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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11/14/97 BAKERSFIELD CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE MEMORANDUM November 14, 1997 TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND CIVIL FROM: ALAN TANDY, CITY MANAGER SUBJECT: GENERAL INFORMATION 1. The Department Head retreat was a positive experience. We will get you a report by next Friday summarizing items that were discussed. 2. More potential arena events are being negotiated - Champions on Ice, Lord of the Dance, Sesame Street Live, and a National Hockey League exhibition. Although the discussions are less advanced, we will also be meeting with CSUB about the mens' basketball program for the second time in the near future. 3. The "old" Chamber building should be gone from the Plaza site by midnight on Friday, if all goes as planned. 4. We received good news from the State Wildlife Conservation Board - our request for $500,000, from Proposition 204 funding, to acquire additional property within the Kern River Parkway was approved. 5. We are expecting to make some changes in the Christmas tree recycling program this year, because Cai State and Bakersfield College may not allow the customary use of their grounds for recycling. We plan to inform the public of alternatives, such as cuffing up trees to fit into greenwaste carts, or using the Mount Vernon Recycling Facility. 6. TimeWarner Cable has notified us of their plan to increase customer rates within the next two months. A copy of their correspondence is enclosed. 7. The October URM report from EDCD is attached for your information. 8. Also enclosed is the County's latest activity report for LEA regulated projects within the city. Honorable Mayor and City Council November 14, 1997 Page 2 9. An update on the Anti-Graffiti program is enclosed. A new anti-graffiti billboard will be unveiled at the November 19th Council workshop. 10. The October activity report from Recreation and Parks is enclosed. 11. Attached is a response to a Council request to update the appearance of City Hall in time for the Centennial Celebration. AT:rs cc: Department Heads Pamela McCarthy, City Clerk Trudy Slater, Administrative Analyst MEMORANDUM November 13 1997 TO: Alan Tandy, City Manager ~.,o FROM: Gene Bogart, Water Resources Man~goV-~ SUBJECT: PROPOSITION 204 - PARKWAY RIVER PROPERTY FUNDING Good News! We just got word today from Debbie Townsend at the State Wildlife Conservation Board that the City was successful in its request for $500,000 to purchase additional private parcels located within the Kern River Parkway. Based on the terms of our agreement, the property acquisitions are to be made on a "willing buyer - willing seller" basis. Staff is ready to proceed with that in mind. To quote Ms. Townsend: "Board approved the Grant request today - Go Shopping!" If you need further information at this time, please let me know. i,C~TY MANAGF-WS O~;~C BAKERSFIELD PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT MEMORANDUM TO: Alan Tandy FROM: Raul Rojas, Public Works Director ~.,~,'~ DATE: November 5, 1997 SUBJECT: CHANGES IN CHRISTMAS TREE RECYCLING PROGRAM Some significant changes may occur in this year's program because Cai State and Bakersfield College may not allow the customary use of their grounds for Christmas tree recycling. Fortunately, the volume of trees dropped off has been declining each year with increasing availability of greenwaste carts at most households. To offset the loss of the two college parking lot drop off sites, staff proposes to inform the public of alternate means of tree recycling. These would be cutting the trees to fit in green carts, and use of the Mt. Vernon Recycling Facility as a primary drop off location. A few smaller drop offs will remain: Fairgrounds, Home Depot, and Stramler Park. These can be phased out in the future. By not having to process large piles of trees at remote locations, the City will save thousands of dollars. It would also pressure the County to more seriously consider a greenwaste program, and hence mandatory collection. An added benefit from directing tree drop offs to Mt. Vernon would be increased public awareness of the compost and firewood sales, which would in turn help revenue. Staff will begin the annual Christmas tree recycling program information circulation by Thanksgiving week. KB:smp C. W. Grinstead President Ba~'ersfieM Division  'r ~ ~ LE E~ A, R N E ~ C A B November 7, 1997 Alan Tandy City Manager City of Bakersfield 1501 Truxtun Avenue Bakersfield, Califomia 93301 Dear Mr. Tandy: