Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout03/30/2012 OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER March 30 , 2012 TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council FROM: Alan Tandy, City Manager AT SUBJECT: General Information TRIP News  On Thursday, the California Transportation Commission (CTC) approved the 2012 STIP plan which includes $26 million for Phase VI (Allen to Stockdale) of the Westside Parkway . Staff will now prepare and submit an allocation request to be presented at a meeting in late June. In the search for additional funding sources , staff will be sett ing up a meeting in the near future with the CTC and KernCOG to discuss the possibility of funding Phase VI and Hosking by either CMIA or Highway 99 bonds. These are older bond issues where some construction savings are allowing for some new projects to be funded. Redevelopment News  On Monday, the State Assembly passed AB 1585, under which $1.4 billion in redevelopment funds for low - and moderate -income housing, which is on hold with agencies around the state, would continue to be spent for those purposes . The bill would also clarify several vague and/or conflicting sections of AB 26. It will go to the Senate after the recess . High Speed Rail News → Fresno County supervisors held off taking a new position on the state's high -speed rail project t his week after several hours of debate on whether the county should offer criticism of the venture. The debate came as the proposed San Francisco -to -Los Angeles train comes under increased fire over its high cost, route and management. → The Chowchilla City Council approved a resolution Tuesday to support Assembly Bill 1455, a bill designed to stop the proposed high -speed rail project so more taxpayer dollars, according to the council, aren’t wasted. → Kings County supervisors have changed their meeting with Dan Richard, board chairman of the California High -Speed Rail Authority, to April 3 rd . The public meeting had been scheduled for Friday, March 30 th , but was delayed to accommodate Authority officials, said Deb West, assistant county administrative officer . A key issue they are to discuss is whether the Valley section is a “usable segment,” according to a requirement in the Prop. 1A language. The Authority admits that the Honorable Mayor and City Council General Information March 30, 2012 Page 2 first track segment, called an “initial construction section,” won’t carry high -sp eed trains or passengers. However, they argue that it is usable, both because it could be utilized for high -speed train travel in the future, and, as a last resort, Amtrak could run on it. Miscellaneous News • A ccording to a recent report , Bakersfield ranked 11 th in 2011 on a list of the top growth cities in the nation . For cities with more than 5,000 families moving in or out of the area , Bakersfield achieved this ranking with a growth rate of 4.3%. This was a significant increase over 2010, when Bakersfield ranked No. 49. Events  Th is Saturday, March 31 st , at 10 a.m., the Recreation and Parks Department will be holding their annual Underwater EGGStravaganza at the McMurtrey Aquatic Center. The cost is $5 to hunt eggs, and $10 for a T -Shirt. Please see the attached flyer for more information on this fun event.  Reminder - T he Atlanta Rhythm Section is playing at the Bright House Networks Amphitheater, also on Saturday, March 31 st . The concert begins at 8 p.m. and t ickets are $10 .  On Sunday, April 1st at 1:00 p.m., Mayor Harvey Hall will dedicate State Farm Sports Village along with representatives from AYSO, Golden Empire Youth Football and C ity staff. Throughout the day, a new women’s soccer league will be playing their first games and sign -ups for the fall AYSO season will be taking place. Mayor and Council Referrals  Mayor Hall: o International Walk, Sister City Gardens  Councilmember Benham: o Trash in Oleander Area Reports For your information, we enclose the following information:  The Streets Division work schedule for the week of April 2 nd AT:ch cc: Department Heads Roberta Gafford, City Clerk The latest on California politics and government March 26, 2012 A bout $1.4 billion in redevelopment funds for low- and moderate -income housing would cont inue to be spent for those purposes under le gis lation approved today by the Assembly.A ssembly Speaker Jo hn A. Pérez crafted the legislation, Assembly Bill 1585, to help ease the transition