This document is the City of Turlock Activity Update for the week of January 31 - February 6, 2009. The activity update is meant to keep the Turlock City Council and all areas of the government organization on the same page. The community may also view the complete document here at TurlockCityNews.com as it was sent out by the City of Turlock.
TO: Mayor and CouncilFROM: Executive Team
DATE: February 7, 2009
RE: ACTIVITY UPDATE – WEEK OF January 31-February 6, 2009
ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES
· The City Manager, Assistant City Manager and several department heads met with the Turlock Unified School District Superintendent and several School Board Members at a quarterly breakfast meeting on Friday to discuss items of mutual concern.
· The Assistant City Manager and Housing staff were notified that Turlock’s federal NSP fund allocation to purchase foreclosed properties has been increased to $1,520,483. The plan that describes how the City will use these funds will be brought to the Council for approval in March.
Economic Development/Redevelopment:
· Councilmember Spycher and Economic Development/Redevelopment Manager attended the Alliance Board meeting on January 26th.
· The Mayor, Interim City Manager and Economic Development/Redevelopment Manager attended and spoke at the Annual Meeting of the Downtown Property Owner’s Association.
Housing Program Services:
· Housing Division staff attended the San Joaquin Valley Foreclosure Crisis seminar to discuss the uses of the NSP funds.
· Housing Division has received from Self Help Enterprises the request for the use of RDA funds to be used for the primary lending of 11 single family units.
· Staff attended the Stabilizing Communities seminar to discuss the methods of purchasing foreclosed properties with NSP funds.
· Staff met with Consortium members in Ceres to discuss the use of the HOME Consortium funds.
DEVELOPMENT SERVICES
Planning Division:
· General Plan/Housing Element Update: The date of the community workshop has been moved from March 19 to March 26 to accommodate a change in schedule for the consultant. The meeting will still be held at the Senior Center. The joint City Council/Planning Commission meeting is scheduled for February 19 and will be held in the Yosemite Conference Room. Staff has been very busy reviewing detailed maps regarding land availability and redevelopment opportunities provided by the consultant to ensure that the maps accurately reflect the development potential of parcels as well as City general plan and zoning designations. We have also been helping the consultant prepare maps showing current development activity. The maps will be used in the existing conditions report and map atlas that is being prepared by the consultant for the March 26 community meeting.
· Dan Lamb and other members of ATC & Associates met with predevelopment staff to discuss the placement of a “Soil Vapor Extraction Oxidizer” within the eastern portion of Reflections Car Wash at 1400 Geer Road. The machine will be used for soil remediation under the service station component of the site. Both a planning and building permit will be required for this project. Staff is working with the applicants to ensure that environmental, aesthetic and on site impacts are kept to a minimum.
Capital Improvement Projects:
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Capital Projects under construction
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$ 27,880,226.91
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Completed Capital Projects
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$6,244,464.51
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Number of Capital Projects currently under construction
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17
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Number of Completed Capital Projects
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10
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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: Teichert poured concrete all week while the railroad watchman was here. They are planning on paving February 19th and 20th, weather permitting.
· Water Reservoirs and Pump Stations, Contract Amount $6,144,300.00: Waiting for the coating 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: Beginning Monday the contractor will be removing the underground pipe and replacing it.
· Traffic Signal at Orange & South Avenue, Contract Amount $178,213.00: All four ramps have been poured and the controller cabinet has been installed.
· Interim Police Evidence Facility, Contract Amount $1,004,810.00: Furniture has arrived at the site. Next week landscaping work will begin. Occupancy is expected to be by the end of the month.
· Commercial Water Meters, Contract Amount $1,031,945.00: In the contract stage.
· Trench Repair 08/09, Contract Amount $142,489.00: The contractor has finished three trench locations this week. The east bound lanes of West Main Street will be closed between Grant Street and Beech Street next Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Detours will be posted.
· Antenna at Fire Station No. 1, Contract Amount $77,876.64: Submitted plans to the building department.
