Free, safe and secure are what we are looking for.

• Starlight Starbright so believes in the historic district that the owners moved their store from Broadstone to 711 Sutter. Open for business and doing well.
• The Fat Rabbit seems to be thriving. I went last week for awesome fish tacos. Not exactly British Pub Food, but that's a good thing. 
• I went to Second Saturday and was surprised to see the big crowd at the Amphitheater, listing to a 'Another Brick', a Pink Floyd tribute band.  
• Lockdown Brewing seemed to have a good crowd up on their balcony

The Not-so-good:

• As mentioned before, the Mercantile shops are closing at the end of June. 
• Parallax Gallery lasted less than a year at their location in the old Clouds building. The owner says he's been informed his rent is going up 40% so he's shutting down. 
• I went to Second Saturday and was disappointed to see how many merchants were closed, passing up the opportunity to make some money, and also, because it sends a bad PR message that the merchants don't think Second Saturday is important. 

The kinda strange:

• Someone posted at least one sign which said something like, 'Folsom is a family town. No more bars or parlers' (not sure what a parler is). I'm wondering if there's a movement to stop bars from opening or if it's just one person's opinion. With all of the shops closed for Second Saturday, there wasn't much to see other than the bars and a few shops who did open.  

I am working on a project with a local designer who has been asked to work on a Complete Streets Corridor Plan for East Bidwell Street in the City of Folsom. Part of the opportunity includes identifying opportunity sites (vacant, underutilized, or potential redevelopment), and suggesting future uses and standards for their evolution. We are currently in the discovery stage of the project.

We would love to have your input and thoughts on 1) what people are looking for (and cannot find) in the market, from a retail, office, commercial and residential standpoint, and 2) what would make this corridor more inviting as a project opportunity location.

Let me know in an ideal world, what you would want around you!! If it is a local garden, farmers market, or better fitness areas designated, let me know!

 

Anyone have any recommendations for someone that will load and haul off all three, does good work, and won't cost me an arm and a leg?

Folsom – Fire officials urge residents and property owners alike to be cautious when using mechanical equipment such as weed eaters, lawn mowers, welding tools and chain saws within vacant lots, greenbelts and other areas that are located within the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) in Folsom. These actions are recommended due to the low rainfall amounts in the Folsom area during the Winter-Spring months, along with quickly drying annual grasses and other vegetation that can be prone to ignition and cause a catastrophic wildfire in your neighborhood.

The City of Folsom Fire Department offers the following tips to prevent fires from property maintenance equipment:

 Perform yard maintenance with power equipment before 10 a.m., not during the heat of the day or when the wind is blowing. The best time to mow in the City is before 9 a.m. when the humidity is highest.

 Never use lawn mowers on dry grass or brush.

 Be sure your portable gas-powered equipment has a spark arrester.

 Never refuel while equipment is still hot from use.

 Don’t drive or park in grassy areas.

 Always have a portable fire extinguisher nearby in case a fire does start.

As a reminder open burning in the City is prohibited due to the high fire danger present throughout all WUI areas of the City.

The City of Folsom also urges property owners to maintain a 100-foot defensible space around homes and other buildings. In addition, fire officials urge property owners to take the following actions to improve steps to reduce the risk from wildfires:

 Remove all dead plants, grass, and weeds from within 30 feet of your home.

 Trim trees 6 feet from the ground.

 Remove all leaves, pine needles and debris from roofs

 Create an Evacuation Plan in case of a wildfire

Fire officials also recommend that residents and property owners alike prepare themselves and their properties from the risk of wildfire by visiting the READY-SET-GO program at wildlandfiresrsg.org website. This website helps residents to prepare by offering helpful tips on how to prepare for the fire threat, maintain situational awareness when a fire starts and to act early before a fire threatens your neighborhood.

(To receive Nixle alerts from the FPD and FFD, sign up here: http://www.nixle.com/)

Want to come out and see the current band? They're playing one of their last shows of the year at the Jesuit High School Jazz Festival this Saturday morning. And there's a bunch of videos on YouTube...

Please join us in support of our troops by participating in the 3K walk, 5K run/walk, 10K run or Kids Fun Run. There will be vendors and activities for the kids. This is a great way to bring the family and community together in honor of our Veterans.

Proceeds benefit the Wounded Warrior Project and the local Fallen Warriors Memorial Organization.

For further information please visit our website at www.woundedveteranrun.org

We hope to see you there... and please spread the word!

However, that's not what this thread is about. While walking past the closest row of vehicles to the building I saw a Garda armored car parked in front of the building. It was parked and blocking 3 handicapped parking spots. Two had vehicles in them. One driver was actively trying to back his car out of the spot and had to maneuver the car nearly sideways to get it out of the parking spot which held a lot of traffic up in the lot. It was weird because the traffic wasn't there when i got out of my car. I don't know maybe just because it was lunch hour. So anyway, as I'm walking in I see the armed guard (the driver) standing near the soda fountain with a drink in hand and waiting on his order. I stopped and looked behind me. I looked straight at the guy and said, your guard vehicle is blocking a handicapped person from leaving his parking spot. 

He tossed his chin up at me in acknowledgement  said nothing and slurped his soda out of his straw. Everyone in the restaurant around me stared at him. One couple started speaking angrily and pointed at the car trying to get out of the parking spot. I shook my head, thanked the guy at the register as I passed the change over to them, and walked out. I was so mad I wrote down his plates and vehicle number before leaving the lot.

Very poor form. If he's going to abandon his vehicle he should have just parked in a parking spot at the end of the lot so that he wouldn't have an issue leaving, or he should have chosen a different place to eat. I really think he left me with the idea that armed guards working for Garda don't respect old people. I find it insulting and arrogant. Obnoxious and self-entitled.