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Countdown
to Daly City’s Centennial...
Fire Department Celebrates 100th Anniversary
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Daly
City’s Fire Department, with
a rich history that pre-dates
the City, celebrated its 100-year
anniversary on August 2, 2007.
From humble beginnings as
an all-volunteer bucket brigade,
the Department has evolved
into a top-flight fire suppression
and emergency medical services
organization.
Haunted
by the fires from the Great
San Francisco Earthquake of
1906, hundreds of refugees
settled in an area known as
Vista Grande (roughly situated
at the Top of the Hill area).
Determined to be better prepared
to respond to such an emergency,
on June 12, 1907, the Vista
Grande Improvement Club took
on the task of organizing
a volunteer fire department
and alarm system, and less
than two months later the
Vista Grande Fire Department
was born. 45 volunteers mustered
at Poket’s Saloon for the
first roll call, where Chief
George Edmonds instructed
them to respond to fires with
their own buckets!
That
September, a new bell tower
to sound the alarm for volunteers
was raised at the corner of
Miriam Street and Vista Grande
Avenue. Volunteers fought
their first fire at the Vista
Grande Grocery later that
month. A Ladies’ Auxiliary
was quickly formed, and by
year end, a hand-drawn hose
wagon, built by Fireman W.
C. Goldkuhl was available.
 Vista
Grande’s transformation from
a refugee encampment to a
bustling town had begun. Fire
hydrants, virtually nonexistent
in the area prior to 1907,
began to spring up as early
as 1910. John D. Daly’s 250-acre
dairy farm had spawned a growing
community, and residents of
the young town voted for incorporation
on March 18, 1911 by a narrow
132-130 margin. The name Daly
City replaced Vista Grande.
The
Vista Grande Fire Department
continued to serve the area
without a direct affiliation
to the new City, which didn’t
take over the department and
its assets until 1925. The
department remained a volunteer
operation, with the City paying
fire-fighters $1 a year to
qualify for State accident
compensation. By the mid-1930s,
the still volunteer department’s
budget swelled to $5,000.
And, in 1951 Daly City hired
its first six paid firefighters.
Today the department employs
more than 70 full time workers
at five fire stations with
an annual operating budget
of more than $13 million.
History
buffs are encouraged to visit
the temporary display
in the rotunda at City Hall
commemorating 100 years of
the Daly City Fire Department.
The display features an array
of equipment, badges, photos,
and a fully restored 1907
hand-drawn chemical cart.
The display is free and open
to the public during City
Hall business hours (Monday
through Friday, 8:00 a.m.
to 5:00 p.m.).
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War
Memorial Community
Center and John
Daly Library
... be a part
of this Veteran’s
Day event
|
 The
entire community
is invited
to attend
the grand
opening celebration
at the new
War Memorial
Community
Center and
John Daly
Library, 6655
Mission Street,
on Veteran’s
Day, Sunday,
November 11.
Festivities
are scheduled
to begin at
1:00 p.m.
and will continue
throughout
the day. Opening
Day highlights
will include
tours of the
new facility,
class demonstrations,
entertainment,
and a ceremonial
ribbon cutting.
Representatives
from various
branches of
the U.S. Military
will join
the City Council
and residents
Countdown
to Daly City’s
Centennial
Fire Department’s
100th Anniversary
War Memorial
Communiy Center
and and John
Daly Library
Grand Opening
New garbage
and recycling
programs Improving
street sweeping
for a cleaner
city Make
a Difference
Day Community
Calendar in
the formal
re-dedication
of the building.
In observance
of Veteran’s
Day, opening
ceremonies
will include
a tribute
to the men
and women
of Daly City
who have served
their country
during times
of war.
The
new community
center and
library was
built on the
same site
as the old
War Memorial
– a facility
that served
Daly City
for more than
50 years before
it was razed.
The John Daly
Library at
6351 Mission
Street is
scheduled
to close and
the collection
will be moved
to the spacious
new library
on the third
floor of the
center. In
addition to
breathtaking
panoramic
views of the
Pacific Ocean,
the library
will feature
a computer
lab, study
rooms, an
automated
check-out
kiosk, and
a greatly
expanded collection
of books,
periodicals,
and media.
