AROUND THE BLOCK AROUND THE BLOCK (April 21, 2004)

FTTH! . . . The acronym sounds like the snuffing of a candlewick or maybe the noise emitted by a frightened feline. Or it could be misconstrued as new shorthand for pithy wisdom-- "Fickleness Tramples The Heart" -- or perhaps sympathy -- "Feeling Totally Terrible, Huh?" To clarify misconceptions surrounding FTTH, which really stands for Fiber to the Home, the Midtown Residents' Association is hosting a forum Thursday at 7:15 p.m. called "Introduction to Fiber to the Home -- in Plain English." The merits of the $40 million utility proposal that aims to give high-speed Internet, cable and television to all homes and businesses will be debated by Rick Ferguson, a former Palo Alto Utilities Advisory commissioner, and Midtown resident Ron Wolf. The meeting is open to all and will be held at the Friends' Meeting Hall at 957 Colorado Ave. For more information, contact Annette Ashton, chair of the Midtown Residents' Association at annetteglanckopf@worldnet.att.net or 321-1280.

GREENMEADOW MEMORIES . . . The Greenmeadow neighborhood in south Palo Alto is approaching its 50th anniversary. To honor this milestone, members of the Greenmeadow Community Association are planning a yearlong celebration that's expected to begin in July. Resident Elena Talis and a committee of neighbors are currently seeking recollections, photographs and memorabilia from residents and former residents of the 273-home community. Although the exact form that these memories will be showcased is still to be decided, Talis invites anyone with items or stories to contact her: e-mail Elena.Talis@cbnorcal.com, or call her cell phone at (650) 714-4784 or home office at (650) 493-5685.

TRAFFIC ALLIANCE . . . The Community Center Neighbors Association board decided recently to join the Duveneck/St. Francis Neighborhood Association in finding traffic-calming measures appropriate for new development expected at Edgewood Plaza and other sites near the Embarcadero Road and 101 intersection. Community Center and Duveneck/St. Francis are adjacent neighborhoods along Embarcadero.

MIDTOWN MESSINESS . . . Drivers should expect delays on Middlefield Road in Midtown for awhile. Construction of a new signal light at Middlefield and Bryson Avenue, across from Longs Drugs, is underway. The project is expected to be completed by mid-June.

What's up on your block? Let us know what's going on in your neighborhood. Mail us your newsletter, leave a message for Jocelyn Dong at 326-8210 x256, send e-mail to jdong@paweekly.com or fax us at 326-3928.

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