· 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: The engineer’s estimate for this project was $330,000. The apparent low bidder is Harris Builders of Hilmar with a bid of $207,500.00. This will go to council for approval on March 10th.
· 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.
· Kilroy and N Walnut Road Pump Stations: Out to bid, opening on February 26th.
· Columbia Park Play Area: Out to bid, opening on March 5th.
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.
· Play Park at Columbia Park: This project will include installing water, storm, retaining wall and sidewalk.
· Slurry Seal for Assessment Districts
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.
Building and Safety:
· Among the 43 building permits applied for this week:
ü 575 Lander Ave – Tenant improvement for “Mi Lindo Michoacan”
ü 2240 W Monte Vista Ave – Tenant improvement for “Emanuel Medical Center”
· Among the 39 building permits issued this week:
ü 310 E Main St., Ste B – Tenant improvement for “Relish Restaurant”
ü 537 Fransil Ln – New warehouse building w/office space for “US Cold Storage”
ü 2321 W Main St., Ste C – Tenant improvement for “Turlock Poker Room”
Land Development:
· The Senior Civil Engineer has begun a series of informative meetings regarding Development Impact Fees. The first presentation discussed information about what the ENR (Engineering News Record) is, what the ENR index is, and how the City uses the index in regards to calculating fees.
· A member of the Development Team has been working on indexing liens that the City currently has on properties throughout the city. Research is being done on liens that are currently outstanding, liens that need to be released and the collection of the outstanding liens.
· Active Submittals in process
ü 15 – Improvement Plans
ü 7 – Parcel Maps
ü 16 – Subdivision Maps
ü 3 – Lot Line Adjustment
ü 6 – Road Dedications / Public Utility Easements
ü 1- Abandonment
ü 15 – Approved Plans waiting for permits to be issued
ü 1 – Capital Project
Land Surveying:
· The survey crew has been working on the following projects.
ü Construction staking for City Project #6974, Water Reservoirs and Pump Stations.
ü Currently working on boundaries for City Project #0764, Traffic Signal at South Avenue and Orange intersection.
ü The City Surveyor and his survey crew completed staking the alignment of the right of way and pipeline along the “Outfall Pipeline Project”. They have also completed the topography drawing for this project as well. This is being done for the benefit of the affected property owners, to ensure that they fully understand the impact of their operation.
ü Transferring the annexation map into an AutoCAD drawing for the Planning Division.
ü Verified monuments for Turlock Park Villas Subdivision.
ü Verified city well boundary for the Dollar Tree / Party City project on Tegner Road.
Public Works Inspectors:
· Development is out to a good start so far for the 2009 year. A total of 11 grading and encroachment permits have been issued thus far.
MUNICIPAL SERVICES
Regulatory Affairs:
· Media Programming
Staff has been working with the University’s office of information technology to develop and produce a variety of programming applications for the Channel 2 broadcast. Some of the programs include: Remote broadcast of special events, a mini-news documentary of current issues related to all departments within the City of Turlock that will be aired on a quarterly basis, and a “Go Green ” tip of the week” which would consist of a 15-30 second voice over with a static graphic.
· Stanislaus County Fair Partnership
With this year’s fair theme focusing on environmental advocacy (“Renewable Fun”), the City of Turlock has been working with fair staff to provide suggestions and resource information for implementation into the fair programming schedule. The fair will also be featuring a “Clean & Green” Expo throughout the duration of the event which will include vendors from a variety of environmental agencies and organizations.
· Public Education and Outreach
With California’s drought concerns at an all-time high, staff is enhancing the City’s water conservation outreach efforts. We are developing a new door hanger that will serve as a guide for addressing water leaks, sprinkler set-up, and Turlock watering rules assist. Further, the door-hanger will assist the water conservation specialists with the warning and citation process for residents violating the City’s water conservation code. Other outreach efforts in development include a “welcome packet” for new residents that will contain a host of important information from the City of Turlock and the Turlock Chamber of Commerce.
