To: Mayor and Town Council From: George J. Rodericks, City Manager Date: September 2014 SUBJECT: SEPTEMBER 2014 MANAGER’S REPORT The Monthly Manager’s Report is a post-review summary of issues and Town activity during the prior month. The last issued Manager’s Report was Summer 2014. This Report encompasses activity during the month of September. Should you wish any additional information on any of the items, feel free to contact me directly. Most, if not all, of the issues and topics should be familiar to each of you. As you read through the report, information gets “older” as you travel through the items (i.e. the most recent items are listed first). Upcoming Major Agenda items for October 15: • Second Reading & Adoption of Adjustments to Commercial Refuse Rates • CCAC – Approval of Request for Proposal (RFP) for Design Services • Approval of El Camino Real Operational Study RFP • Approval of Art in Public Facilities Policy • Approval of Bicycle/Pedestrian Master Plan Priority Project List • Public Hearing on the Housing Element Update • Public Hearing on Modifications to the Accessory Structure Ordinance Coming up in future meetings…(dates are tentative) • Review of Wireless Telecommunications Facilities Ordinance – November 5 Study Session • Review of Encroachment Permit Ordinance – November 5 Study Session • Award of Contract for ECR Operational Study – November 19 Table of Contents 1. Construction Site Sweeps ......................................................................................................................................... 2 2. Disaster Exercise – October 16 ............................................................................................................................... 2 3. PG&E Self-Report to the Public Utilities Commission on Inadequate Operator Qualified Ground Patrols ....................................................................................................................................................................... 4 4. P&R Request for Revenues/Expenses for the Park ....................................................................................... 4 5. Player Capital Tennis Open House ........................................................................................................................ 4 6. M-ALL Agreement Status – DONE ......................................................................................................................... 5 7. Civic Center Project Status ....................................................................................................................................... 5 8. Candidate Open House ............................................................................................................................................... 5 9. Solar Panel Installation Permits ............................................................................................................................ 5 TOWN OF ATHERTON MANAGER’S MONTHLY REPORT Page 2 of 14 10/3/2014 10. Fire Department Pancake Breakfast .................................................................................................................... 6 11. Event Garden .................................................................................................................................................................. 6 12. Planning Commission Meeting ............................................................................................................................... 7 13. Arborist ............................................................................................................................................................................. 7 14. Update on Animal Services Negotiations ........................................................................................................... 8 15. Refund for Animal Services – FY 2013-14 ......................................................................................................... 9 16. PG&E’s Line 109 Project ............................................................................................................................................ 9 17. Table-Top Emergency Preparedness Training ............................................................................................ 10 18. Middlefield/Glenwood Intersection – Traffic Counts ................................................................................ 11 19. Glenwood Speed Signs ............................................................................................................................................ 11 20. Funding Allocation for Measure M .................................................................................................................... 11 21. Planning Commission Meeting ............................................................................................................................ 12 22. 80% Pension Funding Myth ................................................................................................................................. 12 23. Pension Blog – Contractor versus Employee ................................................................................................ 12 24. Emergency Services Agreement ......................................................................................................................... 13 25. El Camino Real Visibility Improvements ........................................................................................................ 14 Manager’s Report 1. Construction Site Sweeps On September 23, representatives from Building, Code Enforcement, and Public Works swept assigned areas of the Town between 7 am and 8 am. Approximately 52 sites were visited with most sites locked up or workers waiting quietly. Four sites received warnings for starting early. No Administrative Citations were issued. We will be revisiting the following sites for a follow- up visit: • 81 Ridgeview • 318 Selby • 82 Linda Vista • 60 Linda Vista • 96 Ridgeview 2. Disaster Exercise – October 16 The following information was distributed to the press in the hopes of getting some coverage for our event: TOWN OF ATHERTON MANAGER’S MONTHLY REPORT Page 3 of 14 10/3/2014 “Atherton will be conducting an integrated earthquake response exercise in October as the culmination of emergency preparedness activities that have been taking place at the city management level in 2014. This drill has been in the planning stages for a year and, while timely, is not as a result of the recent earthquake in Napa. The Town is planning to subsequently organize a town-wide meeting to discuss the importance and rationale of emergency prep for all community members and what individuals can do to make themselves and their neighborhoods better prepared to handle events like an earthquake or other natural disasters. The Atherton Town staff has been ramping up their disaster preparedness efforts this year in preparation of a “live” exercise to take place on October 16 as part of the Great California Shake Out. The Great California Shake Out is a now worldwide exercise to practice Drop, Cover, and Hold On at 10:16 am on October 16. www.shakeout.org/california. Locally, staff will be working with the Atherton Disaster and Preparedness Team (ADAPT – www.getreadyatherton.org), local Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT), local schools, neighborhood groups, Menlo Fire and the County Office of Emergency Services (OES) to host a “live” exercise to test local response and resources. To prepare for the exercise, Atherton’s Town staff organized a series of practice drills throughout the year testing local response to flood events, train derailments, evacuations, and hazardous chemical spills. The Town’s Emergency Preparedness Training Coordinators have been meeting with local emergency response agencies and local schools to develop and test emergency scenarios. Last week, Atherton staff was called out to respond to an emergency scenario (train derailment and hazardous material spill). The team opened the Town’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and conducted a tabletop response walking through exactly what to do and what not to do. Once activated, the Emergency Operations Center is run by the EOC Director - in Atherton’s case, this is the City Manager. The EOC is divided into five separate and distinct operational areas: Administration, Logistics, Planning, Operations, and Finance. All Town staff has been trained in the various operational areas and the practice drills have given staff the opportunity to work several types of localized disasters as an EOC team. The October exercise at the Town EOC and Management level will run concurrent with ADAPT’s efforts at the neighborhood level (in the Lindenwood area) coordinating a simulation drill involving “neighbor checks", spot checking homes for potential damage and sending/receiving information (via Ham radios) from their command posts to Atherton’s EOC. The exercise will further enhance the Town’s response capabilities and functionality. The goals are: • Flush out any issues that might arise at the EOC level, issues linking the EOC to the neighborhood level and issues with self-organization, communication and deployment at the neighborhood level. • Give field staff and volunteers the opportunity to respond to a live exercise involving a local school campus and a localized disaster. On the day of the exercise, Council Members are encouraged to participate as observers and can view the activity