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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08/23/2013 OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER MEMORANDUM August 23, 2013 TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council FROM: Alan Tandy, City Manager AT SUBJECT: General Information ______________________________________________________________________________ Good News  The groundbreaking for the State Route 178/Morning Drive Interchange project was held this week. This project will help ease congestion, better accommodate existing and forecasted traffic volumes, and improve circulation along the State Route 178 corridor by extending the four-lane freeway from the Fairfax Road Interchange to Canteria Drive. Morning Drive itself will also be realigned and widened to six lanes between State Route 178 and Auburn Street, to four lanes between Auburn Street and Panorama Drive, and will be extended south of the freeway to connect to the recently constructed roadway from College Avenue to just south of State Route 178. Some photographs are attached that commemorate the occasion.  The ribbon cutting for Phase II of the State Farm Sports Village is taking place simultaneously with the distribution of this memorandum. We are confident in predicting that it will be a success! Youth football will be added to the Village’s program! Miscellaneous News  The Legislative and Litigation Committee took up the issue this week of the request to increase the residency requirement for Council elections. Research from the City Attorney’s office showed case law only allows a maximum of a 30-day period. It would require a Charter Amendment election, which would cost $150,000 to $200,000. In light of the minimal benefit potential and high cost, the Committee took no action on the item.  As you are aware, this past Wednesday (August 21, 2013), the City informed the County that their lease/operational agreement with the City related to the animal shelter is set to expire on September 30, 2013. This notification opens the door for the City to fully engage with the Bakersfield SPCA and the Bakersfield Homeless Center to develop a partnership to provide for the future sheltering and care of City animals. All involved view this as a great opportunity to provide a higher level of care for City animals, while also supporting the mission of both of these community service based organizations. City staff has had productive meetings with both agencies and we are General Information August 23, 2013 Page 2 High Speed Rail A Sacramento County judge ruled recently that the High Speed Rail Authority failed to comply with the financial and environmental promises made to voters when they approved initial funding for the project five years ago. Proposition 1A provided that financing and environmental reviews would be in place before construction would start. The Authority identified funding for the first 130 miles of the project and about 30 miles of environmental review has taken place; however, the Judge ruled that both pieces must be in place for the first 290 miles. It is a major decision that has not yet been fully recognized by the Authority! Traffic Advisory - Reminder This weekend, Streets crews will work with the San Joaquin Valley Railroad (SJVRR) to repair the railroad crossing on South “H” Street between Planz Road and White Lane. As noted in the attached Press Release, the work will commence this evening at 6:00 p.m., and it will require full closure of “H” Street at Planz Road and at White Lane until Sunday, August 25th at 6:00 p.m. During the closure, detour routes will be clearly delineated, and customer access will be ensured for all businesses within this area. City Council Referrals The following responses are attached:  Councilmember Maxwell o Stop Sign Warrant Study at Calloway Drive and Etchart Road o Median Island on F Street at 23rd Street  Councilmember Smith o Improved Access for Commercial Way and Truxtun Avenue  Councilmember Johnson o Roads and Services in Hidden Cove Reports For your information, we enclose the following: 1. Streets Division work schedule for the week of August 26th; and 2. Letter from AT&T U-verse regarding possible programming changes. Upcoming Events  Roller Derby Saturday, August 24th, 5:00 p.m. Rabobank Arena Tickets: $10, $18 AT:rs:al:mc cc: Department Heads Roberta Gafford, City Clerk State Route 178 / Morning Drive Interchange Groundbreaking Ceremony – August 21, 2013 Public Works Department Raul Rojas – Public Works Director PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Mike Connor Wednesday, August 21, 2013 Street