in the wake of last year's decision to dissolve local redevelo pment agencies in capturin g funding for state coffers.A B 1585 was approved by the Assembly, 56-7, receiving two more votes than th e supermajority required for passage as an urgency measure.Five Republicans bucked their GOP colleagues to vote yes: Cameron Smyth of Santa Clarita, Nathan Fletcher of San Diego, Katcho Achadjian of San Luis Obispo, Jeff Miller of Corona, and Kevin Jeffries of Lake Elsinore.Perez's bill would take effect immediately if passed by the Senate and signed by Gov. Jerry Brown .A key element of AB 1585 would transfer balances in rede velopment low- and moderate-i ncome housing funds to local housing agencies to be sp ent for affordable housing.The bill provides an incentive for local government to allocate the housing funds relatively quickly: 80 percent of the money must be committed within two years and spent within four years.Funds that remain uncommitted after four years must be transferred to the state Department of Housing and Community Development for use on lo w-income housing programs in th e county from which they came.A bsent AB 1585 - or similar legislation -- the $1.4 billio n would be spent on other local government services as redevelopment agencies dissol ve, according to a legislative analysis of the bill.Pérez's measure now goes to the Senate.* Corrected at 5:10 p.m. to show that five Republicans voted yes, not four. The fift h was Kevin Jeffries of Lake E lsinore.Categories: Bills (2011-2012 session) , Redevelopment Posted by Jim Sanders Capitol Alert: Assembly passes bill to spend redevelopment funds for ho...http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2012/03/as sembly-passes-bill-t... By Kurtis Alexander - The Fresno Bee Tuesday, Mar. 27, 2012 | 01:36 PM Fresno County supervisors reserved judgment on the state's high-speed rail project Tuesday after supporters packed the meeting chambers and pleaded with the board not to turn against the venture.The county is one of two in the Central Valley that remain supportive of the proposed San Francisco-to-Los Angeles bullet train. Many city and county leaders in recent months have come out against the train because of its cost, management and track rout e -- issues that also have increasingly worried Fresno County supervisors.To address these issues, supervisors had considered se nding a highly critical letter to the state rail authority. But Tuesday afternoon, t hey decided to hold off on the letter amid fears it would be seen as a rebuke of the project."We did the right thing," said Supervisor Henry R. Pe rea, a longtime champion of the project who urged the board to withhold criticism. "B y not sending the letter, it shows that Fresno County remains the lead in the Valley for this project and has been for years."Supervisors agreed to revisit the issue next month af ter a new business plan for the project is released.The business plan is expected to addr ess some of the board's concerns.The high-speed rail system, scheduled to break groun d early next year, calls for trains that carry travelers between Los Angeles and San Francisco in 21/2 hours. The first se gment is supposed to be built in the Valley.While the Board of Supervisors has no real say ov er whether the project proceeds, its position factors heavily into public opinion. Its position also coul d affect the county's bid to locate a rail maintenance complex here and the 1,500 new jobs it's expected to bring."These jobs are way too important to mess around with this rhetoric," said rail supporter and local businessman John Hutson, among many who spoke out against the draft letter Tuesday.While the letter, written by Supervisor Judy Case, st opped short of opposing high-speed rail, it requested that the project be stopped until concerns were addressed."California and our nation are not in a position to spen d recklessly on a grand scale infrastructure project nor does the public wish this to happen," the letter read.One of the letter's main gripes was the growing cost estimate for the project, which increased from $45 billion to $98 billion in November.Case said that the Board of Supervisors had an ob ligation to express the worries of Fresno County - Updateshttp://www.fresnobee.com/2012/03/2 7/v-print/2777677/fresno-co-superv...1 of 2 3/30/2012 11:14 AM residents and needed to do so before it was too late."It's not a letter of opposition," she said . "It's just some pretty