A copy of the rate change notification letter which will be mailed to our customers within the next two weeks is enclosed for your advanced information. The affected services and the change in rates are noted below. Change From To Basic Service (Lifeline) $ .04 $ 7.32 $ 7.36 'Cable Programming Service Tier $ 2.56 $17.63 $20.19 ~ ,Home:Terminal $ .30 $ 2.95 $ 3.25 The primary factors in the FCC guidelines for service rate changes are inflation ($.52), Social · Contract charge ($1.00), and external (programming) costs ($.78). We also had a tmeup adjustment for 1997 and prior years of $1.20. The new rate for Standard Service in 1998 is $.76 below the FCC permitted rate. We are nearing completion of the upgrade that began in 1996 and we look forward to bringing new and exciting services to the Bakersfield market in the near future. We are required by the FCC to ~.nform our customers of their right to file a complaint about changes in the rate with the local franchising authority and to provide them with the name, address, and telephone number for the franchising authority. We have requested that the FCC revise this rule, but to date they have not done so. If you have any questions or need additional information, please advise. Time Warner Cable Baker,f>'eld Division 3600 N. Sillect Avenue Bakersfield CA 93308 Tel 805.327.9935 Fax 805.327.4074 A division of Time Warner Entertainment Company, CABL Dear Valued Customer: · Time Warner Cable strives to provide cable television service at the most reasonable rates possible while at the same time delivering the quality programming and service that our customers expect. To enable us to continue providing your choice of quality programming, excellent customer service, and the technology of the future, we will introduce new rates, as noted below, effective with your next billing statement. Effective December 15th or January 1st, depending on the billing dates reflected on your monthly statement, the following rate adjustments will take place: Service Level Current Rate New Rate Increase Basic $ 7.32 $ 7.36* $ 0.04 Satellite Tier $ i7.63 $ 20.19 $ 2.56 ~ Pioneer Home Terminal $ 2.95 $ 3.25 $ 0.30 *New rate for Basic Service includes copyright fees which will be itemized on monthly_billing statements in the taxes and fees section. All other service rates will remain the same. A new channel line-up card is enclosed for your convenience. In addition to operational improvements and inflation costs, the foregoing rate adjustments have been heavily impacted by increased programming costs. The 1998 costs for Basic and Satellite Tier services have increased by 12% over 1997 programming costs. Even after these increases, Standard Service, which includes the Basic and Satellite Tier levels of service, continues to be a great value at less than $1.00 a day. We at Time Warner Cable do value your patronage, and in the face of increasing competition in telecommunications, we understand the need to keep our rates competitive while offering the best possible service. With that in mind, we recently added TV Land and Food Network to Standard Service and expanded our Explorer Pac offerings to include exciting new services like Animal Planet and Classic Sports. We also added the new Premium Service called STARZ! to our line-up. We anticipate our upgrade will be substantially complete by year end and then outlying area customers will be able to enjoy the same services including the Explorer Pac and MusicChoice that our Bakersfield customers enjoy. Here is a brief look at some of what we have to offer and what you can expect from Time Warner Cable in the future: Programming We continue to offer our customers an extensive array of programming choices. News - Whether your interest is in the Mars probe or hurricane watches, our customers have grown to depend on news around-the-clock from CNN, Headline News, MSNBC, CNBC, and The Weather Channel. Public Affairs - The cable industry's public affairs network, C-Span, provides live, unedited coverage of Congress and the internal workings of our National Government, while the California Channel provides our customers with similar information related to our state government. Time Warner Cable has also dedicated a channel, KGOV, to Kern County, which offers you the opportunity to watch Board of Supervisors meetings. Children's Programming - Thanks to services like Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, Discovery Channel and The Learning Channel, Time Warner Cable customers can enjoy over 340 hours per week of children's programming. Sports - Through services