| E-Mail Forum | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
RETURN |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| City Manager's Weekly Report for the Two Weeks Ending February 10th, 2012 February 11, 2012 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Mayor and Councilmembers: This is the weekly report for the two weeks ending February 10th, 2012.
The next meeting of the Richmond City Council is on Tuesday, February 21st. Enjoy next week’s hiatus.
As I write this report on Friday evening, I am able to look out my window and watch as fans enter the Richmond Auditorium to watch the Richmond Rockets take on the Port City Pirates in an ABA basketball game. It is remarkable how many community members have mentioned to me how incredibly entertaining the Richmond Rocket games are, and what high quality basketball is played in this league. The Rockets are among the elite teams in this growing league that includes about ninety teams nationwide. In fact, the Rockets are currently ranked #8 nationally and stand above all other Bay Area teams. It is great to have them in Richmond, and to have such high quality basketball played, once again, in the Richmond Auditorium.
On Saturday, February 11th, the Planning Division will be hosting the Livable Corridors Project (“Project”) Community Kick-Off at the Lovonya DeJean Middle School Multipurpose Room located at 3400 Macdonald Avenue, from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM. The Project will set the rules for future development along Macdonald Avenue, San Pablo Avenue and 23rd Street, and will be an implementation tool that will guide the revitalization of these corridors into safe, walkable, and economically thriving places. Following the Community Kick-Off, the Macdonald Avenue Focus Area Charrette will take place from February 13th through February 16th. The City’s consultant team will be setting up a temporary office and design studio at 310 Macdonald Avenue during the Charrette period. We invite the public to share their ideas for future development along these corridors by participating at the Community Kick-off and the following Charrette events:
This Project is being partially funded through a Sustainable Communities Planning Grant awarded by the California Strategic Growth Council. For more information regarding the Kick-Off and other Project events, please visit www.ci.richmond.ca.us/livablecorridors.
I-80 is the one of the most congested corridors in the San Francisco Bay Area. Traffic demands on the freeway far exceed the roadway capacity, causing severe congestion, unreliable travel times, and diversion to the local arterials. During the peak periods, the majority of the corridor operates with significant congestion and delays. The congestion on the roadway network contributes to an increase in incident rates, including rear-end collisions on both the freeway and local arterials. Traditional solutions to congestion relief include additional freeway lanes, auxiliary lanes, or increased transit service. However, these are not considered feasible options for I-80 due to environmental sensitivity, existing urban development, and long implementation duration. To try to address traffic congestion issues on I-80, Caltrans, working with the Contra Costa Transportation Authority, is proposing a $93 million Integrated Corridor Mobility (ICM) project. The purpose of the project is to enhance the effectiveness of the existing transportation network by integrating traffic management operations for freeway and parallel arterials in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. The I-80 ICM project would make use of technology that is designed to monitor and maintain optimum traffic flow along the network. Richmond Engineering Services staff will host a community workshop on February 13th, in the Richmond Auditorium, 403 Civic Center Plaza, from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM to discuss and gather input on the I-80 ICM project.
After a four week advertising period, the bid opening for the Via Verde “sinkhole” project was held on February 6th. Ten contractors submitted bids for the project. City staff is analyzing the bids to determine the lowest responsive responsible bid by checking and confirming bid calculations, construction licenses, local business requirements, and required bid information. The contract award will go before City Council in the upcoming weeks. Mobilization and construction preparation is anticipated to begin around mid-March.
As you know, an ongoing problem with the KCRT – City Council meeting broadcasts has been the audio/video (A/V) synchronization. KCRT Engineering recently ran a full test on the Council Chambers and found that the A/V sync corrector introduces a very noticeable "echo” into the sound which is heard within the room. This issue is under analysis for a resolution. The "on air" signal can be corrected once the “echo" issue is resolved. Once the final solution is in place, staff will order redundant equipment in case of failure.
The Contra Costa Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) is currently accepting applications for the Regular and Alternate Public Member seats. LAFCO is an independent agency created by the State of California. LAFCO is charged with encouraging orderly governmental boundaries and efficient services, discouraging urban sprawl, and preserving agricultural and open space resources. The Commission meets these objectives by regulating the boundaries of cities and special districts and conducting municipal service reviews and other special studies. Contra Costa LAFCO is composed of seven voting members and four alternates. These include two members and an alternate from the County Board of Supervisors, two members and an alternate from city councils, two members and an alternate from independent special district boards, and one public member and one alternate public member. Alternate members participate in meetings, but vote only when the regular member is absent or has a conflict of interest. The current LAFCO Commissioners will screen applications and make the appointment to these public member seats. The term of office for these open seats is four years expiring in May 2016. Contra Costa LAFCO meetings are typically held on the second Wednesday of each month at 1:30 PM in Martinez. To download an application form, and for more information about Contra Costa LAFCO, you can visit the LAFCO website at www.contracostalafco.org, or contact the LAFCO office at 925-335-1094.
