultural, and Community Services Commissioners.  Thanks for having me on Thursday and keep up the good work!


Around Town
Mission Lodge – Have you seen the Mission Lodge recently?  If you drove by in the past few days, the site looks quite a bit different following the demolition.

N. Redwood Corridor Guidelines Discussed, Moratorium Lifted – On Tuesday, council discussed the North Redwood Corridor design guidelines.  The estimated near-term development potential includes 175,000 sf of retail just East of Redwood Blvd and an additional 100,000 sf between the railroad tracks and the freeway.  The guidelines also envision 70 housing units at Atherton Ranch and 17,000 sf of retail and 15 housing units at Olive/Redwood.

Ukrainian Rotary leader Alexei Kozhenkin Visits Novato – This past Friday I attended the Novato Rotary Club to welcome Alexei Kozhenkin to Novato and presented him with a proclamation on behalf of the city and council for his efforts in the Ukraine and surrounding countries.

Novato’s Birthday Bash “Paint the Town Red” is January 24th – Whether you are a regular or a first time attendee, you won’t want to miss this year’s event.  Visit http://ww.paintthetownred.org/ for more information and to buy your tickets online.


The Week Ahead
Monday
:
Streetscape Maintenance Coalition Advisory Committee Meeting
7PM at Corporation Yard

Find out what's happening in Novatowith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Tuesday:
City Council Meeting
6:30PM at City Hall

Thursday:
Novato Chamber 2014 Board Installation & Volunteer Recognition Dinner
5:30PM at Marin County Club, Register Here

Measure F Oversight Committee Meeting
7:30-9:00AM at City Offices

Find out what's happening in Novatowith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Sunday:
NFC Championship Game
49ers vs Seahawks
#QuestForSix



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