like ESPN, ESPN2, TNT, TNN, USA, Fox Sports West, WGN, TBS, Galavision and live Pay-Per-View events, Time Warner Cable provides sports fans with non-stop regional, national and international sports action 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. And in 1998, we will continue to bring you the best in sports coverage including highlights of the Winter Olympic games in Japan. Local Programming - Time Warner Cable offers customers extensive coverage of local sports on Channel 52 that you just can't get anywhere else including exclusive coverage of local High School sporting events and NASCAR Racing at Mesa Marin. It is our goal to expand this local sports coverage in 1998 to include sports like Bakersfield Fog Hockey, CSUB Roadrunner Basketball and much more! Time Warner Cable Bakersfield Division 3600 North Sillect Avenue Bakersfield CA 93308 Tel 805.327.9671 Fax 805.327.4074 A Time Warner Entertainment - Advance / Newhouse Company ww~v. twcbak.corn '~k'~xTanced Teehnolo~are in the process of upgrading our system and want to thank you for your patience during this construction p~When completed, the benefits to you, our customer, will be in the form of greater reliability, enhanced pict~q~iality and access to new and popular programming choices. The upgraded system also provides the infrastrueture~advanced telecommunication services including two-way interactive service and high speed data transmission. Customer Service Time~W~rner Cable is committed to superior customer service and on-time guarantees to better serve our customers. In additicm to a 30-day money back guarantee to all new customers, Time Warner Cable customers receive guaranteed installatioa~ppointments or their installation is FREE! Plus, if Time Warner Cable is ever late to any service call, the customer recc~es a $20 dollar credit! We are so confident in the value of our services that we also do not ask our customers to sign loag~erm contracts or pay a year in advance like some other service providers do. Commitment to Educatibn and the Community Time Warner Cable provides over 540 hours a month of commercial-free Cable in the Classroom programming free of charge to schools in our area - and when available in the future, lnternet access will also be provided free of charge. We also support and participate in a variety of local community events like Cinco de Mayo and charities including Kern Adult Literacy Council and United Way. Please be advised that we ard also negotiating with KGET for the rights to continue carrying their signal on our system. While we expect a satisfactory resolution to this issue, we are required, by law, to notify you that we cannot barry KGET's signal after Deoember 31, 1997, without their consent. In closing, we are committed to ensuring that our service is of great satisfaction an~l value ~_o you, our customer. We realize you have service provider choices and want to thank you for your continued patronage and the opportunity. to provide you with the best~ in entertainment, information, and educational programming the cable television industry has to offer. Sincerely, · C.W. Grinstead Division President Regulatory Information: You may file a complaint on this new rate for our cable programming service tier with the local franchise authority within 45 days of this new rate being reflected on your bill. Arvin- McFarland- ATTN: City Manager ............. (805) 854-3134 ATTN: City Administrator ......... (805) 792-3091 P.O. Box 548, Arvin, CA 93203 P.O. Box 1488, McFarland, CA 93250 Bakersfield- Shafter- ATTN: City Manager ............. (805) 326-3751 ATTN: City Manager ............. (805) 746-6361 1501 Truxtun Ave., Bakersfield, CA 93301 336 Pacific, Shafter, CA 93263 Kern County- Wasco- ATTN: Real Property Ager. t ........ (805) 861-2491 ATTN: City Manager ............. (805) 758-7200 1115 Truxtun, Bakersfield, CA 93301 P.O. Box 159, Wasco, CA 93280 Delano- ATTN: City Manager ............. (805) 721-3300 P.O. Box 939, Delano, CA 93215 Time Warner Cable Bakersfield Division 3600 North Sillect Avenue Bakersfield CA 93308 Tel 805.327.9671 Fax 805.327.4074 A Time Warner Entertainment - Advance / Newhouse Company www. twcbak.com B A K E R S F I E L D Economic and Community Development Department MEMORANDUM November 5, 1997 TO: Alan Tandy, City Manager FROM: Jake Wager, Economic Development Director SUBJECT: October URM Activity Report The October URM activity report has 108 applications for properties participating in the URM Incentive Program. Currently 22 properties have been granted reimbursement checks representing a total of $92,364.18 in twenty retrofit projects and two demoliton projects. They include: 801 18th Street, New China Cafe 1330 19th Street, Serrano's Furniture 822 18th Street, Thorp's Motorcycle 1918-1920 Eye Street, Jelly's (Former Water Company Building) 2526-2530 Chester Avenue, Waterbed Warehouse and Mattress Outlet Building 1025 18th Street, Italian Grocery Store 1207 19th Street, The Mint Building 1928 19th Street, Old Paine Mortuary House 2407 Chester Avenue, Granada Furniture Building 430 East 19th Street, commercial property 2101 Chester Avenue, Guarantee Shoes 1017-1023 Baker Street, vacant retail space 2509 Chester Avenue, Patton's Discount Office Furniture Building 1914 Truxtun Avenue, medical office 1919 Chester Avenue, Palla property ....... ~-¢~';~ ;~ ~'-;' ~,~ - 1228 19th Street, Griffin Pawnbrokers 900 18th Street, Cay's Health Food Store 1121 21st Street, commercial property (demolition) 1701 18th Street, Turk's Copy 622 East 19th Street, warehouse (demolition) 2025-2029 Chester Avenue, Red Wing Shoes 2000 H Street, Henley's In addition, 24 properties have been given authorization to start their projects (ie. Notice to Proceed). Furthermore, 31 applications are awaiting documents prior to issuance of notice to proceed, 9 applications are awaiting expression of intent by property owner, and 22 applications have been determined inactive or ineligible. This memorandum is intended to provide you with a brief update on the status of the URM assistance program. cc: Jack Hardisty, Development Services Director Dennis Fidler, Building Director Jack Leonard, Asst. Building Director Mike Quon, Building Plan Check Engineer Andre Devereaux, Development Associate, ED/CD p:\urm\urmrnemo, at BAKERSFIELD PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT MEMORANDUM TO: Alan Tandy, City Manager FROM: Raul M. Rojas, Public Works Director~ DATE: November 12, 1997 SUBJECT: GENERAL INFORMATION Attached is a copy of the Activity Report, dated November 12, 1997, from the County Environmental Health Services Department describing the status of the LEA regulated projects. LEA12.MEM Attachment ~ClTY__~MANAGF-F[ S ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SERVICES DEPARTMENT RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AGENCY STEVE McCALLEY, R.E.H.S., Director ~ DA VID PRICE III, RMA DIRECTOR 2700 'M' STREET, SUITE 300 ~ Community Development Program Department BAKERSFIELD, .CA 93301-2370 Engineering & Survey Services DePartment Voice: (805) 802-8700 Environmental Health Services Department ~FAX: (805) 862-8701 Planning Department T'P( Relay:. (800) 735-2929 Roads Department e-mail: ~@kerr~oun~om NOV 0 7 1997 November 4, 1997 ENGINEERING DEPT. Raul Rojas, Public W~orks Dire~ctor ._. CITY OF BAKERSFIELD ~ 1501 Truxtun Avenue Bakersfield CA 93301 SUBJECT: Activity Status Matrix Dear Mr. Rojas: Enclosed is the October Matrix describing the status of the Local Enforcement Agency's (LEA) regulated projects within the City of Bakersfield. Should you wish further information or clarification, don't hesitate to call. Steve McCalley, Director ~x~ SMc:MTG:jg cc: David Price III, Director, Resource Management Agency File PROGRESS OF PROJECTS WITHIN THE CITY OF BAKERSFIELD Activity For The Month Of October 1997 Rosedale Burn Dump r,,_.___, v ....... v.* w_... ~' .... '~,__...~'~'"' *._. ..... ~._~.* Remediation began April 8th and.The LEA will continue annual Closure cloture l~nd ucc =c ~ was completed August 29th. inspections of the site. ...... *;""'~' ~'~"~';*" The site is ready for use by the SWIS #: 15-CR-0026 * Completed 8/29/97 North of the River Parks and Recreation District. Location: South east corner of Brimhall Rd. & Jewetta The goal has been met. Ave. No Change In Status ~ No Change In Status City of Bakersfield r....., ,....,,.., ,.... ............. ..., ...'~ ,~.~...~, ,...." ......... ..,~ ~ The revised Solid Waste Facility,The facility will be inspected Greenwaste Facility Rc';i~cd Stand~rdl--'~d Permit was issued to the City'~ of every month to determine r- ..... +;.... D...,-,.,, Bakersfield on September 9, compliance with State Minimum SWlS #: 15-AA-0311 Completed 9/9/97 1997, Standards, Title 14, CCR. Location: Section 9, T30S, R28E The goal has been met. 2601 S. Mt. Vernon Ave. No Change In Status No Change In Status Greenfield Burn Dump ,,,.....,,~,..,..! ..... *'""*" *~'".,,.. '"'""*....,....., ,..., ..... ..,~ ,~ °Inspections have been stopped, No further action needed. #2 ~' .... '~ ..... * *~-~-' "-'-~*~-"-. . The LEA will keep the Solid i Completed June 17, 1997. Waste Information number on SWIS #: 15-CR-0039 