In conjunction with Italian Street Painting Marin, Gary Yost’s “Mountains Made of Chalk, Fall into the Sea, Eventually: A Meditation on Impermanence” documents the creation of an 8x10-foot mural, which was washed away shortly thereafter, as planned, by the arrival of heavy rain.

Over the past several years, Mill Valley filmmaker Gary Yost has been leading a campaign to restore the West Peak of Mt. Tamalpais to its pre-Cold War stature, before it was carved up and bulldozed to make way for a radar station and military barracks that have long since been abandoned.

In doing so, Yost has shown boundless creativity in casting his lens from and upon the Sleeping Lady, created a number of short films to make the case for restoration, from his widely lauded film "The Invisible Peak" to his viral video time lapse from the Mount Tamalpais fire lookout.

His “latest Valentine for Mt. Tam” is a doozy.

“Mountains Made of Chalk, Fall into the Sea, Eventually: A Meditation on Impermanence,” uses a DJI Inspire 1 drone to capture breath-taking footage of the creation of a 8x10-foot mural of what a restored Mt. Tam would look like. Longtime Mill Valley artist Genna Panzarella created the chalk mural on February 4, timed just prior to the arrival of heavy rain, hence the 8-minute film’s title.

“This project has also opened up a whole new connection to the mountain for me,” says Panzarella, who has lived in Mill Valley for 42 years. “I love the way the clouds fit in with the open space and the interaction in the way the city nestles at the bottom. People who draw see their subjects differently before and after. For me, now when I look up at Tam, I know how much it has changed me to have been up there and to see it through. It’s all been very amazing.”

Yost connected to Panzarella through fellow Mill Valley residents Sue and Joe Carlomagno, the founders of the Italian Street Painting Festival, in which Panzarella has participated for more than 25 years.

“They’re my heroes,” she says of the Carlomagnos. 

Yost deployed the DJI Inspire 1 in a way that dips in and out of Panzarella’s real-time creation of the mural, seamlessly moving between her process and the beauty of the cloud-covered mountain itself.

Yost’s efforts to restore the West Peak gathered momentum in 2014 behind his film "The Invisible Peak," which charts the history of the huge section of the mountain that was bulldozed six decades ago and now is little more than concrete foundation slabs, remnants of utilities and the scarred remains of the military’s 30-year use of the land.

He built on that momentum with screenings at the Civic Center and presentations to groups like the Mill Valley Historical Society and the Rotary Club of Mill Valley. For the presentations, Yost created a timeline of all of the research he did in making “The Invisible Peak.”

“I had this huge file of research – it was just sitting in a filing cabinet,” Yost says.

MVHS member Bob Hemstock connected Yost to Northwestern University's Knight Lab timeline project, which allowed him to create the timeline using little more than a spreadsheet and Flickr page.

The timeline spans from views of the West Peak in January 1890 to a 1940 map of military sites on Mt. Tam and eventually to the November 2014 creation of OneTam.org, which serves as a hub of the efforts of the Tamalpais Lands Collaborative, which includes MMWD, California State Parks and the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, to restore the West Peak, among other projects.

“Ninety percent of that stuff would be unknown to any Mill Valley residents, even if they grew up here,” Yost says.

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Mill Valley’s newest art gallery was short-lived, as Barbie Moore and James Pike closed the BJ Moore Gallery at 18 East Blithedale Avenue this week. The couple is now seeking someone to take over their lease for the space, which previously was home to Wee Threads, which closed in May 2014. 

"It is with great personal sadness we are closing our gallery, and moving the business out of state," Barbie Moore wrote in an email. "We feel if we had been able to afford more time to keep ahead of the expenses that eventually it would have been worth staying. As is normal for a new business, and even more so with an art gallery, it takes awhile to build up a following."

Moore and Pike opened their gallery on the heels of their serendipitous love story.

The longstanding effort to bring a public bathroom facility to downtown Mill Valley lands in the lap of the Mill Valley City Council at its February 17 meeting, as the Council reviews a recommendation to locate the restroom near the eastern edge of Depot Building, adjacent to the storage area of the Depot Bookstore & Café. 

That location comes recommended to the Council by the Parks & Recreation Commission, which picked it last November over a proposal to build a stand-alone bathroom at the bus shelter near the southeastern edge of the Depot Plaza adjacent to Sunnyside Avenue. 

In doing so, the Commission cited overwhelming support among those in attendance at its November 5, 2014 meetings, particularly with regard to the bus shelter's proximity to redwood trees and the location's possible safety issues in being across the driveway from the Plaza itself.

Tim McSorley, the City's Supervising Senior Engineer, previously recommended that the Commission support the bus shelter location, primarily because of "budget, ease of construction and timely project delivery." The City has budgeted $150,000 for the bathroom project, matching the estimated cost of building at the bus shelter location. 

