TO: Mayor and CouncilFROM: Executive Team
DATE: January 31, 2009
RE: ACTIVITY UPDATE – WEEK OF January 24-30, 2009
ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES
· The Assistant City Manager attended the monthly StanCOG Technical Advisory Committee meeting, standing in for the Interim City Manager
· The Assistant City Manager and Housing staff met with board members from the Assyrian American Civic Club and the executive director of the Central Valley Coalition for Affordable Housing to discuss a project timeline for a low and moderate income housing project.
Economic Development/Redevelopment:
Housing Program Services:
· Housing Division staff participated in the United Way Emergency Food and Shelter Services Grant Selection Committee. A total of 3 Turlock non-profits applied for grants.
· Staff met with Bob Boyd, Turlock Police Department, to strategize a plan to identify foreclosed and abandoned properties which could be purchased and rehabilitated with CDBG Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) funds.
· A Notice of Vacancy for the CDBG Community Grant Selection Committee was placed in the Turlock Journal by the Housing Division. The applications will be brought to the Council for review and approval.
DEVELOPMENT SERVICES
· On Saturday, January 24, the Modesto City School District and Turlock Unified School District hosted the annual Planning Commissioner’s Workshop. Three Planning Commissioners, one City Council member, and two staff members attended the event. The agenda featured speakers talking about the process of planning, financing, building, and operating a school.
· On Monday, January 26, a member of the Planning Commission and staff attended the San Joaquin Valley Blueprint Regional Summit held in Fresno. Over 500 people attended the event including members of City Councils, Board of Supervisors, Planning Commissions, public agency employees, and the public. Staff voted to support existing general plan densities, consistent with the Council’s direction; however, approximately 53% of the people in attendance selected the increased density option which would result in approximately 10 units/acre, on average, for future development. This is a roughly two-fold increase in the historic densities of current development in the Valley. The next step in the process is to have the Blueprint Policy Committee, consisting of two elected officials from each of the eight regions, meet to review and approve a preferred alternative for the Blueprint process.
· General Plan/Housing Element Update: This is just a reminder that the kick-off meeting will be held on February 19 in the Yosemite Conference Room located at 156 S. Broadway starting at 6 PM. This is a joint meeting of the City Council and Planning Commission. Opportunities for public comment have been incorporated into the agenda. The first community meeting is scheduled for March 19 at the Turlock Senior Center starting at 6 pm. Press releases will be issued for both meetings. Staff is currently working on an extensive public outreach strategy for the March 19 meeting. We are hoping to create an extensive contact list from that meeting (relying on e-mail as much as possible to reduce costs) for future community meetings. The General Plan/Housing Element website should be up and running by the end of next week. As soon as the agenda for the joint City Council/Planning Commission meeting is finalized for public review, materials for the meeting will also be posted to the website. Meeting dates and summary materials will be posted on the website throughout the process. A special e-mail address has been created for the General Plan/Housing Element update as well to allow the public to post comments and obtain information: gpudate@turlock.ca.us.
· Staff met with a representative of one of the local businesses who had received notices last week regarding non-permitted cargo containers. The five containers on this site are being used to store items for the various businesses. The property has a Planned Development zoning with an underlying General Plan designation of Commercial Office (CO). Outdoor storage in not specifically allowed under the Planned Development and is not allowed in the underlying CO zoning district. Options discussed with the business representative included: 1) remodel the storage so it looks like a building; 2) construct a new building; or 3) move the cargo container to another property owned by the business where outdoor storage is permitted (screening may be required). Staff will continue to work with business owner to come up with a solution to their storage needs. The permitting process required by Planning will depend on the option selected by the business owner. In any of those cases, a structure over 120 square foot would require a building permit and development impact fees would need to be collected. We have not heard back from most of the recipients of those letters but did receive an inquiry from the Turlock Journal asking about the public reaction to the notices.
Capital Improvement Projects:
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Capital Projects under construction
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$ 27,909,112.96
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Completed Capital Projects
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$6,215,618.46
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Number of Capital Projects currently under construction
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18
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Number of Completed Capital Projects
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9
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Total of Capital Projects budgeted for FY 08/09
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$77,821,836.00
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Projects in Construction
· Golden State and Tuolumne Road Signal, Contract Amount $1,786,903.95: The electrical contractor has relocated the signal pole. The railroad watchman will be here all next week so a lot of construction work will be going on.
· Water Reservoirs and Pump Stations, Contract Amount $6,144,300.00: Work on D Street has been completed and the street opened early. The coating still needs to be applied to the tanks.
· CNG Slow Fill Station, Contract Amount $216,542.00: We have submitted plans to the Building Department for their review.
