Mayor and Members of the City Council:

This is the report for the week ending June 16, 2017.

• Meeting Notes

The next City Council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, June 20th, beginning with Closed Session at 6:00 PM, followed by the regular meeting at 6:30 PM.  The agenda may be found by clicking this link: Richmond City Council Agenda Packet.

• Richmond Juneteenth Celebration

On Saturday, June 17th, Richmond’s Nicholl Park will come alive for the annual Juneteenth Family Day Parade and Festival.

The festival is held annually in Richmond and across the country as the oldest known celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States. Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19th that the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free.

The event is free and open to all ages. The day will start with a parade beginning at Marina Way and Cutting Boulevard at 9:00 AM, with former City Councilmember Nat Bates serving as Grand Marshal, followed by a festival at Nicholl Park (Macdonald Avenue and 31st Street) from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM. The park festival will feature live music on two stages, food, contests, children’s activities, and more. Be sure to join us for this wonderful and fun Richmond tradition!

• 2017 Love Your Block Awards Celebration Honors Resident Volunteers

This past Wednesday, June 14th, I had the privilege of attending the Second Annual 2017 Richmond Love Your Block Awards Celebration in recognition of the accomplishments of grant recipients, residents, volunteers, and community partners. Over 50 guests joined in the celebration of beautification projects that included neighborhood clean-ups, murals, community gardens, and solar light installation. Grant recipients, volunteers, and donors reflected on their experiences as well as the meaning and impact of Love Your Block.

Supervisor John Gioia, Alex Knox, Chief of Staff to Mayor Tom Butt, and I each offered remarks on the importance of community engagement, resident ownership, and neighborhood beautification and revitalization.

During its second year, Love Your Block awarded 8 mini-grants to Richmond residents and local organizations who envisioned community spaces that would beautify and sustain their neighborhoods:

• 18th Street Peace Garden
• Batter Up for Sprucing Up
• Dirt World Bike Park
• Fred’s Oasis
• Parchester Village Children’s Edible Garden
• Santa Fe Union Park Improvement Project
• Shields-Reid Children’s Garden and Mural
• Welcome to Parchester

Last Friday, I was fortunate enough to be given a tour of these projects by the Love Your Block Team, and I was astounded by their creativity, elegant simplicity, and community impact.  The volunteer organizers for these projects, as well as the City’s Love Your Block Cities of Service Team, deserve tremendous accolades for their effort.

The City of Richmond Love Your Block Team (left to right):
Nadia Perez, Community Services Director Rochelle Monk, Stephanie Ny, and Erica Ito
(photo by Don Gosney)

• The 2017 Richmond Community Survey is Available Online!

One of the best ways to improve Richmond’s services is to ask the people that live here what they think. With this in mind, the City of Richmond is pleased to announce that all Richmond residents are now invited to participate in the 2017 Community Survey online!

Richmond residents not randomly selected to participate in the survey now have an opportunity to have their opinions heard. The community-wide version of the survey is now available online at http://bit.ly/richmondca2017 in Spanish and English. The deadline to participate in the online opt-in survey is Monday, July 3, 2017.

If you were selected to participate in the written survey, please return the completed survey as soon as possible.

Your input can help make the City of Richmond a better place to live, work and play. Feel free to contact the City Manager’s Office with your questions at 510-620-6512.

• RichmondBUILD Receives a $637,500 Grant for Construction Pre-Apprenticeship Pipeline for Ex-Offenders Training Initiative

This past week, RichmondBUILD staff learned that their award winning program will receive a grant from the California Workforce Development Board in the amount of $637,500 to train and serve ex-offenders. RichmondBUILD’s proposal was submitted under the Construction Pre-Apprenticeship Pipeline for Ex-Offenders Training and Implementation grants initiative. The grant will fund job training, employment services, and supportive services for 98 ex-offenders, with an emphasis on serving females, and will include outreach and coordination of support services with community agencies serving the re-entry population.  RichmondBUILD’s partners for this grant will include Richmond Police Department, Re-Entry Success Center, Rubicon, San Pablo Economic Development Corporation, and Probation and Parole Departments.

Interested applicants should contact RichmondBUILD staff at (510) 621-1781.

• WCCUSD Is Working to Make Sure that No Child in West Contra Costa County Goes Hungry When Schools Are Closed This Summer

This past Monday, I had the privilege of attending and serving lunch at the West Contra Costa Unified School District (WCCUSD) Summer Food Service Program Kick-Off Barbecue.  This event was the start of the Seamless Summer Food Service Program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which is the largest federal resource available for local programs that combine mealtime with recreational and educational activities during the summer months. 

