Mayor and Councilmembers:

This is the weekly report for the week ending December 4^th, 2009.

1.            Meeting Notes

The next regular City Council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, December 15^th.

2.         Richmond Bookmobile Gets a Makeover

The Richmond Public Library debuted the completed Bookmobile remodel this week.  Already the busiest “branch” of the bunch, it’s bound to get busier.  In October, the Bookmobile had 6,977 people (mostly children) get on to check out materials and take advantage of the Bookmobile’s services.  The vehicle is back on the road now following the new vinyl wrap, and, at one of the stops where there is usually a group of 25 kids coming on, there was a line of over 100.

The following shows the Bookmobile with its new vinyl wrap.  Illustrations were donated by children’s author Ashley Wolff – and already, all of her books have been checked out from the Bookmobile collection! 

3.         Status of Honda Port of Entry Project

On November 9^th, O.C. Jones and Sons, Inc., the selected site civil contractor for the Honda Port of Entry Project, officially commenced work.  Activities since then have included demolition of the asphalt pavements and fences in preparation for grading activities in the proposed loading rail yard.  Underground utility installation and railroad track related material staging has also commenced, and will continue for the next month, with early construction activities of the railroad track improvements also starting within the next month.

Of note regarding the project is the participation by Salvador Escobar, a local resident and engineering student at Contra Costa Community College.  Salvador is assisting and serving on the development team as a project intern.  Besides his education and professional aspirations, Sal is involved with Richmond Youth through the coaching of an under-14 co-ed team in the Richmond United Soccer Club.

4.         KCRT Continues to Troubleshoot at the Council Chambers

As you know, Councilmembers and staff have received a number of negative comments regarding sound and picture quality at the new City Council Chambers, and KCRT is continuing to work to improve these issues.  Specifically, KCRT staff has contacted an audio specialist to help correct the sound system in the Chambers to prevent feedback and other issues related to the sound system design.  They have also been working to correct the audio-video synchronization for the on-air signal. The in-Chambers synchronization is pending until after the sound issues have been addressed.  KCRT is also aware of the complaints regarding the TV picture from the Council Chambers being dark and grainy, and are working with the project’s electrical contractor to get enough light to provide a quality picture on video.

While feedback on the installed audio system is never a good thing, “feedback” from KCRT viewers and Council meeting attendees regarding sound and picture quality is always welcome.

5.         Richmond Library Baby Summer Reading Game

The Richmond Public Library offers a summer reading game each year from June to September to encourage reading, use of the library, and help students maintain or improve their school reading levels.  This year, a new program was added so that babies, from birth to age 5, could participate.  The baby summer reading game encourages parents and other adults to read to their babies and engage in learning games, fingerplays, and movement and music.  The adult summer reading game was presented for the second year.  Both the children’s and teen programs continued as usual.  In 2009, approximately 2,047 participants signed up for the program, an increase of over 19% from the 2008 program.

6.         Recreation Highlights

The following are highlights from the Recreation Department for the current week:

§  Senior Winter Ball:  The Recreation Department is assisting the Commission on Aging present the 12^th Annual Senior Winter Ball on Saturday, December 5^th (tomorrow) from 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM at the Richmond Memorial Auditorium.  The Commission on Aging has sold over 350 tickets for the highly anticipated event and participants are looking forward to a memorable celebration.

§  Thanksgiving Dinner:  The Recreation Department Senior Center celebrated Thanksgiving with an annual community dinner at which over 150 participants attended.

§  Holiday Craft Fair:  The Recreation Department held a Holiday Craft Fair on November 21^st at the Richmond Memorial Auditorium where 30 vendors sold handmade-only holiday craft items to over 125 patrons.

7.         Update on Public Works Projects

The construction of the Hilltop Richmond Police Department substation continues its excellent progress.  Walls and electrical wiring systems are completed and wall painting and tile work will start next week. The project now stands at 60% completion.

The lead and asbestos abatement at the MLK Community Center also continues progressing very well at approximately 50% of completion.

The Equipment Services division completed the installation of three new fuel management systems at the Waste Water Treatment Plant, Corporation Yard and Leona Street Fuel Station. This fuel management system will allow fuel to be utilized more efficiently by the City fleet, by better identifying vehicle maintenance needs, fuel consumptions, and other operating data.

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, CA 94804-1630

Phone:  510-620-6512

Fax:      510-620-6542

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