· Fire Station #1 Parking Lot, Contract Amount $436,327.85: Installing pilasters for the rod iron fence.
· Traffic Signal at Orange & South Avenue, Contract Amount $178,213.00: Signal bases have been poured. Will be working on the foundation for signal cabinet.
· Interim Police Evidence Facility, Contract Amount $1,004,810.00: The facility is now weather tight and the contractor is working on the plumbing and electrical.
· Commercial Water Meters, Contract Amount $1,031,945.00: In the contract stage.
· Trench Repair 08/09, Contract Amount $142,489.00: A preconstruction meeting was held today and work will begin next Monday.
· Antenna at Fire Station No. 1, Contract Amount $77,876.64: A notice to proceed was issued today with work starting on February 13th.
· RFP’s – Landscape/Signage Beautification Project: Staff is reviewing the RFP’s.
· Tennis Court Resurfacing at Columbia Park, Contract Amount $17,505.00: In the contract stage.
· Renovations at Columbia Park: Out to bid opening on February 5th.
· Broadway Sidewalk, Contract Amount $158,593.00: The contractor has a minor punch list to complete.
· Fire Station #4 Roof Repair: In the contract stage.
Projects in Design
· West Main Street and Fransil Signal: Working on acquiring right of way.
· Colorado and Monte Vista Signal Interconnect: Waiting for authorization from Cal Trans, which is expected to be in March.
· City Hall Projects: Staff is creating a Request for Proposal.
· Water Line Replacement: Working on the improvement plans.
· Sewer Line Replacement: Working on the improvement plans.
· Well #40: The well drilling is complete and the contractor will be ordering the pump.
· Prop 1B Overlays: Surveying has been completed; now staff is preparing the plans.
· Kilroy and N Walnut Road Pump Stations
· Play Park at Columbia Park: This project will include installing water, storm, retaining wall and sidewalk.
Traffic & Transit
· The Federal Transit Administration review will be held at the end of April. Staff is gathering pertinent paperwork that is required for the audit.
· Updating website for traffic count information.
· Updating traffic signal specifications.
Land Development
Active Submittals in process
· 14 – Improvement Plans
· 7 – Parcel Maps
· 16 – Subdivision Maps
· 2 – Lot Line Adjustment
· 7- Road Dedications / Public Utility Easements
· 1- Abandonment
· 15- Approved Plans waiting for permits to be issued
Recorded Documents
2 – Public Utility Easements
1 – Release of Lien
Land Surveying:
The survey crew has been working on the following projects.
· Plotting for City Project #0869, Canal Drive Reconstruction and Resurface has been completed.
· Construction staking for City Project #6974, Water Reservoirs and Pump Stations.
· Completed topography and are continuing plotting for City Project #0900, Play Area at Columbia Park.
· Completed construction staking for City Project #0764, Traffic Signal at South Avenue and Orange intersection.
· The City Surveyor and his survey crew have been staking the alignment of the right of way and pipeline along the “Outfall Pipeline Project”. This is being done for the benefit of the affected property owners, to ensure that they fully understand the impact of their operation.
· One of our land survey crew members, Tristan Higgins, recently passed the Land Surveyor in Training certification. This certification from the State Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors is the first step towards acquiring a Professional Land Surveyors license. Congratulations Tristan!
Public Works Inspectors:
· The Lander Crossings Project has begun the earthwork portion of their project. This project will definitely be an improvement to the Lander Avenue / Hwy. 99 area and will be highly visible to travelers entering Turlock.
MUNICIPAL SERVICES
Public Facilities Maintenance Division:
Parks
· Crane Park – Dig and form for concrete picnic pad to be poured at Area #2.
· Christoffersen Park – Prune Redwoods at the park.
· Columbia Pool – Daily security check around the pool, brush, clean and vacuum pool. Add chemicals to the pool as required.
· Pedretti Sports Complex – Staff are very busy prepping the complex for a very large CSUS Girl’s Softball Tournament coming up the first weekend of February.
· Turlock Regional Sports Complex – Prepping fields this week for soccer games this weekend.
· Crews continue to do general maintenance, mowing, blowing, edging, weeding, irrigation repairs, cleaning, rake soft fall and playground safety inspections daily at all City Parks and ponds.
Streets
· Crews filled 343 potholes this last week using 1 ½ tons of cold mix at the following locations:
W. Linwood from S. Walnut to Washington Rd., Pioneer, Fifth St., C St., Canal & Olive, Tokay & Old Vineyard, Merritt & Villa, and E. Marshall.
· Crews picked 1 ½ truck loads of leaves totaling 22.5 tons in Zones 7, 8 and 9, replaced 6 miscellaneous street signs throughout Turlock, and responded to vandalism/stickers on city property on the northwest corner of Dels and Monte Vista.