Summer meal programs prepared by WCCUSD Food Service are located at approved sites that are either in low-income areas or serve a group of children, most of whom are low-income. Hosts of the summer program for this year include faith based organizations, non-profit organizations, schools and local government agencies, including multiple locations in the City of Richmond.  Click here for a schedule and a list of sites.

• Notice of Development Opportunity – Macdonald Avenue Corridor Properties

On June 7th and June 14th, City staff hosted two pre-proposal, informational meetings for developers interested in the City’s latest RFQ/P.  All interested developers are encouraged to review the RFQ/P – highlighting four Opportunity Sites – intended to serve as major activity centers that will facilitate the economic and cultural heart of the City, and connection to the greater Bay Area.

Each site is within walking distance of the Richmond Multi-Modal Transit Station – with access to BART, Amtrak, and AC Transit – as well as assets including the Kaiser Richmond Medical Center and the East Bay Center for the Performing Arts.

The Richmond City Manager’s Office is accepting first-round development proposals until July 7th, 2017 at 12:00 PM (PST). A copy of the Request for Qualifications and Proposals is accessible at www.ci.richmond.ca.us/opportunitysites. All attachments and questions are available on the website.

Please contact Mike Uberti at mike_uberti@ci.richmond.ca.us or (510) 620-6512 for more information.

• Community Clean-Up in North Richmond!

Join us on June 23rd from 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM and June 24th from 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM for the beautification of Shields-Reid! Help us take pride in our beautiful park and join us for fun sports activities following the renovation. There will be BBQ, music, giveaways, and more!

• We Need Your Input on the City’s Local Hazard Mitigation Plan

The City of Richmond is updating its Local Hazard Mitigation Plan in partnership with Contra Costa County. The Local Hazard Mitigation Plan serves as a coordinating document for the City and approximately three dozen local agencies and special purpose districts to reduce their risks from a wide range of potential natural and non-natural hazards, including earthquakes, floods, wildfires, and extreme heat.

You can be a part of this effort to update the current plan by taking just a few short minutes to fill out our brief survey.

The current plan was developed in 2011 and approved in April of 2012; it is expected that the update process will take approximately six months. Thank you for your time and contribution to this effort!

• City Manager Chronicles

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

Meetings of note this past week included:

• Attended and served lunch at the West Contra Costa Unified School District (WCCUSD) Summer Food Service Program Kick-Off Barbecue (see item [5] above);
• Met with Planning and Building Services Director Richard Mitchell and Infrastructure Maintenance and Operations Director Tim Higares to discuss code enforcement staffing and procedures;
• Met with staff representatives from the Y-PLAN program, along with Planning Project Manager Lina Velasco and Management Analyst Gabino Arredondo, to discuss possible projects for the 2017-18 academic year;
• Attended the North Richmond Municipal Advisory Council meeting, at which the fiscal analysis for annexation of North Richmond to the City of Richmond was presented (Senior Management Analyst LaShonda White and Police Chief Allwyn Brown were also in attendance);
• Met with Finance Director Belinda Warner and Water Resource Recovery Director Ryan Smith, along with the bond finance team, to review documents associated with the wastewater capital improvement bond financing;
• Attended the Love Your Block awards celebration (see item [2] above);
• Met with Richmond Promise Executive Director Jessie Stewart to discuss program status.

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.

• Kick-Off Summer FUN with Healthy Village Festival

Richmond Main Street invites the entire community to come Downtown Richmond for the 8th annual Healthy Village Festival on Saturday, June 24th from 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM at the Community Green Space (Harbour Way & Macdonald Avenue).

Healthy Village Festival is sure to be a super fun family event all about health and wellness in Downtown! The event will feature ZUMBA, Health Tips, Giveaways, Fitness Breaks, Animals, Pony Rides, Music, Info Booths, Vendors, Arts and Crafts, and more! Plus...Bike Smoothies by Rich City Rides, “Ask the Doc” hosted by Kaiser Permanente, Food Vendors Rosemary’s Kitchen and Civil Pops, Fitness demos by certified ZUMBA instructors and Anytime Fitness, and a Downtown History (mini) Hike – tours depart at 11:00 AM & 12:00 PM.

Admission is free. All are welcome. For more information, visit RichmondMainStreet.org, call (510) 236-4049, or email admin@richmondmainstreet.org

• Summer of MINECRAFT Camp

For the third summer in a row, the City of Richmond is hosting Summer of MINECRAFT summer camp for student’s grades 4-8 and ages 9-13. This program runs from Monday, June 12th to Friday, August 4th from 10:00 AM to noon.

