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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 12182001 - PR.2 s L TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Contra" Costa FROM: JOHN SWEETEN, County Administrator . ;= `s DATE: December 18, 2001 3' County SUBJECT: 2001 AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE PRESENTED TO THE COMMUNTY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT SPECIFIC REQUEST(S)OR RECOMMENDATION(S)&BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECOMMENDATION: PRESENT the 2001 departmental Award for Excellence to the Community Development Department, Dennis Barry, Director. BACKGROUND: In 1985, the Board of Supervisors established a program for recognizing outstanding performance by County departments. In December of each year, the Board recognizes a department with the Award for Excellence. This year, the award recognizes the accomplishments of a department that played a critical role in the development of significant public policy positions taken by the Board. 2001 was the year in which "community" was redefined in Contra Costa County in terms of physical and political boundaries, and the Community Development Department supplied the definitions—the information, the vision, and the maps. Community Development produced the supporting material and provided the staff expertise for the modifications to the Urban Limit Line (and their successful defense), the supervisorial redistricting process, and several "Smart Growth" planning efforts including the county-wide "Open Space Forum,"the vacant and.underutilized land survey for the Mayor's Conference, the EI Sobrante Valley Park Study, and the Pleasant Hill BART community charrette. Energy was another"hot' topic in 2001, and the department delivered, on short order, an enlightening power plant siting study showing Contra Costa County in the forefront of production. With top-notch staff in the areas of Redevelopment, Transportation Planning, and Conservation, accomplishments were not confined to land use planning. Over the last year, the Redevelopment staff leveraged over$60 million to undertake housing, economic development, infrastructure, and public service projects, resulting in the provision of more than 800 affordable housing units, the establishment of 20 new micro-enterprises, and $7 million worth of community improvements in Bay Point, Rodeo, and North Richmond. Collaboration is the key in Community Development, and it played out time and again on such projects as the Bay Point BART Station Area Specific Plan, the North Richmond Land Use and Urban Design Study, the Countywide Comprehensive Transportation Plan, and the Contra Costa Watershed Forum. In a time when communities across California are concerned with "Smart Growth," Dennis Barry, Director of Community Development, and the entire staff are defining and modeling exactly what"smart' means: dedication to the profession of planning, commitment to building and serving the best community, and the talent to achieve it. 19 I G�u CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: YES SIGNATURE: RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMME ATION OF B ARD COMMITTEE APPROVE OTHER SIGNATURE(S): / ACTION OF BOARD ON 1-P (.Q.At;/ydtC / APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED X OTHER VOTE OF SUPERVISORS I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE AND CORRECT COPY OF AN.ACTION TAKEN AND ENTERED ON MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN. UNANIMOUS(ABSENT ) AYES: NOES: ABSENT: ABSTAIN: Contact: / Cc: COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR ATTESTED CQ�'( LAN` l (� v 0 / COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT JOHN SWEETEN,CLERK OF THE OARD OFSUPERVISORS c. BY. DEPUTY