Mayor and Members of the City Council:

This is the weekly report for the week ending January 22, 2016.

1.    Meeting Notes

The next City Council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, January 26th, 2016 at 6:30 PM.  The agenda may be found by clicking this link.
 
2.    Get Covered! Health Care Enrollment Event (Covered CA/Medi-Cal) on Saturday January 23rd

Get Covered, Richmond!

Millions of families now qualify for free or low-cost quality healthcare, and there is an opportunity to find out more about this opportunity during a health care enrollment event in Richmond on January 23rd:

Date:       Saturday, January 23, 2016
Time:       10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Location:  Richmond Memorial Auditorium, 403 Civic Center Plaza
Languages Supported: Spanish, Cantonese, Hindi, Khmu, Korean, Lao, Mien, Nepalese, Thai, Tibetan, Urdu, Vietnamese

Free assistance at the event will be provided by certified enrollment counselors to help find the best options for enrollees and their families, whether it's through plans with Covered California, Medi-Cal or a new program called Contra Costa Cares. There are health benefit options for everyone, regardless of age, income or immigration status.  Covered California open enrollment ends January 31, 2016.

Please call Gabino Arredondo at (510) 620-6606 to make sure you’re ready to enroll or if you have any questions. To download the fliers, please visit the City of Richmond Health Initiatives webpage at www.richmondhealth.org.

Download the Event Flier using this link.

3.    Grand Opening of John F. Kennedy Park

On behalf of the Friends of JFK Park, you are invited to come to see the transformed John F. Kennedy Park (Cutting Boulevard and South 41st Street) on Saturday, January 23rd, 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM.  This day would not have been possible without the generous funding of partners and remarkable volunteers who helped rebuild the park on Make a Difference Day in October 2015.   The Friends of JFK Park are excited to showcase this beautiful gem.

Bring your family and friends to:

·         play in the new kids zone area
·         workout on the outdoor fitness equipment
·         have your kids tryout the new dirt bike track
·         take a walk on the fitness trail
·         view the completed event plaza mural
·         check out the new Little Free Library

To help keep you warm, the Friends of JFK Park will have plenty of hot beverages.

4.    Richmond Promise Community Workshop #1: Wednesday January 27th

Thinking about college? All Richmond residents graduating high school in 2016 who have attended schools within the West Contra Costa Unified School District boundaries since at least the 9th grade are eligible for up to $1,500 per year for college education under the new Richmond Promise program.

There will be two community workshops to introduce the program, the first on Wednesday January 27th and the second on Thursday, February 11th. The workshops will focus on the goals and eligibility requirements to apply for a Richmond Promise scholarship, and will provide an opportunity for questions and answers.  The presentation will also include information on how to fill out a successful application for 2016 seniors who are Richmond residents and attend a high school in the WCCUSD boundaries.

Dates, times, and locations for the workshops are as follows:

Applications will be available starting January 26th. For more information, please call (510) 620-6570 or email info@richmondpromise.org.

5.    Richmond Swim Center Receives Award of Excellence from the California Park & Recreation Society (CPRS)

The City of Richmond Recreation Department has been selected as a 2015 California Park & Recreation Society (CPRS) Award of Excellence recipient for the Richmond Swim Center. The CPRS awards program recognizes outstanding achievement in the areas of facility design, park planning, marketing and communication, and community improvement and programming through demonstrating the CREAM (challenge, resourcefulness, execution, accomplishments, and mission) principles.

The presentation of awards is scheduled for Friday, March 11th, and will take place at the annual Awards Recognition Banquet during the 2016 CPRS Conference to be held in Long Beach. Staff and city officials are invited to attend the banquet in order to share in this prestigious honor and be recognized among other Recreation and Parks professionals.

As an Award of Excellence winner, the City of Richmond will:

·         Be highlighted at the Conference Opening General Session.
·         Receive up to eight “Award Winner” ribbons for staff and officials to wear during the Conference.
·         Personally receive the award at the CPRS Awards Banquet with up to three agency representatives on stage to receive the award.
·         Be listed in the Awards Banquet Program, the CPRS quarterly magazine, and on the CPRS website.
·         Receive materials to utilize in publications, on the web site, etc.
·         Have up to five agency representatives photographed for memorabilia.
·         Be given the opportunity to schedule a CPRS representative to attend a city council meeting to present the award to the Richmond community.

This acknowledgement is particularly rewarding because of the partnership between the West Contra Costa Unified School District, which provided funding and construction oversight, and the Richmond Recreation and Public Works Departments, which provided design input and assisted in project management.  Thank you to all those involved in this project!

6.    Richmond Tennis Association Acknowledged by the USTA for Excellence

Garry Hurlbut, one of the leaders of the outstanding Richmond Tennis Association (RTA), reports that the Northern California Division of the United States Tennis Association (USTA) will be presenting the Richmond Tennis Association with the 2016 Outstanding Community Tennis Association Award at their annual ACES event on Sunday, January 31st. 

This is a notable accomplishment for an organization that represents the Richmond community so very well throughout all of northern California. The RTA competes at a high level against teams from surrounding areas including Oakland, Walnut Creek, San Leandro, Berkeley, Claremont, Alameda.

