RNCC Meeting Minutes, March 9, 2015
1. The meeting was called to order at 7:02 pm by President Don Woodrow. The President’s report was to remind people that wished to speak at RNCC General Meeting must come to the RNCC Executive Meeting which is the 3rd Monday of the month and meet in the conference room on the 2nd floor.
2. MSP approval of the Minutes from February 9, 2015
3. Representatives from the following (17) neighborhoods introduced themselves and some gave reports: Belding Woods, Fairmede/Hilltop, Hilltop District, Hilltop Villages, Iron Triangle, Laurel Park, Marina Bay, May Valley, North & East, Panhandle Annex, Parchester Village, Pt. Richmond, Pullman, Richmond Annex, Richmond Heights, Richmore Village & Metro Square, and Santa Fe.
4. City Department Heads/City Official Reports:
Public Works and Engineering Services: Chad Smalley, Robert Chelemedos and Tawfic Halaby came to tell us about the changes in these departments. Yader Bermudez is still in charge of Public Works and has Equipment Services, Facilities Maintenance, Parks, Landscaping and Streets under him. The engineering department is handled by Chad Davisson, with Chad Smalley and Tawfic Halaby all taking different aspects of the engineering department. Chad Smalley is the Capital Project Manager for things like the Marina Bay Parkway underpass. Chad Davisson is the Waste water/Storm water Manager and Tawfic Halaby will be working under Yader Bermudez as the Right of Way Manager. They are looking at ways to stretch the Measure U money that the City is receiving. Many residents would like to see the funds go to street repaving/repair and the Engineers are looking to see if they can find matching grants to complete the money needed to get the paving back on track. Health and wellness is another part that the Measure U funds will go towards.
City Manager/Community Coordinator: Rochelle Monk brought Charice Duckworth and Jene Levine-Snipes from the Housing Development to tell us about the updating of the City’s 5 year plan that helps us get funds from HUD. Once they have gotten all of the feedback and surveys from residents, they will be presenting this to the City Council on May 5th.
Mayor’s office: Terrance Cheung spoke about the open house that the Mayor had and that his office is now displaying some Niad art that the Mayor picked out. There will also be the 3rd Annual Mayors Day of Service on April 7th, from 12:00 to 1:30. The mayor is also working on a Branding and Marketing campaign that is funded by local businesses. He has been using the City’s Seal as his logo since he became Mayor.
Police Department: Chief Magnus was unavailable but in his place was Deputy Chief A. Brown. AB talked to us about the rise in auto theft and the call to action to decrease this crime. If you need the club, contact Michelle Milam at crime prevention. Crime has gone down 14% from last year. We have had less than 1000 violent crimes and less than 1000 burglaries. The police have been having a series of training sessions on Fair policing that deals with unconscious bias and procedural justice as well. There was some changes in the captains and they have moved from their last assignments to new ones. They have also found that the badge and uniforms sometimes get in the way and make it harder to work with the community. They will continue coffee with a cop and ice cream with a cop. They are looking for other events that bring out residents to give them the chance to talk and learn about the police officers as people not just as the police.
Code Enforcement: Tim Higares was not available but Dené Evans told us about the new ticketing system they have. This is a more advanced system and you need to pay these tickets as they will show up on your license. There is a number to call (510-621-1279) for special event parking and residential parking. Some members of the RNCC were asking about people having chickens on their property and the City is working on an Urban Agriculture Ordinance.
Planning Department: Lina Velasco spoke about the Form Based Codes that will go before the Planning Commission on March 19th and then before the City Council in April or May. The South Shoreline Specific Plan (SSSP) still needs to have a completed traffic study. The Design and Review Board will be working on the Sustainability and Architectural aspects of the Form Based Code. There will also be an updated CEQA consultants list as well.
Fire Department: Terry Harris brought Justin Rocque and Anna Wieger from the Red Cross to tell us about a 5 year National Home Fire Preparedness Campaign that has come to Richmond. You have 1-2 minutes to get out of your house should you have a fire. You need to have a fire safety escape plan and practice it with your family so everyone knows what to do in case of a fire. They will be having an event in Shields/Reid N.C. where they will spend about 20 minutes with the low income and at risk residents going over their escape plan, also checking or installing new smoke alarms. They will begin this event in April and will continue through most of the low income and at risk communities.
5. Announcements from RNCC PIO: Garland Ellis told us about the Historic Preservation Awards and they are due by 5:00 pm on Friday March 27, 2015. He also talked about the Berkeley Rep plays upcoming and the AHS Theater Assembly. The Niad annual benefit will be on Saturday, March 28, 2015 from 4-6 at the Clif Bar & Company, 1451 66th Street in Emeryville. The cost is $30.00 and you will leave the benefit with one of the more than 100 works of art done but national, local and Niad artists. There will be music, light refreshments, a photo booth and a special screening of a new movie about the Art Center’s artists.
6. Presentations:
1) Emma Clark and Christine Volker from the Friends of the Richmond Public Library talked to us about what they do and how they raise money to put on these programs that they put on. You can become a Friend of the Richmond Public Library for the small amount of $20 for an individual or $35 for a family or $50 for a Patron. Last year they produced 26 programs that were attended by 1600 people. They raised over $13,000.00 during the year. They do a lot of great programs and it would be good to support them.
2) Janet Johnson from the City of Richmond to promote “Made in Richmond” did not attend.
3) Pastor Donell Jones from the Ceasefire Project did not attend.
7. Old Business: It was suggested that we move back to the multipurpose room but we have booked the City Council Chambers for 2015. We can discuss this closer to the end of the year. We need to get the email list updated as well as the website.
8. New Business: There was none.
9. Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned by President Don Woodrow at 8:46 pm.
Respectfully submitted by, Jan Mignone Recording Secretary
Next General Meeting will be April 13, 2015 Next Executive Board Meeting will be April 20, 2015
Refreshments will be provided by the North & East and Eastshore NCs.