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This is the weekly report for the week ending February 8th, 2013.
- Meeting Notes
The next meeting of the Richmond City Council is scheduled for Tuesday, February 19th.
- Dornan Drive Tunnel Closure
As you will recall, in January, the City of Richmond initiated a project to repair the concrete lining of the 100-year old Dornan Drive Tunnel, which connects the commercial area of Point Richmond with shoreline areas of Keller Beach Park, and the Brickyard Cove and Seacliff neighborhoods. The scope of work includes repairing cracked areas of the tunnel lining, adding of carbon fiber strips to strengthen this lining, and installing a new drainage system.
Today, (Friday, February 8th), the contractor for this project, TPA Construction Inc., encountered an area on the top of the inside of the tunnel that showed significant concrete failure, which was causing large pieces of concrete to fall to the ground. Upon further investigation, the construction team, which includes TPA Construction Inc., project manager Swinerton Management and Consulting, and City of Richmond engineering staff discovered a large void above the tunnel lining. Upon further visual inspection, the void, which would be analogous to an attic crawl space above a ceiling in a house, is approximately 12 feet long by 10 feet wide with a 4 foot depth. The remaining concrete that separates the void from the inside of the tunnel is approximately 4-5 inches thick, without any structural reinforcement to keep it in place.
Upon the recommendation of The Crosby Group, the design engineer for the project, and a licensed structural engineer, the Dornan Drive Tunnel has been closed. For the safety of the Richmond community and the workers, the closure will be in effect throughout the structural repair of this void and throughout the remainder of the project to repair and enhance the concrete lining as originally scoped.
In the short term, additional structural reinforcement will be temporarily placed under the area of the void, while the construction management team works with the structural engineer to develop the safest long-term solution.
The estimated duration of the Dornan Drive Tunnel closure is approximately three months, until April 30, 2013. During this closure, detours will be in place for access from the Point Richmond commercial area to Keller Beach Park and the Brickyard Cove and Seacliff neighborhoods. Motorists can access those areas via Washington Avenue to Western Drive. Alternatively, the Brickyard Cove and Seacliff neighborhoods can be accessed through Canal Boulevard and Seacliff Drive.
While we understand that the temporary closure of the Dornan Drive Tunnel is an inconvenience to residents, we also believe that it is in the best interest of public safety. We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your patience.
For future updates on this project, residents can follow: http://twitter.com/CoR_Engineering; or
Follow the City’s E-News on the City’s website at www.ci.richmond.ca.us.
DORNAN DRIVE TUNNEL DETOUR MAP
- Richmond ESC is Ready to Launch!
The City of Richmond’s high impact volunteer program, Richmond ESC – Excellence Serving our Community – will officially launch on Wednesday, April 20th. You are invited to join this momentous occasion between the hours of 11:30 AM and 1:00 PM, in the City Council Chamber at 440 Civic Center Plaza. At the launch event, attendees will be able to hear about the program’s service initiatives, get a sneak peak of the program’s new website, and win door prizes.
For more information, please contact Richmond ESC at (510) 237-SERV (7378).
- Fruit Tree Giveaway
On Friday, February 8th, the City of Richmond Environmental and Health Initiatives Division, in partnership with the Self-Sustaining Communities, received a generous donation from the Dave Wilson Nursery, of over 200 fruit trees including: fuji apples, lapins cherries, arctic star white nectarine, fantasia nectarine, country sweet peach, elegant lady peach, fairtime peach, methley plum and santa rosa plum. Staff distributed to community groups, community gardens and residents at the Civic Center Farmer’s Market.
Please sign up for the Environmental and Health Initiatives Listserv to receive notifications for future tree giveaways and other programs.
 
- Richmond Police Department Co-Hosts Foster Care Youth Conference
The Richmond Police Department (RPD) Youth Services Division, in Partnership with Contra Costa County Health and Human Services Department, Foster a Dream, the Center for Independent Living, the West Contra Costa Unified School District, and the RPD Crime Prevention Unit put together a Foster Care Youth Conference that served over 100 youth, their providers and parents. The conference focused on designing a series of workshops to combat the challenges specific to foster and transitioning youth such as homelessness, unemployment, education, and health.
The theme for the Foster Care Youth Conference was designed by the youth themselves, and featured a wide variety of workshops such as college readiness, AB 12, an assembly bill that provides support to emancipated foster youth, employment skills, life skills, relationship and dating, haircuts and personal styling, music and fitness courses. Detective Delon Jackson chaired the conference planning committee. Over a dozen community based agencies and businesses volunteered their time to provide the workshops.
