Mayor and Members of the City Council:

This is the weekly report for the week ending September 18, 2015.

• Meeting Notes

The next regular meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, September 22nd beginning with a Closed Session at 5:30 PM, followed by the regular agenda at 6:30 PM.  The agenda packet may be found by clicking this link.  The City Council has also scheduled a special meeting for one Closed Session item on Monday, September 21st at 5:00 PM.

• Dancing in the Street at the Spirit & Soul Festival! 

An afternoon of spectacular entertainment, food, wine, and dancing in the street is coming to Downtown Richmond with the 7th Annual Spirit & Soul Festival tomorrow, Saturday, September 19th. The festivities will take place from 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM on Macdonald Avenue between Harbour Way and 13th Street (just three blocks from the Richmond BART Station).  

The festival will feature spectacular performances by SambaFunk! Funquarians featuring FUNKTERNAL with the Angels of Funk Eden, Rene Escovedo & The Fuse, Nicole “Buttah” Pearson and the Buttaluv Band, and Kenya Baker and the Kenya B Trio. The event will also feature local artisan vendors, information booths, food booths and trucks, fabulous silent auction and drawing prizes, and beverages. Admission is free and all are welcome. Sales will benefit Richmond Main Street and the revitalization of historic Downtown Richmond.

For more information visit www.RichmondMainStreet.org.

• Richmond Climate Action Plan Community Workshop

On Wednesday, September 16th, the City hosted the second community workshop for the Richmond Climate Action Plan (CAP). The workshop provided an opportunity for the City to provide a summary of the first community workshop held on August 18th and an update on additional work completed to date.  The workshop also included a presentation from the Bay Coastal Development Commission highlighting the Adapting to Rising Tides initiative, which is evaluating potential impacts and mitigations for anticipated sea level rise along the Richmond shoreline.

Several “breakout” sessions were part of the workshop, in which groups focused on such topics as community resiliency and adaptation, and greenhouse gas reduction programs, including energy, transportation, and solid waste and water sectors. Participants were asked to identify barriers and solutions to participation in existing programs, and identify specific actions to be included in the CAP to support existing or develop new programs.

As part of the update from the first community workshop held on August 18th, the City surveyed what residents are currently doing, and what residents plan to do, to reduce their greenhouse gas footprint after completing a personal greenhouse gas analysis. The results are illustrated below in the word clouds in weighted font.

Please visit www.richmondclimateaction.org for information about the Richmond CAP and find out how to become involved in the process.

• Getting Ready for College Conference

This year’s Getting Ready for College Conference will be held on Saturday, September 26th from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM at the Richmond Memorial Convention Center at 403 Civic Center Plaza in Richmond. This free conference is open to all 10th, 11th and 12th graders and their parents throughout the West Contra Costa Unified School District. Students and parents will learn about how to make college a reality by participating in workshops for:

• Personal statement writing
• How to be competitive for college
• Choosing a college that’s your best fit
• How to pay for college, and the Richmond Promise
• Panel on college life with former WCCUSD students
• Getting a feel for college life outside the classroom with different college organizations

Graduating WCCUSD seniors who attend will be eligible for two $500 scholarships that will be raffled off at the end of the conference.

The event is hosted jointly by the City of Richmond, Early Academic Outreach Program (EAOP), the Ed Fund, West Contra Costa Unified School District, Writer Coach Connection, and the West County College Access Network (WCCAN), a consortium of 25+ organizations dedicated to increasing the number of college-bound students in the district.

There will be workshops available for both students and parents available, but students are not required to be accompanied by a parent to attend.

Please RSVP: Getting Ready for College RSVP

More information can be found at http://edfundwest.org/grfcc/ or by calling (510) 233-1464.

