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Published on 09/08/1999 All articles from this issue

News Briefs

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Garbage rate decrease on Sept. 14 city agenda

The Los Altos City Council is scheduled to consider a staff recommendation for a 2 percent decrease in garbage rates to begin Oct. 1.

City staff believes that the current rate evaluation approach used by the Los Altos Garbage company is "not reasonable," said Starla Jerome-Robinson, Los Altos finance director, in a staff report.

If the decrease is approved, the rate residential rate will change from $19.94 to $19.55, a reduction of 39 cents.

During 1998 the city hired an outside auditor to review the process the garbage company uses for rate increases. The city council directed the staff to reduce rates by 2 percent July 1 if the city and the garbage company had not reached an agreement on the treatment of the employee stock ownership plan.

Items remain unresolved, according to the staff report.

Fire station renovation bid approved by council

The Los Altos City Council, at its Aug. 24 meeting, OK'd a bid of $324,800 for seismic retrofit and renovation at the Los Altos Fire Station on Almond Avenue.

Total cost of the project is estimated to be $466,400.

The project first went to bid last spring, with only one contractor submitting a proposal, KAL Construction, for $334,200. Contractors were busy with the large number of school renovation projects that must be worked on during the summer vacation and not available to bid.

With the second round of bids, five contractors responded. This time KAL's bid was $10,000 less, at $324,800. As the lowest of the five bids, KAL's was accepted.

Special city meeting to consider 4 Seasons

The Los Altos City Council is scheduled to hold a special meeting at 7 p.m., Sept. 21, in Room A, Hillview Community Center, 97 Hillview Ave., Los Altos.

Developers have been working on a proposal to build a Marriott Courtyard hotel on the site of the current Four Season Motel, on El Camino Real at Los Altos Avenue. The Four Seasons is the only motel/hotel in the city.

The Marriott plans came to the city once, with an entrance on Los Altos Avenue.

In response to resident concerns for traffic and safety, the developers agreed to a redesign that would orient the building to El Camino Real.

- Joanne Griffith Domingue