the archive list and retain a file as a reference. Location: The goal has been met. Section 33, T30S, R27E No Change In Status No Change In Status Bakersfield Sanitary Immediate Goal: Remediation of Remediation of the burn dump is Continue remediation of the Landfill/Burn Dump burn material to reduce/eliminateunder the oversight of the burn ash under the ERAP. Closure. the health risks associated with Department of Toxics, ERAP. burn ash. The City will modify the original SWlS #: 15-AA-0044 Closure of the landfill will notDraft Closure Plan to integrate ,~"~'4',......v.,v,,"*;""-', '-~v, th: ,_,'o"'~i"/"'"*~'~",....,,,.,, ,~., ,,.., ,~ proceed until the burn dump the burn dump closure with the LEA WO #: 102 and 319 .... * *~'- ~;';~' ~'"' u ............... y ........ y tc issues have been resolved, landfill closure. Sections 10, 11, 14, and ="'-:'-";'"- ' :"¥*/~ =~ ~ 15, T29S, R28E Completed 8/29/97 4200 Panorama Drive Long Term Goal: Property Owner: Closure of the sanitary landfill City of Bakersfield and and burn dump in compliance other private individualswith Title 14, CCR. No Change In Status I No Change In Status China Grade Burn Immcdi-.~tc Gc=l: R:m:di=t!cn cf The recommendations made by The final draft will be submitted Dump/Landfill Closure burn m'-~cd~l wlthln Icndfill the California Integrated Wast,eto the California Integrated ___.~' .... .__.'~--;"-',.._, *'-._ .-"~v_ .._~./-'"'""I"-+'-~........~..~ Management Board staff will be Waste Management Board staff SWIS #: 15-AA-0048 thc health r!=!-.c =cccc?-..tcd with incorporated into the final dra~ft for review and comment. burn cch. Completed June 4, 1997.Notice and Order. EHSD staff LEA WO #: 108 has been meeting with the Long Term Goal: Waste Management Departmbnt Location: Closure of the sanitary landfill to finalize due dates for the Sections 1 & 12, T29S, and burn dump in compliance Notice and Order. R29E with Title 27, CCR. Landfill Road Property Owner: Kern County No Change In Status No Change In Status November 4, 1997 * SWIS = Solid Waste Information System number issued by the California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB). ** LEA WO# = Local Enforcement Agency Work Order number used by EHSD. 2 BAKERSFIELD PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT MEMORANDUM TO: ALAN TANDY, CITY MANAGER FROM: RAUL M. ROJAS, PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR ~,~.~_ DATE: NOVEMBER 12, 1997 SUBJECT: GENERAL INFORMATION Attached is a copy of the monthly Graffiti report dated November 6, 1997. If you need additional information, please do not hesitate to call. Attachment NOV I 0 1997 BAKERSFIELD NGI N,-"-E FRI NG DEPT. Public Works Department MEMORANDUM November 6, 1997 TO: Brad Underwood, General Services Superintendent FROM: Myra McArthur, Planning Technician"~ .clX. SUBJECT: GRAFFITI UPDATE Unveiling of New Anti-Graffiti Billboard The unveiling of the second anti-graffiti billboard will be on November 19, 1997. The event will be part of the 5:15 p.m. Council Workshop. It will take place at the West side of City Hall, facing Eye Street. Mayor Bob Price will conduct the unveiling ceremony. Community Awareness / Community Participation On October 21, 1997, staff participated in a Town Hall meeting organized by the 34th Street Neighborhood Partnership. The City's Anti-Graffiti Program received numerous compliments for its proven efficiency. Residents of some newly annexed areas welcomed the City's graffiti removal services. On October 31, 1997, about 75 students from the Bakersfield Adventist Academy participated in a paint-out activity. The students worked for five hours removing graffiti and cleaning the alleys in the Niles St. area. Graffiti Eradication Hot line Calls Paint Crew Hrs. Sites Serviced Volunteer Hours CDBG areas 73 289 26.1 383 Other Areas 145 468 372 78 CDBG % 50.3% 38% 42% 83% Totals 218 757 633 461 Activities Staff participaied in the following promotional/community activities: 10-09-97 Innovative Clean Air Technologies Expo · Informational booth 10-15-97 Mexican American Opportunity Foundation Informational booth 10-18-97 Good Neighbor Festival Informational booth 10-21-97 34th Street Neighborhood Partnership Town Ha!! Meeting 10-31-97 Bakersfield Adventist Academy Paint-Out Day Cost recovery The following chart summarizes our latest activities. Claims submitted Cost to be Claims submitted to Cost to be Amount paid to Probation Dept. recovered City Attorney's Office recovered to City 3 criminal cases $500 1 conspiracy case $1,300 Sept. $ 10 1 individual case 300 Oct. $400 xc: Raul Rojas, Public Works