Mayor and Members of the City Council:

This is the weekly report for the week ending February 20th, 2015.

• Meeting Notes

The next meeting of the Richmond City Council is a special meeting (primarily presentations and study sessions) scheduled for Tuesday, February 24, 2015, beginning with a Closed Session at 5:30 PM, followed by the regular agenda at 6:30 PM.

• City of Richmond Health in All Policies Strategy Acknowledged by UC Berkeley

As you may recall, the City Council has adopted a Health in All Policies strategy and ordinance to help advance the health of all Richmond residents while promoting greater health equity for specific population groups currently experiencing poor health outcomes.  This strategy begins with the premise that everyday decisions and municipal services provided by the City of Richmond can promote greater opportunities for the entire community to make healthy decisions.

The Health in All Policies strategy was acknowledged today at the 6th Annual UC Berkeley Chancellor’s Community Leaders Breakfast, which celebrates achievements in campus community partnerships.  This particular partnership is between the City of Richmond and the UC Berkeley Department of City and Regional Planning and School of Public Health, tapping into the research by faculty member Dr. Jason Corburn.

Of note, the Chancellor took the opportunity to restate his commitment to development of the Berkeley Global Campus at Richmond Bay, and his commitment to this new campus providing significant benefits to the Richmond community.  Mayor Tom Butt and the City Manager were asked to make remarks at this event, which was attended by community leaders from both Berkeley and Richmond.

UC Berkeley Chancellor Nicholas Dirks with Mayor Tom Butt

• Employment & Training Department To Host a Workshop for Richmond Contractors

Richmond’s Employment & Training Department and the Richmond Community Foundation will host a workshop for Richmond contractors to learn about the Richmond Housing Rehabilitation Program and to identify potential contracting opportunities.  The Richmond Housing Rehabilitation Program is a partnership between the City of Richmond and the Richmond Community Foundation with the objective to identify, acquire, and rehabilitate dilapidated and abandoned housing stock in Richmond.  Richmond contractors are encouraged to attend to learn about the program and to meet other contractors with expertise and skills in the construction industry.

The workshop is scheduled for February 26, 2015 from 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM and will be held at the RichmondWORKS One Stop at 330 - 25th Street, Richmond, CA.
Please call Gina Baker at (510) 307-8023 with any questions.

• Port of Richmond Update – Completion of Riggers Loft Operations and Security Center (OSC)

The construction of the Port of Richmond’s Operations and Security Center (OSC) located at the Riggers Loft is complete.  This project was partially funded by a 2008 California Ports and Maritime Security Grant Program.  Alten Construction was awarded the construction contract to retrofit the building to meet standards to resist seismic events, provide accessibility to personnel, and build a fully functional Port Operations and Security Center.  The facility also houses the Port’s  Administrative Offices, and Port of Richmond staff moved to occupy the Riggers Loft last Friday, February 6.  Port staff members are settling into the new offices and welcome City Councilmembers, City staff and others to stop by for a visit.

The Riggers Loft is approximately 28,000 square feet, of which the OSC and Port Administrative offices will occupy 5,000 square feet.  The remaining portion of the building will be leased to the Riggers Loft Wine Company.  The new tenant is currently in the permit process for the construction phase of the winery and expects to be opening their new business by mid-year.

The new office is immediately adjacent to the historic Red Oak Victory ship and AWC’s port automobile operation.  The project provides a great opportunity for the Port of Richmond to celebrate its past, present, and future.

• New City of Richmond Mobile APP Update

The City has officially launched the City of Richmond Mobile APP and is looking forward to feedback from the community. We welcome your comments at webservices@ci.richmond.ca.us

UPDATE: Please make sure to:

• Add a complete description of the issue in the Notes field so City staff will have enough information to be responsive.
• Turn on your Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to improve your location accuracy.

To download the FREE City of Richmond smartphone app to your Android phone, Apple iPhone or iPad: open the Apple App Store for your IOS device or the Google Play Store for Android smartphones.
Enter Richmond California to search for the app.
Download the app to install it.

After downloading the app open it.  It is ready to use.

With the app you can:

• Report and track issues
• Get information on the City Council and City departments.  You can also call them or initiate an email with one touch icons
• Read information on City Parks, Public Buildings and Community Centers and be able to use the built in navigation features of your phone to get there
• Receive City newsflashes
• Access information and directions on Richmond dining and shopping establishments
• Connect to the City’s online recreation system to sign up for programs and reserve facilities (coming soon)
• Access a calendar of City events
• Display the current weather in Richmond
• Opt in to receive emergency alerts issued by the City

• Weekly Recycling and Green Cart Collection Begins March 2nd, 2015

Residential customers will begin receiving weekly collection for green organics carts and recycling carts at no additional cost starting Monday, March 2nd.  Both green and blue cart service are complimentary and provided at no additional cost to ratepayers. Historically, these carts were serviced every-other-week on a rotating basis. As part of the negotiations last year for enhanced recycling collection services, the City’s Environmental and Health Initiatives Division was able to secure this enhanced service at no additional cost for ratepayers.