Congratulations to Garry and Maryn Hurlbut and the entire RTA Board of Directors for this honor.

7.    City Manager Chronicles

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

Activities and meeting topics during the past week included:

·         Attended a meeting, along with Shasa Curl and Gabino Arredondo, with representatives from a national philanthropic foundation who were interested in getting information regarding the Richmond Promise program;
·         Met, along with Planning staff, with businesses and representatives of the Council of Industries, to discuss recommendations contained in the draft South Shoreline Specific Plan;
·         Met, along with Planning Director Richard Mitchell, with Mike Hursh, the new General Manager of AC Transit, who is working to gain familiarity with issues in the transit district;
·         Participated in several conference calls associated with issuance of the Civic Center Refunding Bonds;
·         Participated in a conference call with representatives of the National Resource Network, along with Mayor’s Chief of Staff David Gray, Finance Director Belinda Warner, and CIP Manager Chad Smalley, to discuss possible additional technical assistance work by this group;
·         Attended a meeting of private and charter school representatives, at which WCCUSD Superintendent Bruce Harter and the city manager, gave a status report on the implementation of the Richmond Promise program, and a description of the data required to implement the program;
·         Facilitated a day-long strategic planning meeting with City of Richmond senior staff members.

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.

8.    Prairie Rose Band Comes to the West Side Library Branch

The inimitable Prairie Rose Band brought their toe-tapping, sing-a-long show to the West Side Branch Library this past Tuesday, January 19th.  The program featured western songs and childhood classics, as well as a few modern favorites. The Prairie Rose Band is made up of Richmond resident George Martin on banjo & vocals, Paula Scholten on guitar & vocals, Gene Tortora on eight-string Dobro (acoustic slide guitar) & vocals, and Mark Hedin on bass. The band travels throughout the greater Bay Area and beyond, performing at libraries, farmers’ markets and public events.

9.    Recycling Program Implemented at 2400 Nevin Apartment Complex

This past week, the Richmond Housing Authority, in partnership with the City Manager’s Environmental Initiatives team, responded to community requests to restart a recycling program at the Nevin Plaza Apartment Complex.

City staff organized a recycling workshop attended by about 25 residents, which included an informational recycling presentation from Republic Services. The presentation covered what materials can and can’t be recycled, the importance of carefully separating waste from recyclables and proper disposal of household hazardous waste.

Free in-home recycling baskets, supplied by RecycleMore, were handed out by the City of Richmond Environmental Initiatives team to all residents who attended the meeting.

The residents were enthusiastic about the new recycling program and it will continue to be monitored and promoted in the months to come.

10. Distinguished Budget Presentation Award

This past week, the City of Richmond received the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) for its fiscal year 2015-16 operating and capital improvement budget.  This is awarded to entities whose budget documents meet the highest principles of governmental budgeting.  Ratings are based on how well the budget serves as a policy document, a financial plan, an operations guide, and a communications device.  A Certificate of Recognition for Budget Preparation was presented to the Finance Department for preparing the budget document to meet award criteria.

11. City of Richmond’s 2016 Charitable Giving Campaign

Each year, Richmond employees participate in a Charitable Giving Campaign, which provides funding for a number of local agencies including Black Area Black United Fund, Community Health Charities, Earth Share of California, Local Independent Charities, Friends of Disabled Children, Friends of Richmond Library, Richmond Public Library Foundation, Richmond Police Activities League, Richmond Youth Academy, the Firefighter Toy Program and the Police Explorers.  With final commitment amounts in from all departments, the Campaign has received pledges from employees in the amount of $35,894.

Many thanks to Finance staff member Theresa Austin who, once again, chaired the City-wide Campaign as she has done in past years, and thanks to all employees who participated.

12. Hacienda Tenant Relocation Update

In January 2015, the Richmond Housing Authority received approval from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development for the disposition of the Hacienda public housing development and approval of Tenant Protection Section 8 Vouchers to assist in the relocation of the residents. The Housing Authority has retained the professional firm of Autotemp to provide relocation assistance for the residents.

As of the week ending January 21, 2016, the following relocation activity has occurred:

In regards to the thirty-seven (37) Hacienda households that have been accepted with approved applications and unit assignments at the newly constructed Harbor View Senior Apartments, Housing Quality Standards (HQS) Inspections have been conducted for these units.  All units passed and the move in activity for these senior households has commenced. All remaining Hacienda residents have finalized their replacement housing choices. Of the eighty (80) completed relocations, thirteen (13) households have successfully leased-up outside of Richmond, from Sacramento to Los Angeles and throughout the Bay Area; two of them have successfully leased-up outside the State of California (New Jersey and Arizona).

13. City of Richmond Zoning Update and Planning Commission Study Session

The City of Richmond is updating its Zoning Ordinance (Update). Existing zoning predates the General Plan 2030, which was adopted by the City Council in 2012. State law requires that the zoning ordinance be consistent with the General Plan because it translates General Plan policies into specific regulations that govern land use. Once the Update is completed, procedures for reviewing land use applications will be simplified.