Features
of the new
community
center include
two full-court
gymnasiums
on the lower
floors of
the three-story
structure.
Basketball
and other
indoor sports
will return
to War Memorial
this winter
after a long
hiatus. Additional
space has
been allotted
for meeting
and reception
rooms, a kitchen,
and a second
state-of-theart
computer lab.
The
opening of
the new War
Memorial Community
Center completes
an ambitious
capital improvement
program the
City Council
established
in the late
1990s. New
community
centers have
opened at
Bayshore Heights
Park, Lincoln
Park, Marchbank
Park, and
Hillside Park
in recent
years.
A
limited number
of commemorative
bricks
that will
be embedded
in the Walk
of Fame outside
the entrance
to the War
Memorial Community
Center and
Library are
still available.
This is a
once in a
lifetime opportunity
to purchase
a customized
brick that
will grace
the entrance
to the community
center for
decades to
come. You
can choose
to engrave
a brick to
honor a friend,
family member,
or loved one
– but time
is running
out. If you
are interested
in buying
a commemorative
brick, contact
the Parks
and Recreation
Department
at (650)
991-8001
or the Daly
City Library
at
(650) 991-8025.
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New
garbage and recycling programs
Meeting our waste diversion
goals |
| Daly
City will introduce new garbage
and recycling programs later
this year ... programs that
will make garbage collection
and recycling easier, more
convenient, and more effective.
There are two very good reasons
for this change: (1) to make
Daly City a greener city and
do our part to address the
growing problem of residential
and commercial waste management
and disposal, and (2) to meet
the requirements mandated
by the Integrated Waste Management
Act of 1989 which requires
all California cities and
counties to divert at least
50% of their garbage by the
year 2000.
Improved,
easier recycling
If the City Council moves
forward with plans to improve
garbage collection services,
residents will have more ...
and easier ... opportunities
to recycle. Allied Waste,
the franchised waste hauler
in Daly City, has proposed
a single-stream recycling
program. “Single-stream”
is solid waste jargon for
placing all recyclables into
one container — bottles, cans,
newspapers, junk mail, grocery
bags, etc. — rather than separating
them. Recycling has never
been so easy! Allied Waste
plans to distribute three
new containers ... carts with
wheels and attached lids ...
to all residential garbage
service customers in Daly
City. Household garbage would
be placed in one container,
recyclable materials would
go into the second container,
and yard waste would be placed
in the third. And, for greater
convenience, Allied
will collect all three containers
weekly – ending the
long-standing and sometimes
confusing practice of collecting
recyclables and yard waste
every other week. Allied waste
will notify each of its customers
of the changes prior to delivering
the new containers and implementing
the expanded collection schedule.
Other
strategies
Improved residential recycling
is just one of the strategies
the City is employing to boost
its solid waste diversion.
Businesses are also being
asked to increase their participation
in recycling. Allied Waste
introduced single-stream recycling
for its commercial customers
in February. Restaurants will
soon have the opportunity
to recycle food scraps. Food
waste is combined with other
organic matter, such as yard
waste, to make compost for
landscaping and agricultural
applications.
 Daly
City’s Parks Maintenance Division
began a composting
pilot project using
food scraps from the Doelger
Café and plant, and
grass clippings from City
facilities. The compost is
used at parks and around the
Civic Center. Parks Division
landscape crews have also
started using “compost tea”
as an alternative to expensive
and potentially toxic fertilizers.
Earlier
this year, the City took another
step aimed at reducing the
amount of landfill-bound waste
generated by contractors doing
business in Daly City. Nearly
all construction and demolition
permits issued in Daly City
come with a condition to recycle
building project-related debris.
Contractors are required to
salvage or recycle wood, concrete,
and metal that would have
otherwise been dumped in a
landfill.
Daly
City is becoming increasingly
more proactive when it comes
to our local environment (please
see the story on city-wide
Street Sweeping on page 3).
The City was selected to participate
in San Mateo County’s Green
Business pilot program – an
effort to certify and recognize
local businesses making a
substantial commitment to
environmentally responsible
practices.