The Depot Building location, which has a preliminary estimated cost of $235,000, would require some modifications to the building in terms of the Depot Bookstore & Cafe's storage area, its existing loading zone, recycle bins and access to the store itself, according to McSorley. 

"Additional costs in the range of $100,000 to $200,000 would be encountered in conjunction with the modifications necessary to replace or-relocate office and storage space subject to the existing lease (with the Depot)," McSorley wrote in the staff report. That would push the estimated cost of the Depot Building location as high as $400,000, he wrote.

Local architect Kim Jessup, whose father Richard “Dick” Jessup, a former Mill Valley mayor who designed the Depot Plaza and first sketched out a downtown bathroom location in 1984, conducted feasibility studies of the two final bathroom plans and locations. 

City staff then produced illustrated simulations of each location to help the community visualize a structure at each location. The simulations do not represent the actual design for the bathroom, as that process will be completed once the Commission, and subsequently the City Council, picks a location.

The design development process for the downtown bathroom will begin after the City Council selects a location, with floor plans and elevations and further develop a construction budget. McSorley said he would bring back refined costs to the Council for approval of a funding plan, and would continue to work with Depot Bookstore & Cafe owner Nicole Ricco "as the plans are developed. It is anticipated that the design will be complete in late spring at which time those plans will be brought back to the Commission and Council for consideration," he wrote. 

Your participation and input in the process is welcome and encouraged:

• Attend the upcoming City Council Meeting - Tuesday, February 17, at 7 pm.
  
• Watch the webcast of the meeting.
  
• Send written comments to: City Clerk at 26 Corte Madera Ave., Mill Valley CA 94941, or email cityclerk@cityofmillvalley.org.

Two years after a name change that gave it a jolt of momentum, the Friends of Mt. Tam, the volunteer organization supporting Mt. Tamalpais State Park, is turning 30 years old in 2015.

Formerly known as the Mount Tamalpais Interpretive Association – “a bit of a mouthful,” says longtime member Arlin Weinberger – the organization first incorporated and became a nonprofit in 1985, two years after a group of about 10 people became volunteers at the park.

Though it’s been around for three decades and serves up an array of programs and services, Weinberger says even longtime users of one of the best state parks in California might be surprised by how much the organization does to support and promote the park.

“We have a lot going on – we just love this park and want to help everyone engage with it,” Weinberger says.

Members of the Friends of Mt. Tam staff the park’s Visitor Center on weekends and holidays, a tradition that dates back to the group’s inception. In doing so, they suggest the best places on the mountain to visit and help people plan hikes that are customized to their needs and interests. Volunteers also educate visitors on the park’s history and its diverse flora and fauna.

While the group’s role at the Visitor Center dates back nearly three decades, another of its components is much more recent. The Gravity Car Barn, opened on the mountain’s East Peak in May 2009, houses a replica of a gravity car and an interpretive display from the days of “The Crookedest Railroad in the World” – the Mill Valley & Muir Woods Railway – which ran on Mt. Tamalpais from 1896 to 1929. Friends’ volunteers staff the Barn on weekends.

The organization’s approximately 240 members can be found all over the Park, not just in the Visitor Center and Gravity Car Barn or on its trail maintenance outings such as Earth Day. Members lead hikes for the public every Saturday and Sunday as well as on holidays, Wednesday evenings during the summer and moonlight hikes each month on the full moon, all of which are free.

The hikes, which tally more than 120 per year, range in focus from wildflowers to moonlight adventures to myriad day hikes with ratings based on mileage and elevation gain.

“Hiking is clearly our most important program,” Weinberger says.

Few of the Friends’ efforts can match the popularity of its free Astronomy Program, a 25-year-old event that occurs at the Mountain Theater on the new moon of the months of April through October. The programs, which regularly draw 200-300 people, are held at the Mountain Theater and feature scientists and astronomers giving lectures to both budding star finders and longtime astronomy buffs, with a chance to use telescopes in the amphitheater’s parking lot afterwards.

“It’s just amazing,” Weinberger says.

The 411: The Friends of Mt. Tam is currently seeking new members. Click here for more info.

Six months into launching their healthy meal delivery service 180Eats, Tam Valley residents and tech industry veterans Lee and Megan Mokri continue to show their knack for creativity and quick thinking.

Soon after Greenbrae resident Sam Stromberg nabbed second place in the Fox reality show MasterChef Junior, the Mokris connected with the sixth grader and agreed to deliver the meal that led him to the honor – a seared Arctic Char that he made for MasterChef Junior’s celebrity judges – to its customers on Friday, February 6.

“I was blown away to see a local 12-year-old boy cooking a dish that both Gordon Ramsay and Joe Bastianich fell in love with,” Lee Mokris says. “We launched 180Eats to offer a new approach to healthy food in Marin, and partnering with Sam is a fun way to deliver on that idea.”

“This is a great opportunity for the Marin community to rally behind Sam and experience the dish that made him a star on the show,” he adds.