Director Joe Lozano, Public Works Operations Manager Ed Kuehn, Assistant Superintendent, General Services Division Jake Wager, Economic Development Director Sgt. Phillip Clarke, P. D. Special Projects Judy Skousen, City Attorney Virginia Gennaro, Deputy City Attorney I 2 DIVISIONS OF RECREATION AND PARKS DATE: November 12, 1997 TO: Alan Tandy, City Manager FROM: Start Ford, Director ~ SUBJECT: Monthly Report for October Below is summary information on activities for October. Detailed information is available. STAFF Mike Doyle accepted the position of Assistant Parks Superintendent. Mike has been with the city for 25 years and recently earned his bachelor's degree from Cai State. RECREATION Lowell Neighborhood Community Center - The facility was dedicated on October 27 (see attached photo). Initially, activities will include arts & crafts and table games. Haunted House - The staff at MLK hosted the first haunted house at the center. Response was very positive and reflected the quality work the staff put into the project. 140 children participated. MLK Center - Total participation for the month was 2,384. Participation numbers for each program are available. The fitness room and gymnasium are now open from 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. daily. Facility use during these hours is slow and we are evaluating the value of continuing to stay open at this time. The reception area is currently being remodeled and the work should be complete by mid-November. After School Playground Program - Average daily attendance for each program was' Casa Loma 34 Franklin 41 Frank West 51 McKinley 43 Stella Hills 86 William Penn 71 Good Neighbor .Festival - The MLK staff assisted with site operations and conducted activities for approximately 300 - 400 children. Lap Swimming - This on-going program is being held from 6:00 - 8:00 a.m. daily. There were 72 swimmers during the month. Ashley Whippet Canine Frisbee Contest - This program was held October 18 at Silver Creek. There were 15 contestants and approximately 1,000 spectators throughout the day (see attached photos). Other events included: rabbit show, reptile exhibit, and SPCA alumni parade. New Programs: Staff is currently planning several new programs. These are: golf lessons, SCUBA diving, adult flag football, and an after school tutoring program. PARKS Tevis Park - The park was dedicated on October 26 (see attached photo). Approximately 50 neighborhood residents participated in the festivities and feedback was very positive. Because of the interaction with the residents, staff has decided to conduct neighborhood meetings at various park sites annually. Stone Creek Park - The first phase of the park is complete and we are approximately half way through the 180-day maintenance period. Windsor Park - We are in the final planning stages of the park. Water Conservation - The division is featured in a new Site Report by Rain Bird Manufacturing Corporation (see attached). This report is distributed nationally and recognizes the city's effort in reducing water consumption. e: Citizens' Community Services Advisory Committee John Stinson, Assistant City Manager DolOres Teubner, Assistant City Manager Division Staff Tevis Park Dedication October 26, 1997 Lowell Neighborhood Center Dedication October 27, 1997 City of Bakersfield Irrigation Consultant Frank Simon Landscape Irrigation Consulting (LIC) Dana Point, California Landscape Architect Gregg Polubinsky Martin-Mclntosh, Inc. Bakersfield, California Distributor MAXICOM® Brings City Bakersfield, California Historic Water Savings The leaders of Bakersfield, California have made historic strides in managing water. A decade of drought and a dwindling water table led the city's Parks Division to begin upgrading its electromechanical controllers to a Rain Bird MAXICOM Central Contro! system. Shortly thereafter, Bakersfield received state and national accolades for preeminent accomplishments in water conservation. Drought Threatens Water Supply During the late 1980s, so little precipitation fell in California that most cities faced drought conditions. Bakersfield, located in the.state's semiarid Central Valley, was no exception. The city's steady population growth was putting demands on the ever- dwindling water table. The water level in some wells had dropped as much as 60 feet and nearby Kern River flowed at less than 50 percent capacity Yet city leaders were determined not to raise water rates. The need for lean management was becoming paramount. For Bakersfield's Parks Division, responsible for irrigating the city's parks and street The Parks Division for the city of Bakersfield, Calif., needed a way to reduce landscapes, the drought years forced a hard look at operations. "Not only were we operatin§ costs, concemmd with the potential need to ration water, but we needed ways to reduce our A MAXlCOM Central Control system operating budget," said Mike Doyle, one of the Parks Division's supervisors and water eliminated the time and money spent managers. manually programming controllers Doyle and fellow supervisor Terri McCormick implemented a plan to manually throughout the city and saved more than progq'am electromechanical controllers used throughout the city to fit changing weather. 