Mayor and City Councilmembers:

This is the weekly report for the week ending January 31st, 2014.

• Meeting Notes

The next City Council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, February 4th beginning with a Closed Session at 6:00 PM, followed by the regular agenda at 6:30 PM.

• City of Richmond Partnership Program

During the past year, City staff has been working to expand the recreation program opportunities available to the Richmond community by actively seeking out and formalizing partnerships with non-profit service providers.  This project has been led by Alicia Nightengale, Project Manager in the City Manager’s office, and has involved developing and standardizing contract arrangements that can be offered to prospective organizational partners.  Through this program, recognized partners can provide quality, expert recreational or service opportunities to residents, and the City’s recreation programs will continue to grow in participation and variety.

In its initial stages, during 2013, the City of Richmond’s Partnership Program welcomed five outstanding organizations as partners.  Those organizations include:

• Heritage Riders Horsemen’s Association (HRHA), where youth are taught character education through horseback riding;
• LIFT-Levantate, which was initially founded to address health and wellness issues confronting families in lower socioeconomic communities.  The partnership in Richmond offers an innovative farmers market style food distribution program;
• PricehousewaterhouseCoopers (PWC), where youth are taught financial literacy;
• Athletic Mentors Youth Program (AMYP), offering youth mentorship through sports; and
• Girls Incorporated, where girls are taught character education through hands-on learning.

To learn more about each recognized partner’s organization, click on the link http://www.ci.richmond.ca.us/index.aspx?nid=2584. 

As part of its partnership arrangements, the City provides support in the form of safety training, health and wellness training, program promotion using the City’s various media, and use of City facilities to conduct programs and services.

The City of Richmond continues to welcome new organizations to apply to become a recognized partner.  If you know of a great program or organization that could expand its services to the community through this program, please let them know about it.  To learn more about the application process, click on the link http://www.ci.richmond.ca.us/index.aspx?NID=2697, or contact Alicia Nightengale in the City Manager’s office at 620-5460.
         

• New Library Service: Discover & Go

The Richmond Public Library has launched a great new service called Discover & Go.  Using their Richmond Public Library cards, patrons may print out free or discounted passes to local museums and other cultural institutions.  This program was developed by the Contra Costa County Library System.

To access the service, patrons may go directly to www.DiscoverAndGo.org or click on a link from www.RichmondLibrary.org.  We encourage you to check out a cool new place for yourself, and to spread the word on this adventurous new program and the participating organizations.    

For more information please call the Richmond Public Library Main Branch Reference Desk at (510) 620-6561.

• Officer Bradley A. Moody Memorial Underpass Project Update

The Bradley A. Moody Memorial Underpass Project involves the construction of a roadway underpass on Marina Bay Parkway between Meeker Avenue and Regatta Boulevard, and is intended to resolve long-standing access limitations to the Marina Bay area caused by frequent train crossings.  In early September 2013, Marina Bay Parkway was closed to traffic.  This closure will remain in place for approximately 18 months. 

During the week of January 27th, placement of drilled tie-backs and construction of the pump station discharge structure continued, along with restoration work at the Department of Public Health campus areas disturbed by utility relocation work.  All of these activities are expected to continue through the next three to four weeks.

Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) has notified the City that repair work for lines damaged during drilling operations on January 13th will require an electrical outage of up to eight hours.  Staff has requested that PG&E not begin this work until after PG&E meets with City staff to provide details on the schedule for the outage, as well as information on which residents and businesses will be affected to allow staff to provide the community with advance notice.

As noted in last week’s report, the fourth of up to six weekend, 24-hour a day closure windows for installation of waterproofing on the bridge installed in December has been scheduled for a weekend to be determined in February or March, and no night work is planned to take place until then.  Additional information will be provided once the precise date for this work is confirmed.

For additional information and to be added to the project update contact list, please see the project website at www.moodyup.com.  You can also follow the project on twitter: @moodyunderpass, or contact the project’s public outreach coordinator Jacqueline Majors at (925) 949-6196.

• 2014 Historic Preservation Awards

The City of Richmond and the Richmond Historic Preservation Commission invites nominations for the 2014 Richmond Historic Preservation Awards. The purpose of the Historic Preservation Awards program is to increase public awareness of Richmond’s heritage by recognizing individuals, organizations, businesses, and agencies whose contributions demonstrate outstanding commitment to excellence in historic preservation, local history or promotion of the heritage of the City.

The Awards will be presented in May, National Preservation Month. In addition to public and private buildings and structures, historic preservation projects may include media, publications, presentations and exhibits, parks, burial grounds, public art, oral history, theater productions, events and video presentations.

