RNCC Meeting Minutes, September 14, 2015
1. The meeting was called to order at 7:05 pm by President Don Woodrow. President Woodrow made the following comments: He has nominated Jerry Yoshida and Jan Mignone to the 2016 RNCC Executive Board Election Committee. He received a check for $1,000.00 from an anonymous source, we will use $700.00 for Pam Wimberly’s bench and $300.00 would go to the El Sobrante Public Library for a donation in George Schmidt’s Memory. The Global Berkeley Working Group hopes to have a summary of their work by the year’s end, things are moving very slowly with this group.
2. MSP approval of the Minutes from July 13, 2015
3. Representatives from the following (18) neighborhoods introduced themselves and some gave reports: Belding/Woods, Coronado, Greenbriar, Hilltop District, Hilltop Villages, Laurel Park, Marina Bay, May Valley, North & East, Panhandle Annex, Park Plaza, Pt. Richmond, Pullman, Richmond Annex, Richmond Heights, Richmond Village/Metro Square, Santa Fe, and Shields/Reid.
4. Announcements from RNCC PIO: Garland Ellis told us about the South Richmond Transportation having a meeting on 9/15 and the City’s Climate Action Plan having a meeting on 9/16/15. WCCUSD is having a public outreach meeting regarding the $200 million they have left to spend on renovating and/or rebuilding.
5. City Department Heads/City Official Reports:
Public Works: Warren Williams gave a project update on what was happening with the streets and other projects. We heard that the work being done at Carlson and Cutting was minor (no Roundabouts). The work at Nevin is being done on one side of the street, then the other but the numbered streets will not be able to go through until the work is done on both. Jacqueline Majors is the speaker for the company that is doing the big paving projects, like Hilltop Drive and Macdonald Ave.
Engineering Services: Staff – N/A
City Manager/Community Coordinator: Rochelle Monk told us to remember to let her or the City Manager staff know about it so they can contact the Beat Officer or if members of ncs call, they can be directed to the correct date, time and location. The Youth Leadership deadline was the 20th of September. Love Your Block is focusing on Shields/Reid and Parchester Villages neighborhoods but they have received 266 surveys from groups who would like to apply for mini grants from Love Your Block. The City is starting a mobile tool lending library and are looking for good quality new and used tools and a trailer to keep them in. October 24, 2015 is “Make a Difference Day” and they will be rebuilding JFK Park on Cutting Blvd across from Kennedy High School.
Mayor’s office: Alex Knox told about the Mayor’s Business Roundtable on October 8, 2015. On 9/29/15 there will be a study session on affordable housing. The rent control ordinance was repealed and there are 3 options for the City Council and the citizens of Richmond to do to either bring it back or for it to go away. Contact David Gray about streetlights and the City is looking into ways to control the weeds in the City.
Police Department: Chief Magnus spoke about the Safe City Summer Expo that was held on 8/22/15 having a good turnout. They are hiring a part time ranger to patrol the Greenway, Bay Trail, and neighborhood parks. There was a fire at Police headquarters and the sprinklers caused more damage than the fan that caused the issue. It will take about 2 months to replace and repair the damage done. Snoop Dog was in Richmond with his team playing the Richmond Steelers at Kennedy High. Crime is getting better, violent crime is up 5% and residential crime is down 30% from last year. Over the last month there were 20 burglary arrests. You can always see the Comstat report that shows this year vs last year.
Code Enforcement: Tim Higares told us that over the last 45 days Code Enforcement has removed 12 homeless encampments within the City. They have been working on stopping illegal transfer sites within the City. They are working with the Community Progress Leadership Institute, working on best practices and an illegal dumping grant.
Planning Department: Lina Velasco spoke about the South Richmond Connectivity Plan, the Climate Action Plan, the Form Based Code is being recommended for approval and there will be a study session with City Council. The City is looking to hire two new planners as they have lost a few over the last few years. The 65-unit affordable housing for seniors is a few months from completion.
Fire Department: Terry Harris talked about all the fires in California and that it reminded him of the Oakland Firestorm. There were some houses that they just looked at the roof and knew they had to move on because they could not protect it. Wood shingle roofs are the worst and if you have to replace your roof, installing a Class A roof is the best, but it is pricy. Make sure your house is as safe as you can make it.
WCCUSD: Marcus Walton talked to us about Grambling State marching band practicing at Kennedy high school and there were about 400 people out there to watch them. Back to School starts now with middle schools and high schools having it on Thursdays. On September 29, 2015 at 6:00 pm at Kennedy High School – you can tell the School Board how you would like to see the remaining money spent and on what schools. The test scores came out and people are still trying to understand the concepts of these tests and how they show what children are and are not learning.
6. Presentations:
1) Girls, Inc. of West Contra Costa County; Vicki Winston and Executive Director Tiffany Harris spoke about what they do for the young women of Richmond and other young ladies in the area, as well as young men. They are trying to inspire all girls to be Smart, Strong and Bold! 1 in 5 girls can go to summer camps and they can show you how to be involved.
7. Old Business: No old business
8. New Business: The 2016 RNCC Executive Board Election Committee was announced by President Don Woodrow and the Chair is Jerry Yoshida and the rest of the committee is Garland Ellis and Jan Mignone.
9. Adjournment: This meeting was adjourned at 8:56 PM
Respectfully submitted by,
Jan Mignone Recording Secretary