The concept of 180Eats – the name refers to a 180-degree turn away from processed ingredients and a return to seasonally-driven whole foods – was born out the Mokris’ own personal experience in the three years since they moved to Mill Valley. With busy professional lives that often required commutes to San Francisco and Foster City, they didn’t have the time to cook healthy meals at home each night, didn’t want to splurge on a meal at an upscale local restaurant and had a hard time finding a middle ground: healthy, delicious meals made from locally sourced ingredients that they could eat at home. The past year made the problem even more acute: the birth of their daughter in 2014 months ago and a three-month home and kitchen remodel that had them eating out most nights a week.

The concept derived in part from Marin’s proximity to world-class farms, and 180Eats works with providers like Humboldt Grass Fed Beef, Petaluma Poultry and Water2Table, among others.

“We live so close to some of the best ingredients in the world and a lot of people don’t have the access that they could or should have, either because of time or money or both,” he says.

The 411: Click here to order Sam Stromberg’s seared Arctic Char, and here for the full story on 180Eats.

The Mill Valley Lumber Yard is hosting the current Kiddo! Student Art Show through February 27 in the Carriage House, which is near Guideboat Company. The show consists of art created by students from all six Mill Valley School District schools. The show is open to the public. There is a reception for the artists Tuesday, February 3 from 4:30–6:30pm. MVLY is at 129 Miller Avenue in downtown Mill Valley.

The following was submitted by Ronnie Sharpe, editor of the Ronnie's Awesome List Blog:


“She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry” is the first feature documentary telling the inspiring story of the birth of the Women’s Liberation Movement from 1966-1971. Director Mary Dore cleverly weaves together archival footage, photographs and rare interviews with the leaders who shaped this movement reflecting back on this time in history. Mary will be in attendance along with some of the women when it debuts in theaters around the Bay Area on February 6. I spoke to Mary about her film.

How did you first conceived of the idea of making a film about the early years in the Feminist Movement?

I’ve been part of the feminist movement and a filmmaker since the 70’s, and was frustrated that there have been so many films and television shows on other groups from the same period, such as the civil rights, anti-war and environmental movements, while the women’s movement was virtually ignored. It’s important to remember that the Suffragists, who were so courageous, had a single goal, getting the vote for women. And that took decades! The 1960’s women’s movement took a huge intellectual and emotional leap, by challenging all facets of women’s lives and roles, and redefined gender norms. Most of these women had been involved in other movements, until they realized they were being treated like second class citizens. Our film covers the beginning of people’s consciousness about feminism, which so few people know about. I thought the early days also raised an important question: how do you start a movement? Y

In 2012, you held a Kickstarter campaign with the goal for the film which was $75K and you made $81,549. Why did you decide to go that route?

It was an epic journey to raise money. We did some filming in 2000 when Nancy Kennedy came on as my producing partner. Thanks to that early start, we had the interview with Ellen Willis who sadly died a few years later. Her part of this story might have been completely lost. Then in 2010 we received some funding and went into full time production. But we needed to raise a lot of money because the archival materials make this a very costly film.
Kickstarter is not a romantic effort where people just magically donate. It had many great elements but it’s also an incredible amount of work. Anyone who puts their project on Kickstarter should be prepared to treat it like a campaign. Complete strangers did amazing outreach because they felt this film was really important. It was both incredibly exciting and very moving. I feel blessed by all the people who wanted the film to get made and passionately believed in it.

Click here to read the full interview.

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The City of Mill Valley begins its long-planned repair work on Camino Alto between Azalea Avenue and Corte Madera town limits (top of the hill) on Monday, February 2. There will be a moving lane closure to accommodate the work, which is expected to last through February 13, so drivers and bicyclists using Camino Alto should expect 5- to 10-minute delays, City officials said.

The project, which is part of the City's Street and Sewer Rehabilitation work, is designed to make the road safer for bicyclists and drivers in advance of a full road repaving and widening of Camino Alto in mid- to late-2015.

On the northbound, uphill section of Camino Alto, the repairs will focus on cracks and holes on the right side of the lane and repaving those sections, allowing bicyclists to safely stay to the far right of the lane, leaving more room for motorists to pass them. On the southbound, downhill portion of the road, workers will address cracks, holes and bumps in the middle of the lane to make the road safer for cyclists heading downhill. 

The repairs cost approximately $200,000 and will be paid for through a variety of sources, including the City’s Municipal Services Tax (MST). The $145 per parcel tax was first approved by voters in 1987 for 10 years, and was renewed in 1997 at $145 per parcel and 2006 at a maximum of $195 per parcel. 

The project comes on the heels of the Mill Valley City Council’s approval of a 2014-2016 budget in June 2014 that dedicated more than $2.2 million to improve road conditions. Find out more information about this year’s Street and Sewer Rehabilitation Projects here.

Questions or comments may be directed to: Scott Schneider, Senior Civil Engineer at (415) 384-4818 or email sschneider@cityofmillvalley.org.