Mayor and City Council:
This is the weekly report for the week ending May 3rd, 2013.
The next meeting of the Richmond City Council is noticed for Tuesday, May 7th, beginning with a Closed Session at 5:00 PM, followed by the regular agenda at 6:30 PM.
- City of Richmond Awarded KaBOOM! Grant for Belding Garcia Park
On April 15th, the City of Richmond received word that it was awarded the KaBOOM! Community Partner Program grant for Belding-Garcia Park. This grant program helps engage the community surrounding the park in the design and building of a new playground.
KaBOOM! is a national nonprofit organization that envisions a great place to play within walking distance of every child in America. The organization connected the City of Richmond with a private funder that will provide a financial gift, matching a City contribution, and volunteers for building the playground.
The private funder that has chosen to support the Belding-Garcia Park project is Livie & Luca, a children’s shoe store. Livie & Luca embraces bold designs and fanciful modern touches that capture the playful, jovial essence of childhood. The designs are inspired by nature, folklore, vintage and the rich imagination of children. Livie & Luca want kids to be able to navigate playgrounds, city streets and dirt pathways with style and ease. Livie & Luca strongly believes in creating a better world for children and donates 10% of its online sales to charity. They also partner with their customers and Art for Humanity to facilitate the donation of gently-worn shoes to children in Honduras. Through their philanthropy, children living in poverty are provided with, quite possibly, their first pair of shoes for school, and protection from soil-borne infections caused by walking barefoot.
Livie and Luca requested that the Belding-Garcia Park project incorporate sensory play components to serve children with disabilities as well as a gardening component. Based in this request by the funder, City staff decided to put themselves into “the shoes” of a youth with a disability. Sharolyn Babb, Recreation Program Coordinator and Recreation Program Specialist from Disabled Persons Recreation Center, took the lead on planning a fieldtrip for a City team to Mateo’s Dream playground in Concord and Roberts Regional Recreation area in Oakland, both of which are accessible playgrounds. During these visits, the City team was able to experience what it was like to be in a wheelchair and to have sight impairments. Overall, the team was provided with a very enriching educational experience which will be applied throughout the design and building of the new playground at Belding-Garcia Park.
Team at Roberts Regional Recreation Area
- City of Richmond 2013 Community Survey
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 the 2013 Community Survey! Questionnaires have been sent to a random sample of 3,000 Richmond households asking for feedback on the quality and usefulness of city services.
The purpose of the survey is to help City officials evaluate services, measure resident satisfaction with current services, and to help plan for Richmond’s future. The results from the survey will be included in a final report available to all City officials, staff and residents.
Residents can contact the City at (510) 620-5458 with questions, comments, or to obtain a survey in Spanish. If you or someone you know receives a survey, we would greatly appreciate it if you could complete it and return it to us. Your input can help make the City of Richmond a better place to live, work and play.
- Richmond High School Y-Plan Presentation: “Unifying Two Worlds: Connecting Richmond”
This past Tuesday, April 30th, Richmond Health Academy students at Richmond High School provided outstanding presentations on their final “Y-Plan” projects. Y-Plan is an award-winning, work-based learning initiative created by the University of California, Berkeley Center for Cities and Schools, in which students are engaged as genuine stakeholders in local planning projects with the mentorship of UC Berkeley students in urban planning, design, and education. The City of Richmond has both assisted with, and benefitted from, this outstanding program for the past several years.
This year, students from two of Jose Irizarry’s classes at Richmond High School presented their recommendations on the project topics, “Connecting the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory to Richmond” and “More than Just Transit: Improving Connectivity in Richmond.” The audience included representatives from the City of Richmond, Richmond High School, West Contra Costa Unified School District, and UC Berkeley.
The presentations were outstanding, reflecting excellent work by both the students and their mentors, and the ideas will be used. We thank the students and coordinators for their work and for their excellent recommendations regarding these important Richmond projects.
- City’s Office of Neighborhood Safety Featured at National Conference
Last week, the Office of Neighborhood Safety (ONS), Richmond’s non-law enforcement gun violence intervention agency, provided the opening plenary session for the National Forum for Black Public Administrators (NFBPA) FORUM 2013 in Atlanta, Georgia.