• 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 two weeks have included:

• Met, together with Finance Director Belinda Warner and Finance Department staff members, with auditors from the State Controller’s office to discuss the scope of their proposed review of the City’s submittal of its Annual Report;
• Met, together with Project Manager Lori Reese-Brown, with the team from Federal Advocates, the possible new legislative advocacy firm (their contract is on the upcoming City Council agenda), to discuss the City’s legislative and project funding priorities;
• Met with Katrinka Ruk and Bielle Moore, of the Council of Industries;
• Met with a group of realtors from Mason McDuffie to provide a status report on the City’s Rent Control and Just Cause for Eviction Ordinance;
• Participated in an extended phone conversation with ABAG Executive Director Ezra Rapport to discuss the proposal by MTC to organizationally transfer ABAG’s land use planning function to MTC;
• Met with the City’s bond financing team, including City staff, financial advisor, underwriter, and legal counsel, to discuss refinancing of the City’s 2005 pension obligation bonds;
• Met, together with Planning Director Richard Mitchell, with real estate economist Lynn Sedway, and staff from The Trust for Public Land, to discuss Ms. Sedway’s real estate analysis of Pt. Molate;
• Attended the monthly Council of Industries luncheon, at which Michael Kent, staff to the Contra Costa County Hazardous Waste Commission, provided an update on their activities;
• Attended the AB1234 Ethics training, expertly provided by staff from the City Attorney’s office;
• Participated in an extended phone conversation, together with Planning Director Richard Mitchell and staff member Lina Velasco, with Terry Waller, staff to Senator Loni Hancock, to discuss the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) activities related to the Zeneca site;
• Participated in a conference call with the Housing Committee of the Berkeley Global Campus Working Group;
• Participated in a conference call, along with the Mayor and the Mayor’s staff, with a team from the National Resource Network to discuss their project proposal;
• Received an update on the Unity Park project, from Public Works Director Yader Bermudez, the project consultant, and community members working on this project;
• Participated in my monthly update meeting with WCCUSD Superintendent Dr. Bruce Harter.

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.

• Update 2015 Community Survey Results

Every two years since 2007, the City of Richmond has conducted a community survey to help city officials evaluate services, measure resident satisfaction/use of current services, benchmark ratings for services provided by the City, and help plan for Richmond’s future. In 2015, surveys were mailed out to 3,000 randomly selected and geographically dispersed Richmond households. A total of 422 completed surveys were obtained, providing an overall response rate of 14% with a margin error of plus or minus five percentage points.

To review the survey reports, please use the following link: 2015 Richmond Community Survey.

• The 2015 Community Survey Available to All Richmond Residents to Complete

If your household was not one of the 3,000 households selected to receive the survey, but you would like to provide feedback to the City, now is your chance to do so. The 2015 Richmond Community Survey can now be completed by ALL Richmond residents in English or Spanish by accessing the following link:
www.n-r-c.com/survey/richmondncs.htm.

Feel free to contact LaShonda White in the City Manager’s Office at (510) 620-6828 with questions, comments, or to obtain a paper copy of the survey. Your input can help make the City of Richmond a better place to live, work, and play. We look forward to receiving your feedback!

• West Contra Costa Unified School District (WCCUSD) Seeks Public Input on School Building Process – Facilities Master Plan

Parents, students and interested stakeholders are invited to attend community meetings where they can give input on school facilities, which will lead to the development of a document that will guide future construction decisions.

The resulting facilities master plan will include an extensive analysis of demographic data, a physical assessment of several schools sites, prioritization and sequencing of remaining projects in the construction program, and overall recommendations relating to WCCUSD facilities.

One meeting will be held in each of the six high school attendance areas. All meetings are scheduled to run from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM in the respective school cafeterias on the following dates:

District voters have authorized six bond measures totaling $1.6 billion in revenues that are supplemented by $163 million in State funds; these State funds would not be available without the local approved bonds. After current projects are taken into consideration, the District has an estimated $200 million in bond authority available for future construction.

• September is Attendance Awareness Month

Attend school today to achieve tomorrow. In the spirit of attendance awareness month, the City is displaying posters and distributing coloring pages for children at Richmond libraries and recreation centers. The diversity of communities and schools across the United States celebrating Attendance Awareness Month can be seen on the Attendance Awareness Map, available at http://awareness.attendanceworks.org/map-2015/. Help us spread the word about the importance of school attendance!