Meeting
our responsibilities
While most California cities
have managed to divert more
than 50% of their solid waste
from landfills, we still have
a way to go, with a diversion
rate of only 24%, the lowest
in San Mateo County and among
the worst in the state. (The
statewide diversion rate is
54%. Neighboring San Francisco,
by comparison, has achieved
a diversion rate of 66%. The
Town of Colma, which is served
by the same garbage hauler
as Daly City, reached 60%.)
The planned new programs will
enable us to meet our obligations
under the law, and to avoid
potential penalties for non-compliance.
More important, achieving
these goals is the right thing
to do. |
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Improving
street sweeping for a cleaner city
New parking rules will enable us to do a better job |
|  The
City Council adopted an ordinance that will
restrict parking on street sweeping days throughout
the entire City. Until recently, only about
60% of Daly City’s streets had posted parking
restrictions for street sweeping. Daly City
first imposed parking restrictions in the late
1970s to facilitate weekly street sweeping.
Originally, the purpose was to allow street
sweepers better access to trash accumulated
at the curb and gutter. Today, the City has
an obligation to sweep streets in a manner consistent
with the performance requirements and regulations
contained in the City’s storm water discharge
permit. The California Regional Water Quality
Control Board monitors the City’s compliance
with the permit.
Street
sweeping is most effective when the sweeper
mechanism can reach the gutter area – where
debris and heavy metals tend to settle. In the
absence of parking restrictions, the sweeper
is forced to clean only the center of the roadway,
leaving debris behind that is eventually washed
into ocean-bound storm drains. Daly City’s storm
water is Creating a clean, attractive environment.
Improving street sweeping for a cleaner city
New parking rules will enable us to do a better
job not treated; it simply flows through a network
of pipes to the Pacific Ocean or San Francisco
Bay. Trash swept out to marine habitats threaten
a variety of wildlife and pollute our beaches.
Public
Works crews are posting ‘No Parking’ signs throughout
the City, a task that will likely take several
months to complete. Full enforcement of the
new ordinance is expected to take place about
the first of the year. |
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Make
a Difference Day
— volunteers needed for this great event
|
 Daly
City will celebrate its ninth consecutive
Make a Difference Day on Saturday, October
27. Touted as the “National Day of Doing Good,”
Make a Difference Day is an opportunity for
residents to engage in volunteer projects
in their neighborhoods and throughout the
City. This is the single largest volunteer
event in Daly City and throughout the country.
Last year millions of people volunteered on
Make a Difference Day, including more than
one hundred Daly City residents.
Volunteers
are needed for several projects in Daly City,
including a door-to-door distribution of useful
information about emergency preparedness,
recycling, street sweeping, and water conservation.
Other projects include gardening, painting,
and litter removal.
If
you or your neighborhood group is interested
in pre-registering for Make a Difference Day,
call (650) 991-8127 or visit
www.dalycity.org for registration
instructions. Volunteers will report directly
to pre-assigned work sites beginning at 9:00
a.m. the morning of the event. A “thank you”
barbecue lunch for volunteers is scheduled
for noon on the southwest plaza at City Hall.
And just as in years past, Make a Difference
Day happens rain or shine!
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City
Council Meetings
City Hall – 7:00 pm
2nd and 4th Monday of each month
Planning
Commission Meetings
City Hall – 7:00 pm
1st Tuesday of each month
(except Election Day)
Fall
Festival
Doelger Center – 101 Lake Merced Blvd.
Sunday, October 7
8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Residential
Tire Recycling Day
FREE tire disposal for Daly City residents
City Hall – Main Parking Lot
Saturday, October 20 – 9:00 a.m. to
3:00 p.m.
Make
a Difference Day
Citywide – Register as a volunteer
at
www.dalycity.org
Saturday, October 27
9:00 a.m. to 12 noon
Grand
Opening Celebration
War Memorial Community Center
& John Daly Library
6655 Mission Street
Sunday, November 11
1:00 p.m.
Yuletide
Holiday Celebration
Westlake Park – 111 Lake Merced Blvd.
Saturday, December 1
4:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Please
vist our web site, www.dalycity.org
for a complete community calendar
listing.
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