· State PCE Clean-Up Funding
We met with staff from the Regional Water Board regarding the State funding to assist with the investigation and remediation of the PCE plumes in downtown Turlock. The funds will be used to install a small “pump and treat” system to remove and clean the contaminated water. Further, some funding will be available for ongoing monitoring of the plume to assess the effectiveness of the pump and treat system. A Request for Proposals (RFPs) will be prepared to find a qualified consultant to undertake the specialist work. The City’s Water Enterprise Fund will receive a reimbursement of $140,000 for the costs associated with past work.
Utilities Maintenance:
Water System Projects
· Repair the fire hydrant, damaged in a car accident, at the corner of S. Center St and East Ave
· Poured the concrete back at 420 C St, 760 South Ave, 800 Geer Rd and 3180 James Lane
· Assisted West Valley Construction with checking non working meter End Points
· Filled in sinking trench line in front of 1255 Geer Rd
· Replaced 2, RP devices at W.Q.C
· 335 delinquent services were turned off. Turned 222 back on after payment, 104 of which were immediate turn ons.
· Replaced the damaged End Point at 387 Angelus
· Replaced the missing water meter at 2381 Typhoon, presumed stolen
· Installed a new 1 ½’ water meter at 1337 N. Golden State
· Installed 2 new water meters at 900 N. Palm for the new PD building
· Installed the enclosures and thermal blankets for the backflow devices at 800 Geer Rd
· Collected a total of 25 bacti samples for Enterprise Park at 1100 W. Glenwood. Staff collected 3 sets of 11 samples and 1 set of 3. All have passed bacti.
Sewer and Storm System Projects
· Locate sewer service and installed clean outs at 2695 E. Canal, 2161 Arbor,2201 Arbor, 2221 Arbor, 2241 Arbor and 702 Flower
· Ran the sewer service at 425 20th Century to clear sewer stoppage
· Installed a new 4” sewer service at 1651 N. Berkeley
· Pumped storm water off the road at Taylor and Quincy
· Checked 18 Storm lift stations
· Clean 1255 ft of existing sewer main line Grid E-5
· Clean 9 Catch Basin
· Televise 1549 ft existing sewer main line Grid F-12, F-11 and E-5
· Televise the sewer lateral and the storm line for the new water storage tank at 512 S. Kilroy
· Cleaned 2454 ft in grids E-5, 6, 10 and F-7, 8 with the Power Rodder. The six
month maintenance runs are complete
Electrical/Mechanical
· Removed pump 1 at sewer 4 due to leaking seal. Replaced with spare rotating assembly.
· Installed ph probe at Angelica Industry.
· Assisted T.I.D. with the removal and replacement of a street light on South First between D and F streets.
· Completed annual inspection on Flygt pumps 3 and 4 at secondary effluent, and pumps 1 thru 5 at the Bio-tower station.
· Replaced the low-low float at the secondary effluent station in wet well for pump 4.
· Weekly WQC calibrations and cleaning.
· Weekly sewer lift checks. Pulled pumps at sewer 54 and sewer 9.
· USA’s and street light work orders.
· Replaced the overload block for pump 2 at sewer 61.
· Replaced damaged copper line for clay valve at North East Backbone irrigation pump.
Fleet
Diagnosed and repaired vehicles/equipment for the following divisions and departments:
· Police – 26 work requests – no major repairs
· Transit bus – 19 work requests – no major repairs
· Public Facilities – 22 work requests - no major repairs
· Utility Maintenance – 17 work requests – major repairs
(Electrical, Collection and Water)
· Neigh/Preservation – 1 work requests – no major repairs
· Fleet – 3 work requests – no major repairs
· Engineering Dept. – 1 work requests – no major repairs
· PM’s Preventive Maintenance work requests – 13 (including, A’s, B’s, CHP’s, Mini’s, etc.)
Water Quality Control:
· The Regional Water Quality Control Facility is operating well. Preventative maintenance activities during this period were conducted by staff.