• Hacienda Tenant Relocation Update

In January 2015, the Richmond Housing Authority received approval from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for the disposition of the Hacienda public housing development and approval of Tenant Protection Section 8 vouchers to assist in the relocation of the residents. The Housing Authority has retained the professional firm of Autotemp to provide relocation assistance for the residents. As of the week ending September 18, 2015, the following relocation activity has occurred:

Autotemp consultants are actively providing ongoing advisory assistance, rental referrals, and transportation for tenants to view new rentals.  In addition to the completed relocations, thirty-two (32) Hacienda households have been accepted or have applications pending at the newly constructed Harbor View Apartments, with an additional twenty-one (21) other households ported out to other jurisdictions, all but four (4) in the Bay Area. The Hacienda Relocation Plan was adopted on June 16, 2015 by the Housing Authority Board of Commissioners.

• Richmond Main Street Farmers’ Market Every Wednesday!

The Richmond Main Street Farmers’ Market is in full swing! Come downtown on Wednesdays, now through November 18th, from 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM at the Nevin Plaza (Nevin Avenue at 13th Street) for a fantastic selection of fresh seasonal fruits and veggies, artisan vendors, baked goods and treats, food booths, and more!

The market proudly offers the Market Match program which allows any CalFresh recipient who shops using their EBT card to get extra money to buy fruits and veggies! For example, spend $10 and get another $10 to spend. Visit the information booth for details.

For more information on the market, visit the Farmers' Market webpage, like our Facebook page, or call (510) 236-4049.

• Explore the Arts in Downtown with Art In Windows 

Richmond Main Street Initiative and the Richmond Arts and Culture Commission proudly present the return of Art in Windows! The current exhibition, featuring works by Angela Simms, Karen Seneferu, and Malik Seneferu, is now on display at three locations in downtown Richmond. All are invited to join us for the Art in Windows Fall 2015 Opening Reception, Art Walk & Mixer on Thursday, September 24th from 4:00 PM - 6:30 PM. 

Meet the artists, take a stroll around Downtown to view this exhibition and the public art in the neighborhood, and enjoy delicious light refreshments and no host wine bar. The reception begins at 4:00 PM. Art Walk departs from the Richmond Main Street Office (entrance at 402 Harbour Way) at 4:45 PM and returns at 5:30 PM (times are approximate) for more mingling and refreshments.

For more information, please call (510) 236-4049 or email admin@richmondmainstreet.org.

AIW is made possible through a partnership between Richmond Main Street Initiative and the Richmond Arts & Culture Commission, with support from Abdo Nasser and SparkPoint Contra Costa – West.

• 9/11 Memorial Climb 

This past September 11th, six off-duty firefighters from the Richmond Fire Department traveled to the state capital for the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation’s 9/11 Tribute Stair Climb.  September 11th Memorial Climbs are held annually throughout the country.  While wearing the names of fallen 9/11 firefighters of the Fire Department, City of New York (FDNY), Richmond firefighters climbed 110 stories in their full protective gear to commemorate the efforts of the 343 firefighters who lost their lives ascending the staircases of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Once on the roof, the names of the fallen were placed on model replicas of the twin towers. The special tribute not only honors their noble sacrifice, but symbolizes their final brave journey to save others in the face of danger. Funds raised help the foundation support and maintain programs for surviving families and co-workers. We shall never forget their service!  

• Nevin Avenue Improvement Project Update – Parking Restrictions 

The Nevin Avenue Pedestrian and Bicycle Improvements Project is a reconstruction of Nevin Avenue between 19th Street and 27th Street that will improve aesthetics and safety for travel between the Civic Center and Richmond BART Station areas. The project involves new sidewalks, curb and gutter, streetlights, landscaping and stormwater drainage improvements. 

