Tanforan's Elf

Alice Barnes is on top of things. In San Bruno, she may be the ultimate community watchdog. Few know that North County town better than she does.

And she has a happy pre-Thanksgiving holiday cash register alert for you. The Tanforan Shopping Center's huge parking structure is OK, thank you very much.

Since she has been concerned about it since the summer when she discovered that BART's excavating equipment was causing the enclosed concrete parking lot to shift slightly.

BART is building a new station adjacent to Tanforan. The shaking and its effects sent the concerned Barnes into swift action and BART had to shut down work at the site.

But, late last week, she was able to let us know that the situation has been corrected. "We are pleased to have BART confirm our belief that the garage is structurally sound and safe," she noted in an e-mail message.

So don't sweat it. You now can park and shop at Tanforan to your capitalist heart's content. And you won't have to worry about the parking facility doing a Peninsula shimmy.

Christmas, here we come. At this date, Barnes will be the mall's elf of the year.