hard questions."One of Case's principal concerns has been t he course the train will take south of Fresno. The tracks have been proposed west of the Highway 99 corridor, mostly through Kings County, which has upset many agricultural landowners whose fields may be crossed by trains.This issue drew several in the farming community to Tuesday's standing-room-only board meeting --though rail supporters still app eared to outnum ber opponents."There's issues with taking people's land, destroyin g businesses," said Frank Oliveira, a Kings County farmer and co-chairman of the Citizens for California High Speed Rail Accountability.Oliveira said he was OK with the board putting off its letter to the rail authority Tuesday. But he said supervisors still need to make sure the rail authority re solves their issu es, including st eering the tracks away from farmland to already-developed urban areas.Kings County Supervisor Richard Valle echoed concerns about track placement.Meanwhile, elected officials from the cities of Fresno, Orange Cove and San Joaquin urged Fresno County supervisors not to come do wn too hard on rail. Many argued the project would be an economic boon for the Valley.Tom Richards, a Fresno developer and vice chairm an of the state High-Speed Rail Authority board, also addressed supervisors Tuesday.While he worries about losing Fresno County's support fo r the project, he said there would be nothing wrong with supervisors submitting their concerns."The reality is that you're a much longer suppo rter of this project th an any of us who have been involved," he said.Fresno County supervisors are on record backi ng high-speed rail since t he 1990s. Their commitment was renewed in a 2010 letter, unanimously approved by board members.The only other county in the Valle y supporting high-speed rail is Merc ed County. Madera, Tulare, Kings and Kern counties have come out against it."It was prudent for [Fresno County] supervisors to pull the letter off," said Michael Esswein, who spoke in favor of rail. "I'm encoura ged that they were receptive to public comment today."- Updateshttp://www.fresnobee.com/2012/03/2 7/v-print/2777677/fresno-co-superv...2 of 2 3/30/2012 11:14 AM Wednesday, Mar. 28, 2012 Chowchilla council backs bill to stop high-speed rail project's 'wasteful' spending Sun-Star staff The Chowchilla City Council approved a resolution Tuesday to su pport Assembly Bill 1455, a bill designed to stop the proposed high-speed rail project so more taxpayer dollars, according to the council, aren’t wasted.Assemblywoman Diane Harkey introduced AB1455 which would redu ce the amount of general obligation debt authorized for high-speed rail purposes related to the Safe, Reliable High Speed Passenger Train Bond Act for the 21st century to the amount contracted as of Jan. 1, 2013.Voters approved Proposition 1A in November 2008 providing for a $9.95 bill ion bond to fund high-speed rail from San Francisco t o San Diego, but the California High Speed Rail Authority business plan isn’t in keeping with what voters approved in 2008, with costs nearly tripling for only the first phase which doesn’t include maintenance and operating costs, the city said in a news r elease.“With growing skepticism throughout the st ate, findings are that future funding sources are unknown for the project, the Environmental Impact Report is incomplete, California is drowning in debt and voters may be su ffering from bu yer’s remorse,”according to the news release. “Many of them are jumping off the train.”The Chowchilla City Council passed a “No Confidence” stance in 2010 and has been very concerned about the impact of the project on the Chowchilla community, the news release said.A hearing on AB1455 will take place before the State Transportation Committee on April 16.Chowchilla council backs bill to stop high-speed rail project's 'wasteful' ...http://www.mercedsunstar.com/2012/03/28/v-print/2 287375/chowchilla-...1 of 1 3/30/2012 11:13 AM Meeting comes as project faces legal showdown Supes’ date with HSR chairman pushed back By Seth Nidever | Posted: Tuesday, March 27, 2012 11:45 am Kings County supervisors have changed their meeting with Dan Richard, board chairman of the California High-Speed Rail Authority, to April 3.The public meeting had been scheduled for Friday but was delayed to accommodate Authority officials, said Deb West, assistant county administrative officer.The announcement comes at a critical stage for the high-speed