During President’s Day weekend from Friday, February 17th at 8:00 PM until Friday, February 21st at 5:00 AM, the westbound or upper deck of the Bay Bridge will be closed. Motorists will not be able to drive on the upper deck of the Bay Bridge towards San Francisco during this closure, but the lower deck toward the East Bay will remain open. Motorists have numerous alternatives for getting to San Francisco and for traveling around the Bay Area during the closure. Caltrans advises that motorists allow extra time for travel and use other bridges, including the Golden Gate Bridge, the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge, and the Dumbarton Bridge. Vehicle access between San Francisco and Yerba Buena Island/Treasure Island will be maintained during the closure. For updates on other transit options, including ferries, BART and AC Transit, be sure to visit 511.org or call 511 for real-time traffic conditions. Check back often for the latest updates.
The City and Veolia continue work on the 2011-2012 annual sewer pipeline repair and rehabilitation. No paving/striping was completed. A summary of work in progress is listed below:
Any questions related to the ongoing 2011/2012 annual sewer pipeline repair and rehabilitation project may be directed to Mr. Fadi Alabbas at (925) 323-8937. Those interested may also follow our daily Twitter updates at www.twitter.com/CoR_Engineering.
Paratransit: Sam Casas, Paratransit Coordinator, was elected the 2012 Contra Costa Transportation Authority Paratransit Coordinating Council (PCC) Vice-Chair. The PCC serves in an advisory capacity to the Contra Costa Transportation Authority on issues related to the provision of a comprehensive, customer-oriented, and cost-effective transit system serving seniors and persons with disabilities in Contra Costa County. PCC responsibilities include review and prioritization of paratransit funding applications; providing a forum for paratransit stakeholders to discuss issues of mutual interest and to assist in the resolution of concerns; and promoting the development and coordination of a comprehensive, integrated paratransit system. Chinese New Year: With the tremendous help from volunteers and staff, the Recreation Department hosted the annual Chinese New Year Celebration on Saturday, February 4th, from 5:00 PM to 8:30 PM, at the Richmond Memorial Auditorium for over 450 participants. Following dinner, lion and dragon dancing was provided by Leung White Crane Association of San Francisco and was an exciting addition to the fashion show. The participants especially enjoyed the red envelope toss. Black History Month Celebration: On Saturday, February 25th, the Recreation Department will host its annual Black History Celebration, from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM, at the Richmond Memorial Auditorium. Tickets are $10 per person, including dinner, and are sold at the Richmond Senior Center. Call (510) 307-8085 for further information.
Parks and Landscaping Division: During the week of January 30th, crews completed the turf renovation and irrigation at Shields-Reid Park; repaired irrigation and vegetation control within the Klose Way center median; completed landscape and irrigation rehabilitation at Vincent Park; and repaired irrigation and installed plants in the San Pablo Avenue medians.
This week crews completed the landscape improvements at Tiller and Humboldt Parks; continued with ball field improvements throughout the City; and completed landscape clean up along Richmond Parkway and Interstate 80. Next week, crews will begin the weed abatement process along Richmond Parkway in the Hilltop area; continue with the ball field improvements; and the tree crew will conduct maintenance on Tehama Avenue, Placer Street, Crescent Park, Tehama Avenue, and at Transit Village. The tree crew cut or trimmed trees on: Maricopa Avenue, 42nd Street, 40th Street, Barrett Avenue, Western Avenue, Macdonald Avenue, Nevin Avenue, Western Drive, and within the Raincloud and Marina Green Parks. Facilities Maintenance Division: Work began on Fire Station #61 roof replacement. The tear off began on last week, and completion is expected within three weeks. The carpenters completed sound proofing the gear closet at Fire Station #66; repairing water damage at the Museum; and installing window wash stations at the fueling stations. The carpenters also completed safety issues at the Main library such as refurbishing the reception counter; repairing holes in the floor; and replacing blighted signs. Painters completed painting the apparatus room interior at Fire Station #66, and touch-up painting at Shields-Reid Community Center. The stationary engineers repaired the furnace at the Bayview branch library; the heater at the Transit Station; the drains at Fire Station #63; and the alarm float at Civic Center Plaza. They also installed a drinking fountain at Shields-Reid Community Center, and surveyed the heater at the Art Center. The utility workers are preparing to scrub and wax the floors at Booker T. Anderson, May Valley, and Parchester Community Centers, and have been addressing safety issues at the Senior Annex Center and the Recreation Complex. Electricians have re-lamped Nichol Park tennis courts and areas within Carriage Hills and May Valley; addressed various traffic light outages; and completed interconnect installation on Cutting Boulevard. Streets Division: During the week of January 30th, crews completed resurfacing 42nd Street from Barrett to Wilson Avenue; 40th Street from Barrett Avenue to Roosevelt Avenue; 43rd Street from Roosevelt Avenue to the end; Wilson Avenue on 40th Street, 43rd Street and 44th Street; and 42nd Street from Barrett to Wilson Avenue. The crew also completed the pothole list. Next week, South 23rd Street from Cutting Boulevard to Ohio Avenue in both directions will be resurfaced. As a reminder, February 20th is the observance of President’s Day, and City offices will be closed. Therefore, there will be no street sweeping in portions of the North Richmond, Iron Triangle and North Belding Woods neighborhoods. * * * * * Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or comments about these or any other items of interest to you. Have a great week!
You can sign up to receive the City Manager’s weekly report and other information from the City of Richmond by visiting: www.ci.richmond.ca.us/list.aspx Bill Lindsay
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
RETURN |