As noted in prior updates, to accommodate the construction of these improvements, one way traffic control is in place and no on-street parking will be permitted, 24 hours a day on Nevin Avenue between 19th and 23rd Street.  Portions of 19th, 20th, 21st and 22nd Streets near Nevin Avenue are signed for resident parking only. Non-residents that may have been parking in this neighborhood are advised that parking is available west of the Richmond BART station at: 1) the BART parking structure at 16th and Macdonald Avenue, 2) the City-owned lot at 13th and Nevin Avenue, and 3) the City-owned garage at 12th and Nevin Avenue. Parking is also available east of the impacted area at the Richmond Civic Center. The parking restrictions will be in place for the duration of work on this phase, estimated to be approximately five months.

During the week of September 14th, excavation for storm drains between 19th Street and 23rd Street continued, while EBMUD continued relocation work related to the project. Traffic control was improved through adding signage, closing 19th Street, and closing two lanes of 22nd Street.  These improvements were made in order to respond to observed violations of the one-way traffic control.  For the week of September 21st, excavation for the new storm drain will continue, as will EBMUD relocation work.

For additional information or to be added to the project update contact list, please contact the project’s Public Outreach Coordinator Jacqueline Majors at (925) 949-6196. You can also follow the project on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/NevinAvenueProject. 

• 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. The project is intended to resolve long-standing access limitations to the Marina Bay area caused by frequent train crossings. Project completion is scheduled for late this fall. 

During the week of September 14th, the first of four bridge towers were installed.  Also, off-site fabrication of small “infill panels” for the sidewalk railing and decorative metal for the bridge and towers continued.  Additionally, work continued on modifications to the driveway and parking areas at the Crossings commercial complex.  The community is advised that some of this work is scheduled to occur after business hours to improve access to parking lot areas, including concrete paving which is tentatively planned for the night of September 18th.

For the week of September 21st, the second and third of four bridge towers will be installed, with possibility of the fourth also being installed late in the week.  The community is advised that during the installation of these towers, traffic control will be changed to place all traffic on either the northbound or southbound lanes, as applicable, to allow for the positioning of a crane.  Also, the offsite fabrication activities mentioned above will continue, as will and installation of irrigation system materials and pump station electrical. 

For additional information or 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.

First of four bridge towers

• Mathieu Court “Emerald Alleys” Project  

The Mathieu Court “Emerald Alley” Project is a combination Green Storm Water Management/Bike and Pedestrian enhancement project. This is a pilot project to retrofit alleyways as green infrastructure elements, and is designed to be replicated in other locations in the city. To that end, the City has applied the term “Emerald Alleys” to the overall concept, which ties in to the “Yellow Brick Road” concept developed by Pogo Park. The Mathieu Court project utilizes a combination of urban greening and transportation grant funds.  The project will manage stormwater, improve pavement and aesthetics of Mathieu Court between Barrett Avenue and Ripley Avenue.

This project is currently at the final design stage and is anticipated to be advertised for construction bids by October 2015.  In order to ensure the longevity of the proposed improvements, Veolia, through its contractor Ghilotti Bros. Inc., will be working to replace the aged sewer line under Mathieu Court beginning the week of September 14th.  The sewer work is expected to be completed in early October, and the Emerald Alley improvements are expected to commence in November/December 2015.

For additional project information, please contact Michael Williams, Development Project Manager at 510-307-8147.

Mathieu Court Sewer Replacement

• Cutting/Carlson Grade Crossing Improvements Phase I Project 

The Cutting/Carlson Boulevard Grade Crossing Improvement Phase I Project includes safety improvements at the Union Pacific Railroad crossing of Cutting Boulevard near Carlson Boulevard.  The Project includes a new sidewalk along the north side of Cutting Boulevard, improvement of pavement conditions, and construction of medians.  During construction, the community can expect periodic lane closures to allow for the placement of the medians and sidewalk. 

