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Home My WebLink AboutMINUTES - 03271990 - 2.1 TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS '� Contra .Y. FROM: Phil Batchelor, County Administrator Costa by John T. Gregory, Management Analyst III , - ...': County DATE: March 22, 1990 SUBJECT: PROGRESS REPORT ON NORTH RICHMOND BEAUTIFICATION EFFORTS SPECIFIC REQUEST(S)OR RECOMMENDATION(S)&BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECOMUMATION 1. Accept this report on the status of County and City staff efforts for a North Richmond Beautification Project titled COMET. 2. Endorse by accepting this report the components, as listed in the attachment 1 of the COMET Project. 3 . Request that the Building Inspection, Community Development, Community Services, Public Work, Health Services and Sheriff Departments continue to work, with the County Administrator' s Office acting as coordinator, towards completion of the various project components and providing necessary resources as designated. 4. Direct that a further status report by the County Administrator be forwarded for the attention of the Board by July 17 , 1990. 5. Designate Supervisor Powers as Board representative in any ceremonies conducted as a result of community action to carry-out the project components. BACKGROUND On June 27 , 1989 the Board of Supervisors directed the County Administrator' s Office to develop the framework for a community CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: YeS YES SIGNATURE: RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR —RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE T��/, APPROVE —OTHER SIGNATURE(Sl: L I Z & �� ACTION OF BOARD ON— MA rc-h 9 7., 1990 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED X OTHER VOTE OF SUPERVISORS I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE X UNANIMOUS(ABSENT ) AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN AYES: NOES: AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD ABSENT: ABSTAIN: OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN. CC: County Administrator ATTESTEDe?^7 /4?90 John Gregory, CAO PHIL BATCHELOR,CLERK OF THE BOARD OF Building Inspection SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR Community Development Community Services Public Works M382 (10/88) Health Services BY ,DEPUTY Sheriff n beautification and youth job skill enhancement project with the option of contracting with the East Bay Conservation Corps for this purpose. On September 25, 1989 staff from the County Administrator' s Office reported to our Committee on meetings which had been held with representatives from the City of Richmond and Chevron USA. From these meetings a consensus was reached on a plan of action which would require a small design team to work together for the purpose of developing project parameters to be presented to the various agencies. This included the concept of having both community beautification enhancement and youth job skills training facets of the program. On December 11, 1989 the Board approved the progress which has been made in developing a program which can help to beautify West County and North Richmond in particular. In the last 3 months , a projects list for improvements and services planned for the North Richmond Community has been developed. The list is broken into short-term and long-term projects. The short-term projects are to commence immediately with the long-term projects to begin in six-months to one year. Implementation will be coordinated with community leaders, with periodic meetings scheduled to review the progress being made. The success achieved in implementing the projects list will depend largely on the level of support received from the community and efforts by City and County staff. City and County staff were particularly encouraged on this note by the large numbers attending a February 28, 1990 public meeting clearly suggesting a high level of interest and support in the community. The effort at addressing work needs of the various project components by County staff has provided untold benefits at bridging gaps between County, City, Community on the commitment of government to the North Richmond area. This new partnership between the County, City and North Richmond community is the culmination of months of planning, and provides a unique approach to improve and increase service delivery for a targeted area. If successful, this model can be applied to other neighborhoods and areas in the City and County. The North Richmond COMET Planning Group, comprised of County and City staff, welcomes this community to implement the projects list and increase the overall level of services to the deserving residents and businesses in the area. NORTH RICHMOND COMET PROJECT PROJECT LISTING & DESCRIPTION March 1990 It is herein proposed that the City of Richmond and County of Contra Costa implement the short and long-term projects listed below in the North Richmond community (city and county areas ) , and provide coordination with other agencies , groups , or organization as maybe required to ensure successful implementation. SHORT-TERM Tree Planting Project To plant 1000 street trees throughout the community in conjunction with the