Superintendent (661) 326-3111 The City of Bakersfield, in coordination with San Joaquin Valley Railroad (SJVRR), has a project to repair and improve the ride quality of the existing rail crossing on South “H” Street between Planz Road and White Lane. Removal of the existing asphalt railroad crossing and replacement with concrete panels will begin on Friday, August 23, 2013 at 6:00 PM and will require full closure of “H” Street at Planz Road and at White Lane through Sunday, August 25th at 6:00 PM. Traffic detour routes will be clearly delineated and customer access will be ensured for all businesses within this area. City Street Division crews will then work on the asphalt approach to make a smooth transition from the roadway to the crossing. This will require the closure of one lane in each direction during the process. The lane closure will be limited to one at a time to minimize disruption of the traveling public. The estimated date of completion for this project is Thursday, August 29, 2013. The City thanks the public for their patience during this period. For more information, please contact Mike Connor, Street Superintendent, Public Works Department, at (661) 326-3111. # # # City of Bakersfield • Public Works Department • 1501 Truxtun Avenue Bakersfield, California • 93301(661) 326-3724 • Fax (661) 852-2120 C:\Users\alawrenc\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5\AYAIXHUN\_414_Warrant_Study_Calloway_Drive[1].docx CITY OF BAKERSFIELD PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT MEMORANDUM TO: Alan Tandy, City Manager FROM: Raul Rojas, Public Works Director DATE: August 21, 2013 SUBJECT: Stop Sign Warrant Study Referral No. 414 An Intersection study, done in accordance with the California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, was conducted at this location in May of 2013. This intersection is currently controlled by a side street stop on Etchart Road. State warrants for an all-way stop or traffic signal were not met. No change in traffic control is warranted at this time. Staff will continue to monitor this intersection as the area is continuing to develop and will ultimately reach the warrants required for either an all way stop or traffic signal. Councilmember Maxwell requested that staff conduct a warrant study for a stop sign at Calloway Drive and Etchart Road. C:\Users\alawrenc\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5\QI75WOFS\_415_Median_Island_F_Street[1].docx CITY OF BAKERSFIELD PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT MEMORANDUM TO: Alan Tandy, City Manager FROM: Raul Rojas, Public Works Director DATE: August 19, 2013 SUBJECT: Median Island on F Street at 23rd Street Referral No. 415 This is a tack-on median curb. The median island had been hit by several large vehicles resulting in a 20’ section being pushed out. City crews removed the portion that was damaged and our annual concrete contractor put dowels in to strengthen this section before pouring the concrete back. The work was completed this week. Councilmember Maxwell requested that staff look at the median island on northbound F Street at 23rd Street, as it appears to be out of alignment and possibly dangerous. C:\Users\alawrenc\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5\AYAIXHUN\_417_Improved_Access_for_Commercial_Way_and_Truxtun_Ave[1].docx CITY OF BAKERSFIELD PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT MEMORANDUM TO: Alan Tandy, City Manager FROM: Raul Rojas, Public Works Director DATE: August 21, 2013 SUBJECT: Improved Access for Commercial Way and Truxtun Ave Referral No. 417 Historically, Truxtun Avenue averages 35,000 vehicles per day which is high for the capacity of a four lane roadway. The intersections at both Commercial and at Truxtun Plaza West were designed to not stop westbound Truxtun Avenue to make the roadway as efficient as possible. However, this design does not allow for a north-south pedestrian crossing. Currently, pedestrians and bikes have to cross at Mohawk Street which is 1500’ to the west of Commercial. With the opening of the Westside Parkway, all of the traffic signals along Truxtun Avenue and surrounding streets will be evaluated due to the change in traffic patterns. The data collection will begin mid-September after all of the local schools have been in session for a few weeks and residents are in their normal driving routines. Staff anticipates a decrease in traffic volumes on Truxtun Avenue so more green time can be given for the directions in and out of Commercial Way. This will improve vehicle access for the businesses south of Truxtun. Also, with the new data, a comparison