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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02/21/97 BAKERSFIELD CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE MEMORANDUM February 21, 1997 TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COU~.~ / . ?/ FROM: ALAN TANDY, CITY MANAGER SUBJECT: GENERAL INFORMATION 1. Enclosed, for your information, is a report from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development regarding the City's Program Year 1995 Consolidated End of Year Review. 2. A memorandum from Greg Cronk, of the Convention Center, is enclosed providing an update on Convention Center booking requests. We are starting contacts with rodeos, ice shows, etc., for the new arena. 3. A memorandum concerning a parking survey for the Convention Center Arena project is enclosed. It shows 4,622 spaces within a 3 block area of the Convention Center. 4. Most cities are getting slightly reduced bond ratings from the rating agencies as a resuk of loss of flexibility caused by the passage of Proposition 218. We'll see how we do in a few weeks. 5. The economic analysis is in on the Grand Canal Project, and we'll be scheduling that before a committee fairly soon. AT:rg cc: Department Heads Pamela McCarthy, City Clerk Trudy Slater, Administrative Analyst · ~ ~Nr~ U.S.Deparlment ~ H~sing and Ud)an Devdopment y ~/~ Los Angeles Area Office, Pacific/Hawaii = .~ u . ~ AT&TCenter \ IIIiiIlty 611West6thStreet, 10thFIoor, CPD ~~ oEv~ Los Angeles. California 90017 1 Alan Tandy, City Manager City of Bakersfield ATTENTION: George Gonzales 1505 Truxton Avenue Bakersfield, CA Dear Mr. Tandy: ~-- SUBJECT:I--City of--Bakersfield Progra~ Year 1995 Consolidated End of Year Review The Departme~b. 0f Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is required to conduct an annual review of performance by grant recipients. This is to report to you the results of our review. Additionally, the Secretary must determine that the grant recipient is in compliance with the statutes and has the continuing capacity to implement and administer the programs for which assistance is received. Report ' We congratulate you on your many accomplishments during this past year on the achievement of Departmental Objectives. The City of Bakersfield spent all of its Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds on low and moderate income persons, according to the activity listing in the Grantee Performance Report (GPR) . Reviewing the City's accomplishments in meeting the three key Departmental objectives, we found as follows: 1. Providing Decent Housing Bakersfield spent $428,698 in CDBG funds on efforts to provide decent housing for its low or moderate income citizens and meet the goals of its five year Consolidated Plan. Included in this amount were fair housing counseling ($79,597), single family residential rehabilitation loans and grants ($239,485), multi-family residential rehabilitation loans and grants ($17,047), and assistance through a first time home buyers loan program ($87,870).. The rehabilitation programs resulted in 13 loans and grants being provided for the renovation of units and 16 units being painted. In addition, 27 homes were purchased by low and moderate income clients under the City's first time home buyers program. FEB The City expended additional HUD housing funds: $487,665 in HOME funds was used to assist 25 low and moderate income households rehabilitate their homes and $315,435 was provided to enable 100 households purchase their first homes. 2. Providing a Suitable Living Environment To meet this objective, the City used CDBG funds to: ---acquire or renovate one recreational, one senior, one'~h~dicap~ed,~' ~he y~u~h, t~ighborh~od,~nd ~four health facilities; ---fund 19 flood drain, street, and sewer improvement projects; ---renovate eight commercial buildings; ---make 52 units handicapped accessible; and ---fund the following types of public services: graffiti removal ($51,900), neighborhood improvement ($18,436), employment training ($6,021), crime awareness ($209,504), and fair housing services ($79,597. In addition, $14,403 in ESG funds were expended to provide medical services for the Bakersfield Homeless Center, substitute payee services for Kern County Mental Health Association, and assist the Alliance Against Family Violence acquire a van. 3. Expanding Economic Opportunities The City expended $2,106,702 in Section 1.08 Loan Guarantee funds to assist in the construction and furnishing of the ~oliday Inn. This project created 179 new jobs, including 154 for low and moderate income persons. In addition, two other businesses received loans and retained 52 jobs, including 45 for low and moderate income persons. Some other performance areas that we considered include the following: Management of Program Funds " The Department considers timely expenditure of HUD funds a measure of the grantee's capability in managing its programs. The benchmark for the CDBG program is a maximum of 1.5 years of unspent funds at the end of the program year. As of June 30, 1996, the City's letter of credit balance was $3,738,082. Dividing this amount by the current year's grant of $2,953,000 yields a ratio of 1.26 which is below 1.5, the maximum allowable. This is acceptable performance. However, there is a significant discrepancy between HUD's letter of credit balance and the unexpended balance reported in the GPR which will need to be resolved. Homeless Continuum of Care The City's stated plan is to provide a comprehensive ......... hbm~l~ss--~s~rvi~e ~&m~t~-~n~urei~h~f~homele~s'in~idUai~ and~ families move from homelessness to self-sufficiency, permanent housing, and independent living. Through the Bakersfield Homeless Center, the City provided various referrals and services to more than 3,000 homeless persons. Also, the City provided $92,569 to assist in the acquisition of a facility