Mayor and Members of the City Council:

This is the weekly report for the two weeks ending March 31, 2017.

• 1. Meeting Notes

The next City Council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, April 4th at 6:30 PM. The agenda may be found by clicking this link: Richmond City Council Agenda Packet.

• 2. Richmond is “For the Birds” – In the Best Possible Way

The San Francisco Bay area – and the world – can get an astonishing view into the life of a pair of Ospreys that are nesting in Richmond, thanks to the launch of the region’s first live streaming Osprey nest camera.

Before nesting began this spring, the Golden Gate Audubon Society installed two high definition streaming video cameras at an Osprey nesting spot on the historic Whirley Crane at Shipyard 3 of the Port of Richmond. The live video stream, viewable at http://SFBayOspreys.org, will allow the world to enjoy close and personal views of an Osprey pair – named Rosie and Richmond – as they raise young over the next several months. The perspective on the nest affords a close-up view of Osprey family life, while also providing a breathtaking view of San Francisco Bay throughout the day.  At night, the cameras switch to infrared mode so that the sleep-time rituals of the family can also be viewable.

According to Cindy Margulis, Executive Director of Golden Gate Audubon, “Ospreys are successfully nesting along the edges of San Francisco Bay for the first time in recorded history.  The presence of these charismatic raptors highlights the environmental progress that’s been made in our region, and underscores the opportunities for people to help Ospreys prosper here. We believe that witnessing the life of an Osprey family along our urban shoreline can inspire the whole community to protect Ospreys and other Bay Area wildlife.”

Ospreys are one of nature’s wildest raptors, yet they are now choosing to breed near
people – even using human-made structures like the World War II-era Whirley Crane.  While Ospreys historically nested along Northern California lakes, none had been documented nesting on the Bay’s edge before the 1990s. Their numbers started growing in the 2000s, and, by 2016, there were 42 known Osprey pairs nesting, and 51 new Osprey fledglings joined the summer population last season.

Golden Gate Audubon’s new Osprey nest cams will operate 24 hours a day/7 days a week. Since it is still early in the nesting season, Bay Area residents will be able to observe ongoing bonding and courtship, followed by the incubating/hatching/fledging drama that will play out over the next several months.

Information about Ospreys and how local residents can help them is available on the web site that hosts the nest video stream, www.SFBayOspreys.org.  Golden Gate Audubon has also developed a set of free, downloadable lesson plans for secondary school teachers, using the nest cam to inspire enthusiasm for wildlife and ecology and interest in STEM (science/technology/engineering/math).  SFBayOspreys.org also hosts a chat room where Osprey fans can ask questions and share observations.

The City of Richmond thanks the Golden Gate Audubon Society, and all those who helped make this remarkable gift possible.  And, of course, we thank Rosie and Richmond for allowing us into their home.

• 3. Solar Installation Update at Triangle Court

The non-profit GRID Alternatives, in collaboration with the City of Richmond Environmental Initiatives Division, is finalizing the solar installation project for all 98-units at the Triangle Court community. The solar project was funded with $816,275 from State “Cap and Trade” funding and will significantly offset residents’ electric utility costs. Each household at Triangle Court is estimated to save over $18,000 on electric utility costs through the lifetime of the systems, with a total savings of $1.8 million for all 98-units. The 200 kilowatts of solar that GRID installed will also prevent approximately 3,850 tons of greenhouse gas emissions over the lifetime of the systems.

An aerial video of the installation showcasing the project’s success can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgNkE8yyQNo&feature=youtu.be.

Income-qualifying households interested in receiving a free solar system from the City’s partnership with GRID Alternatives should visit www.gridaltertatives.org/clients or call (510) 731-1333 for more information.

• 4. Richmond Rent Board to Have its Inaugural Meeting on Wednesday, April 5th

As you know, this past November, Richmond voters approved Measure L, the “Richmond Fair Rent, Just Cause for Eviction and Homeowner Protection Ordinance.”  Among other provisions, the ordinance establishes a five-member Rent Board, which was appointed by the City Council at its meeting of March 21st.  The inaugural meeting of the Richmond Rent Board Meeting will be Wednesday, April 5th at 4:00 PM in the City Council Chambers, 440 Civic Center Plaza, in Richmond.  You can access the meeting agenda by using this link:  Meeting Agenda.

To sign up for the Rent Program email listserv for up to date information about the Richmond Rent Program, use this link: Email Listserv. 

