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City Manager's Weekly Report for the Week Ending May 4th, 2007

Mayor and Councilmembers:

 

This is the weekly report for the week ending May 4th, 2007.

 

1.         Meeting Notes

 

The next City Council meeting is the Strategic Planning retreat on Tuesday, May 8th from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM at the Harbor Master Building.   The meeting will be facilitated by Patrick Ibarra, of the Mejorando Group.  You will find an agenda for this Strategic Planning work session in your packet.  There will also be a joint meeting of the City Council and Housing Advisory Commission that evening at 6:00 PM in the City Council Chambers.

 

2.         Construction Commences on the Bay Trail Fronting Brickyard Landing

 

Toll Brothers has commenced construction of the Bay Trail segment in front of Brickyard Landing along the north side of Brickyard Cove Road.  Toll Brothers will be paving a 10 foot wide asphalt trail, and will complete the required drainage improvements.  The City will be responsible for installation of finished landscaping.  Toll Brothers’ portion of this work is scheduled to be completed by May 18th, weather permitting.

 

3.         Upcoming Street Pavement Work

 

During the next two weeks, Bay Cities Paving and Grading is scheduled to be crack sealing and slurry sealing throughout the City as part of the City’s pavement management contract.  The list of streets that are scheduled to receive one of these two treatments is available on the City’s web site under the title 2006 Pavement Rehabilitation Project: 

 

http://www.ci.richmond.ca.us/documents/Engineering/2006%20Pave%20Rehab%20Loc%20Map%201.pdf.

 

The temperature will play a big role in the schedule for completing the slurry seal portion of this work.  It has recently been too cold in the mornings to use this surface treatment.

 

The grinding process that needs to done to complete the paving portion of the contract is scheduled to start by mid-June with the actual paving to begin by the end of June.  As this work gets closer to commencement, City Engineer Rich Davidson will be providing information regarding when each particular street is scheduled to be paved.

4.         OPEB (Other Post-Retirement Benefits) Actuarial Report

Marilyn Oliver of Oliver Consulting delivered the actuarial analysis of the City’s other post employment benefits (OPEB).  These benefits are almost wholly retiree health plan contributions.  The report estimated the total current value of OPEB benefits to be approximately $50 million.  The recommended annual contribution is $3.5 million, including $2.7 million per year over the next 30 years to fund the unfunded actuarial accrued liability, and $0.8 million per year for the benefits accruing during the year for current employees.  Currently, $2 million per year is paid to reimburse retirees for their health care costs.  Staff will be proposing to the City Council a financial strategy to deal with this OPEB liability in the near future.

 

5.         Testing a New Energy Efficient Street Light

 

At this past week’s Public Safety Committee meeting, staff was asked to contact a local electrical supply vendor to inquire about using a more energy efficient light bulb in the City’s street light system.  Todd Lewis, of Omega Pacific, has agreed to give provide the City with an LED light fixture to evaluate.  Within the next two weeks, Public Works staff will be installing this fixture into one of the City’s existing street lights located at the northeast corner of Marina Way South and Hall Avenue (pole #11247).   With this installation, we will be able to compare the amount of light emitted by this bulb with the light emitted by a conventional light bulb located across the street.  Staff will advise you when installation of this light fixture has been completed, and we invite your comments.

 

6.         Bi Annual REACT/CERT Community Drill

 

On Saturday April 28th, the City of Richmond hosted the bi-annual CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) drill at the Richmond Fire Training Center.  For the first time, three cities conducted the drill together.  Approximately 125 community members, including seniors, teens, and disabled, and emergency responders from the cities of Richmond, El Cerrito and San Pablo participated in the day long drill.  Other agencies participating in the drill for the first time included the San Pablo Police Department, the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District and Contra Costa County Animal Services. 

 

Students who completed the CERT or Richmond’s REACT (Richmond Emergency Action Community Team) program completed hands on training in fire extinguishment, rescue simulations with a trapped mannequin, training in first aid and triaging, a table top exercise on disaster response, and pet emergency preparedness planning, which is a new federal mandate. 

 

7.         California Volunteers Grant

 

The Office of Emergency Services has been awarded a $100,000 California Volunteers grant from the State of California to develop and conduct a disaster needs assessment for the Vulnerable Needs Population (seniors, people with disabilities, low-income, and non-English speaking).  Like most cities across the nation, Richmond has a large vulnerable needs population that will need assistance in preparing for emergencies. This project will help identify those needs and develop the resources necessary to help the City’s vulnerable population prepare and recover from any type of emergency.    

 

8.         Martin Luther King, III Visit

 

As you know, this past week, on Tuesday through Thursday, Martin Luther King, III visited the City of Richmond as part of his fifty-City Realizing the Dream: Poverty in America (A Listening and Learning Tour).  The tour is a national initiative for Martin Luther King, III to direct the nation’s attention to the challenges and opportunities of poverty. The initiative’s three components are:

 

1.      Listening and Learning Tour

2.      National Summit

3.      National Poverty Initiative

 

The tour included a walking tour of Parchester Village, North Richmond, Belding Woods and the Iron Triangle.  During his visit, Mr. King met with religious, civic, business, and government leaders at the Richmond Improvement Association’s Multi-Purpose Center located at 432 Barrett Avenue. The tour culminated in a town hall meeting at the Richmond Auditorium on Thursday with approximately 300 persons in attendance.

   

9.         Renovation of the City’s Community Centers

 

The following is a status report on the renovation of the City’s community centers:

 

·        The roofs at Shields-Reid and Parchester Village Community Centers, the Annex Senior Center and the Bayview Branch Library have been completed;

·        Roof work on the Memorial Youth Center and the Booker T. Anderson Community Center is in progress;

·        Asphalt for the basketball court/playground areas at Shields-Reid has been placed;

·        Painting of the gym walls has commenced at Booker T. Anderson Community Center;

·        Interior painting of the basketball court gym has been completed and the exterior painting of the building has commenced at the Memorial Youth Center;

·        Many other smaller repairs are underway at the previous centers as well as Nevin and Parchester Village Community Centers.

 

All work is still on schedule to be completed by June 15, 2007. 

 

 

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 Cinco de Mayo weekend and a great week!

  

Bill Lindsay

City Manager

City of Richmond

1401 Marina Way South

Richmond, CA 94804

 

Phone:  510-620-6512

Fax:      510-620-6542

e-mail:   bill_lindsay@ci.richmond.ca.us  

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