for the Alliance Against Family Violence. In addition, the City and County jointly funded the Anne Sippi Clinic Riverside Ranch project which will, upon completion, provide permanent supportive residential care to approximately 30 former homeless residents. Finally, the City provided HOME funds to assist a non-profit organization, Mercy Charities, Housing California, build 56 permanent affordable rental units for large low and moderate income households. We also have included some recommendations to improve your performance, as well as to help you to develop and refine your Consolidated Planning process and carry out your program for this year. Continuum of Care - Addressing the needs of the homeless is a high priority for the City. We noted that the Five Year Strategy is consistent with the one year action plan with one exception. The City identified [he need to provide access to child care, employment training, and job creation programs for the homeless. However, these programs were not mentioned in the action plan. We recommend that the City consider funding activities like these to enable the City to meet the needs of its homeless population. Economic DeveloDment - The Five Year Strategy identified several types of economic development needs, such as, commercial rehabilitation, technical assistance, micro-enterprises, and business loans. However, only two of them were mentioned in the action plan. One, a business incubator, is being cancelled and the other one, a business loan program, was making slow progress. We recommend that the City re-evaluate its economic development needs and determine what other programs should be implemented. 4 Background information HUD's Office of Community Planning and Development has sought to establish partnerships with State and local governments. The focus of our partnership has been to work with communities to ensure that our joint efforts result in housing and community development programs and policies that benefit and serve low and moderate income persons. These efforts occur within the framework of the statutes we administer and the regulations and emerging policies that are designe~ to improve The provisions of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974, as amended, and the National Affordable Housin9 Act of 1990 require the annual submission of performance reports by grant recipients receiving federal assistance through programs covered under these Acts. Additionally, these Acts require that a determination be made by the Secretary, that the grant recipient is in compliance with the statutes and has the continuing capacity to implement and administer the programs for which assistance is received. Traditionally, these determinations were made through the review of annual reports submitted by grantees for each individual program receiving assistance. With the implementation of the Consolidated Planning Regulations of January 5, 1995, the Department will be making a comprehensive performance review of your overall progress at least annually, as required by the statues and section 91.525 of the regulations. The review consists of analyzing your consolidated planning process; reviewing management of funds; determining the progress made in carrying out your policies and programs; determining the compliance of funded activities with statutory and regulatory requirementS; determining the accuracy of required performance reports; as well as evaluating your accomplishments in meeting key Departmental objectives. This assessment not only meets the mandates of the statutes, but it also provides a basis for working together collaboratively to help you achieve housing and community development goals. One critical outcome of this collaboration should be the development of a more comprehensive, effective, and concise Consolidated Plan and improved performance in achieving specific goals that correspond to the activities outlined in your forthcoming Action Plan. Public Access 5 After reviewing the Department's end of the year assessment of the grantee's performance as contained in this letter, you may wish to make comments. Please do so within 10 days from the date of this letter. This Report must be made readily available to the public within 30 days of receipt of your comments. There are several ways the report can be made available to the public. You can assist us in this regard by sharing HUD's report with the media; with a mailing list of interested persons; with members 'of your ~-£sb ~y c ~i-~-~ ~&~ ~o-~--W-i~- % h-6-~&---W~- ~-6~ e~d~a~ h~i~-~ ~ ............... meetings. HUD will make this information available to the public upon request and may provide copies of future reports to interested citizens and groups. Conclusion As a result of our analysis, we have determined that your overall progress is satisfactory and that you have the continuing capacity to implement these programs. Please give some thought the recommendations on Page 3. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the Community Planning and Development Representative assigned to your jurisdiction. Sincerely yours, ~,~ Office of Community Planning ~ and Development, 9DD M. EMORANDUM February 13, 1997 To: Mr. Alan Tandy, City Manager Fro~ronk, Convention Center Manager Subject: Booking Request Update Since January 3, 1997, we have logged 31 request for dates within a booking window of the next calendar year. These parties were unable to book a date at the Center due to existing events. Once the appropriate press releases are issued regarding project status and anticipated completion date, those companies and organizations that previously bypassed Bakersfield will certainly take notice. Until then, we have begun contacting those parties capable of bringing significant events to our community. This past week we have generated two very positive leads. First, Mr. Cotton Rosser, owner