The weekly collection of recyclables and compost also provides ratepayers with a cost-savings opportunity to downsize their trash bin size. For instance, ratepayers can save nearly $6 per month by downsizing from a 32-gallon bin to a 20-gallon bin. Customers may call Republic at 262-7100 to make any service change requests.

• 2014 – 3rd Quarter Sales Tax

The Finance Department staff met last week with the City’s sales tax consultant, Muni-Services, to review sales tax figures for the third quarter of 2014.  Richmond experienced an increase of 7% in its sales tax cash allocation from the same quarter of the previous year.  This includes adjustments by the State Board of Equalization and County Pool receipts. 

The City has experienced steady growth in this revenue stream since 2009.  Richmond’s tax base is led by the General Retail category, which currently makes up 31% of the sales tax revenue.  This category is driven, to a great extent, by large retailers such as Target, Costco, and Wal-Mart.  Of significance, new auto sales increased by 18.7%, used auto sales by 16.7%, retail building materials increased by 12.1% and wholesale building materials increased by 18.1% during the third quarter of 2014.  The Finance Department will continue to closely monitor the actual revenue submitted by the State Board of Equalization, the local trends developing in Richmond, and the projections provided by Muni-Services.

• YouthWORKS Updates

YouthWORKS has announced the release of applications for the 11th Annual Summer Youth Employment Program. This program has provided 100 plus hours of meaningful, career path work experience to almost 4,000 Richmond youth over the last decade, with more than 90% of the participants coming from households earning under $30,000 a year.

The summer program opens ONLY to youth from the Richmond community. Participants will receive pre-employment training in the areas of sexual harassment in the workplace, financial literacy/money management, soft/essential skills and résumé production.  After successfully completing all pre-employment workshops the participants will have the opportunity to be placed for up to 100 hours, at $9 per hour, at a worksite that matches their desires, interests and abilities.

The applications will be released on Wednesday, February 25th at 2:00 PM at the YouthWORKS building, 2705 Macdonald Avenue (corner of 27th and Macdonald Avenue).  Applications will be available from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM until March 3rd. Completed applications are due by 5:00 PM on Wednesday, March 4th.  All participants will be selected by lottery from the pool of completed applications.

• 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 included:

• Met with Mayor Butt, Vice Mayor Jael Myrick, Boardmembers and staff from the West Contra Costa Unified School District, and representatives of local non-profit organizations, to discuss implementation of the Richmond Promise scholarship program;
• Attended the Nystrom United Revitalization Effort (NURVE) Policy Committee meeting, at which there was an update on the various projects being undertaken in the Nystrom area;
• Met with Ruben Lizardo, Director, Local and Community Government and Community Relations for UC Berkeley, and Eli Moore, Program Manager at the Haas Institute for a Fair and Inclusive Society, along with City of Richmond Administrative Chief Shasa Curl, to discuss the progress of the Berkeley Global Campus working group;
• Attended the monthly lunch meeting of the Council of Industries, at which Councilmember Eduardo Martinez, and Jay Leonhardy, Program Manager for the YouthWORKS Division of the Department of Employment & Training, were guest speakers;
• Gave a presentation regarding Richmond real estate development activities to the Contra Costa Association of Realtors;
• Attended the 6th Annual UC Berkeley Chancellor’s Community Leaders Breakfast (see item 2, above);
• Gave a presentation on affordable housing policies at the Richmond Summit on Belonging, Health, and Displacement;
• Attended a meeting on police/community relations, along with Mayor Tom Butt, Police Chief Chris Magnus, and Deputy Chief Alwyn Brown, convened by Assemblymember Tony Thurmond.

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.

• Officer Bradley A. Moody Memorial Underpass Project

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 is planned to remain in place through late May/early June 2015. 

During the week of February 16th, additional main retaining wall and sidewalk retaining wall concrete pours were placed.  With these sections completed, the only remaining retaining wall construction to complete is located underneath the bridge.  In addition, crews began establishing subgrade of the roadway north of the bridge to the recently-placed asphalt at the Meeker/Marina Bay Parkway intersection (i.e. the “north conform”).  This work includes layout of the roadway median.  Work also continued on the pump station valves and pipes, and electrical installation along the raised sidewalks.  For the week of February 23rd, crews will assemble formwork for the final main retaining wall pours located under the bridge, continue work on roadway subgrade and median, and continue work on pump station mechanical components.