can be made of the vehicle delay impact of stopping westbound Truxtun to make it a four approach intersection. Stopping westbound Truxtun would of course provide a crossing for pedestrian and bicycles to access the Kern River Parkway at the location. Staff will provide an update to council once all studies are complete. Councilmember Smith requested that staff look at the intersection of Commercial Way and Truxtun Avenue to determine whether or not the signal can be modified from three to four ways for better access. Mr. Smith also requests that staff look at improving pedestrian and bicycle access from the Kern River Parkway, as it relates to this intersection. C:\Users\alawrenc\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5\LGWE8Q2A\_412_Hidden_Cove_StreetsX2[1].docx CITY OF BAKERSFIELD PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT MEMORANDUM TO: Alan Tandy, City Manager FROM: Raul Rojas, Public Works Director DATE: August 22, 2013 SUBJECT: Roads and Services in Hidden Cove Referral No. 412 Staff followed up on Mr. McDermott’s request to inspect the streets in the Hidden Cove development. The inspection revealed that Hidden Cove is a private development and as such it is the responsibility of the HOA to take care of street maintenance and repair. Staff provided this information to Councilmember Johnson who will now meet with Mr. McDermott regarding his concerns. Councilmember Johnson requested that staff provide contact information for Mr. Leonard McDermott, who indicated that the streets in the Hidden Cove development at Panama Lane and South H Street need to be repaved. Staff is to investigate, as this area is governed by a private Homeowners Association (HOA). Week of Aug 26_2013_Work Schedule Page 1 of 2 STREETS DIVISION – WORK SCHEDULE Week of Aug. 26, 2013 – Aug. 30, 2013 Resurfacing/Reconstructing streets in the following areas: Grind & Pave Stockdale Hwy between Old River & Buena Vista Rd Reconstructing various streets north of Aubrun and east of Fairfax Sealing streets in the area east of Oak St and North of Brundage Ln Miscellaneous Streets Division projects: Video inspection of City owned Sewer & Storm lines to evaluate condition of pipes Miscellaneous concrete repairs throughout the city Concrete work in the area north of Flower St and east of Alta Vista in preparation for street reconstruction / resurfacing (HUD funded area) Grading site at Sister City phase B for concrete work Concrete work on various streets in the area south of E. California Ave and west of MLK Blvd in preparation for street reconstruction / resurfacing (HUD funded area) Working with San Joaquin Valley Railroad Company to repair crossing on So. “H” St installing concrete panels starting on Friday night Aug 23th which we will have to detours traffic on Friday night thru Sunday opening up the road for traffic Monday with asphalt work being done by city crews August 26th thru August 30th one lane at a time THIS SPACE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK Week of Aug 26_2013_Work Schedule Page 2 of 2 STREETS SWEEPING SCHEDULE Monday, Aug. 26, 2013 Between Coffee Rd. & Verdugo Ln. – Brimhall Rd., south to the Kern River boundary. Cul-De-Sacs, west of Windsong St., between Brimhall Rd. & Thistlewood Ct. City areas between Rosedale Hwy. & Stockdale Hwy. – Verdugo Ln. to the west City Limit. Between Jenkins Rd. & Allen Rd. – Stockdale Hwy. & Birkenfeld Ave. Between Hosking Rd. & Astro Ave. – So. “H” St. & Union Ave. Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2013 City areas between Olive Dr. & Downing Ave. – Coffee Rd. & Knudsen Dr./Mohawk St., including Patton Wy. From Weldon Ave. to Meany Ave. Between W. Columbus St. & 34th St. – Chester Ave. & San Dimas St. Beween Union Ave. & Madison St. – Casa Loma Dr. & White Ln. Between Westwold Dr. & So. Laurelglen Blvd. – Gosford Rd. & Woodglen Dr. Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2013 City areas between Snow Rd. & Rosedale Hwy. – Jewetta Ave., west to the City limit. Between Ming Ave. & So. Laurelglen Blvd. – Coffee Rd. & El Portal / Laurelglen Blvd. Thursday, Aug. 29, 2013 All sweepers are assigned to sweeping streets that are not on a set sweeping schedule. Friday, Aug. 30, 2013 All sweepers are assigned to sweeping streets that are not on a set sweeping schedule. NOTE: If raining, there will be no street sweeping service and all street cleaning personnel will be assigned to cleaning plugged drains and part circle culverts. This also applies when a large number of street sweeper are in Fleet for repairs. Areas that have been missed during this time will be swept at the end of the month.