As a first step in the Update, the City’s zoning consultant has prepared an “Issues and Options” paper (available online at www.zonerichmond.com) which includes preliminary recommendations for the Update. The paper will be presented at the Planning Commission meeting on February 4, 2016 at 6:30 PM. The Planning Commission meets in the City Council Chambers located at 440 Civic Center Plaza.

14. R-Transit

R-Transit provides door-to-door transportation service to persons with disabilities and seniors (age 55 and older) living in the communities of Richmond, Kensington, El Sobrante, East Richmond Heights, Hasford Heights, Rollingwood, and North Richmond. Register for service and reserve your next trip to the movie theatre for $2.00 each way. See the flyer below for additional details.

15. Holiday Tree Disposal and Recycling Options

Residents have several options to properly dispose of holiday trees. Please read the summary below or access the flyer for more information.

1)    If you’ve not already used your allocated On-Call Curbside Clean-up(s), call RSS Customer Service to arrange for no cost curbside pick-up at (510) 262-7100. Unscheduled pickups are subject to a $16.00 service fee by RSS.

2)    On any of your regular green waste collection days, cut your unflocked, natural tree to fit in your yard waste cart. Trees must be 6 feet or less in diameter and cut to 3 feet in length. Cut off top and remove stand and all decorations. Artificial trees should be put into the trash bin.

3)    With proof of residency (driver’s license or CA ID), RSS customers can take Christmas Trees to Golden Bear Transfer (1 Parr Blvd, Richmond M-F, 7:00 AM -5:00 PM; Sat-Sun, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM) through the first weekend in February at no cost for compostable trees; $8.50 disposal fee for non-compostable tree, or no proof of residency.

View a copy of the flyer and more information at www.richmondenvironment.org.

16. Information Technology

Website
Top 10 Webpage visits for the week ending 01/22/2016

Social Media

Twitter Statistics:
·         Tweets increased by 4.4%
·         Tweet impressions increased by 24.1%
·         Profile visits increased by 18.0%
·         Followers increased by 17

KCRT DataNet OF THE WEEK

City of Richmond Website and Mobile APP UPDATE

The City recently upgraded its website which now incorporates responsive design that allows the content on the City’s website to automatically adjust to the screen size of any device. Forget about using the pinch-zoom to see something. This responsive design makes content easy to view and easy to navigate on tablets and smartphones providing a great user experience no matter how the content is accessed.


Great News!! The City of Richmond mobile app is now available. It provides Richmond’s community members with one-stop access to City services and information.  You may watch the informational video  for an overview of the app available for free at Apple App Store for IOS devices and at Google Play for Android phones. 

The City of Richmond is looking forward to feedback from the community on this new Mobile APP. We welcome your comments at webservices@ci.richmond.ca.us
17. Public Works Updates

The Public Works Department is pleased to announce that the Shields Reid Park renovations are complete. The park now has new lighting, fencing, field and backstop.

Shields Reid Park

Facilities Maintenance Division:

Stationary Engineers repaired three radiant heating units at the Plunge, repaired the water closet at the Art Center, repaired the air conditioning at 450 Civic Center Plaza, cleared the waste line for the Nicholl Park restrooms and continued with Plunge repairs.

Plunge Repairs

Painters completed all touch ups to the lobby of the Plunge.

Utility Workers cleaned the windows at the Employment and Training building, set up the Council Chambers and community centers for various events and mantained 29 City-owned facilities.

Window Cleaning at Employment and Training

Electricians installed additional security lighting at the Corporation Yard, installed conduit for the Information and Technology Department, oversaw traffic signal work, fixed the green out on a traffic light, restored power to Employment and Training’s main door and repaired a knockdown at Hilltop and Shane Drives.

Traffic Signal Repair

Parks and Landscaping Division:  

General maintenance crews installed bollards at Shields Reid Park, cleaned plumbing in Nicholl Park restroom, assisted with Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service on the Greenway, provided maintenance on Ann and Elaine Pathways, repaired play equipment at John F. Kennedy Park, abated weeds at Shields Reid and cleaned various storm drains.

Trees for MLK Day of Service

Hilltop District crews conducted storm patrol, continued weed abatement and clean up of right-of-ways.

Marina District crews conducted storm patrol and cleaned storm drains.

Marina Drain Cleaning

Tree crews trimmed or cut trees on/at: Center Avenue, 37th Street, Tunnel Avenue, Garvin Avenue, Parr Boulevard, East Scenic and at Booker T. Anderson Community Center.

Streets Division:  Paving staff attended safety training, conducted storm patrol, worked from the outstanding pothole list, constructed sandbags and delivered sandbags.

Street sweeping performed commercial and residential sweeping services for the third Monday through Thursday and the fourth Friday in the; North Richmond, Iron Triangle, North Belding Woods, South Belding Woods, Atchison Village, Richmond Annex, Parkview, Panhandle Annex and Eastshore neighborhood council areas.

Signs and Lines staff installed 22 new poles and signs, repaired 20 signs, fabricated 17 signs, installed pavement delineations and conducting storm patrol.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or comments about these or any other items of interest to you.

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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