OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER November 15, 2019 TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council FROM: Alan Tandy, City Manager AT / CH SUBJECT: General Information Notable Items Staff continues to work on finding a suitable location for a low-barrier homeless shelter in Bakersfield. To that end, several City Staff members – including Assistant City Managers Jacqui Kitchen and Chris Huot, Public Works Director Nick Fidler, and Community Development Coordinator Nina Carter – this week visited 40 Prado, a shelter facility in San Luis Obispo that Staff has drawn inspiration from. City Staff, along with members from Kern County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services met with 40 Prado’s Deputy Director Grace McIntosh to discuss operations of such a General Information November 15, 2019 Page 2 facility. McIntosh showed Staff how clients are processed when they come to the 100-bed facility, the dormitory areas, where and how some on-site health care services are provided, as well as a green space, a kennel and a kitchen. McIntosh also explained ways the facility has become part of the neighborhood in a positive way, even offering its campus to host various services for the community at times. It was a very educational visit and will help as Staff continues researching what operating a low-barrier shelter in Bakersfield will require. The recognition of the City’s Water Resources Department continues as the department has won yet another award for its 1,2,3-Trichlorpropane (TCP) mitigation project, this time from the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC). The project won a Merit Award in the ACEC’s 2020 Engineering Excellence Award competition. The Design-Build Team will be recognized on Feb. 13, 2020 at the Engineering Excellence Awards Banquet at the L.A. Grand Hotel in Los Angeles. The successful project added wellhead treatment to numerous domestic water wells which remove the contaminant TCP from pumped groundwater. This ensures the City’s domestic water system continues to deliver water which meets all drinking water quality standards. This is the third award for the project, following honors from the American Public Works Association as well as the American Society of Civil Engineers earlier this year. The Fourth Annual Bakersfield Marathon is set to be held Sunday, November 17th starting at 7 a.m. and is expected to conclude around 3 p.m. The event will require various street closures throughout the City on Sunday, starting as early as 4:30 a.m. For more about the Marathon, closures and the route, click here: http://bit.ly/34X6eXi The Bakersfield Police Department held a promotion ceremony (left) on November 14th for staff who had been promoted earlier this year. A total of 20 staff members were promoted during this timeframe, including a senior records clerk, 12 detectives and seven sergeants. The Bakersfield Police Department took part in the CASA Superhero Walk on Saturday, November 9th. Staff from the department was able to engage with the community and the fundraiser for the non-profit organization was well-received. Residents even got a chance to see the inner workings of a BPD patrol vehicle. General Information November 15, 2019 Page 3 You may have noticed a new mural on the side of the Police Activities League building recently. The mural is a community project started by Office Perkins’ team for the Kern County Network for Children’s Leadership program. Children who attend PAL contributed to creating the mural (right). The City’s rollout of the new logo and branding continue! Elevators in several City buildings have gotten a facelift and a new look with the new logo featured prominently. Both elevators at City Hall North (below), as well as the elevator at City Hall South, the Public Works annex building and Development Services have been given a fresh look. There will be more updates throughout the City as the rollout continues. Another positive article about Bakersfield has just been released: “8 awesomely diverse US cities (and why you should visit)." The article spotlights Bakersfield’s young population and our ethnic and linguistic diversity compared with our neighbors. A quote from the article: “The new Bakersfield has emerged as a cultural melting pot that celebrates its diversity with festivals and events throughout the year. The city’s calendar includes an annual Celtic music festival, Greek food festival, Italian street art festival, Jewish food festival, and menudo cook-off.” General Information November 15, 2019 Page 4 The article also mentions Woolworth’s lunch counter and Woolgrowers. Visit Bakersfield provided background information and the photo that accompanied the article. The other cities highlighted in the article are Charlotte, N.C.; Reno, Indianapolis, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Richmond, VA; Philadelphia and Little Rock. The complete article can be read here: https://matadornetwork.com/read/diverse-us-cities-visit/ Traffic Advisories Mohawk Street and Westside Parkway on-ramp closures A daytime lane closure has been scheduled for the outside lane and shoulder on southbound Mohawk Street on Monday, November 18th. The closure will be in the vicinity of the southbound-to-westbound Westside Parkway on-ramp. The contractor for the Kern River Bridge Improvements project will be removing and replacing the guardrail along Mohawk Street. The work is expected to take all day to complete. On Monday night, the contractor will need to close the westbound on-ramp. The closure is expected to be underway between the hours of 9 p.m. and 5 a.m., and is needed to allow for guardrail replacement along the ramp. During the ramp closure, southbound Mohawk Street motorists can access the 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. Wible Road closure next week A section of Wible Road will be closed to vehicle and pedestrian traffic next week to allow for the demolition of the old northbound-to-eastbound connector bridge, which crosses the roadway. The closure is expected to be in place from Monday, November 18th at 7 a.m. through Thursday, November 21st. This will be an around-the-clock closure, affecting both directions of travel between Stockdale Highway and Belle Terrace. Vehicles can use H Street to detour around the closure, and motorists can enter northbound State Route 99 from the California Avenue interchange. Access to Wible Road businesses located between the demolition site and Ming Avenue will remain open. Motorists will need to use Ming Avenue to enter and exit this section of the roadway. General Information November 15, 2019 Page 5 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. Reports Recreation and Parks Department monthly report for October. Recreation and Parks Department’s Rapid Response Team data report for October. Streets Division work schedule for the week of November 18th. AT&T U-verse Programming Changes letter. Event Notifications Second Annual Sister City Gardens Festival is set for 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, November 16, 2019 at Sister City Gardens at Mill Creek Park. Event Calendar for the Mechanics Bank (formerly Rabobank) Arena, Theater & Convention Center. Department of Recreation and Parks Date: November 13, 2019 To: Alan Tandy, City Manager From: Dianne Hoover, Director of Recreation & Parks Subject: 2019 October Monthly Report ADMINISTRATION October Summary Highlights: On November 1st, the City of Bakersfield opened its 60th park at Belcourt. This unique partnership provides a public park, privately maintained and operated by the HOA surrounding Belcourt Park. We are very excited about this partnership and that it is an example of more opportunities in the future. City crews and contractors have been busy planting trees and shrubs throughout the City of Bakersfield during October. Neighborhoods have received major improvements to their public landscapes, thanks to the Measure N allocation. When completed in spring of 2020, over 3,200 trees and 33,000 shrubs/small plants will be in the ground, ready to help beautify areas and assist in cleaning the air. The Rapid Response Team has been diligent in removing trash from parks, repairing vandalism and completing projects that have been on hold for a few months. Recreation staff continues to be creative in offering affordable programs for residents as well as special events to enhance experiences with family and friends. As the holidays approach, we look forward to the Sister City Festival, Holiday Tree Lighting ceremony, Santa’s Workshop and the annual Polar Bear Plunge. You may contact us anytime through the City Sourced App, or by calling 326-3866. We enhance the quality of life through a variety of programs, parks, and partnerships. Department of Recreation and Parks October 2019 Monthly Report Page 2 Public Safety & Vital Services: • Rapid Response Team October 2019 Project Data Report Enclosed. CIP/CDBG Project Updates: • Norris Road Guard Shack Structure Project – Pre-construction meeting with contractor Wovet Construction and City staff was held on 10/7/19. Structure framing and drywall inspection was completed by City’s Building Division. Structure wrap and wire were installed and inspection was completed by City’s building division. • Kaiser Permanente Sports Village Phase 3 Fitness Equipment Project – City’s Rapid Response Team staff modified irrigation and removed (4) trees in the area due to project requirements.