For more information, please contact the Richmond Rent Program at:

www.richmondrent.org
rent@ci.richmond.ca.us
510-620-6576 
Rent Program offices:

440 Civic Center Plaza
Second Floor 
Richmond, CA 94804

Hours:

Monday - Friday
9:00 AM -12:00 PM
1:00 PM - 4:00 PM

• 5. Richmond Treatment Plant Project Gets A Big Lift

The City of Richmond’s Waste Water Treatment Plant is operated and managed by Veolia Water. Since 2015, Veolia’s Contractor, Central Sierra, has been upgrading the plant with a $9.7 million electrical upgrade project, which includes the construction of three new switchboard buildings, a new 15kV switchgear substation, conduit routing, a fiber optic network, and four motor control centers.

One of the final touches came this past Friday, March 24th, with the arrival and set-up of the 80,000 pound 15kV electrical switchgear substation, which required a large crane to lift the electrical enclosure and place it precisely on its concrete foundation.

The contractor is continuing to pull conduit and set up all of the enclosures.

• 6. RichmondWORKS is Hosting a Lifelong Medical Care Meet & Greet Event

LifeLong Medical Care provides high-quality health and social services to underserved people of all ages; creates models of care for the elderly, people with disabilities, and families; and advocates for continuous improvements in the health of our communities. 

The Lifelong Medical Care team will be coming to RichmondWORKS for a Meet & Greet Event on April 12th from 10:30 AM to 12:00 noon.  Seating is limited.  To pre-register, please call Robbie Hurtado at (510) 307-8060. 

Ribbon cutting celebrating the opening of The Lifelong William Jenkins Health Center

• 7. City Manager Chronicles

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

Much of the activity during the past two weeks has been devoted to reviewing draft department budgets, together with Finance Department staff and department representatives.  Other meetings of note this past week included:

• Met with the Wastewater Enterprise financing team, working on the upcoming capital financing;
• Met, together with Infrastructure Maintenance Director Tim Higares, with the Assessment engineer and property owner representatives of the Hilltop and Marina Bay areas to discuss the landscape and lighting districts;
• Met, along with the budget team, with various union representatives (all unions were invited) to discuss the FY 2017-18 budget;
• Discussed with potential project consultants, and Environmental Manager Adam Lenz, a methodology for developing a “litter fee”;
• Attended the press conference for the “Osprey-cams” (see item 2, above);
• Met, along with Richmond Housing Authority Executive Director Tim Jones, with the Hacienda redevelopment project team;
• Attended the RichmondBuild 10th anniversary/32nd cohort graduation ceremony (more on this later);
• Met, along with Police Chief Allwyn Brown and Assistant Chief Bisa French, with School Superintendent Matt Duffy to discuss the school resource officer program.

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.

• 8. Port of Richmond Automobile Import News

The Port or Richmond continues to see their automobile import volumes steadily increase, with projected distribution of 120,000 Honda and Subaru vehicles in 2017.  Increased imports provide positive impacts on jobs and revenue for the City of Richmond. The Auto Warehousing Company, which leases property from the Port to operate the auto handling facility, is home to more than 200 employees that are primarily Teamster Union and Longshore Union members.

• 9. Community Services Highlights

Richmond Senior Center -- Leprechaun Visit!
The highlight for March was a visit to the senior center by a leprechaun on St. Patrick’s Day, Friday, March 17th. Some of the patrons were not quite sure what he was...but they all seemed to enjoy the time with him.

Richmond Senior Center – Zumba and Shimada Friendship Visit
One of our staff members, Myrian Glasser, helped lead a conga line in Oscar Solano's Zumba class on Friday afternoon, March 24th. On the same day, the Shimada ambassadors were at the Richmond Senior Center for their annual Sayonara dinner, from 6:00 PM to 8:30 PM.

At the dinner, the young ambassadors from Shimada received gift bags from Sharolyn Babb, of the Disabled People’s Recreation Center (DPRC), and Richmond Shimada Friendship Commission, and gift bags from other commission members.

Richmond Annex Senior Center (RASC) – St. Patrick’s Day Celebration 
On March 17th, the RASC hosted its annual Saint Patrick’s Day Celebration Luncheon. The event was a great success with 51 seniors attending the program.

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the food and music, and to everyone who helped prepare for the event. A special thanks to the musicians who performed: Rob Waxman, Guitarist; William Wu, Guitarist; Terry Smith, Guitarist; the 12 Sing-a-Long Singers; Lucy Datta, a senior from El Cerrito High who created and made the St. Patrick’s Day booth; and the Art and Craft ladies: Rita Caragmagno, Carolyn Shimming, Chuck Backman, Charles Chastain, and David Rohrer.

