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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11/22/2019AT OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER November 22, 2019 TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council FROM: Alan Tandy, City Manager SUBJECT: General Information Notable Items After more than 30 years of service with the Bakersfield Police Department, Chief Lyle Martin announced Friday that he plans to retire in December after three years leading the department. This decision came as a surprise. Assistant Chief Greg Terry will fill in as interim chief on December 28th the day Chief Martin’s retirement is official. City Manager Alan Tandy thanks Chief Martin for his service and dedication to Bakersfield and the Bakersfield Police Department: “Chief Martin has been an exemplary leader. He has improved morale, guided training and the development of policies that have made the department more customer-friendly and more responsive to the needs of our taxpayers. His spirit and dedication will live on in the department for many years.” You can see Chief Martin’s retirement announcement video here: http://bit.ly/33cmkLB The Fourth Annual Bakersfield Marathon went off without a hitch on Sunday, November 17, with nearly 2,600 runners taking part. Staff from the Bakersfield Police, Fire and Public Works, and Recreation and Parks Departments and the City Manager’s Office were involved in providing support and safety services for the runners during the event. The event organizer is responsible for City-related costs associated with the event. All City streets – with the exception of the finish line area–were reopened before noon, far earlier than in previous years. A big thank you to the more than 160 City staff members who helped make the event a success! General Information November 22, 2019 Page 2 On November 16th and 17th, softball fields at several parks around the City hosted the National Softball Association’s 51-team youth softball tournament, thanks to the efforts of Visit Bakersfield and the City’s Recreation and Parks Department. More than half the teams were from out of town. Staff estimates the total attendance for the weekend was around 5,300 people between players and spectators. The games were played at four different locations: four fields at Mesa Marin Sports Complex, Beach Park Field, both fields at Patriots Park and the field at Wayside Park. Recreation and Parks reports receiving many compliments on the conditions of the facilities and the professionalism of our staff who worked very long days. This year, Visit Bakersfield has assisted in bringing six youth fastpitch softball tournaments to the City, and this was the largest and last of the year. The Bakersfield Police Department hosted an awards and appreciation dinner (above) for the Citizen Volunteer Unit, Chaplain Volunteers and the Bakersfield Police Reserves Unit on Monday, November 18th. The three volunteer groups General Information November 22, 2019 Page 3 combined to perform several thousand hours of service in 2018, with the Citizen Volunteer unit performing more than 3,800 hours. The latest travel article featuring Bakersfield appeared this week in the currentissue of Yosemite National Park Journal. This 96-page publication includes four road trips, two of which include Bakersfield: The Best of the Coast, and Viva LasVegas. The magazine mentions several Bakersfield venues, such as Buck Owens’ Crystal Palace, Merry Go Round Antique Mall, Woolworth Diner, Kern CountyMuseum and California Fruit Depot. Accompanying the article is a half-page ad from Visit Bakersfield featuring its new branding efforts. When readers of the publication request additional information about Bakersfieldfor their future trip planning, the magazine forwards those requests to Visit Bakersfield for follow-up. Since September 1, more than 300 such requests forinformation have been filled by Visit Bakersfield staff. Yosemite National Park Journal has a circulation of 100,000, including copies sold on newsstandsnationwide, on Amazon.com, and distributed throughout California at California Welcome Centers, airports and other locations. It is also available for purchase onNook, iPad and Kindle, and soon on Zinio as well. You can read the article here. The City’s 2019 Fall Canned Food Drive (right) wrapped up on November 18th as the Community Action Partnership of Kern Food Bank picked up food donated by employees from all of our departments. This year employees donated 5,087 pounds of food. All of the food is donated to local families in need for the holidays. A special thanks to all our employees who donated to this worthy cause! The November edition of the Public Safety & Vital Services Newsletter was released this week. This month’s newsletter looks at some of the quality of life improvementsthat have been made around the City thanks to the PSVS Measure funding. That includes a number of projects at the Mechanics Bank (formerly Rabobank) Arena,Theater & Convention Center, as well as the