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.

View of subgrade preparation from bridge to north conform

• 2015 WCCUSD LCAP Community Town Hall Meetings

The West Contra Costa School District (WCCUSD) invites Richmond residents to participate in the upcoming Local Accountability Plan (LCAP) Town Hall Meetings to provide input and suggestions on LCAP funding priorities for schools. The meetings are an opportunity for parents, teachers, students, and community members to engage in the decisions that impact school funding.

• Saturday, February 28th 9:30 AM at Peres Elementary School, 719 5th Street, Richmond

• Saturday, March 7th 9:30 AM at King Elementary School, 4022 Florida Avenue, Richmond

Translation and childcare will be provided at the meetings. If you are unable to attend a Town Hall meeting you can submit your feedback to LCAP@wccusd.net.
For more information about the LCAP, please visit the District website at www.wccusd.net/LCAP

The Local Accountability Plan (LCAP) is the schools district's 3-year plan for how it will use the states Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) funding to serve all students, including English learners, low-income students, and foster youth.

• Information Technology (IT) Department Updates

Website Statistics: Top 10 Webpage visits for the week ending February 17, 2015:

Top website visits by device type

Facebook Statistics

KCRT: Photo of the Week

Hotel MAC and a vintage1958 Chevrolet Biscayne

Datanet Image of the Week

• Recreation Highlights

DPRC

The Disabled People’s Recreation Center and Co-sponsor, Friends of Disabled Children, Inc. held their annual Valentine’s Dance on Friday, February 6th from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM.  Bert Young from KCRT provided music, lighting and video streaming. Amazingly, the terrible storm throughout the evening did not stop over 93 participants, Aides and Care-providers from attending the event and dancing all night long.

Participants from the Adult Morning Program and Therapeutic Interactive Recreation Program assisted staff with the entire set-up for the dance during program. The multi-purpose room was transformed into a fantastic Valentine venue for an evening to remember!

Aquatics

The Richmond Recreation Department and the East Bay Park and Recreation District proudly present an American Red Cross Lifeguard/ First Aid/ CPR/ AED course at the Richmond Plunge. Although the course is open to adults and students from neighboring communities, it is intended to be an affordable option available for students from local high schools who may be interested in becoming a professional Lifeguard.  Typically, Lifeguard Certification courses are approximately $200, so this course, at $35, is a great opportunity for our community. If you, or anyone you know might be interested, please call (510) 620-6820 for more information.

• Public Works Updates

Facilities Mainenance Division:  Carpenters repaired drywall and gym windows at the Booker T. Anderson Community Center, and replaced eight broken windows at the Richmond Recreation Complex.

Painters painted the multi-use room at the Booker T. Anderson Community Center.

Stationary Engineers repaired the broiler at the Main Library, fixed the drinking fountain at the Booker T. Anderson Community Center, repaired the elevator at the 12th Street parking garage, repaired the showers at Fire Station #67, and repaired the apparatus exhaust at Fire Station #64.

Utility Workers fixed light covers at the Bay View Library, relamped the Main Library, and serviced 29 City own facilities.

Relamping of the Main Library

Parks and Landscaping Division:  General crews continue with the irrigation repairs along the Greenway, fence repair at Wendell Park, trimmed ivy and weeds at Burg Park, drug and spiked baseball fields, and aerated baseball outfields.

Field Aeration

Hilltop District crews began general maintenance on the Richmond Parkway on the medians between San Pablo Avenue and I-80, continued with the irrigation installation at the Richmond Parkway AM/PM project, completed additional maintenance at Hilltop Lake, and completed weed abatement in various location. 

Marina District staff mulched planter beds at Lucretia Edwards Park, removed graffiti throughout the Marina, and trimmed vegetation along Esplanade.

Mulch Installation at Marina Restroom

Tree crews cut or trimmed trees on 35th Street, Roosevelt Avenue, 6th Street, Spring Street, Birmingham Drive, and Richmond Parkway/Parr Boulevard.

Streets Division:  Staff ground and paved on 17th Street from Pennsylvania Avenue to Lincoln Avenue, prepped the Plunge Tennis Courts for coating, and worked from the outstanding pothole list.

Grinding on 17th Street

Tennis Court Preparation

Street sweeping performed commercial and residential sweeping services for the third Tuesday through Friday in the North Richmond, Iron Triangle, North Belding Woods, South Belding Woods, Atchison Village, Santa Fe, Coronado, Marina Bay, and Point Richmond neighborhood council areas.

Signs and Lines staff installed 31 new signs and poles, repaired 28 signs and poles, fabricated new signs, installed pavement markers, and repainted 918’ of curb.

Sign Installation

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!

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