The Plenary Session entitled “Chapter 2: Government at Work Keeping Young Men of Color Alive and Free - Reducing Youth [Gun] Violence by Leveraging Relationships and Mobilizing Power Across Artificial Boundaries” is the second in a series planned to introduce Richmond’s unique government solution designed to reduce gun violence in urban America. The session provided the City of Richmond’s Office of Neighborhood Safety as a case study examining the importance and necessity of leveraging, organizing and mobilizing relationships and networks of power towards advancing promising solutions and practices within and outside of implementing jurisdictions. The Richmond Office of Neighborhood Safety is the only government agency of its kind in the country with a sole focus of reducing firearm assaults from a non-law enforcement lens.
Also featured at this session was the ONS Operation Peacemaker Fellowship strategy. The Fellowship provides intensive outreach and targeted services to those who are the most active firearm offenders in Richmond who have avoided sustained criminal consequences. The goal of the Fellowship is to change individual thinking and unhealthy group norms that give rise to destructive, unhealthy behaviors and actions. The ONS and Fellowship gun violence intervention model have received national attention as promising practices for reducing urban youth gun violence.
The panel presentation included, from the Office of Neighborhood Safety, Neighborhood Change Agent Sam Vaughn, ONS student Ambassador Rohnell Robinson and Chief Glenn Sapp, from the Quincy, Florida Police Department. Also traveling from Richmond to Atlanta were ONS staff and ONS youth Ambassador Eric Welch and Sr. Fellow Kianti Gix. ONS youth Ambassadors are past Sr. Fellows who have “graduated” from the Fellowship with very impressive participation rates and program engagement, and have obtained long-term employment and/or are enrolled in in college. ONS student Ambassadors have also made a public declaration of commitment to remain free of involvement in gun violence, and provide support to ONS staff in the further development of the Operation Peacemaker Fellowship and its goals.
The National Forum for Black Public Administrators is America’s premier association for black public leadership. NFBPA’s mission is to strengthen the capacity of state and local government manager’s through intensive training, professional development programs, and the resources of a powerful network of members and supporters.
ONS Ambassador Eric Welch, ONS Sr. Fellow Kianti Gix, ONS Staff Joe McCoy, ONS Staff Sam Vaughn, ONS Ambassador Rohnell Robinson, and Chief Glenn Sapp of the Quincy Florida Police Department.
- More on the Office of Neighborhood Safety: Youth Ambassador to Serve as Summer Policy Fellow for the Campaign for Youth Justice in Washington, DC
Office of Neighborhood Safety (ONS) Youth Ambassador Eric Welch has been chosen to serve as Summer Policy Fellow for the Campaign for Youth Justice (CFYJ) in Washington, DC (see item 5 above for a description of the Youth Ambassodors).
The CFYJ Policy Fellow will be a full time intern in Washington, DC between June 10th and August 9th. The responsibilities of the fellow will include assisting senior staff with preparing and organizing Capitol Hill visits, providing Congressional members’ education, coordinating conference calls and webinars on Federal Juvenile Justice issues, assisting with drafting and editing action alerts and outreach materials for grasstop and grassroots networks, assisting with implementation of the Campaign’s Alliance of Youth Advocates outreach plan; developing a plan for CFYJ’s new national youth initiative in Washington, organizing events with youth that have been affected by the justice system; supporting outreach plans and dissemination strategies for new report releases including ‘Sharing Your Story’ for the Alliance for Youth Justice members, and periodic writing for the CFYJ blog.
Eric Welch graduated from the ONS Operation Peacemaker Fellowship after more than two years of participating, becoming one of four founding members of the ONS Youth Ambassadorship in September 2012. As described above, ONS Youth Ambassadors are past Sr. Fellows who have “graduated” from the Fellowship with very impressive program participation rates and engagement, and have obtained long-term employment and/or are enrolled in college. ONS Youth Ambassadors have also made a public declaration of commitment to remain free from involvement in gun violence, and provide support to ONS staff in the further development of the Operation Peacemaker Fellowship and its goals.