City’s $1.5 million replanting project that is bringing greenery back to the City’s streetscapes, neighborhoods andparks. You can read the newsletter here. General Information November 22, 2019 Page 4 Traffic Advisories Nighttime Truxtun Avenue closure / Westside Parkway on-ramp closurerescheduled A nighttime closure has been scheduled for Truxtun Avenue on Tuesday, November 26th. The closure will be in the vicinity of the Westside Parkway on- and off-ramps. This will be a full closure affecting both directions of travel between the hours of 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. The westbound on-ramp will remain open, but eastbound motorists will need toexit the freeway at Mohawk Street and use California Avenue or Rosedale Highway to detour around the closure. Truxtun Avenue and the eastbound off-ramp are expected to be open in time for the morning commute. The closure is needed to remove forms and barrier brackets from the bridges above the street. The guardrail replacement along the Westside Parkway westbound on-ramp from southbound Mohawk Street has been rescheduled for Thursday November 21st. The closure is expected to be in place between the hours of 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. During the ramp closure, southbound Mohawk Street motorists can access westbound Westside Parkway by making a U-turn at Truxtun Avenue and returning northbound to the westbound loop on-ramp. The work is not expected to impact traffic on the freeway. Work may be rescheduled without notice due to unforeseen circumstances. Please slow down and watch for construction workers and equipment while driving in the vicinity of this work. The Thomas Roads Improvement Program apologizes for any inconvenience this work may cause the traveling public. Nighttime freeway closures scheduled / Stine Road intersection closure atStockdale Highway Maintenance activities will require nighttime lane closures along southbound State Route 99 on Monday, November 25th and Tuesday, November 26th. The lane closures will affect the inside and outside lanes along the freeway between State Route 58 and Ming Avenue. The closures may be in place between the hours of 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. each night. On December 2nd, the contractor for the Centennial Corridor project plans to close the south side of Stockdale Highway/Stine Road intersection. This will prevent traffic from entering and exiting South Stine Road at Stockdale Highway. Stine Road will be open on the north side of Stockdale Highway and no impacts are anticipated for traffic traveling east or west on Stockdale Highway at this time.The contractor plans to begin preparatory work for the Centennial Corridor bridge that will cross Stockdale Highway. This is a long-term closure and is expected to remain in effect through the duration of the project in late 2022. Area residents can access the neighborhood from Stockdale Highway at neighboring streets or General Information November 22, 2019 Page 5 from the south at Belle Terrace. This schedule may be changed without notice. Please slow down and pay attention to construction and detour signage while driving through the area. The Thomas Roads Improvement Program apologizes for any inconvenience this work may cause the traveling public. Reports AT&T U-verse Programming Changes for November and December 2019, and January 2020. Event Notifications The Third Annual Christmas Tree Lighting is set for Saturday, November 30th at Centennial Plaza in front of Mechanics Bank (formerly Rabobank) Arena. The event starts at 4:30 p.m. Event Calendar for the Mechanics Bank (formerly Rabobank) Arena, Theater & Convention Center. PH O T O : S e q u o i a N a t i o n a l P a r k ( D e p o s i t p h o t o s ) As you head south, you’ll enter Bakersfield, a bustling metropolis of 540,000-plus people. It’s a hub for oil production, agriculture and birthplace of Bakersfield Sound, a twangy genre of country music that was influenced by rock and electrical instruments. Framed in the distance by the Tehachapi Mountains to the east and Temblor Range to the west, Bakersfield has a number of local attractions worth experiencing. For a lively family-oriented show and meal, head to Buck Owens’ Crystal Palace. Country singer Owens helped popularize Bakersfield Sound with his 21 No. 1 hits on the Billboard country music charts during the 1960s. His 1963 hit Act Naturally was covered by the Beatles. Peruse the museum on site that showcases Owens’ memorabilia. Tip: make advanced reservations. Antique fanatics will love exploring two antique malls, which are conveniently located across the street from one another. The three-story Merry Go Round Antique Mall has a 1930s replica movie theater that you can peer through glass to see on weekends. Across the street is Five & Dime Antique Mall housed in a former three-story Woolworth building. Don’t miss the old-fashioned luncheonette, Woolworth Diner, on the ground floor. Its 1950s decor includes 22 counter seats, Formica countertops and black-and-white