Mayor and City Council:
This is the weekly report for the week ending August 16th, 2013.
1. Meeting Notes
The City Council is on meeting hiatus during the month of August. The next City Council meeting is currently scheduled for Tuesday, September 10th. In the meantime, enjoy the break and have a great summer.
2. Groundbreaking Ceremony for the Officer Bradley A. Moody Memorial Underpass
Join us at the Groundbreaking Ceremony for the Officer Bradley A. Moody Memorial Underpass located in the Marina Bay area, southeast corner of Marina Bay Parkway and Pierson Avenue on Friday, August 23rd, from 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM.
The Officer Bradley A. Moody Memorial Underpass project is a roadway undercrossing in place of an existing grade crossing at Marina Bay Parkway between Regatta Boulevard and Meeker Avenue in Richmond. This grade separation project will reduce traffic congestion and allow emergency vehicles to access the South Richmond shoreline area unimpeded. This project will improve access to proposed Water Emergency Transit Authority (WETA) ferries and improve air quality by reducing emissions of idling vehicles.
For more information go to project page: http:/www.moodyup.com/
3. City Manager’s Enthusiastic and Unsolicited Richmond Library Product Endorsement
I recently endured some long business travel for which I wanted to have some reading material to occupy the time. Before I left (although it didn’t have to be), I downloaded an e-Book to my I-Pad from the extensive e-Book borrowing collection at the Richmond Library. It was so easy and useful that I decided to offer this unsolicited endorsement.
The Richmond Public Library has expanded its services with audiobooks and eBooks available to download from the library’s OverDrive website. This new service, powered by OverDrive, is free for patrons with their library card. Library card holders can check out and download digital media anytime, anywhere by visiting Richmond Public Library OverDrive website.
Need a library card? Please call 510-620-6559 or visit the Main Library, Bayview Branch Library, Bookmobile or West Side Branch library to get a free card or help with other library card questions or problems.
Click here for more information about this program.
Richmond Public Library OverDrive
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4. 2013 Community Survey
Every two years since 2007, the City of Richmond has conducted a community survey to help city officials evaluate services, measure resident satisfaction and use of current services, benchmark ratings for services provided by the City, and to help plan for Richmond’s future.
In 2013, surveys were mailed out to 3,000 randomly selected and geographically dispersed Richmond households. A total of 408 completed surveys were obtained, providing an overall response rate of 14% with a margin error of plus or minus five percentage points.
The results of the survey are always interesting and can be found as described below.
2013 Survey Reports
To review the agenda report and PowerPoint presentation, please use the links below:
The 2013 survey results are contained in four separate reports:
Please go to http://www.ci.richmond.ca.us/index.aspx?NID=1871 for more information about the 2007, 2009, 2011 and 2013 surveys.
5. 2013 Community Survey Available to all Richmond Residents to Complete
If your household was not 1 of the 3,000 households selected to receive the survey, but you would like to provide feedback to the city, then now is your chance. The 2013 Richmond Community Survey can now be completed by ALL Richmond residents by accessing the links below.
• English: http://www.n-r-c.com/survey/richmond2013survey.htm
• Spanish: http://www.n-r-c.com/survey/richmond2013encuesta.htm
Feel free to contact LaShonda Wilson-White in the City Manager’s office at (510) 620-6828 with questions, comments, or to obtain a paper copy of the survey. Your input can help make the City of Richmond a better place to live, work and play. We look forward to receiving your feedback.
6. Support Richmond High Students Through Writer Coach Connection
Last school year, 75 caring community volunteers worked 1-on-1 with Richmond High students in their English classes on their writing assignments. Together they brainstormed ideas, discussed life experiences, and worked to create clear, concise, and well organized writing. These writing, creative and critical thinking skills are essential for school, college, and career success. EVERY student in a participating class had a coach. One hundred additional students will be added to the coaching program this fall. They need coaches!With positive encouragement, students become more confident and competent writers. Teachers report more assignments turned-in and dramatically improved writing. Grades and the first-time pass-rate on the high school exit exam have improved.
What RHS students said about their coaching:
· “It has changed the way I feel about writing because my coach encourages me to be better.”
· “Now I'm proud and confident. I feel more confident when I write important essays.”
· “Everything was amazing. I think this was the best program I ever had.”
Coaches commit to a two-hour assignment and meet with students 2-3 times per month. Excellent coach training provides strategies for working effectively with students. They warmly welcome working and retired people, parents, grandparents, college students, and community members of all cultures and backgrounds. Training sessions will start soon to prepare for school in September, so please register as soon as possible!
For information and to register to become a coach: http://www.writercoachconnection.org/
Watch a video to learn more and coaches and students do: http://www.writercoachconnection.org/what-we-do.html
For more information, contact Shelli Fried, RHS Volunteer Recruitment Manager, at 510-530-7600 or sfried0530@gmail.com.
7. Now Enrolling: Fall Art Classes & Workshops
Fall is a great time to take a class at the Richmond Art Center. Adults, teens and kids can learn a new skill, discover a hidden talent, or simply enjoy making art. A new schedule of classes was just released and includes ceramics, metals, enameling, knitting, quilting, screen-printing, encaustics, printmaking, collage, drawing, painting, fiber arts, weaving, jewelry and more!
The Richmond Art Center offers a special 10% discount on classes for Richmond residents and City of Richmond employees. For more information, call the Richmond Art Center at (510) 620-6772 or visit the website at http://www.therac.org.
8. Recreation Highlights
Disabled Peoples Recreation Center
Adult Morning Program and Therapeutic Interactive Recreation Program participants, together again for a week of summer programs, went on a recon mission to find a new location for their annual BBQ. After visiting three parks they chose the newly renovated Rancon Park in Martinez. The participants also visited the Marin Headlands and Mammal Center, which was amazing, and they loved the view of the Golden Gate Bridge. The visit to Tilden Park’s Botanical Gardens and Lake Anza was, as usual, very enjoyable for everyone. As a fitness component, staff has incorporated walking and hiking for this week’s summer excursions and participants are already asking for more!
Paratransit
Richmond Paratransit participated, for the first time, as a mentor in the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) 2013 High School Summer Internship Program. The purpose of the program is to show students how transportation agencies, such as Richmond Paratransit, plays an overall part in the community, county, and regional transportation operations; promote interest in transportation as a potential career; and to provide skill-building opportunities during all phases of the program. There was no direct cost to Richmond Paratransit as interns were paid by MTC.
Richmond Paratransit was responsible for providing mentorship, a work area, and a range of challenging tasks to further develop the intern’s skills and experience. Richmond Paratransit was provided ten applicants to interview, and selected West Contra Costa resident Imani Alcantara, a recent high school graduate, who will be attending Sacramento State University in the fall.
As part of the mentorship program, interns and mentors were invited on a tour of the new Bay Bridge Eastern Expansion. The tour included a PowerPoint presentation regarding the Bay Bridge, a trip on the bridge, and a boat ride under the Bay Bridge construction site. This educational excursion was enjoyed by all and provided a once in a life experience for the interns. Richmond Paratransit looks forward to participating again next year in this exciting internship program as it creates an opportunity to expose youth in West Contra Costa County to the field of transportation.
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Have a great week!
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or comments about these or any other items of interest to you.
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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