Disabled People’s Recreation Center
The Disabled People's Recreation Center (DPRC) has the privilege of hosting a music therapy class several days a week for their clients, as well as other Bay Area agency clients for over 30 years. The celebration for the 28th annual "Maya's Spring Music Festival" was held at the Richmond Recreation Center social hall on Sunday, March 19th. The event was an amazing day of music and dancing performed by people with developmental disabilities for over 200 guests.
Thank you to Maya's Music Therapy Fund for partnering with DPRC to provide a place to express and enjoy therapy through music; and to Mr. Lee, from Leadership School, and his group of eight students who came to the center and volunteered a helping hand. On the warmest day of last week, they all walked from their school and cleaned out eleven planter boxes of weeds. We appreciate all they gave to support our need.

Upcoming Events, Programs, and Volunteer Opportunities
Call 510-620-6793 for more information on any of the upcoming dates, and click on the links below for more information:
Spring Egghunt and Recreation Information Day! April 8th!
Join the Community Services Department in its annual egg hunt and parade! Parade at 9:30 AM and Egghunt at 10:00 AM.
Spring Break Camps – Starts Next Week on April 3rd!
Sign Up for the Elevate and Achieve Camps, available at multiple community centers.
Free Senior Workshop – April 18th
The Commission on Aging is sponsoring a workshop discussing the following subjects: power of attorney, nursing homes, health directive, family estate, living will, final wishes, preneeds, and more.
ServiceWorks – Save the Date!
ServiceWorks, powered by the City of Richmond Community Services Department in partnership with AmeriCorps, the Citi Foundation, and Points of Light, is a groundbreaking, national program that engages 16-24 year olds in Skill Building, Volunteering, and Success Coaching as strategies to help address barriers to youth economic opportunity within the targeted communities in ten major cities in the US. Richmond is one of these sites.
Through ServiceWorks, program participants -- also known as Service Scholars -- gain critical leadership and workplace skills, strengthened networks and community connections, AND the opportunity to apply those skills by volunteering and leading their own community service projects.
Do you know any young adults from the ages of 16-24 interested in becoming a leader? Are you interested in helping out your community? Would you like to host a workshop or mentor a young adult on their pathway to SUCCESS?
ServiceWorks Richmond is hosting a boot camp to celebrate National Volunteer Week on Saturday, April 29th from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. This boot camp is an energetic, one-day experience, giving participants (16-24)* an introduction on how service can be a pathway to college and career, and inspire YOU to become agents for change in your own communities all for FREE!
Workshop topics include:

• Program Management
• Community Building
• Communication and Networking (Understanding your communication style)
• Plus so much more!

Attendees will also participate in a service project that will benefit one of our local organizations in Richmond providing a great way to get some volunteer hours if you need them for your school.  A light breakfast and lunch will also be served and we will be raffling off some great prizes.
This promises to be an amazing event, so invite your friends, family, and peers to join as well!
*You must be between the ages of 16-24 to participate in the boot camp.
**Volunteers (18+) are NEEDED! Volunteers play a critical role in the success and impact of these boot camps. We are currently looking for Workshop Facilitators, Success Coaches, and General Event Volunteers. Short training will be provided prior to event.
MORE INFORMATION AND EVENT REGISTRATION COMING SOON!
Contact Vanessa Chau at (510) 620-6552 or at Vanessa_Chau@ci.richmond.ca.us for more information.

Love Your Block – Volunteer with the Parchester Village Children’s Edible Garden Team!
"Why try to explain miracles to children when you can just have them plant a garden?" - Robert Brault

On April 2nd and April 9th, volunteers are invited to join two City of Richmond/Love Your Block grantees to turn their dreams into a reality with two community workdays for a new children's garden.  The Parchester Village Children's Edible Garden team will be joined by community members and volunteers to build child sized picnic tables, planter beds, weeding, and preparation of the soil for planting. The project received generous support from sponsors including:  the City of Richmond, Republic Services, the Richmond Tool Library, and Reclaimed Redwood. Tools and snacks will be provided.

Event Details: 
Sunday April 2nd and April 9th 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Parchester Community Center (outside near basketball court)
900 Williams Drive, Richmond
Contact:  (510) 334-2215

• 10. Information Technology

Website Statistics

For the week ending 03/30/2017

Twitter Statistics
Tweet impressions increased by 10.2%
Followers are up!

KCRT DATANET OF THE WEEK

   


City of Richmond Mobile APP UPDATE
The City of Richmond’s mobile phone app is available on the Apple App store and Google Play store. 
 