tiled floor. The menu itself is as 50s as it gets — chili dogs, hamburgers, potato salad and French fries, along with milkshakes and root beer floats. Kern County is the most productive oil-producing county in the nation, so stop by Kern County Museum to learn more about it and to explore Pioneer Village composed of 60-plus original buildings from the past. On your way out of town, stop at California Fruit Depot for amazingly fresh fruit, including navel and valencia oranges, dates and nuts. Don't miss out on the free samples. Then drive east to Ridgecrest to explore some wonders of the Mojave Desert. About 30-40 minutes north of Ridgecrest is Fossil Falls. If you’re expecting a dramatic cascading waterfall or ancient fossils, you won’t find either. Fossil Falls was created ROADSIDE STOPS At the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley and the heart of the Mojave Desert, you’ll find hidden gems in Bakersfield and Ridgecrest, Calif. By Tori Peglar PH O T O : T r o n a P i n n a c l e s ( D e p o s i t p h o t o s ) VISALIA TO BAKERSFIELD AND RIDGECREST, CALIF. 186 miles, 3 hours and 10 minutes MyYosemitePark.com . 69 VIVA LAS VEGAS YOS2020_RoadTrips_Las-Vegas_09.indd 69 10/31/19 11:59 AM after area volcanoes erupted between 400,000 and 10,000 years ago, spilling lava across the landscape. As glaciers melted, the water filled the Owens River, which cut through volcanic rock, polishing and sculpting it. Turn off Hwy. 395 and drive over a mile to reach the trailhead. A short trail leads you to this wonder. East of Ridgecrest, you can stroll Trona Pinnacles, a bizarre landscape where dozens of TV commercials and Hollywood movies have been filmed. Scenes from Star Trek and the remake of Planet of the Apes were shot here. As you walk around, you might find yourself looking for Spock strolling under one of the 500 tufa formations rising out of the dry Searles Lake. Tufas are pinnacles made of calcium carbonate. During the Pleistocene era, they formed underwater when inland seas covered the area. If you drive 20 minutes south from Ridgecrest, you’ll discover a ghost town named Randsburg that comes alive Friday through Sundays. A former mining town, Randsburg formed after gold was discovered in 1895 at the nearby Yellow Aster Mine. Stroll the paved streets and order something to eat at the White House Saloon and in the General Store. Learn more about Bakersfield at the visitor center, 515 Truxtun Ave, or at VisitBakersfield.com. Learn more about Ridgecrest at www.GoRidgecrest.com. 70 . Yosemite Edition 2020 YOS2020_RoadTrips_Las-Vegas_09.indd 70 10/31/19 11:59 AM VisitBakersfield.com THE SOUND OFEntertainmentTHE SOUND OFAdventure VisitBakersfield.com THE SOUND OFThrills PARTIALS_YOSJ_2020.indd 70 10/31/19 3:44 PM BYATHEANUMBERS. 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5 PM (Excluding Event Days) CHARGE-BY-PHONE 1-888-929-7849 GROUP SALES INFORMATION 661-852-7309 SEASON TICKET INFORMATION Bakersfield Condors 661-324-PUCK (7825) www.bakersfieldcondors.com Bakersfield Symphony 661-323-7928 www.BSOnow.org Broadway In Bakersfield 661-852-7308 Week of November 18th UPCOMING EVENTS www.rabobankarena.com - www.spectrumamphitheatre.com November 21 – Condors vs Stockton10:30 AM $10 On Sale Now November 27 – Condors vs Tucson5:00 PM $38, $28.50, $23, $19, $16, $12 On Sale Now November 30 – Condors vs Ontario7:00 PM $38, $28.50, $23, $19, $16, $12 On Sale Now December 13&14 – Condors vs Grd Rapids7:00 PM $38, $28.50, $23, $19, $16, $12 On Sale Now December 29 – Cirque Musica Holiday6 PM $99, $79, $59, $39, $29 On Sale Now January 24&25 – Monster Trucks 7:30 PM $43, $24, $21, $19, $14 On Sale Now February 17 – Harlem Globetrotters2:00 PM $90, $70, $54, $42, $33, $25, $18 On Sale Now February 20 – Blake Shelton 7:00 PM $109, $89, $69, $49 On Sale Now March 2 – KISS 7:30 PM $39.50 to $1000 On Sale 11/22 March 12&13 – AXEL By Cirque Du Soleil7:30 PM $130 to $35 On Sale Now March 14 – AXEL By Cirque Du Soleil4 & 7:30 PM $130 to $35 On Sale Now March 15 – AXEL By Cirque Du Soleil1:30 PM $130 to $35 On Sale Now March 17 – JoJo Siwa w/The Belles7:00 PM $66.50, $46.50, $36.50 On Sale 11/22 December 6 – BSO “Home For The Holidays”7:30 PM $45, $35, $30, $20 On Sale Now December 13-15 – The Nutcracker $40 to $10 On Sale Now December 16 – Cirque Dreams Holidaze7:30 PM $65, $50, $35 On Sale Now January 4 – Willy Nelson & Family 8:00 PM $150, $132, $92, $72, $52 On Sale Now January 7 – Sesame Street Live 6:00 PM $63, $38, $33, $28, $23, $18 On Sale Now January 8 – Sesame Street Live 10:30 AM $63, $38, $33, $28, $23, $18 On Sale Now January 8 – Sesame Street Live 6:00 PM $63, $38, $33, $28, $23, $18 On Sale Now January 24 – George Lopez 8:00 PM $56.50, $36.50 On Sale Now February 17 – The Bachelor Live 7:00 PM $153, $75, $55, $48, $38 On Sale Now March 14 – Dustin Lynch 8:00 PM $54, $34 On Sale Now March 31 – Dancing With The Stars Live!8:00 PM $79.50, $59.50, $35.50 On Sale Now April 26 – Brett Young 8:00 PM $52, $32 On Sale Now May 6 – Celtic Woman 7:00 PM $150, $69, $39 On Sale Now