and operator of Flying "LF' Rodeo Company, and Mr. Danny Lipco of DBL Entertainment. They are very interested in producing a two day rodeo with a concert on the final day. Mr. Lipco and I drove to Anaheim last Sunday to speak to Mr. Rosser in person and to witness his operation in action. Our discussions concluded on a very positive note. Second, Mr. Don Watson of Tom Collins Enterprises, Inc., producers of "World Figure Skating Champions" inquired as to when the arena will open so that we might be placed on the tour routing. A very prestigious event, the current tour is nationally sponsored by Campbell's' Soups featuring top amateur and professional figure skaters including Olympic and World Professional champions. Oxsana Baiul, Brian Boitano, Victor Petrenko and Michele Kwan are only a few who have performed on this tour. Recent success, pardon me, sell-outs, of"Grease" has rekindled opportunities for theatrical performances. Center staff are working with Space Agency personnel towards 1998 theatre bookings. Though currently on tentative hold, we are hopeful to have "The Magic of David Copperfield' return in December 1997. I shall keep you apprised as these and other projects develop. FEB I $ Igg'/ ~CITY MANAGER'S MEMORANDUM February 19, 1997 To: Alan Tandy, City Manager Fro onk, Convention Center Manager Subject: Parking Survey With assistance from Bakersfield Fire Department Captains Ed Watts and Kirk Blair, we have prepared a parking study for the Convention Center Arena project. As directed, boundaries were established at a !,000 foot distance from Convention Center/Holiday Inn four property corner points. Parking space counts include best estimates as some curb side and potential parking lots were not striped. Available parking was categorized as curb side, within existing parking lots, and existing parking structures. An additional tabulation was created to track undeveloped space, typically dirt, in no less than approximately I/6th block parcels. Following is a summary of our findings: Curbside 1,102 Parking Lots 1,992 Parking Structures 1,528 Estimated Spaces 4,622 We estimate 4.9 city blocks of undevelOped space may be found within the 1,000 foot boundary. The parking summary includes Center's south lot, Holiday Inn, Kern County juror and municipal court surface lots and administrative parking structure. Excluding appropriate counts for these locations reduces the estimated space numbers by !,938. The revised total becomes 2,684 potential parking spaces. Should we include parking just outside the 1,000 foot survey area by an additional block, we have potential additional parking for 300 curbside and 122 within parking lots or structures. This area Js defined as "K" street to "S" street with the south side of 20th street as the northern boundary. Dewayne Starnes is preparing a map of the project area seperately. Please contact me at your earliest convenience should you require additional information. Cc Lee Andersen Capt. Watts Capt. Blair file P AKERSFIELD ----c,,YMPHONY ( RCHESTRA JOHN: FARRER, Mu~ic Director 1401 19th Streel, Suite 130, Bakersfield, California 93301, 805/323-7928, FAX 805/323-7331 February 4, 1997 .REVISED REQUEST Mr. Lee Andersen Community Services Manager BAKERSFIELD CONVENTION CENTER 1001 Truxtun Avenue Bakersfield, California 93301 Dem' Lee: .......... On behalf of the Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra board of directors, I want to thank the City of Bakersfield for its $35,900 grant to the Symphony during' the 1996-97 season. These funds are used to help defray the general operating cost of the Orchestra, including twelve Young People's Concerts attended by more than 24,000 school children. We would like to request an appropriation of $37,109 for the 1997-98 season. We anticipate that the cost of the auditorium next season for our current programs will total at least $37,109. We hope the City will want to maintain the "break-even" relationship which exists between the City and the Symphony. Under this relationship, the City appropriates to the Symphony an amount equivalent to the Symphony's cost of using the Bakersfield Convention Center. We are grateful for all the City of Bakersfield has done to maintain the financial health of the Bakersfield Symphony. We hope the City will want to continue to help ensure the future well-being of the Orchestra. I will be happy to supply any additional information you may require in this matter. Thank you for your consideration of this request. Sincerely, C. Lee Clark President CLC:klj cc:, Alan'Tandy, City Manager-·., ~:[qc. CE~V~:.~ ''*" ~ t FEB I 8 1997 CiTY ~'" ~ t~ ....... c FOURTH SUPERVISORIAL DISTRICT KEN PETERSON 1115 Truxtun Avenue. Fifth Floor Supervisor Bakersfield. California 93301 Telephone (805) 861-3213 F 'February 14, 1997 Mr. Alan Tandy, City Manager City of Bakersfield 1501 Truxtun Avenue, Suite 201 Bakersfield, CA 93301 Dear Mr. Tandy: I am writing to express my appreciation to one of your crews from the Bakersfield City Fire Department for a recent incident that occurred in my neighborhood. My neighbor went into diabetic shock, and emergency crews were called. Within minutes of the phone call, Bakersfield City Fire crews were on scene and quickly started to administer medical assistance. I was very impressed with what I saw. I'm certain that without the quick actions of these fire fighters, this person would not have survived. I would like to personally commend Captain Steve Dietz for'doing an excellent job. Captain Dietz acted very quickly and very professionally in performing his job. A~e~at~hih~g-thi~-c-r-e~f pt6fe-~-~ibnai fit~ineniI'll:: f6St-~§ier- ki~o~i~g-that this~caliber of fire- fighters are just a phone call away. Please express my thanks to Captain Steve Dietz and the great staff of the Bakersfield Fire Department. Ken Peterson cc: Fire Chief Michael Kelly P~ECE~VE~ FEB