10 million gallons of water in one year. However, it took one full-time staff person just to accomplish this, and there was no way Parks Division began researching solutions. The chance to try MAXICOM arrived in 1990 when Castle and Cook, a large r~-- developer with offices in Bakersfield, proposed a master planned residential t subdivision for the south end of the city, The development includes a country club, 18- ; hole golf course, four neighborhood parks, schools and major landscaping on the ~, medians and streets. The Planning Department approved the development and the Parks Division agreed to maintain its parks and street landscaping, which at complete ) build-out will amount to 65 acres. Seizing the opportunity, now-retired park supervisor Frank Fabbri collaborated with the developer to plan an irrigation system that would include a MAXICOM Central Control system with a Rain Bird weather station. To plan the system, Castle and Cook turned to irrigation consultant Frank Simon, president of Landscape Irrigation Consulting (LIC) in Dana Point, Calif., and the engineering firm Martin-Mcintosh, located in Bakersfield. "Our role was to design the communication links between the computer and the site including the Cluster Control Units (CCUs), satellites, master valves and flow sensors," said Gregg Polubinsky,, a landscape architect with Martin-McIntosh. MAXlCOM Packs in High Performance Kern Turf Supply, Inc., an authorized Rain Bird Distributor located in Bakersfield, was readily available to help the Parks Division's field supe~wiso~; Nell Tierney, get the MAXICOM system up and running. It wasn't long before the division reaped the rewards of a centralized control system that adjusts irrigation demands automatically ~' ' and provides immediate monitoring and recording of water use. "The beauty of the ~ ,.'~ .-, System is that water requirements are determined by ET rates," said Doyle. "The weather station sends information to the computer, such as wind velocity, temperature, humidity and sunlight, and MAXICOM adjusts the amount of applied water · automatically," Furthering high performance, MAXICOM packs in features like Cycle & Soak"', Flo- .... ~ Manager"' and Flo-WatchTM. With Cycle & Soak, the system minimizes runoff because it ~ ~ .... . !!~'ii matches the application rate with the infiltration rate of the soil. '~ 20-minute watering ~ cycle can be broken up into fou~; five-minute cycles that will help prevent runoff. Cycle -:'~'?~ ~ & Soak ~vill pause, allowing the water to percolate into the soil for a preset amount of time before starting the next cycle," said Doyle. MAXICOM's Flo-Manager helped Doyle and McCormick with another problem. Because Bakersfield's ET rate peaks at 8.5 inches during the summer, the Parks Division faced the difficult task of applying enough water within an allotted time. With the outdated electromechanical controllers, the parks division could only water stations in sequence and couldn't operate more than one valve per controller at a time. Flo-Manager shortens the irrigation window and saves time. Now, multiple stations can operate at once. "Flo-Manager will seek out and operate those valves that will maximize the flow capability but won't exceed a predetermined flow cap," said Doyle. Working hand in hand with Flo-Manager is Flo-Watch, a feature that detects excessive flows due to line breaks, thereby preventing wasted water. "We can program a flow rate cap into the computer for each satellite," said Doyle· If Flo-Watch detects a break in the lateral line, it will immediately tell the field satellite to advance to the next station. If Flo-Watch detects a main line break, it will tell a master valve to shut down that satellite. City Recognized for Water Conservation To measure the outcome of all this technology, the Parks Division began a water-use study in parts of the residential development. The study compared systems controlled by