Highlights from this week's "The Week in Review"

Here are some highlights from this week's "The Week in Review" (TWIR). You can access the TWIR from the right side of this page or by clicking here.

Fire
Long-Term Mutual Aid Assignment: One of the City’s engine companies was dispatched to Southern California on Wednesday evening, May 6, to assist with the wildland fires in the Santa Barbara area. The crew is part of a Strike Team from San Joaquin County, which also includes engine companies from Stockton, Woodbridge, Tracy and Escalon. Our engine company is staffed by Captain Dave Breitenbucher, Engineer Tony Taberna, Firefighter Ryan Avant and Firefighter Nick Haas. In addition, Captain Kyle Shipherd, is helping to lead the assignment as Assistant Strike Team Leader. They arrived safely in the Santa Barbara area late Thursday night and have been assigned to structure protection.

Public Works
Discount on Flood Insurance: The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) is a program administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that nearly 20,000 communities across the United States participate in by adopting and enforcing floodplain management ordinances to reduce future flood damage. In exchange, FEMA makes Federally-backed flood insurance available to homeowners, renters, and business owners in these communities. To encourage additional floodplain management activities beyond the NFIP minimum, FEMA established the Community Rating System (CRS). CRS is an incentive program that rewards floodplain management activities that exceed the minimum NFIP requirements. Public Works has been working with FEMA staff over the last several months to demonstrate how the City’s existing floodplain management activities exceed the minimum NFIP requirements and thus qualify for a reward under the CRS program. Specifically, Public Works demonstrated to FEMA how existing street sweeping activities and storm system maintenance activities reduce the risk of flooding in the City. Given these proactive maintenance activities, this week FEMA has designated the City of Manteca as a Class 9 CRS Participant, which entitles all residents and businesses to a 5% discount on flood insurance. Class 9 is the highest rating achievable, given the geographic features of the City. Public Works will continue to work with FEMA in the future to maintain this benefit for the City’s residents and businesses.

Community Development
Crivello Estates: Staff met last week with more than 30 residents regarding the proposed Crivello Estates residential subdivision on Louise Avenue. Staff and the applicants addressed traffic issues, building height concerns, the extension of the existing park, and confirmed that the General Plan calls for residential housing on this site, not open space. Staff believes most of the neighbors issues have been satisfied, although there are traffic-calming issues in the two adjacent subdivisions that need further discussion, but are unrelated to the specific Crivello Estates proposal. Staff will be meeting with the Planning Commission on May 12 again to recommend approval of the project, with changes that were agreed to by the developer.