Below is a list of last year's award winners:

• Orton Development, Inc. & Marcy Wong, Architect for Rehabilitating the Oil House for the Rosie the Riveter Visitor Center
• The National Park Service & Signature Communications for the film "Home Front Heroes"
• Susan Imboden & the East Bay Regional Park District for the Alvarado Park Oral History Project
• Donna Powers for Establishing the Rosie the Riveter Memorial
• Andre Thierry for Preserving Creole Traditions and Music in Richmond
• Lois Boyle for Years of Service Preserving Richmond's History
• Nancy Strauch & Bruce Burbaker for Restoring Access to Boat Ramp Street

Eligibility: Any individual, group, organization or agency involved in historic preservation or promoting Richmond’s heritage is eligible to receive a Richmond Historic Preservation Award. The preservation project or activity (or a substantial portion of a large-scale multiple activity project) must have been completed no later than December 31, 2013.

Nomination Form: You may nominate an eligible preservation project or activity by submitting a completed 2014 Historic Preservation Awards Nomination Form to the Richmond Planning and Building Services Department. Additional details about eligibility, evaluation criteria used, and submittal requirements are found in the nomination form which can be downloaded at www.ci.richmond.ca.us/preservationaward.

Nominations are due by 5:00 PM on March 28, 2014. Feel free to call Hector Rojas, Senior Planner, at (510) 620-6662 with any questions you may have.

• City Manager Chronicles

I have listed below some of the topics for meetings that I have recently attended in the hope that it provides an idea of the varied issues with which our organization deals routinely.

Activities and meeting topics during the past week have included:

• Attended a meeting of the Pullman Point crime prevention working group that is focusing on multiple fronts to improve the safety of this development.  The meeting was attended by the property management group from the John Stewart Company, police personnel, and community members, all of whom are working very effectively together.  The Police department staff members who are working on this project, and doing an outstanding job, are Crime Prevention Specialist Michelle Milam, Deputy Chief Alwyn Brown, Captain Mark Gagan, and Officer Gary Lewis;
• Met with an organizational development working group of City staff members that includes Chris Chamberlain, Alicia Nightengale, Hector Rojas, Chad Smalley, Lina Velasco, Belinda Warner, and LaShonda White;
• Participated on an extensive conference call regarding the Richmond Bay Campus development with City staff members and staff from UC Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Lab;
• Met with City staff members to get an update on Pt. Molate activities;
• Met with staff members from Planning and Building, the Fire Department, and Code Enforcement to discuss the status of the Bridge Storage facility;
• Met with representatives from CyberTran to discuss the status of their project;
• Met with representatives from the Center for Cities and Schools at UC Berkeley to discuss the Y-Plan program in the City of Richmond, its impacts, and how it might be improved;
• Met with City staff from the Finance Department and the Housing section of the Successor Agency to review the status of projects to gain compliance with HUD regulations;
• Met with several community members, together with Shasa Curl, to discuss ways to fully capture the economic benefits of the Richmond Bay Campus development;
• Attended a reception for University of California President Janet Napolitano, hosted by the East Bay Community Foundation;
• Attended the Personnel Board meeting;
• Participated in an extended conference call with the City’s legislative advocates to discuss various City projects;
• Had separate meetings with several developers to discuss projects of interest in Richmond;
• Met with representatives from Richmond Sanitary Service, along with Councilmember Nat Bates, to discuss proposed changes to the local solid waste collection services franchise agreement.

These meetings were in addition to attending the regular management staff meeting, agenda planning, reviewing staff reports to the City Council, doing department head “check-ins,” having discussions on various personnel matters, and having short discussions with staff, community members, members of the press, etc.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about the substance of these or any other topics.

• Get Covered! Enroll in Covered California™ at the Richmond Main Library

On Saturday February 8, 2013 from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM, visit the Richmond Main Library where certified enrollment counselors will talk with you face-to-face to explain your health coverage options through Covered California and help you select the best plan for your medical needs and budget. You can also find out if you qualify for low-cost or no-cost coverage through Medi-Cal. So get enrolled, and get covered!

Here is what you will need to bring:

• Current income of all family members on the application
  (tax return, W-2, recent pay stubs, etc.)
• Legal resident card or Certificate of Naturalized Citizenship
  (if applicable – the numbers on the card are required in the application)
• Copy of U.S. citizenship and residency status
• Copy of Social Security and date of birth for each family member in the household

The address is: Richmond Main Library, 325 Civic Center Plaza.  You can download the flier at www.richmondhealth.org.