City' s Urban Forest Management Program, the County and East Bay Relief Inc . The initial phase will include the planting of one hundred ( 100 ) trees along Filbert Street and Chesley Avenue . Project to commence on April 17 , 1990 . An educational component will be added to provide instructions to youths and others in the care and maintenance of trees . Contact: Peter Ingram, Richmond Public Works Dept. - 231-3000 Abandoned Vehicle Abatement This activity involves the removal of abandoned vehicles from private , public properties , roads and streets. Emphasis will be placed on removing non-operating vehicles from vacant and abandoned properties throughout North Richmond. Enforcement will be provided by City of Richmond Police and County Sheriff, working in cooperation with field inspectors and the public . Contact: Richmond Police Department, Vehicle Abatement - 620-6884 County Sheriff's Department - 646-2216 Rodent Control/Abatement This vector control project calls for purchasing 1000 one-pound bait blocks to be placed in manholes in the community to assist rodent abatement. The one-pound bait block to be used in the sewer system is the Eaton anticoagulant bait. There are an estimated 120 sewer manholes in the North Richmond community. Homeowners , renters, and absentee landowners will be asked to participate as part of a pre-baiting program to bait properties , prior to the baiting of the sewers . High problems areas will be re-baited, if the initial baiting proves inadequate. If possible, vector control 1 bail will be placed for purchase at locations in the North Richmond community. Baiting is slated to begin in Spring 1990. Contact: June Livingston, County Health Services Dept. - 374-3141 Special Neighborhood Clean-Ups This project calls for community volunteers and residents to undertake periodic clean-ups to remove trash,' litter, and other debris from areas throughout the community. The City and County will provide dumpsters , garbage bags , and some work tools. County Work Alternative Program personnel will also be assigned to assist clean-up activities . A special street sweeping and removal of any abandoned autos will also be included. Arrangements will also be made with Richmond Sanitary Service for a special trash pick-up in conjunction with this project. The first clean-up is slated for Spring 1990 . Contact: Leveron Bryant, City Manager's Office, 620-6512 John Gregory, County Administrator's Office, 646-4089 Street Sweeping This activity will be ongoing. Emphasis will be placed on providing street.•sweeping services on a regularly scheduled basis , and on a "as needed basis , " when conditions warranted. The City has purchased its owned street-sweeper and can now provide such services on flexibly scheduled basis . Street sweeping services will be coordinated closely between the City and County to ensure all areas in North Richmond receive the same level of service. Contact: Peter Ingram, Richmond Public Works Department, 231-3000 Building Code Enforcement • -, This project calls for concentrated code enforcement to eliminate blighted conditions in the area. City and County inspectors will coordinate efforts to abate code violations throughout the community. Non-complying property owners will be cited, and, if warranted, fined for not correcting identified code violations . This activity will be ongoing . Contact: Fred Clement, Richmond Public Works Department, 620-6868 Larry Gunn, County Building Inspection, 646-2314 Weatherization Project An all out effort will be made to publicize and encourage use of this program, sponsored by Pacific Gas . and Electric (PG&E ) . The program . involves free installation of energy efficient. weatherization materials ( insulation, window stripping, wrapping water heaters , etc. ) in residential units to conserve energy and 2 reduce overall energy costs for area residents . This activity will be ongoing and will be coordinated with P.G.& E. contractors . This program is for very low & low income homeowners . Contact: Joanne Sparks, County Community Services Dept. 646-5544 Earthquake Relief Project This project calls for working with residents and others to ensure that they make maximum use of available assistance for earthquake relief. Assistance will be provided to help residents in their contacts with State and Federal agencies . Contact: Gerald Raycraft, County Redevelopment, 646-4076 Art Hatchett, City Housing and Community Development Department, 620-6826 Paint and Landscaping Rebate Project This project will encourage exterior fix-up of residential units by offering rebates for a portion of the cost for paint and landscaping materials . City and County programs are currently available to assist residents . Additional efforts will be made to publicize the rebates and encourage residents to make use of the various programs . Contact: Mickie Perez, County Housing Rehabilitation, 646-2337 Art Hatchett, City Housing and Community Development Department, 620-6826 Weed Abatement/Vacant Lot Clean-ups This activity will be ongoing. Special emphasis will be placed on enforcement of existing codes regarding weed abatement and clean- up of vacant lots. Property owners will be contacted and afforded A period of time to