Upon hearing of the news of his selection, Eric said “I am so excited, I feel tremendously blessed by and grateful for this opportunity. The ONS family has prepared me in such a way that I cannot fail!” ONS Director DeVone Boggan commented that “we are extremely proud of Eric, his hard work, his commitment to making healthier decisions, and his leadership in helping to make the City of Richmond a healthier and safer place to live, learn, work and play. He is a great example for his peers and to anyone who may doubt that people can change and in the virtue of hard work.”
The Campaign for Youth Justice (CFYJ) is dedicated to ending the practice of trying, sentencing, and incarcerating youth under 18 in the adult criminal justice system. The Campaign works in partnership with state-based campaigns in a number of states. CFYJ serves as a clearinghouse of information on youth prosecuted as adults and makes tools and resources available to those interested in learning and taking action on an issue that personally affects them.
CFYJ strongly believes that any movement must involve those who are most impacted by the laws and policies. Thus, CFYJ seeks to empower those affected by encouraging them to use their voices and experiences to effect meaningful change.
- Richmond ESC’s (Excellence Serving our Community) Global Youth Service Day Activities
On Saturday, April 27th, Richmond ESC hosted five events to engage youth and promote youth service. Youth ages 5 - 25 (and many adult volunteers) dedicated their weekend to making a positive difference in our community in honor of Global Youth Service Day.
The events included:
- The AWARE Conference: Preventing Rape and Sexual Assault Workshops at Richmond High School,
- Global Youth Day of Service in Honor of Cesar Chavez and the Butterfly and Caterpillar Garden on the Richmond Greenway by 16th Street,
- Healthy Kids Day at the Coronado YMCA,
- The Peace Celebration at Contra Costa College, and
- The Civic Center Plaza Clean-Up.
Global Youth Day of Service in Honor of Cesar Chavez
At this signature event, Richmond ESC http://richmondvolunteers.org/about partnered with Urban Tilth http://www.urbantilth.org/ to honor Cesar Chavez as well as plant a new butterfly and caterpillar garden. The celebration began with opening remarks by Mayor Gayle McLaughlin, who shared some inspiring quotes from Cesar Chavez.
Volunteers helped plant flowers for the new butterfly and caterpillar garden, made bike-powered smoothies, created murals on trash cans, learned how to make clones of plants from simple sticks, provided face painting, and most importantly had fun volunteering.
Ariel Norwood, a junior at Kennedy High, led the Butterfly and Caterpillar Garden project. When asked why she wanted to build a garden for caterpillars and butterflies, she said, "I’m really passionate about making a garden in our community, because there aren’t many places for butterflies." With this in mind, a group of volunteers planted over 15 cuttings, and 25 plants.
Assertive Women Acting Responsible and Empowered – A.W.A.R.E. Conference
At Richmond High School, Victoria Bellido, a senior from Middle College High School, and representatives from Community Violence Solutions co-led the A.W.A.R.E Conference, a series of workshops to educate young girls about rape and sexual assault. Victoria was a freshman at Richmond High School when the tragic gang rape incident occurred in 2009. This event stirred Victoria to do something about the issue and now, as her high school career comes to a close, she has seized the opportunity to volunteer to educate her peers. The four-hour event entailed self-defense training, lunch, raffles, and a clothesline art project. The conference concluded with a very informative rape culture workshop. The conference was a powerful experience for the young girls. As several of them prepare for college in the fall, they now have the knowledge and skills to stand up for themselves.
The conference was made possible through in-kind support and sponsorships from Community Violence Solutions, the Richmond Police Department’s Crime Prevention Unit, Richmond ESC, and Richmond High School Principal Mr. Julio Franco.
KIWIN’s Civic Center Plaza Clean-Up
The Richmond High School KIWIN’s Club, Jade Division, held their second clean-up of Civic Center Plaza as part of their adopt-the-plaza service initiative. From 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM, the KIWIN’s picked up trash, pulled weeds, and scraped gum off the plaza floor. The dedicated team of eighteen will oversee maintenance of the plaza by volunteering twice a month through the remainder of the school year and will start up again in the fall. Go KIWIN’s!