train proposal, which has yet to receive funding. The Legislature is expected to vote in June whether to release $2.7 billion in bond money authorized by voters in 2008 in Proposition 1A.A final business plan, set for release this week, is expected to fine-tune a draft document from last year that proposed the $9 8.5 billion Bay Area-to-Los Angeles project be built in stages, starting with test tracks in the San Joaquin Valley cutting through Kings County. The Authority wants to break ground in Fresno County this year.But that piecemeal strategy remains in the cross hairs of a Kings County lawsuit claiming that the plan is illegal under Prop. 1A.The suit was filed in Sacramento Superior Court in November. It’s first hearing is scheduled for June 15 —about the same time t he Legislature could be deciding whether to approve the bond money.The key issue is whether the Valley section is a “usable segment,” according to a requirement in the Prop. 1A language. The Authority admits that the first track segment, called an “initial construction section,” won’t carry high-speed trains or passe ngers. But the Authority argues that is it usable both because it could be utilized for high-speed train travel in the future and, as a la st resort,Amtrak could run on it.Michael Brady, the attorney representing Kings County, farmer John Tos and local resident Aaron Fukuda in the lawsuit, rejected the Authority’s argument.“It’s not a high-speed rail system that they are going to build,” Brady said. “It’s a pure, conventional rail system, just like Amtrak. Prop. 1A requires that the very first thing that has to be built is a usable segment —a true high-speed rail system. You can’t start with something preliminary.”Brady said he’ll seek to block any funding for construction until the lawsuit is decided.“The whole issue is up in the air,” he said.“More light will be thrown on it this week when they release the [updated] business plan.”Kings County officials are less interested in the business model than they are in the Authority’s Fresno-to-Bakersfield environ mental impact report. The draft version, issued last year, created controversy because it included only one route swinging east of Han ford through farmland and dairies.The draft EIR has been delayed until this summer to review a second route west of Hanford.Critics say both routes will have equally harmful impacts on farming operations. The Authority says it is responding to the dem and that other routes to be considered.At the April 3 meeting, scheduled for 1:30 p.m. in board chambers at the Kings County Government Center, county officials are expected to press Richard to answer a series of questions about local impacts that were presented to the Authority last year.The reporter can be reached at 583-2432 or snidever@HanfordSentinel.com .Hanford Sentinel Page 1of 1 Supes’ date with HSR chairman pushed bac k 3 /30 /201 2 mhtml:file://S:\Gen Info \2012\March\Attachments\Su p es’ date with HSR chairman p ushed b a ... Egg hunters, ages 12 & under, of a s ng a es o e t eggs and re e ve a goody ag for the r efforts. Special eggs receive prizes! • Ch dren ages 5 & under ust e a o pan ed n the ater y an adu t. • S su ts ust e orn. • "r ng a p as as#et & a to e . For ore nfo, a 661-852-7430 Underwater EGGStravaganza $5 to Hunt $10 for a T- Sh rt Saturday March 31 10 a.m. McMurtrey Aquatic Center 1325 Q Street Bring your camera for a photo with the bunny! C:\Users \alawrenc \AppData \Local \Microsoft \Windows \Temporary Internet Files \Content.IE5 \L7V0OD5K \_304_Sister_Ci ty_Gardens[1].docx CITY OF BAKERSFIELD PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT MEMORANDUM TO: Alan Tandy, City Manager FROM: Raul Rojas, Public Works Director DATE: March 26, 2012 SUBJECT: INTERNATIONAL WALK, SISTER CITY GARDENS Referral No. 30 4 Phase A of the project is located on the south side of 18 th Street on the east side of the canal. Construction of the project began in December 2011 and completion is expected to be in July 2012. Phase A Sister Cities are: Cixi, China; Wakayama City, Japan; and Bucheon, South Korea. Phase B of the project is located on the north side of 18 th Street on the west side of the canal. The Sister Cities at this site will be: Santiago de Querétaro, Mexico and A mritsar, India. The site for Phase B was recently cleared through the purchase and demolition of a building on the site. This allows Phase B to move forward in finalizing design and starting