City News
Working with Businesses
Printer-friendly versionAs much as we need water for basic means of living, businesses depend on this precious resource for their sustenance and overall health as well. Take Bakers of Paris, for example, located at 99 Park Ln in Brisbane. Their baked goods and artisan French bread is sold to many a restaurant, cafe, and market all over the Bay Area, and they rely heavily on a clean and reliable water source to be able to continue producing such high-quality and sought-after baked goods. Last month, when the City's Public Works Department needed to install a valve outside their property to decrease the impact an unavoidable water main break could have on that business and the ones surrounding it, they first inquired with the company to see whether a suggested date and time range would work. Turns out, Bakers of Paris would be flying out a team from Germany to teach a steaming technique to their employees for their French bread on that date, and needed the water to be on at that time. Very well. Another date and time were suggested, and the valve installed shortly thereafter. It's instances like this that go to show how the City is willing and able to partner with the businesses that have chosen to call Brisbane "home".
And this was not a partnering event unique to itself. Last night, the Public Works Department again scheduled the installation of a water valve, this time at the intersection of Old County and Park Lane. Of course, to install a valve, the water needs to be turned off. In order to not affect the operations of the businesses in the area, a 5:00pm - 9:00pm work time for completing the task was scheduled, and all the businesses hand-delivered a notice indicating the work that would be taking place. There were no objections to the work taking place, and so the work was swiftly completed last night by our Public Works Department. See the photos below for a recap of the work that was done last night between 5:00pm - 9:00pm.
The construction area at Old County and Park Ln was coned off and even had traffic control to ensure cars maintained a safe distance from the work site.
A lateral view of the valve before it was hooked up to the water pipes and wrapped in plastic for protection.
The finished product, located 3 ft. below grade.
In a couple weeks, a similar valve installation will take place, and you can be sure that the proper care will be used so as to cause the least amount of disruption in water service to the City's water customers. It's just the right thing to do.
Water/Sewer Public Hearing
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This past Monday, July 18, Financial Services Manager Betsy Cooper gave a presentation to the City Council of the history behind the recommended rate increase of 24.9% for water and 4% for sewer, an overview of our water and sewer infrastructure, the cost components, and the other options the Water and Sewer Subcommittee have explored so as to not have to recommend to the rest of the Council such high increases. The recommended fee increases are largely borne out of the upgrades that have begun to take place at the Hetch Hetchy Regional Water System and are scheduled to continue for the next few years, as well as the years prior where no fee increases were adopted and thus, maintenance and depreciation costs deferred. Click here or on the image above to view the Powerpoint presentation that goes into much depth about this precious natural resource. The public hearing will be continuing at the August 1st City Council meeting, 7:30pm at City Hall.
Dogs in City Parks
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At Wednesday's Parks and Recreation Commission meeting, the Commission voted to keep the current policy, regarding dogs needing to be leashed and all waste disposed of properly (see section C.), as-is. The Commission though did ask staff to begin posting the Parks and Recreation Commission meeting agendas in the Community Park display case so that residents could be made well-aware of the items they would be discussing at their monthly meetings (taking place every 3rd Wednesday of each month at 6:00pm). So, if you're wondering what will be up for discussion among the Parks and Recreation Commission, look at the agenda which will be posted in the display case near the picnic tables.
Please do your part and keep the parks in town clean and free of pet waste...and make sure your dog remains on-leash while in the Community Park or walking anywhere in town, for that matter (besides the Dog Park). Violators will be fined $100. If you happen to see someone breaking the rules, call the Police Department right away at 467-1212. They can use your help in keeping Brisbane the clean and inviting place we all love and know it to be.
Dogs in City Parks
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You may recall seeing this previously-blogged post about Dogs in the Community Park. Due to no one showing up at the last Parks and Recreation Commission meeting who wanted to speak on this item, the Commission decided to defer making any recommendations to the City Council about this issue until the public could become more informed that the issue was being discussed so that they could make them known at their subsequent meeting. That meeting is taking place this coming Wednesday, July 20, 2011 at 6:00pm at City Hall. If you have any comments you would like to make, please let the Commissioners know by coming to the meeting. They are eagerly waiting to hear from you!
Public Works Project Update
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Despite the dreary weather we had this past week, the Lipman Slide Repair Project is progressing very well. The retaining wall is mostly complete, with the steel beams plunged deep into the ground and pressure-treated wood stacked in-between each of the beams. Permanent anchor ties (basically huge nails) have also been driven 45 ft. into the hillside and secured to its corresponding steel beam at a 45-degree angle. Each anchor tie is being tested to ensure that it can withstand thousands of pounds of force being exerted on it. The total length of the retaining wall spans approximately 255 ft...and judging from its skilled design and construction, it's not going anywhere. Click here to see the first update and here for the second one.
Like the Lipman Slide Repair Project, the BES Restroom project is scheduled to be finished in about a month. The site work was completed by Brisbane contractor Michael Glynn, and the actual facility is currently being constructed in Washington. It will be making its way down here and literally dropped in place and hooked up. The Lipman Slide Repair project is actually a Brisbane School District project; the City helped secure the FEMA grant for the District that is paying for the project and lending their project management support with Public Works Inspector Greg Morris largely overseeing the contractors' work. The BES Restroom project is being paid for entirely through State City Park Funds, and therefore not costing the City a dime.
Lastly, the Bayshore Bikeway Phase II project that was supposed to get underway this past Monday needed to be postponed a week due to the wet weather. The work will commence this coming Monday, July 18, with one lane of Bayshore between Valley Dr. and Geneva closed from 9:00am - 4:00pm. Please exercise caution when traveling, and be sure to slow down when driving through the construction area. Click here to read the last update related to this project.