View more pictures of Richmond ESC's GYSD projects and other events on its Facebook page, www.facebook.com/RichmondESC
- West Contra Costa County Bi-Annual Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Drill
On Saturday, April 27th, the City of Richmond Office of Emergency Services, the Richmond Fire Department, the El Cerrito Fire Department and the San Pablo Police Department jointly held their bi-annual CERT drill at the Richmond Fire Department Training Center. Over 100 students participated in this drill which is the culmination of over twenty hours of life saving instruction over the past two months.
The training included instruction and hands on experience on:
- Team development and management
- Emergency preparedness for individuals, families, work and neighborhoods
- Lifesaving medical operations one and two, which encompasses medical triage and disaster first aid
- Fire Suppression – how and what fires you can fight and with proper extinguishers
- Utility Control – how and when to shut off your utilities
- Shelter-In-Place Instructions and awareness of hazardous materials around us
- Light Search and Rescues techniques
- Disaster Psychology and terrorism awareness
- Disaster Psychology, and
- Effective CERT Communications
For the drill, students were divided into various teams. With the assistance of over 30 trained instructors and volunteers, the teams worked through a full day of rescue scenarios in response to a major earthquake. At the conclusion of the eight hour drill, all students received a certificate qualifying them to form emergency response teams in their neighborhoods. These CERT Neighborhood teams will help residents become more self-sufficient and increase survivability during the next disaster that impacts us.
The feedback from the CERT participants was extremely positive and they are anxiously ready to return to their neighborhoods and join or develop their own team. This is the nineteenth year that the City of Richmond has offered this critical lifesaving training program to the community. The next CERT Course will start on August 28, 2013. For more information please contact the Richmond Fire Department at (510) 307-8031.
Cribbing and Lifting Rescue Operations
Fire Suppression Operations
Triage and First Aid Treatments on “Victims” after they were rescued
- South Richmond Shoreline Specific Plan Advisory Group Meeting
On Tuesday, April 23rd, the City of Richmond and South Richmond Shoreline Specific Plan consultant team hosted the first Advisory Group meeting. The Advisory Group is made up of various stakeholders and will assist with information sharing and outreach to the community regarding the South Richmond Shoreline Specific Plan. The Specific Plan will serve as a coordinated and strategic plan for development of the South Richmond Shoreline study area and for capturing of benefits from the proposed Richmond Bay Campus project. The City of Richmond was awarded a Priority Development Area Planning Grant from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission to develop the Specific Plan by 2015. For more project information, visit www.ci.richmond.ca.us/southshorelinespecificplan.
- MCE Clean Energy Program Updates
What is the MCE Clean Energy Program?
MCE is a public agency and not-for-profit electricity provider that gives customers the choice of having 50% to 100% of their electricity supplied from clean, renewable sources such as solar, wind, bioenergy, and hydroelectric at competitive rates.
Community Choice Aggregation programs such as MCE allow cities and counties to offer their citizens and businesses another option for where to purchase electricity besides the current utility (PG&E). MCE's goal is to provide a greater support for renewable energy at competitive rates to Richmond residents and businesses. By choosing MCE, Richmond's electric customers help support the development of new in-state and local renewable energy generation.
MCE Community Meeting – Monday, May 13th
On Monday, May 13th, from 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM at Lovonya De Jean Middle School (3400 Macdonald at Harry Ells), MCE and the City of Richmond will host the second of three Community Events to answer questions from the public about the MCE Richmond partnership. This event will primarily be held in Spanish, and is intended to help reach Richmond's residents and business owners who speak Spanish as a first language.
MCE Program Enrollment and Opt Out Notices
MCE sends five notices as part of its effort to help electric customers make an informed decision. The notices will inform customers of the electricity service choices they have with instructions on how to opt out or how to obtain more information about the program.
By now, all customers have received the first enrollment notice. MCE began mailing the second enrollment notice to electricity customers the week of April 22nd. Electric customers continued to receive the second enrollment notice through the week of April 29th.
