This document is the City of Turlock Activity Update for the week of September 5 – 11, 2009. The activity update is meant to keep the Turlock City Council and all areas of the government organization on the same page. The community may also view the complete document here at TurlockCityNews.com as it was sent out by the City of Turlock.
TO: Mayor and Council
FROM: Executive Team
DATE: September 15, 2009
RE: ACTIVITY UPDATE – WEEK OF September 5-11, 2009
ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES
Economic Development / Redevelopment
• City Manager, City Attorney, Economic Development/Redevelopment Manager and Senior Accountant held conference call with Stone and Youngberg, Underwriters to gain information regarding the current bond market and discuss bonding for the Public Safety Facility.
• Mayor, City Manager and Economic Development/Redevelopment Manager attended Chamber Economic Development Committee meeting.
• Economic Development/Redevelopment Manager attended CVB Board meeting at Chamber.
• City Manager and numerous staff members participated in an exit interview with Stellar Properties, the company that sited US Cold Storage here and built the facility.
DEVELOPMENT SERVICES
• On Thursday, the Deputy Director attended a technical advisory committee meeting on the High Speed Rail alternatives from Merced to San Jose and Sacramento to Fresno. Eight separate teams are working on various segments of the high speed rail corridor that will eventually provide access between Los Angeles and the Bay Area, and Los Angeles and Sacramento. While this meeting focused on segment between Merced to San Jose, the alternative selected for this segment will affect decisions about the northern leg to Sacramento. Another meeting will be scheduled at the end of this month to address the Sacramento to Merced segment. The future route selected by the High Speed Rail Authority has significant implications for the Turlock General Plan Update. Additional right of way may be required if the alignment runs any where through the City- affecting homes, businesses and local circulation. In addition, the additional noise that could be generated would have affects on adjacent residents and businesses. The selection of a location for a stop in Stanislaus County is also likely to be determined through this process.
MUNICIPAL SERVICES
Administration:
• Michael Cooke, Larry Gilley and their respective staff deserve accolades in amending and ultimately obtaining the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant. Congratulations!
Parks, Recreation and Public Facilities:
Park Services
• The Parks, Recreation and Community Commission along with Rick Harden and his staff held a Public Forum for a proposed Water Feature at Columbia Park on Sept. 9, 2009. Approximately 75 people from the community attended the meeting. There were lots of great questions and input from the community. Staff will take the information gathered at this meeting and present it to the Commission at its next scheduled meeting, Wednesday, Sept. 16th, 2009 and will discuss their proposal to take to Council. Staff is to be commended for their efforts in conducting this well organized and professional public forum.
Recreation Services
• On Friday, Sept. 4, 2009, the first ‘Movie Under the Stars’ event sponsored by Winton, Ireland, Strom, & Green Insurance Agency was held at the Turlock Regional Sports Complex, showing ‘Kung Fu Panda’. Approximately 700 people were in attendance. The next ‘Movie Under the Stars’ will be on Friday, Sept. 18th, showing ‘Hotel for Dogs’. This event is sponsored by City of Turlock Go Green.
• Pedretti Sports Complex hosted a 16 team adult softball tournament over the Labor Day weekend. This is an annual tournament sponsored by the North Modesto Church of God.
• Fall league softball began on Tuesday, Sept. 8th. Eighty-seven teams are registered for the fall league. This is 25 more teams than the number for 2008.
Regulatory Affairs Division:
Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant
• We have been awarded the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant for $643,000 in ARRA funds from the Department of Energy, for a project to replace 1,800 high pressure sodium street lamps with induction lamps. The project will be focused in the older parts of the community that are not located in an assessment district. The higher efficiency induction bulbs are estimated to save the City at least $72,000 per year in electricity costs. Further, induction lamps will reduce maintenance costs due to the longevity of the lamps compared to the traditional high pressure sodium lamps.
POLICE SERVICES
Service Demands:
Calls for Service 2259
Criminal Investigations 260
Arrests 143
Staffing Levels:
Sworn Personnel- 81
Deployed 81 (2 Officers: Field Training)
Vacancies 0
Non-Sworn Personnel 44
Deployed 44
Vacancies 0
Field Operations Division:
Significant Events and Trends
Traffic Unit
• An Avoid the 12 Checkpoint and DUI saturation patrol was conducted last weekend. A total of 578 drivers were contacted, with 12 being arrested for driving under the influence. An additional 27 drivers were arrested for other charges, primarily driving on a suspended license, and 32 vehicles were towed.
Uniformed Patrol
• An officer contacted five subjects dressed as gang members and witnessed one of them hand off an item to another. One 18 year old was arrested with a loaded .22 handgun. The 17 year old subject who handed him the handgun was also arrested. Both were charged with possession of a concealable firearm, possession of a loaded firearm, and possession of a firearm near a school.
• We received a couple of calls during the last few weeks of a fraud scam, where the victim is told they have been awarded Federal grant monies, in the $250,000 – $350,000 range, for one of several reasons: to help pay their mortgage or offset business losses, etc. The catch is the victim needs to insure the money by sending $500 – $1,000 by Western Union first. This appears to be originating from out of state.