· Staff collected the required R1, R2, R3, R4 and R5 samples on Wednesday January 28, 2009. The Acute Bioassay and influent Priority pollutant samples were collected on Monday February 2, 2009.
· The Regional Water Quality Control Board conducted an unscheduled inspection at The WQC Facility. The WQC Supervisor and WQC Operations Division Manager assisted. Preliminary comments indicated no problems with the operations and maintenance of the facility.
· Contractors continued working on the Fuel Cell Project. Representatives continued testing equipment.
· The WQC Facility has encountered 391 days without a lost time accident.
Public Facility Maintenance:
· Management staff received notice this week that the City was successful in their application for Tree City USA status for 2008. This makes 18 years that the City has been approved as a Tree City USA. Way to go Turlock!
Parks
· Columbia Park – Crews will be installing the soccer goal frames next week at the multi-use court in preparation for the new surface installation that will be completed in March.
· Crane Park – Pressure wash arbors and picnic areas, painted BBQ’s and stencil identification letters at the different picnic locations, paint play equipment, and pruned Crape Myrtles in the park.
· Pedretti Sports Complex – Spread cinder dust out on all the fields Wednesday trying to beat the expected rain showers and poured an ADA compliant sidewalk along field #5. Staff continues to prep the complex for the CSUS Girls Softball tournament this weekend, mowing, edging, pruning, painting, etc. to make the complex look first class for this big event.
· Sports Complex – Crews painted arbor area, softball backstops, sandblasted and painted the protection cage for the Arrowhead score board, and painted 4 full size fields for 8 games this weekend.
· Donnelly Park – Continued to complete the winter pruning of trees throughout the park.
· Ferreira Ranch Park – Pruned trees, repaired play equipment panel that was vandalized, and painted serving table in the arbor area.
· Soderquist Ballfield – Management staff is working with the Little League on replacing the lights at Soderquist Ballfield. Report is scheduled to go to Council on Feb. 24th.
· Gopher baited and sprayed all parks and storm basins.
· 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 268 potholes totaling 2 ¼ tons of cold mix at the following locations: East Ave. between Golden State and Berkeley (80), Lander near Linwood (3), El Capitan between Berkeley and Johnson (30), Colorado and East Ave. (3), Daubenberger between Hawkeye and Marshall (50), Clifford Ave. (30), W. Glenwood near Lander (10), W. Monte Vista (50), D Street (8), and S. First (4).
· Crews picked up 4 1/4 loads of leaves totaling 38 3/4 tons in Zones 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, and replaced 5 miscellaneous street signs throughout Turlock and responded to items left on the sidewalk at Monte Vista and N. Olive. The Annual Leaf Pickup Program ended on Feb. 5th. It was a very successful year once again. Way to go guys!
Assessments
· Pruned plants and 95 Crape Myrtle trees, cleaned dog pots, sprayed Roundup, and removed signage throughout the Assessment District. Crews are working on a major irrigation line break along the Northeast bike path. Work should be completed by the end of the week.
Buildings
· Shampooed carpet in OPS building, vacuumed water off of roof at Recreation, replaced several lights throughout Administration and in the lobby, and cleaned off graffiti at the Pal Building and the Marty Yerby Center. Management staff is working with the contractor in repairing a roof leak at the Police Services Building.
Arts/Recreation:
Recreation
· Division Manager and Superintendent participated in a conference call meeting with other Park and Recreation Professional regarding budget reductions and how other cities are handling the crisis. Staff participated in a workshop by the “Stewardship Council” on funding related to getting youth outdoors.
· Adult league softball closed registration last week with sixty – nine teams enrolled. Late registrations will be accepted through this week with an additional $30 fee attached. Last spring season, 90 teams enrolled to play with nearly forty of these teams registering during the late registration period.
· Staff attended meetings with personnel from the County Office of Education in regards to after school programs and new funding sources.
· Staff attended follow-up meeting with members of the Mayors Gang Task Force in regards to “School Board Study Session”.