A third notice will be mailed in May. Richmond electric customers will be enrolled with MCE service in July 2013, on their regularly scheduled meter read date unless they choose to opt out. In July, all electric customers in Richmond will be enrolled in MCE's Light Green 50% renewable energy option unless they choose to opt out. Richmond customers have 3 electricity options:
- MCE ‘Light Green’ 50% renewable energy (automatic enrollment and competitive rates with PG&E)
- MCE ‘Deep Green’ 100% renewable energy (a penny more per kilowatt hour)
- PG&E electric supply that is 20% renewable energy
After the July enrollment, a fourth and fifth notice will be mailed to remind customers of their account enrollment with MCE. For no charge, Richmond customers will have the option to opt out of the program beginning in April. Customers who choose to opt out after 60 days of service with MCE will be charged a one-time $5 (residential) or $25 (commercial) administrative fee.
A rate comparison calculator is available on the MCE website - www.mceCleanEnergy.com. Based on current rates for PG&E as well as MCE proposed rates (scheduled to become effective in April 2013), MCE will cost Richmond residential customers about $0.59 more per month on average, and commercial customers will see an overall cost savings. This rate comparison reflects proposed rates of April 1st and is a “snap shot in time” comparison. It is important to note that these rates are likely to change as PG&E typically changes rates three times per year. MCE changes their rates once per year in April and the proposed changes are reflected in the rate comparison.
Electric customers who 1) choose to opt out, 2) opt up to ‘Deep Green’ 100% renewable energy, or 3) would like more information, should call 1 (888) 632-3674 or visit www.mceCleanEnergy.com. The opt out instructions, phone number and additional information are also included in the opt out notice customers will receive in the mail.
- May is National Bike Month
May is National Bike Month, and there are exciting activities happening in Richmond throughout the month. Find out about more about biking news and activities all through May at: http://www.richmondenvironment.org and http://www.youcanbikethere.org/
Bike to Work Day 2013
Bike to Work Day is Thursday, May 9th. The City of Richmond is partnering with the East Bay Bicycle Coalition (EBCC), Building Blocks for Kids Collaborative (BBK), SunPower, Rich City RIDES, and Richmond Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) as we promote biking as an efficient, viable and cost effective form of transportation. Between 7:00 AM and 9:00 AM, stop by Energizer Stations on your way to work for water, coffee, snacks, prizes, a Bike To Work tote bag and more. Energizer Stations will be located at:
- Macdonald Avenue & San Pablo Avenue – Building Blocks for Kids Collaborative
- Richmond Greenway (6th Street & Ohio Avenue) – Richmond City RIDES
- Marina Bay Park – SunPower
- Richmond BART – Richmond Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC)
The Rosie RIDE
On Saturday, May 11th, Rich City RIDES will host the Rosie RIDE - a historic trip through Richmond. Rich City RIDES will take all interested bikers to several celebrated locations throughout Richmond that were established during the 1940’s to support the United States during World War II, an era that sparked a dramatic growth in the City of Richmond. The ride will feature commentary by Andres Soto and will begin with community gardening and bike powered smoothies at 10:00 AM, courtesy of Urban Tilth. The ride will leave from the Richmond Greenway (6th Street & Ohio Avenue) at 12:00 PM. This is a great opportunity to learn about Richmond’s rich history in a healthy, fun way.
Richmond Ride of Silence
The third annual Richmond Ride of Silence will occur on Wednesday, May 15th. The Richmond Ride of Silence is a slow, quiet ride to honor those who have been seriously hurt or killed while bicycling in Richmond. The ride will traverse areas that the City of Richmond is planning to improve to be safer for cyclists. The Ride of Silence aims to raise community awareness that cyclists have a legal right to the public roadways and asks that we all share the road. Bicyclists are asked to travel no faster than 12 miles an hour, observe the rules of the road, and remain largely silent. Helmets are required. All members of the community are welcomed and encouraged to join the ride. All riders are asked to gather at Civic Center Plaza at 5:00 PM to begin the ride.
Team Bike Challenge
If you enjoy saving money, having fun and being healthy on Bike to Work Day, you don’t have to stop! Those who want to keep biking through May can join the City of Richmond’s team as a part of the Team Bike Challenge or start your own team! The City has a team that will log its miles each week and compete against other cities and organizations in the East Bay. Those who start their own teams (up to five people) can compete for prizes as they log their miles versus other Contra Costa riders. Learn more and join the team at: http://www.youcanbikethere.org/tbc.