This City of Richmond mobile app provides Richmond’s community members with one-stop access to City services and information via mobile devices. The app allows quick and real-time reporting of neighborhood-related issues; viewing the City’s Events Calendar; finding addresses and phone numbers of local businesses, city departments and council members. Locating one of Richmond’s numerous parks, and welcoming libraries and community centers, including reserving rental space for that special occasion are all done with ease!

You may view the City’s mobile app on YouTube: https://youtu.be/i4W1wVvB9fw

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

• 11. Engineering/CIP Departments

Engineering Division:

Via Verdi Road is continuing to be monitored very closely after being impacted by a new land slide. A detour for the area will be created until the soil beneath the roadway has become stable. There are monitoring systems in place and surveying of the area on a daily basis. Crews also continue to address hazards to the sidewalk and roadway as they arise to prevent damage to vehicles and injuries to citizens utilizing the area.

Via Verdi Road Detour Construction

Streets Division: 

Paving crews worked from the outstanding pothole list in various locations around the city, dug out La Miranda Drive, paved the pathway near Target, and continue to address asphalt issues on Via Verdi and Rifle Range Roads.

 
Paving of the Path near Target

Street sweeping staff performed commercial and residential sweeping services for the third and fourth Monday and Tuesday and the fourth and fifth Wednesday through Friday in the North Richmond, Iron Triangle, North Belding Woods, Santa Fe, Point Richmond Marina Bay, Coronado, Metro Richmore Village, Pullman, Cortez/Stege, Park Plaza, Laurel Park, City Center, Richmond Annex, Parview, Panhandle Annex, and Eastshore neighborhood council areas.

Signs and Lines crews fabricated 23 signs, installed six new signs and poles, repaired 32 signs and poles, and installed 1,449 feet of pavement markings and paint.

• Infrastructure Maintenance and Operations

Abatement:

Abatement crews performed weed abatement in vacant lots and public right-of-ways, cleared a homeless encampment, removed tons of debris from Civic Center tow yard, boarded and painted Port buildings, and removed graffiti and tons of illegal dumping throughout the city.

Vacant Lot Clean-Up

 
Kaiser Ship Yard Cafeteria Clean-Up

 
Terminal One Grafitti Removal

Debris Removal

Civic Center Tow Yard

Illegal Dumping

Code Enforcement:

Code Enforcement Officer Causey observed a wrecked and inoperable vehicle in the driveway of a home located in the Hilltop area. Officer Causey issued an abatment notice for the vehicle to the property owner and vehicle owner in January. The vehicle was to be repaired or removed. On March 15th, a compliance inspection was conducted and the vehicle was removed.

Inoperable Vehicle

Facilities Maintenance:

Carpenters secured Terminal 1 at the Port, secured the General Warehouse of the Rosie the Riveter National Park, completed work station modifications at City Hall, and replaced a door of the club house at the Bowling Green in Nicholl Park.

Painters made dry wall repairs and painted portions of the exterior of Fire Station #66.

Painting at Fire Station #66

Stationary Engineers repaired the exit gate at the Police Station, fixed the thermostat at the Richmond Police Activities League (RPAL) gymnasium, repaired locks at a City building, cleared sewer drain for restrooms at Nicholl Park, cleared sewer lateral line at the Men and Women of Valor Building, fixed the leak in the line to boiler #5, and maintained fencing for installation of bicycle lockers at the Family Justice Center.

Sewer Lateral Line Repair

Utility Workers removed spider webs around Civic Center Plaza, completed safety report items, set up various rooms for events, and maintained 29 City owned facilities.

Spider Web Removal

Electricians repaired lights in the Marina, replaced decorative signal knockdown at Macdonald Avenue and Marina Way, moved conduit for Art Center, repaired the turned signal head at Carlson and Bayview Boulevard, repaired knockdown at Richmond Parkway and Gertrude Avenue, and provided support for Swim Center vehicle charger installation.

Signal Repair

Parks and Landscaping Division:  

General maintenance crews weed whipped medians on May Road and Cutting Boulevard, painted benches and backstop at Wendell Park, and removed debris from the Richmond Greenway.

Cutting Median Maintenance

Hilltop District crews continued maintenance around Hilltop Mall business area, began weed abatement on Richmond Parkway center medians and off ramps, completed weed abatement on Richmond Parkway shoulders from San Pablo Aveneue to Giant Road off ramp, and started weed abatement in other Hilltop locations.

Hilltop Maintenance

Marina Districtcrews mowed lawns and completed maintenance at various Marina parks, continued weed abatement along right-of-ways, and continued abatement in area parking lots.

Marina Maintenance

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