construction. City staff will be working with the building own er whose property is adjacent to the Phase B site. We must address developing a compatible artistic approach to what that adjoining building face will look like next to the new sister city garden. In addition, staff will work with representatives of the Indian community (provided by the Mayor’s office) to finalize our proposed sister city concept for Amritsar, India. In the short term, there will be contract amendments brought to City Council and the Mayor for changes to the design consultant contract th at are required to complete the efforts discussed above. The goal is to complete design and advertise the project in June 2012. That would mean Council Award in August 2012 with construction start on Phase B in September 2012. With a construction period expected to be 7 months, phase B would open in April 2013. MAYOR HALL REQUESTED THAT STAFF PROVIDE A MEMO THAT COVERS THE DETAILS ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL WALK, SISTER CITY GARDENS PROJECT AND THAT WILL INCLUDE THE CONSTRUCTION TIMELINE. C:\Users \alawrenc \AppData \Local \Microsoft \Windows \Temporary Internet Files \Content.IE5 \Z48E7JH5 \_310_OLEANDER_TRASH[1].docx CITY OF BAKERSFIELD PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT MEMORANDUM TO: Alan Tandy, City Manager FROM: Raul Rojas, Public Works Director DATE: March 28, 2012 SUBJECT: TRASH IN OLEANDER AREA Referral No. 3 10 Staff contacted Mr. Fogarty and it was determined that the problem he is experiencing is scavengers going through the trash as opposed to trash pickup issues. The Bakersfield Police Department has been contacted and asked to increase patrols in the area. COUNCILMEMBER BENHAM REQUESTED THAT STAFF INVESTIGATE THE TRASH PICKUP PROBLEMS IN THE OLEANDER AREA, GENERALLY EAST OF OLEANDER, IN THE ALLEYWAYS. Week of April 2_2012_Work Schedule Page 1 of 2 STREETS DIVISION – WORK SCHEDULE W eek of April 2 , 201 2 – April 6 , 201 2 Resurfacing/Reconstructing streets in the following areas: Reconstructing streets in the area south of Planz Rd and west of Wible Rd (weather permitting) Grind & Resur face Union Ave between Niles & 34 th (weather permitting) Reconstructing Freemont south of Wilson (weather permitting) Miscellaneous Streets Division projects: Video inspection of City owned Sewer & Storm lines to evaluate condition of pipes Repairing Curb & Gutters in the area south of Flower and east of Robinson prior to street reconstruction (CDBG funded area) Installing & Repairing curb, gutter & sidewalks in the area east of Oleander & south of Palm St. Various concrete repairs north of Univers ity Ave and east of Wenatchee Ave Installing sewer & storm lines on October Sky 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 SPACE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK Week of April 2_2012_Work Schedule Page 2 of 2 STREETS SWEEPING SCHEDULE Monday, April 2 , 201 2 Between Golden State & 16 th St. -- “F” St. & Oak St. /kern River Boundary Between 34 th St. & 30 th St. – Chester Av e. & San Dimas St. Between San Dimas St. & Beale Ave. – 34 th /Bernard St. & Niles St. Between Olive Dr. & Riverlakes Dr. (ext.) – Riverlakes Dr. & Coffee Rd. Tuesday, April 3 , 201 2 Between California Ave. & Brundage Ln. – Oak St. & Union Ave. Between Re nfro Rd. & Jenkins Rd. – Stockdale Hwy. & Kern River Boundary. Wednesday , April 4 , 201 2 Between Panorama Dr. & Bernard St. -- Union Ave. & Loma Linda Dr. Between River Blvd. & E. Columbus St. – Panorama Dr. & Columbus St. Between College Ave. & Azalea A ve. – Mountain Dr. & Raval St. Between Ming Ave. & White Ln. – Allen Rd. & Buena Vista Rd. Thursday , April 5 , 201 2 City areas between Kentucky St. & Quincy St. – Owens St. & Virginia St. Between Union Ave. & Washington St. – E. Truxtun Ave. & Brundage L n. Between Progress Rd. & Old River Rd. – Panama Ln. & Pacheco Rd. (alignment) City areas between Progress Rd. & Old River Rd. – Meadow Falls Dr. & Rose Creek Dr. Friday, April 6 , 201 2 Between Buena Vista Rd. & Allen Rd. – Harris Rd. & Panama Ln. Betw een Buena Vista Rd. & Mountain Vista Dr. – Panama Ln. & Birkshire Rd. Between 178 Hwy. & Paladino Dr. – W. Columbus St. & Morning Dr. City areas between Sterling Rd. & Morning Dr. – 178 Hwy. & College Ave. Between Valley St. & Lene Pl. -- !78 Hwy & Hick ory Dr. Between 178 Hwy. & Reynard Rd. – Kern Canyon Rd. & McKenna St. Between Stockdale Hwy. & Joseph Dr. – McDonald Wy. & N. Stine Rd.