• Let’s Get Covered! Affordable Care Act (ACA) Enrollment Event in Richmond

Getting Richmond enrolled through Covered California is an important aspect of the City’s “Health in All Policies” approach to service.

At the Bay Area Rescue Mission this past Tuesday, the City of Richmond Health Initiatives group worked collaboratively with SEIU-UHW to hold the “Let’s Get Covered!” event in partnership with LifeLong Medical Care, Community Clinic Consortium, and ACCE. This successful event supported residents to get health insurance through the opportunities that are now available through the passage of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare).  At the event, the cosponsors were able to serve 71 residents, complete 45 applications (Medi-Cal & Covered CA), and start 13 families through the application process.

In addition to the Get Covered event at the Library (see item 7 above), we are planning for the next “Let’s Get Covered!” enrollment event that will take place Saturday, February 22nd from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM at the City Council Chambers.  For more details please visit www.richmondhealth.org

• Richmond Art Center Winter Exhibitions

Three new exhibitions currently at the Richmond Art Center feature the work of a diverse group of emerging and established Bay Area artists.

• The Language of Realism features the work of four West Coast realist painters -- Michael Beck, Christine Hanlon, Anthony Holdsworth and John Rampley and is curated by Richmond artist John Wehrle (through February 28th).  

• "Unlock the Talk: The American Teenager Project in Richmond" features 100 black and white photographs and in-depth audio interviews of Richmond youth taken by 20 teen photojournalists (through March 7th).

• The 18th Annual "The Art of Living Black" is the only non-juried exhibition in the Bay Area to feature 50 regional artists of African descent (through February 28th).

Visit the Richmond Art Center at 2540 Barrett Avenue, 510-620-6772. More information can be found at:  http://www.therac.org.

• Black History Teen Program

The Teen Services Division of the Richmond Public Library presents the Black History Month documentary premiere of, “What Mama Didn’t Say:  A Dialogue About African American Sexuality.”  With a primary focus on the issue of teen pregnancy, the documentary examines the disproportionate number of African American teens having children and raising families out-of-wedlock.  The film highlights Richmond and Bay Area natives that were teen parents chronicling their lives, and interpersonal experiences involving sexuality.  Other cast members include psychologists, public health professionals, pastors, and youth advocates, including the Executive Producer Dr. Betty Burrus Wright.  After the screening, there will be a question and answer discussion of the topics discussed by the cast and the film’s Producer/Director Doug Harris.  Teen Librarian Angela Cox indicates that although the focus of the documentary outlines teen sexuality in the African American community, many of the elements and issues cross all cultures.

The free event will be held in the Richmond City Council Chambers at 440 Civic Center Plaza on Thursday, February 13th.  There will be a reception at 6:00 PM, followed by the screening at 7:00 PM, and the question and answer discussion at 8:00 PM.

The program is sponsored by the Friends of the Richmond Public Library.  For additional information, visit the Library’s website:  www.richmondlibrary.org, contact Angela Cox at (510) 620-5516, or visit:  www.Facebook.com/RichmondPublicLibraryTeens. 

• Single Use Bag Ordinance Reminder

This is a friendly reminder that, beginning January 1, 2014, single-use plastic bags are no longer available at retail stores in Richmond, San Pablo and El Cerrito. Stores must charge a minimum of 5¢ for each paper or reusable bag sold. Customers can avoid paying for bags by bringing their own bags.

While adjusting to what some may view as inconvenient new regulations, please keep in mind the following statistics:
 

• California retailers distribute more than 19 billion plastic retail bags annually.
• The average Californian uses an estimated 400 plastic bags per year.
• The average time use of a plastic bag is 12 minutes. 
• The State’s Integrated Waste Management Board estimates that, in the Bay Area, residents use 3.8 billion plastic bags per year, and about one million of these bags end up in the Bay.
• Even with the emphasis on recycling of plastics in recent decades, the plastic bag recycling rate in California remains at less than five percent.

Local taxpayers must bear the brunt of the plastic litter clean-up costs. It costs the state $25 million annually to landfill discarded plastic bags, and public agencies in California spend more than $303 million annually in litter abatement. This ordinance will further improve quality of life by conserving resources and reducing waste, litter and greenhouse gas emissions.