 
Vendors providing information on foster care “Love and Logic” Course for foster parents and providers
RPD Youth Services and Recruitment
- Sales Tax Update – Quarter Ending September 2012
California's economic recovery continues to improve, with every region experiencing an increase in sales tax cash receipts for the four most recent quarters. Data for the third quarter of 2012 ending September 30, 2012 shows that San Francisco Bay area sales tax increased 7.4% over the same quarter for the prior year and the State of California as a whole increased by 6.8%. Richmond’s third quarter sales tax experienced an increase of 2.5% over the prior year, although sales tax revenues are still below what they were at the peak five years ago.
Richmond’s sales tax base continues to be led by the General Retail category which made up 34.5% of the sales tax revenue, due in large part to Costco, Wal-Mart and Target. Of significance, the New Auto Sales category and Used Auto Sales category increased by 45.4% and 35.2%, respectively, in the third quarter of 2012, over the third quarter of the prior year.
The Finance Department will continue to closely monitor the actual revenue submitted by the State Board of Equalization, the local trends we see developing in Richmond and the projections provided by the City’s sales tax consultant, MuniServices.
- Recreation Highlights
DPRC
Adult Morning participants and Therapeutic Interactive Recreation Program participants are focused on preparing for their Valentine’s Dance to be held on February 8th from 7:00 PM -10:00 PM. They have turned the multi-purpose room into a fun and colorful dance hall!
Nevin Center
Nevin Center staff, in conjunction with First 5, host a six-week interval Pee Wee Soccer program (ages 4 and 5) on Mondays from 5:00 PM to 5:45 PM and a Mommy/Daddy and Me Soccer (ages 2 and 3) program on Tuesdays from 5:00 PM to 5:45 PM. Both programs are at capacity with 15 players. The children and parents are having a great time and look forward to continuing in the next session.
- Public Works Updates
Parks and Landscaping Division: This week, crews continued installation of new way-finding signs in the Hilltop Assessment District, installed mulch along the Richmond Parkway median from San Pablo Avenue to Lakeside Drive, completed trenching for new electrical conduit on Richmond Parkway at Giant Highway, , completed irrigation repairs in Tiller Park, continued renovation work on baseball fields, constructed a pathway base in between Seawright Field and Nicholl Field #2 in Nicholl Park, prepared for paving crew, and over seeded, aerated, and fertilized turf at Shimada and Vincent Parks.
Esplanade landscape renovation project in the Marina
The tree crew trimmed an elm at 821- 37th Street, a cypress on the E-Dock at Marina Green, a melalucas at 953 - 32nd Street, and pines along Village Way. A sycamore was removed from 600 - 37th Street, and a myoporum at 834 -32nd Street.
Equipment Services has received delivery of the new garbage truck for the Parks and Landscaping Division.
Facilities Maintenance Division: The carpenters completed replacing the flooring at Senior Annex Senior Center, repaired dry rot to the west side window of the Senior Annex, and repaired Nevin Center, Main Library, and Parchester Center storefront entrance doors.
The painters completed painting the staff lunch room in the Main Library.
The stationary engineers repaired the drain line from the apparatus room at Fire Station 64, replaced two (2) thermostats at Nevin Center and serviced the heating unit, and cleared and repaired the drain waste line in Richmond Police Department.
Utility workers completed carpet cleaning in the Paratransit offices.
The electricians taped off conduits on Kelsey Street for wire theft box replacement at Shields-Reid Park and secured bare PG&E wires due to wire theft on Giant Highway at the elevated section, re-lamped street lights on Atlas Road, Marina Way and Marina Bay Parkways, replaced 3M red traffic signal lights at Carlson and Cutting Boulevards, installed two electrical circuits with timers for new automatic doors in the Employment and Training Department, re-lamped and repaired street lights in Dornan Tunnel, completed cord rail installation in Fire Station 68, and replaced a traffic controller at Richmond Parkway and Pittsburg that was damaged by a PG&E partial power loss.
Streets Division: The paving crew grinded, prepped, and paved 38th Street from Roosevelt Avenue to Solano Avenue, and continued pothole patching in various locations.
The traffic signs and lines crew continued installing pavement messages behind the paving crew. Other task included refreshing red curbs, fabricating street name signs, as well as guide, regulatory, and specialty signage, and performing maintenance, repairs, and new installations.
The street sweepers performed street sweeping services for the first Monday through Thursday in Parchester Village, Hilltop Bayview, Hilltop Green, Fairmede/Hilltop, Carriage Hills – north side, El Sobrante Hills, Greenbriar, Hasford Heights, Via Verde, San Pablo Dam Road, and Bristle Cone, and for the second Friday in Clinton Hill IV and East Richmond.
As a reminder, February 18th is the observance of President’s Day and City offices will be closed. As a result of the closure, there will be no street sweeping in portions of May Valley, Vista View and Clinton Hill I.
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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
City Manager
City of Richmond
450 Civic Center Plaza
Richmond, California 94804
(510) 620-6512
Bill_lindsay@ci.richmond.ca.us
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