clean any problem lot. If the property owner fails to respond, the City and/or County will order the clean-up and place a lien on the property to recover its costs. Contact: City Weed Abatement Program, 620-6868 Research Number & Current Ownership of Vacant Sites The City' s Planning Department proposes to identify all vacant sites and research ownership information. This will enable the City/County to contact property owners regarding code enforcement problems , property disposition issues, or any other issues/matters requiring their attention. Contact: Natalie Lawrence, City Planning Dept. , 620-6706 3 Establishing Task Force for Targeting Problem Properties This task force will work solely to abate conditions on "problem" properties . Emphasis will be placed on code enforcement, weed/litter/debris abatement, and property rehabilitation. Community representatives also will be asked to serve on the Task Force. Contact: Leveron Bryant, City Manager's Office, 620-6512 Promote Use/Availability of Housing Programs This promotional program is intended to call attention to the variety of housing assistance programs currently sponsored by the City ' and County. Included are such programs as housing rehabilitation, multi-family units rehabilitation, paint rebate, landscape rebate , low-interest rehabilitation loans , and County' s Neighborhood Preservation program, among others . These programs are currently under utilized and there is the need to take steps to promote greater use . Information regarding the various housing programs will be distributed to community centers , churches , and other agencies or organizations , where there is high public visibility or exposure. Contact: Mickie Perez, County Housing Rehabilitation, 646-2337 Art Hatchett, City Hsng. & Comm. Dev. Dept. , 620-6826 Concentrated Job Training/Employment This activity calls for providing job training assistance services to better enable' community residents to compete on the open job market. Included will be such services as job search assistance, job interview skills enhancement, referrals , and job training assistance . The City and County Private Industry Councils (PIC's ) will work jointly to coordinate this activity. A special effort also will be made to provide specific job training and employment opportunities for North Richmond residents for the various community projects being proposed. Contact: Lloyd Madden, County Personnel Dept. , 646-4046 Upesi Mtambuzi , Richmond PIC, 620-6589 Trash Receptacles This project calls for the installation of curbside trash receptacles along primary thoroughfares in North Richmond. The goal is to encourage use of the receptacles to reduce the amount of litter, trash and debris on streets, sidewalks, and vacant lots throughout the area. A special effort will be made to place the receptacles near commercial or retail establishments (grocery, 4 liquor stores , etc . ) that are large trash generators. Contact: Peter Ingram, City Public Works Dept. , 231-3000 Installation of Postal Mail Boxes There are currently no U.S . Postal Service mail boxes in the North Richmond community. Residents currently have to travel outside the community simply to mail a letter or obtain other postal services . This project calls for the City and County to initiate discussions with U.S . Postal Service representatives to install mail boxes in agreed upon locations in the North Richmond community. Contact: Leveron Bryant, City Manager's Office, 620-6512 John Gregory, County Administrator's Office, 646-4089 Animal Control Services There is an ongoing problem of stray pets and/or abandoned animals in the North Richmond community. Residents continue to complain about this growing problem. This activity calls for stepped-up enforcement and retrieval of stray pets or abandoned animals for proper disposition by County Animal Control . The County will play the lead role in providing stepped-up enforcement in response to this problem. Contact: County Animal Control Unit, 374-3966 Project Promotion and Publicity In response to the need to widely publicize and promote the various short and long term projects included on the North Richmond COMET Projects list , a publicity list--which includes the North Richmond "Community Voice" Newsletter, and a list of churches, community organizations , commercial/retail establishments , and other points where people might gather--will be developed. The intent is to use the various entities to promote , publicize, announce special events , activities or dates , and to provide general information to the public regarding the various programs and projects . Contact: Rolinda Baker, County Admin. Office, 646-2924 Leveron Bryant, City Manager's Office, 620-6512 5 LONG-TERM The projects listed below are considered to be long-term in scope and will commence once the necessary components are in place . Long term is being defined as six months to one year. Hazardous Materials Pick-Up/Recycling Richmond Sanitary Services is currently completing work to implement a limited recycling program in Summer 1990. The intent is to provide residents the ability to properly dispose of household hazardous materials . The initial recycling program will include paints , motor oil , and batteries. The Richmond Sanitary Services program is slated to begin in the very near future. Contact: Leveron Bryant, City Manager's Office, 620-6512 Comparative Land-Use Study The City's Planning Department proposes to undertake a comparative study of existing land uses versus General Plan/Zoning designations within the project area, and initiate General Plan/Zoning changes as appropriate . The study will be coordinated with the County. The intent would be to assure consistency in the two planning documents . Contact: Nancy Hoffman, City Planning Dept. , 620-6706 AB2020 Recycling Project In addition to the recycling effort above , a proposal will be submitted to the East Bay Conservation Corps for an area recycling program in North Richmond. Emphasis will be placed on grooming youths for careers in recycling , promoting recycling (public education and training ) , and establishing recycling programs in areas of North Richmond. AB2020, the California Bottle Bill , provides grants to community conservation corps for projects that focus on litter abatement and beautification, collection of beverage containers , and promotion of municipal recycling programs . Contact: Nancy Heaton, Supr. Power's Office, 374-3231 Leveron Bryant, City Manager's Office, 620-6512 John Gregory, County Admin. Office, 646-4089 Recreational/Playing Fields & Facilities This project will include the development of the approximately eight ( 8 ) acre parcel west of the Verde School . This property is owned by the City of Richmond and will be used as a recreational 6 r. r. park site to provide much needed recreational playing fields and related facilities for the North Richmond community. Tentative plans call for two ballfields , one soccer field, two restrooms, paved parking, lighting, seating areas and picnic tables. The entire site would be landscaped, with access provided to the environmental classrooms , to be included as part of the Wildcat Creek Flood Control Project. The City and County will pursue outside funds to be pooled with other public monies to complete this project. It is estimated the total project will cost approximately will be $1 . 6 million. The County's Redevelopment Agency has also stated its desire to assist in funding of the site as an active park . Contact: Leveron Bryant, City Manager's Office, 620-6512 Housing/Commercial Rehabilitation Project Additional staff work will be required to define the scope of this project . However, the concept is to encourage commercial property owners , residential absentee landlords , and homeowners to undertake property rehabilitation by making use of the available City and County assistance programs . Emphasis will be placed on extensive rehabilitation through use of home improvement loan programs , rental rehabilitation program, deferred loans , paint and landscape rebate programs , exterior facade rehab for commercial properties, and County' s Neighborhood Preservation program, among others . Contact: Art Hatchett, City Housing & Comm. Dev. Dept. , 620-6826 Mickie Perez, County Housing Rehab. Coord. , 646-2337 Anti-Litter Education Project This project calls for implementation of a anti-litter education project in North Richmond. The goal is to promote a cleaner community through education. The intent is to work with youths , the school district, and community to control and/or reduce the problem of litter in North Richmond. A program of incentives will also be an important component of this litter abatement project. Contact: Leveron Bryant, City Manager's Office, 620-6512 John Gregory, County Administrator's Office, 646-4089 Developing Conditions For Land Use Proposed by the City's Planning Department, this project calls for investigating the pos"sibility of developing a set of, standard conditions of approval to be applied to CD (controlled development) and other land use applications in the area, which might include street tree planting and landscaping provisions or developer contributions that might require the participation in the development of low income housing or day care centers or job training programs to mitigate potential impacts. It is estimated 7 the study would take three months to complete and cost approximately $6 , 000. Contact: Natalia Lawrence, Planning Dept. , 620-6706 Recommendations To Address Shoreline Impacts Proposed by the City's Planning Department, this project is to develop a set of policy recommendations that address the impacts of the North Shoreline Area Specific Plan in relation to the project area. It is estimated the project will take 18 months to complete and cost an estimated $13 , 500 . Contact: Natalia Lawrence, 'City Planning Dept. 620-6706 Research Feasibility of Land Assembly Project This project proposes to research the feasibility of a land assembly project for residential construction for low and moderate income households . The intent is to target vacant lots and abandoned properties , assembly the parcels, and package the site for low and moderate residential construction. This in-fill project can serve to eliminate current blighted conditions resulting from vacant and abandoned properties in the North Richmond community. 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