For more information, including a copy of the ordinance and business resources, please contact:

City of Richmond
(510) 620-6512 | mike_uberti@ci.richmond.ca.us
www.richmondenvironment.org

• Recreation Highlights

Disabled People’s Recreation Center

Puzzles are not for everyone; however, everyone in the Adult Morning Program and the Therapeutic Interactive Recreation Program participants are geared to complete a difficult puzzle.  It began last week after the Adult Program completed their morning exercise, everyone was laughing hysterically in the multi-purpose room. Sharolyn Babb, Recreation Coordinator, left her office to investigate and found participants and staff working feverishly to see who could find the frame pieces of a puzzle. The amazement was the community efforts between participants and staff, working as a team and having so much fun!  Later during the week, during the Therapeutic program, she heard laughing again and found participants, along with the Music Therapist completing the puzzle after their singing activity. The puzzle was a huge hit.

Continued Education

Recreation Coordinators Tania Swartz and Danielle Laguna, and Aquatic Specialist, Charlie Alabanza, attended the California Parks and Recreation Society Youth and Teen Roundtable in Benicia to brainstorm, get new ideas from colleagues, and gear up for summer programs.  Many surrounding cities attended the event and shared information about their best practices.  It was great to have the City of Richmond Recreation Department represented.

Chinese New Year

The Recreation Department celebrated its annual Chinese New Year on January 25th, at the Richmond Memorial Auditorium.  500 guests enjoyed a delicious dinner served by the Richmond Fire Department, Pinole Valley High Interact Club, and Richmond Recreation Staff.  The program consisted of several dance, music, and martial arts performances from local and San Francisco organizations.  The highlight was the traditional lion dance at the start of the evening.

Commission on Aging

The Recreation Department, in collaboration with the Commission on Aging, is hosting its annual Black History Celebration on Saturday, February 8th from 5:30 PM – 8:30 PM at the Richmond Memorial Auditorium.  The event consists of a sit down dinner, poetry, dancing, singing and music. The dinner menu consists of fried chicken, red beans and rice, collard greens, corn bread, and peach cobbler.

In addition, there will be a fashion show with clothing from the closets of our own participants and from Arts Africains in Emeryville (available for purchase).  We will also have vendors selling African American wares such as clothing, jewelry, bags and much more!

Tickets are available for $15 per person at the Richmond Senior Center at 2525 Macdonald Avenue.  We have $5 tickets available for show tickets only.   Please note, $5 tickets will be sold at the event only and doors open after dinner is completed at 7:00 PM.

Contact the Senior Center at (510) 307-8087 for event and ticket information.  This event is open to everyone so please share the information with others!

• Public Works Updates

Facilities Maintenance:  Painters continued with the painting of the Richmond Museum.

Stationary Engineers repaired the Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) at the Auditorium and replaced the furnace at the Swim Center.

Replacement of the HVAC on the Auditorium

Utility workers moved the mural on the corner of Harbor Way and Macdonald Avenue, set up the Council Chambers for the Literacy for Every Adult Program (LEAP) graduation, and serviced 29 city-owned facilities.

Mural Removal

Electricians marked all of Cutting Boulevard traffic intersections, located buried traffic boxes, and conducted repairs at Fire Station #62.

Traffic Intersection Marking

Parks and Landscaping:  Crews performed weed abatement along Marina Way South and Regatta Boulevard, completed general maintenance on City baseball fields in preparation for the upcoming season, continued with the Elm Play Lot renovations, installed protective bollards near a City fuel pump, repaired directional signage on the Richmond Parkway, performed pruning along the center median of Richmond Parkway, and continued audits of the irrigation system along the Richmond Parkway.

Tree Crews trimmed, cut or ground trees around Booker T. Anderson Park, Fran Way, and on Sutter Avenue.

Baseball Field Maintenance

Sign Repair on Richmond Parkway

Streets Division:  Crews grinded and paved La Miranda Drive from Upland Drive to the south end and worked from the outstanding pothole and sidewalk list.

Preparation for Paving on 44th Street

Street sweeping performed commercial and residential sweeping services for the fourth Monday and Tuesday as well as the fifth Wednesday through Friday in the Santa Fe, Point Richmond, Marina Bay, Coronado, Metro Richmore Village, Pullman, Cortez/Stege, Park Plaza, Laurel Park, City Center neighborhood council areas, and along the Richmond Parkway.

Sweeping Along Richmond Parkway

Signs and Lines Crews repaired 14 signs/poles, fabricated 3 new signs, installed 3 new signs, replaced or installed 6 delineations/messages, and replaced over 4,007 feet of painted curbs along Carlson Boulevard.

***********************************************

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or comments about these or any other items of interest to you.

Bill Lindsay
City Manager
City of Richmond
450 Civic Center Plaza
Richmond, California 94804
(510) 620-6512
Bill_lindsay@ci.richmond.ca.us

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