Arts
· During the last week of each month, Arts staff produces and emails, a newsletter and calendar of events to more than 175 members of the Rings of the Arts. The newsletter for February included information on the current City Gallery exhibition, Botanical Fusion, entry information for the upcoming Spring Juried Art Show, news items about the Friends of the Turlock Public Library Book Sale and auditions for children to participate in the Turlock Youth Performing Arts spring production of Beauty & the Beast. The monthly calendar of events includes arts and culture programs presented by organizations and venues from Tracy to Merced. Rings Members find it a valuable resource for keeping informed about the variety of arts-related events in our region. The newsletter is also printed and mailed upon request to any members who do not have email accounts.
· Recreation and Arts staff continue to work on maintenance and operation draft budget options for the new Carnegie Center. In addition staff continues to work with the design committee and architect on estimated construction
FIRE SERVICES
Operations:
· We responded to a total of 94 emergency calls last week. The breakdown of calls is as follows:
ü EMS 52
ü MVA’S 6
ü Assist Invalids 5
ü False Alarms 5
ü Smoke Detectors 5
ü Dumpster Fires 3
ü Checkouts 3
ü No Patient Contact 2
ü No Incident 1
ü Gas Leak 1
ü Unauthorized burning 1
ü Police Assist 1
ü Vehicle Fire 1
ü Structure Fire 1 *
* The structure fire was a single family dwelling located at 1608 Joett. It took 15 Firefighters about 15 minutes to bring the fire under control. The fire started in the kitchen and is under investigation. There was an estimated $100,000 dollars in damage to the structure, and about another $50,000 dollars in damage to the contents.
· Operations Chief met with our Apparatus and Equipment committee to clarify responsibilities and set goals for 2009. We also met with Delta Wireless and other city departments regarding our future radio communications needs.
Training Division:
· All line staff are training with the newest firefighters on the following subjects: Area familiarization within their respective Fire Response Districts, equipment locations, hose evolutions, EMT skills, ladder operations and small motor maintenance and use.
· 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.
POLICE SERVICES
Service Demands:
Calls for Service 2272
Criminal Investigations 250
Arrests 94
Land Calls 212
Wireless Calls 133
Incoming Admin Calls 2309
Outgoing Calls 972
Grand Total of All Calls 3,620
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 were called out to investigate a homicide that occurred in the 600 Block of Julian. Two pedestrians were intentionally struck by a vehicle. One of the victims later died at the hospital. The investigation does not appear to be either gang or drug related. Investigators are following up with several leads in the case.
· Investigators assisted patrol with a death investigation in the 2300 Block of Seattle, where a 25 year old female was found deceased in her bed. There were no apparent signs of foul play, but the investigation is continuing.
Field Operations Division:
Significant Events and Trends
Traffic Unit
· The Traffic Unit put their new commercial enforcement training to immediate use. As Turlock has never had any enforcement on commercial vehicles, the truck drivers were quite surprised to have Turlock Police officers citing them for commercial vehicle code violations. The commercial enforcement is important as these laws are in effect to prevent oversized and unsafe commercial vehicles from using and abusing the roadways. Several citations were issued this week for commercial vehicle code violations; some received warnings.
Patrol Unit
Death Investigation
· Officers responded to a residence in the 2300 block of Seattle Court, regarding a death investigation. A 25 year old female was found deceased in her bed. The female was reported to be three months pregnant. There were no signs of foul play, however detectives responded due the fact she was reported to be healthy.
Street Crimes Unit “C” Team
Mutual-Aid Investigation
· After providing investigative leads to partnering law enforcement agencies on a burglary ring, Ceres Police notified the Street Crimes unit of a suspect’s car at a motel in Ceres. A Parole/Probation search turned up one suspect in the room as well as a stolen firearm, over 100 rounds of ammunition, stolen ID’s, and credit cards. Burglaries were traced back to Merced County the day before. The suspect located in the motel was arrested and a warrant was issued for another suspect.