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| City Manager's Weekly Report for the Week Ending March 23rd, 2012 March 25, 2012 |
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Mayor and Councilmembers: This is the weekly report for the week ending March 23rd, 2012.
The next City Council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, March 27th, beginning with a Closed Session at 5:00 PM and with the regular agenda beginning at 6:30 PM.
Whole Foods Market has submitted grading and building plans to construct a 117,000 square foot refrigerated warehouse in Richmond. The new facility will be located in the Point Pinole Business Park near the intersection of Giant and Atlas roads and it will employ 200 warehouse and distribution personnel. The Planning and Building, Engineering, Employment and Training and Economic Development departments are working very closely with Whole Foods staff to meet their timetable for opening the facility. Construction will begin this summer. Whole Foods Market was founded in Austin, Texas, when four local business people decided that the natural foods industry was ready for a supermarket format. The original Whole Foods Market opened in 1980 with a staff of only 19 people. The Whole Foods team is very excited about their planned new facility in Richmond and they intend to communicate about job opportunities through the Employment and Training Department.
Exclusively Doors, Inc. a distributor of doors, hardware and windows is moving to Richmond on April 1st from Greenbrae in Marin Count, leasing a 13,500 sq. ft. building at 1001 Canal Blvd. The company is expanding the business to include manufacturing of doors and will hire 7 new employees, including four shop workers. Exclusively Doors is a 10 year old company with five full-time and two part-time employees. The Office of Economic Development is working with the company on a small business loan application to assist with relocation cost, hiring employees and purchasing manufacturing equipment. Employment and Training will meet with the company to assist them with their hiring needs and Enterprise Zone Tax Credits.
The City learned this past week that it received a $2.48 million federal grant to continue its highly successful lead hazard remediation program, Richmond Effort to Abate Lead (REAL). The funding will allow the City to reduce lead hazards in vulnerable target neighborhoods, while creating jobs in lead-remediation work and investing in local infrastructure. This grant program is administered by the Richmond Housing Authority. Project REAL has remediated and abated 580 housing units and inspected/evaluated 925 units. In addition, the program has provided blood-lead level testing, case management and education to roughly 750 children and their families in enrolled properties, temporarily relocated families to enable remediation work, facilitated lead-related classes and trained 385 low-income residents in lead-related work. The City has been awarded this federal program grant three years running, and will use this most recent grant award to make an additional 200 qualifying housing units lead-safe. As is their practice, Congressman Miller’s office played an important role in supporting this successful federal grant proposal.
Facilities Maintenance Division: The carpenters repaired the ceiling in Booker T. Anderson Community Center and constructed the chemical storage closet in the Plunge. The painters completed painting the restrooms and kitchen in Booker T. Anderson Community Center. The stationary engineers identified and ordered the ADA pool lift and repaired the water closet in the Plunge; repaired the showers in Fire Station 64; and, installed a mobile shower in Fire Station 67. The electricians continued replacing wire from wire theft activities on Richmond Parkway and Atlas Road and Marina Bay Parkway and Bayside Drive; and, replaced traffic signals at the intersection of Hilltop and Robert Miller Drives. The utility section continued providing janitorial services to 29 city-owned facilities; completed pest control in City Hall; replacement of burnt bulbs in Civic Center Plaza; 50% complete with waxing and buffing the hallways and restrooms in the Recreation complex; and, 75% complete with City Hall floors. Parks and Landscaping Division: Parks’ crews performed weed maintenance on San Pablo Avenue, Barrett Avenue and in LaMoine Park; spread mulch near San Joaquin sound wall and in Nicholl Park; field maintenance on John F. Kennedy Ball Park; and pruned the ivy in Rain Cloud Park. The Tree Crew continued with tree related task at 451 – 6th Street; completed 254 South 4th Street, 3633 Ridgewood Way; 201 West Richmond; trimmed trees for paving on San Jose between San Pablo Avenue and San Mateo. Streets Division: The Pavement Maintenance crew continued prepping and paved Butte Street from Tehama Avenue to Carlson Boulevard; and, continued Class A pothole patching in various locations throughout the City.
* * * * * 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
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