MAXICOM with systems in similar sized areas controlled by electromechanical controllers. Over a one-year period, the study showed water savings amounting to more than 10 million gallons. The Parks Division plans to incorporate MAXICOM into existing and new developments as funds allow. One such new development is a 27-acre recreation area Rain Bird Sa/es,/nc. along Kern Rive~: Thc potential water savings for this new development is projected at 4261 South Country Club Road, Tucson, AZ 85714 Phone: 520-741-6100 Fax: 520-741-6126 more than 3 million gallons per yeai: MAXICOM also helps to save electricity and Specification Hot#ne: 1-800-458-3005 money by turning lights on and off at a Bakersfield park. Although Bakersfield's water table is still below normal, city leaders say ~Printed on recycled paper, conservation is rewarding. In 1995, the Parks Division received statewide recognition Rain Bird. from the California Water Awareness Campaign for the best water conservation Conserving More Than Water. program for landscaping. That same year, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, considered ® Registered Trademark of Rain Bird Sprinkler Mfg. Corp. the world's preeminent water management agency, honored the city with a © 1997 Rain Bird Sprinkler Mfg. Corp. 11/97 conservation award in the "Promising Products" category for using MAX[COM. D37124 BAKERSFIELD -- -- PU"'~LI~- WO'--RK~'DE"'~AI~T~'-~NC DATE: November 10, 1997 SUBJECT: CITY HALL APPEARANCE Council Referral Record ft WFO016885 / 001 Attached is additional information regarding Mayor Price's request to update the appearance of City Hall in time for the Centennial Celebration. If you have any comments or concerns regarding this issue, please let me know. REF16886.ADD MEMORANDUM DATE: November 3, 199'/ TO: RAUL M. ROJAS, PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR FROM: BRAD B. UNDERWOOD, GENE1LAL SERVICES SUPERINTENDENT SUBJECT: CITY HALL APPEARANCE 1 recently met with Mayor Price to further understand his desire to update the appearance of City Hall. He indicated some attention should given to City Hall with the recent addition of the Police Station and the remodel of the County Hall of Records. We discussed the fact that the building colors and some of the physical features date the building, and that painting the building, the gray walls created with the installation of the handicap ramps and possibly removing the louvers would help alleviate this impression. Taking a closer look at the building condition, it appears that most of the building has the original finish and will require prep work prior to painting. The building would be prepared for painting by power washing to clean the surface and remove any loose material. While the contractor is on site, power washing would also be done on the minimal amount of brick surfaces to clean some of the stains caused by rain runoff. Adding the brick to the area that will be pressure washed would be a very minimal cost. The concrete surfaces should have an elastomeric coating applied prior to painting to seal the surface cracking that has occurred over the years. In addition, the steel sash window flames are beginning to show rust and should be painted to protect them from deteriorating. The $50,000.00 estimate for doing this work included painting concrete walls, soffits, planter walls, handicap access walls, steel sash window frames, exterior side doors and jambs, window louvres, vents railings, mechanical wall on roof, and railings. The scope can be reduced, however, flom a maintenance standpoint I recommend all portions of the building be painted as a minimum The louvres could be removed which may substantially reduce the cost of painting the building. The louvres do not work all the time and removing them would rid General Services of an item that requires maintenance work. If the louvres are removed it is my recommendation to have a tinting film placed on the windows. This film would reflect heat from the sun providing similar protection to that of the louvres. Further protection could be added with the installation of mini blinds within the office areas. PG&E provides an energy saving rebate for installation of the tinting film. 1 have had Renfro & Elliott Architects stop working on concepts for a mid-level and major remodel design concepts for the exterior of the building. I will solicit their assistance to develop some color schemes for painting the building which can be presented to the Mayor and others. cc: Joe I ,ozano. ()pcrations Manager/Ed Kuehn. Asst. General Serviccs Supt. WF0016885#2a.mem.wpd