RNCC Meeting Minutes, February 10, 2014
1. The meeting was called to order at 6:59 pm by President Don Woodrow. President Woodrow thanked Richmond Heights and Iron Triangle NCs for the evening’s refreshments.
2. MSP approval of the Minutes from January 13, 2014 (with corrections)
3. Representatives from the following (17) neighborhoods introduced themselves and some gave reports: Belding/Woods, Eastshore, Fairmede/Hilltop, Hilltop Villages, Iron Triangle, May Valley, North & East, Panhandle Annex, Parchester Village, Park Plaza, Pt. Richmond, Pullman, Richmond Annex, Richmond Heights, Richmore Village and Metro Sq., Santa Fe, and Shields/Reid.
4. Announcements from RNCC PIO: Garland Ellis told us about the CERT schedule starting February 19th, Richmond Library Foundation presents the 2014 Lecture and Debate Series, Richmond Trees is having a tree planting party for President’s Day, For Richmond has a list of their open meetings, The Red Oak Victory is continuing with their film series and Richmond Pal is having their annual luncheon on February 27, 2014 @ 11:30 at Richmond Pal.
5. City Department Heads/City Official Reports:
Public Works: Yader Bermudez handed out his paving schedule for the next 3 weeks and the public works update. He also talked a bit about the 90 million dollar bond measure that the City would like to pass in the November election to complete all of the paving necessary in the COR.
Engineering Services: Tawfic Halaby was not available and no one came in his place.
City Manager/Community Coordinator: Rochelle Monk handed out the draft neighborhood cleanup to those who get it done this year. Code Enforcement will be handling the cleanups this year and if you need to change the date, see if you can swap with another neighborhood. She reminded us to send information for events that need volunteers to the Richmond volunteer program.
Mayor’s office: Nicole Valentine spoke to us about Black History month and some of the celebrations that will happen this month. The Mayor directed staff to look into naming a street or community center after Nelson Mandela. The Mayor’s youth event is April 19th and also the reopening of Pt. Molate beach.
Police Department: Chief Magnus spoke about the neighborhood’s concern about the changing of beat officers and he explained why the officers need to move around the City. Crime stats – violent crime down 31%, property crime down 26%, residential burglary down 44%. The Fire department and the Police will be having a joint training for violent crime situations. The Family Justice Center has hired their Executive Director and is still moving forward. There is talk about having electronic copies of arrest logs but it is still being worked on.
Fire Department : Terry Harris talked about enforcement and education as a Fire Marshall. They will be doing a PSA on KCRT regarding fire danger (it’s very early this year) and there is a large problem with grow houses and the fires they cause. They are now inspecting multi-unit buildings that have three or more units as well as licensed care facilities. The false alarm policy has changed – the 1st false alarm is free, the 2nd one costs $250, the 3rd costs $500 and the 4th costs $1,000.
Code Enforcement: Tim Higares was not available and no one came in his place.
Environmental Manager: Lynne Scarpa talked about the rain and what it does to the pests in the environment. Copper is good for keeping snails away and soap and talc are good for ants. She handed out a bookmark for plants and landscapes for Summer-dry climates. She also talked about the “Bringing Back the Natives” garden tour to be on May 4, 2014.
Planning Department: TBD – N/A
6. Presentations: 1) Maria Ramirez, Director, Richmond Service Center, of Catholic Charities. Catholic Charities has purchased a building in downtown Richmond and will be opening a full service center June 14, 2014. They have many programs in place in Oakland and are looking to fill the spaces where programs are missing people. They do family therapy, circle of success and how to access the law for those that do not know. They will be partnering with other service centers here in Richmond so they do not overlap but do catch those that fall through the cracks. She came to us so she could get the word out and to be able to meet as many neighborhoods as possible.
7. Old Business: None
8. New Business: None
9. Adjournment: President Woodrow adjourned this meeting at 8:42 PM
Respectfully submitted by,
Stanly Anderson
Recording Secretary
Next General Members meeting will be held Monday, March 10, 2014, and the next Executive Board meeting will be Monday, March 17, 2014.