Assessment District
· Pruned Crape Myrtle trees, removed signs, and cleaned graffiti off of the sidewalk at Summerfield.
Buildings
· Fixed leaky toilet in bathroom at City Hall, cleaned graffiti off the PAL building, and shampooed carpets at PD and Recreation.
Recreation Division:
· Activity Registrations for the month December 2008 totaled 1,145 individuals. Revenue obtained from programs registrations was $62, 662.27. Facilities were rented a total of 1,881.5 hours for $12,700.00 in revenue.
· Recreation and Police staff met with members of the Turlock Umpires Group to discuss an alcohol related incident at Pedretti Park.
· Staff held an annual meeting with affiliate Sports Groups. The purpose of the meeting was to review rules, fees, and scheduling information for the 2009 calendar year. Affiliate groups must be Turlock based and they may not run a program that is currently provided by the Turlock Recreation Division. The groups are charged a per player participation fee as part of the Affiliate agreement. In return staff assists them with scheduling, scholarships and athletic fields.
· Staff met with school personnel to discuss program possibilities regarding site locations and programs for pre-teens 10-13 years of age. The Parks, Recreation, and Community Commission are very interested in exploring and enhancing programs for this age group.
· Staff met with CSUS, Nu Alpha Kappa Fraternity to discuss partnering on a spring time family event. Last year the group partnered with the Division and other agencies to provide a Family Fun and Social day at Columbia Park.
Arts:
· Entry forms for the 27th Annual Spring Juried Art Show will be mailed out this week. The exhibition will be held in the City Gallery from March 6 – April 30. This is one of the Arts Commission’s signature events, drawing more than 100 artists from the Central Valley to participate with entries. Usually about 25-35% of entered works are selected by the three professional artists who serve as jurors. Prizes, donated by more than 20 local businesses, will be awarded to winners in six categories. Complete rules and entry forms are available from the Arts Commission office.
Utility Maintenance Division:
Fleet Maintenance Division
Diagnosed and repaired vehicles/equipment for the following divisions and departments:
· Police -16 work requests
· Transit bus – 40 work requests
· Public Facilities – 24 work requests
· Utility Maintenance – 31 work requests – included Electrical, Collections and Water
· Neigh/Preservation -1 work request
· Engineering Dept. -1 work request
· PM’s Preventive Maintenance work requests -17 which include, A’s, B’s, CHP’s, Mini’s, etc.
Water System Projects
· Relocated the water meter box @ 2260 Waldorf.
· Repaired leaking blow off @ Lander Ave.
· Replaced two 2” water services and installed new meters and backflow devices – 800 Geer Road.
· Repaired a leaking water service at 2502 N. Walnut.
· Repaired the fire hydrant in front of 105 C St and 400 C St.
· Closed a private well at 1000 West Ave South.
· Replaced the 4” turbine with a new 4” compound at 159 W. Tuolumne.
Sewer and Storm System Projects
· Set flooded barricades and pumped storm water off the streets during the storm
· Cleaned out debris from the storm line boxes in preparation for Electrical Maint. to place a steel cover at Hawkeye and Geer
· Located the sewer service and installed a clean out at 2060 Cody Ct and 852 S. Minaret
· Cleaned 1410 ft of existing sewer main line Grid C-8, C-9
· Cleaned 4 Catch Basin and 2 Sewer lift stations
· Televised 954 ft existing sewer main line Grid C-9, D-9 and G-9
· Six-month Power Rodder Maint. runs and for TV crew in Grid E-11 & G-9, 1280 Ft.
Electrical/Mechanical Projects
· Installed new pump for Sodium Bisulfate transfer.
· Completed yearly inspection of Secondary Effluent pumps 1 and 2. Both pumps checked out fine.
· Switched power in the primary electrical building to the “A” side.
· Replaced the hot start for the emergency generator at well 15.
· Howk pulled piping at wells 15 and 32 to convert back to oil lube.
· Fabricated metal covers for irrigation boxes at the corner of Geer and Hawkeye.
· Pulled 18 hp pump at storm 6 to remove 2 tennis shoes.
· Replaced magnesium anodes in the north evaporator in the chlorine building.
· Completed weekly WQC calibrations and cleaning.
· Completed weekly sewer lift checks.
· Completed USA’s and street light work orders.
Water Quality Control Division:
· The Regional Water Quality Control Facility is operating well. Preventative maintenance activities during this period were conducted by staff.
· Staff encountered intermittent rain storms throughout the week. The rain storms increased the amount of flow entering the Facility causing staff to divert a portion to the Emergency holding ponds. The emergency holding ponds are used to divert a portion of the influent flow during high influent flows, high or low pH and toxic conditions. The flow sent to the Ponds can drain back to the Influent pump station slowly once the condition is stabilized.