Roadway paving operations will require Cutting Boulevard to be fully closed to traffic, and this work is proposed to be performed at night to reduce traffic impacts.  The road closure is tentatively scheduled to occur during the week of September 28th, but is dependent on railroad work window and flagger availability.  Detour signage will be placed to direct westbound traffic from Cutting Boulevard north on 37th Street to Macdonald Avenue, then west to 22nd Street, then south to 23rd Street returning to Cutting.  The eastbound traffic will use the same route, in reverse.  Additional details on the timing of this closure and detour will be provided when confirmed.

Work completed to date includes demolition and completion of approximately 75% of the new medians, and formwork for the new sidewalk, curb and gutter.  For the week of September 21st, concrete will be poured for the sidewalk, curb and gutter, and demolition and formwork for median east of the railroad tracks.  Also next week, sewer and storm drain manholes will be lowered to allow grinding of the existing asphalt.

The project is anticipated to be complete in early October 2015.  For additional project information, please contact Steven Tam, Senior Civil Engineer, at 510-307-8112.

Sidewalk demolition and median work at
intersection of Cutting and Carlson Boulevards

• Information Technology 

Website Statistics

Top 10 Webpage visits for the week ending 09/18/2015
 

KCRT
DATANET SCREENS OF THE WEEK

City of Richmond Website and Mobile APP UPDATE

The City recently upgraded its website which now incorporates responsive design that allows the content on the City’s website to automatically adjust to the screen size of any device. Forget about using the pinch-zoom to see something. This responsive design makes content easy to view and easy to navigate on tablets and smartphones providing a great user experience no matter how the content is accessed.


Great News!! The City of Richmond mobile app is now available. It provides Richmond’s community members with one-stop access to City services and information.  You may watch the informational video  for an overview of the app available for free at Apple App Store for IOS devices and at Google Play for Android phones. 

The City of Richmond is looking forward to feedback from the community on this new Mobile APP. We welcome your comments at webservices@ci.richmond.ca.us.

• Public Public Works Updates

Facilities Maintenance Division:
Staff has been monitoring the progress on several projects throughout the City. The following is the status:

The Main Library ADA Restroom improvements are moving along well. The new wall studs in both restroom are over 50% complete, drain lines have been drilled and water heaters and circulation pumps will be installed shortly.

The ADA upgrades at the Senior Center is over 50% complete as well. Most of the rough plumbing and electrical are complete, the roof top equipment is installed, tiles are being installed and the kitchen cabinets will be completed and installed soon as well.

The Recreation Complex roof replacement is over 75% complete. The new roof access is near completion and most of the vents are installed. It should be done before the end of September, weather permitting.

Recreation Complex Roof Repairs

Utility Workers replaced bulbs at the Youth Works building, cleaned the carpets at the Richmond Swim Center and serviced 29 facilities.

Carpet Cleaning at the Swim Center

Parks and Landscaping Division:  
General maintenance crews repaired broken boards to the backstops at Tiller Park, fixed the fencing at Wendell and Nicholl Parks, continued pruning at the Civic Center, weeded medians on Cutting Boulevard and repaired irrigation at Lamoine and Nicholl Parks.

Irrigation Repair at Nicholl Park

Hilltop Districtcrews continued work on the landscaping project near AM/PM on the Richmond Parkway, continued general maintenance on the Richmond Parkway, weed abatement near the Lakeview apartments.

Marina District crews continued with vegetation management along the Bay Trail.

Bay Trail Maintenance

Tree crews cut or trimmed trees on or around: 2nd Street, 5th Street, 16th Street, South 20th Street, Sutter Street, Marina Way, Berk Avenue, McBryde Avenue, Lowell Avenue, Rheem Avenue, Roosevelt Avenue and Veterans Memorial Park.

Streets Division: 
Paving staff ground and paved at the Shipyard and worked on potholes and sidewalks from the outstanding lists.

Paving of the Shipyard

Street sweeping performed commercial and residential sweeping services for the second Monday and third Tuesday through Friday in the; May Valley, Vista View, Clinton Hill I, North Richmond, Iron Triangle, North Belding Woods, Atchison Village, South Belding Woods, Santa Fe, Coronado, Marina Bay and Point Richmond neighborhood council areas.

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