• Community Services Highlights

ServiceWorks Scholars at John Henry High School Fundraise $200 for Bay Area Rescue Mission!

On May 26th, John Henry High School ServiceWorks Scholars hosted a fundraiser for their fellow students to throw pies and water balloons at their teachers and principal. This fundraiser was to raise awareness and to support Bay Area Rescue Mission! They raised up to $200 to donate to Bay Area Rescue Mission!

Congratulations to the ServiceWorks Scholars at John Henry High School for their hard work!

ServiceWorks Hosted Global Community Day on June 10th to Clean-up Nicholl Park!

On June 10th, ServiceWorks Richmond partnered with the City of Richmond Community Services Department, Richmond Tool Library, and Richmond Love Your Block to host a clean up to celebrate Global Community Day!

More than 20 volunteers came out to revamp the Richmond Tool Library and clean up Nicholl Park and the Community Services Department on a lovely Saturday afternoon! Volunteers helped collect 16 bags of trash and yard waste in two hours.
In addition, in support of the Community Services Department’s Spring Clothing Drive benefiting Bay Area Rescue Mission, a few volunteers did some summer cleaning and brought out clothes and clothing essentials.

Thank you to all our volunteers for coming together to clean up our community!
Interested in creating a service project or have volunteer opportunities for our youth? Contact Vanessa Chau at Vanessa_Chau@ci.richmond.ca.us!

• Information Technology

Website Statistics
For the Week Ending 06-16-2017

Tweets and Facebook followers are up!

• Total actions on page are up by 100%
• People reached are up by 64%
• Post engagement is up by 29%
•  

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.

• Engineering/CIP Departments

Streets Division
 
Paving crews continued with the paving of 34th Street from Roosevelt Avenue to Garvin Avenue, set up for Juneteenth Parade and celebration, and worked from the outstanding pothole list in various locations around the City.

Paving on 34th Street

Street sweeping staff performed commercial and residential sweeping services for the second Monday through Wednesday and the third Thursday and Friday in the May Valley, Vista View, Clinton Hill I – III, Atchison Village, South Belding/Woods, Santa Fe, Coronado, Marina Bay, and Point Richmond neighborhood council areas.

Signs and Lines staff fabricated eight new signs, installed five new signs and poles, repaired 46 signs and poles, installed five pavement markings, and painted 108 feet of curb.

Pavement Marking Installation

• Infrastructure Maintenance and Operations

Abatement

Crews removed a homeless encampment, performed weed abatement in various locations and along the Richmond Parkway medians, abated alleyways and lots, and continued with removing illegal dumping and graffiti throughout the City.

Median Weed Abatement

Alley Clean-up

Lot Clean-up

Homeless Encampment

Facilities Maintenance

Carpenters replaced the restroom door at Nevin Park, installed bathroom tiles in the shower at Fire Station #61, and repaired the security gate at the Parchester Community Center.

Painters completed the painting of the exterior of the Senior Annex Community Center.

Painting at the Senior Annex Center

Stationary Engineers replaced the broken window at the Disabled Peoples Recreation Center (DPRC), replaced the window in the door of the rear door of the Auditorium, made keys for various departments, fixed the panic hardware on the door of the Parchester Community Center, met with Park coordinators in regards to creating keys, and inspected fire extinguishers in multiple locations and community centers.

Parks and Landscaping Division
 
General maintenance crews weed whipped the Clinton Avenue turn around, weed whipped the Greenway behind the 1300 block of Ohio Avenue, completed irrigation repairs at LaMoine and Rain Cloud Parks, weed abated the Cutting Boulevard medians from South 23rd to South 49th Street, weeded overpasses, performed fence repair on the Greenway, and cleared the medians on McBryde Avenue.

Cutting Boulevard Median Abatement

The tree crew cut or timmed trees on Wall Avenue between South 41st and South 47th Streets and on the Macdonald Avenue medians from 8th and 9th Streets .

Hilltop Districtcrews continued maintenance around Hilltop Mall business area, continued with the Richmond Country Club Vista landscaping project, and began weed abatement along Hilltop Drive.

Hilltop Maintenance

Marina District crews placed 1200 yards of mulch, performed irrigation repairs, cleaned Lucretia Edwards Park, and cleaned the Marina Bay parking lot.

Mulch Placement in the Marina

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