- Richmond Food Policy Council Food Justice Film Series
In the spirit of Drinking Water Week, the Richmond Food Policy Council held its second screening of the Food Justice Film Series at the Bridge Art Space in Richmond. Tapped is a documentary examining the business of bottled water. Representatives from the City of Richmond, Contra Costa Health Services, and Building Blocks for Kids Collaborative provided information about the Be Smarter, Drink Water collaborative campaign to improve access to tap water in Richmond. The film showing concluded with a roundtable discussion that included question and answer with an EBMUD representative.
- Richmond ESC & Global Youth Service Day
Get your SERVE on! Join millions of youth around the world who are addressing the most important issues in their communities on Global Youth Service Day. Richmond ESC – Excellence Serving our Community – is the lead agency for the City of Richmond’s inaugural participation in Global Youth Service Day. Richmond youth will be volunteering the whole month of April. Check out the projects listed below and get involved today! Here is the link to the website with the events: http://richmondvolunteers.org/press/view/post/315. Call 237-SERV (7378) for more information.
San Pablo Youth Commission Childhood Obesity Prevention Project
Saturday, May 4, 2013 from 10:00 AM- 5:00 PM
St. Paul Church Parking Lot in San Pablo, CA
Drop-out Prevention-Keeping Students in School!
Wednesday, May 15, 2013 from 06:30 PM (tentative)
Lavonya DeJean Middle School in Richmond, CA
GYSD Youth Recognition Ceremony* RSVP Only
Thursday, May 16, 2013 from 5:00 PM- 8:00 PM
Richmond Auditorium Lobby in Richmond, CA
*Signature event with expected attendance of 100+
- West Contra Costa Unified School District (WCCUSD) Town Hall Meetings to Discuss School District Action Plan
WCCUSD will be holding a series of community meetings to gather information for a new strategic plan for the district. The meeting schedule is as follows:
6:30 PM May 9th, Pinole Middle School multipurpose room, 1575 Mann Drive
10:00 AM May 11th, Kennedy High School library, 4300 Cutting Blvd., Richmond
Facilities Maintenance: Carpenters completed the repair of the security doors at Fire Station #67, moved Arts and Culture offices, and repaired the tile roof at the Senior Annex Community Center.
Painters completed painting the columns of the walkways of Civic Center Plaza and red curbs around Civic Center Plaza.
Stationary Engineers replaced the chemical pump at the Plunge, completed restroom repairs at Shields Reid Community Center, repaired the feed pump on one of the boilers at 440 Civic Center Plaza, and replaced the thermostat at Fire Station #64.
Damaged Roof at Senior Annex Community Center
Curb Painting at Civic Center Plaza
In a joint effort between the Electricians, Carpenters and Parks division, staff has continued to work on the Richmond Parkway Lighting project.
Cement Slurry on Richmond Parkway
Parks and Landscaping Division: This past week, crews installed irrigation in the center median along Hillview Drive, performed fire fuel maintenance in the Hilltop District, and mowed along the Richmond Greenway from 2nd to 23rd Street. Crews also performed bottlebrush pruning at the Richmond Fire Training Center, landscape maintenance at Bay Vista Park, continuing maintenance of Point Richmond and El Sobrante high fire zones, and irrigation repairs at Nicholl and LaMoine Parks, the Richmond Greenway and Civic Center Plaza.
High Fire Zone Maintenance
Tree crews completed work on San Pablo Avenue, Key Boulevard, Ohio Avenue, Sanford Avenue and Garvin Avenue.
Streets Division: This week the Paving Crew grinded and paved on Tewksbury Avenue and within the Point Molate Parking area. Crews also are preparing for the Cinco de Mayo celebration.
Paving in Point Molate Parking Area
Street sweeping was performed in commercial and residential areas for the fifth Monday and Tuesday and the first Wednesday through Friday in Carriage Hills North Side, El Sobrante Hills, Greenbriar, Hansford Heights, Via Verda, San Pablo Dam Road, Bristole Cone, May Valley, Vista View and Clinton Hill I Neighborhood Council areas.
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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!
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
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