· Staff collected the required weekly R1, R2, R3, R4, R5 samples on Wednesday.
· Contractors continued working on the Fuel Cell Project. Representatives continued testing equipment.
· The WQC Facility has encountered 384 days without a lost time accident.
FIRE SERVICES
Operations:
· Fire Services responded to a total of 91 emergency calls for service between 1/23/09 and 1/29/09. The break-down of calls were as follows:
ü 46 EMS Calls
ü 8 Vehicle Fires
ü 7 Assist Invalids
ü 6 Alarms
ü 4 MVA’S
ü 2 Public Service
ü 2 Police Assists
ü 2 Water Problems
ü 1 False Alarm
ü 1 Explosive Device
ü 1 Check Out
ü 1 Person in Distress
ü 1 Unauthorized Burn
ü 1 No Patient Contact
Training
· The eight new firefighters graduated from the Turlock City Fire Academy on January 23, 2009. The graduation ceremony was held at the Senior Center and the firefighters were officially sworn in by City Clerk Rhonda Greenlee, we preformed a badge pinning, they were presented with shift and station assignments.
· All line staff received Blood Bourne and Mark 1 annual re-certification training this week. Additionally, ongoing skills maintenance for probationary and newly promoted Firefighters, Engineers, Captains and Relief Battalion Chiefs includes task book and course book assignments, as well as, manipulative skills and exercises.
Prevention
· Fire Prevention is busier than normal. We have been working on large projects. We have Comfort Inn and Fairfield Inn hotels making an effort to open soon. In addition, we are working with the Turlock School District on new fire lanes and fire hydrants at six locations.
POLICE SERVICES
Service Demands:
Calls for Service 2257
Criminal Investigations 237
Arrests 83
Land Calls 269
Wireless Calls 138
Incoming Admin Calls 2301
Outgoing Calls 990
Grand Total of All Calls 3,698
Staffing Levels:
Sworn Personnel- 86
Deployed 75 (11 Officers: Field Training)
Vacancies 6
Non-Sworn Personnel- 47
Deployed 45
Vacancies 2
Special Operations Division:
Investigations
· Investigators assisted patrol with the apprehension of a robbery suspect, who fled on foot, following the theft of a bank deposit on Wednesday. Investigators got into a foot pursuit with the suspect and eventually took him into custody, without incident.
· The entire Investigations Unit received recognition from their peers within the Department and received the “Excellence Award” for their performance during 2008. Additionally, Detective Michael Parmley received the “Officer of the Year Award” for his outstanding work during 2008.
Neighborhood Services
· Staff continued working on enforcement/compliance issues with sheds around the City, finding the residents very cooperative with their efforts.
Field Operations Division:
Significant Events and Trends
Traffic Unit
· Avoid the 12 Activity: DUI checkpoints set in Modesto, Turlock, and Riverbank along with DUI Saturation patrols in Modesto and Patterson, to be held in the evening hours of Super Bowl Sunday.
Dui/Accident
· A report of a roll-over accident blocking the N/B lanes of Lander Avenue/north of South Ave. was received. The driver tried to flee but was located by an officer in the alley by Glenn’s Liquors. The driver had been drinking and had injuries requiring medical attention. He was taken to EMC by ambulance. The male driver and two children in the other vehicle were taken to EMC for complaint of pain. The responsible driver was arrested for felony hit and run and DUI. Lander Avenue was closed for more than an hour.
Patrol Unit
Parole Violation
· While conducting a security check ofthe parking lot at Pedretti Ball Park, an officer observed a suspicious vehicle. He immediately noticed that the windows were fogged up. The officer contacted the single occupant. The occupant was found to be on parole and engaged in lewd conduct. The officer detained the subject for a violation of parole and contacted the parole agent who issued a parole violation hold.
Fraud/Parole Violation
· A subject had been riding around in Red Top taxicab all day and owed the driver $300. He refused to pay and threatened to kill the driver. The subject was located inside Lowe’s, trying to purchase a toolbox with a declined credit card not belonging to him. He was determined to be on parole and was booked for fraud charges along with the parole violation.
Street Crimes Unit “C” Team
Robbery
· While having lunch near Temple and Tuolumne, an Animal Control Officer sees a male subject running eastbound on Tuolumne, with a female following, yelling that he had just stolen money from her. The A/C officer radios and advises dispatch. The Street Crimes Team Sergeant picks up the vehicle and coordinates a high risk stop. One subject fled on foot from the vehicle. He was caught by a traffic officer and a detective. The subject confessed to the theft. His two companions were also arrested, per the investigation, they were determined to be involved and accomplices to the crime.