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

Here are some of the highlights from this week's "The Week in Review". You can access the full version by clicking on the link on the right side of this page.

Public Works
Union Road Construction: This week, Knife River Construction is completing paving of South Union Road. Permanent striping will be installed next week. Once striping is in place, the City and contractor will coordinate with Caltrans to start the traffic signals.

Federal Stimulus Funding: At the City Council meeting on July 7, Council approved advertising for bids for the 2009 Overlay Project. This project is funded with $1.3 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) that was passed by Congress last February. Overall, San Joaquin County received $26.4 million for roadway improvements, and Manteca was one of the first agencies in the area to get its funding approved. The current schedule is to award the contract in August and complete the work in September.

Parks and Recreation
Independence Day Celebration and Fireworks: The City of Manteca and Big League Dreams hosted the community- and family-oriented special event on July 3. The event provided a fun, safe and festive environment for Manteca residents and the general public to enjoy an “Old-Fashioned Independence Day Celebration.” The event featured children’s activities, family fun and entertainment and culminated with the annual fireworks show. The event went very well, with an estimated 7,500 people in attendance.

Aquatic Programs:
· Manteca Dolphins Recreation Swim Team – City staff and volunteers from the Manteca Dolphins continue this long-standing collaborative effort in providing a positive experience for over 200 youth in this outstanding program. The team’s season will end at the end of July.

· Swim Lessons – To date we have 1,161 participants enrolled in our swim lessons programs. The staff at Lincoln Pool continues to do an outstanding job in the planning and implementation of these lessons. We have served 892 residents and 121 non-residents in this program. Swim lessons will continue through August.

· Northgate Softball Tournaments – On June 27 and 28, Northgate and Morenzone fields were used for a softball tournament. The tournament consisted of 15 teams. On July 3 and 4, Northgate fields were rented for a USSSA fast-pitch state tournament, which brought in almost 20 teams.

Police
Shooting: On July 8 at 7:12 p.m., Patrol officers were dispatched to 249 W. Yosemite Ave. for a report of shots fired, and a gunshot victim. The victim was located lying on the west sidewalk at the 100 Block of Sycamore Avenue. The victim had single gunshot wounds to both of his legs. He was uncooperative and refused to give any information regarding the shooting. He was transported to Doctor’s Hospital for treatment of his wounds, which were not life threatening. Witnesses at the scene said the shooting occurred in the area of the north alley of West Yosemite Avenue and the 100 block of Sycamore Avenue. A blood trail was found and was consistent with the shooting occurring in this area.

J.R. Simplot Noise Complaint: At the July 7 City Council Meeting, Mr. David Garcia voiced a concern over a persistent noise he believed was emanating from J.R. Simplot in the City of Lathrop. On July 8, Administrative Services Director Joe Kriskovich and I met with Timothy Van Domelen, Risk Manager of J.R. Simplot. Mr. Van Domelen said they have received a complaint from Mr. Garcia and another subject. Plant officials have identified the sound described by Mr. Garcia as coming from an air circulating fan in the pellet plant of their facility. They have checked the decibel level of the sound at their property line and have found it to be below the levels required by Lathrop and Manteca noise ordinances. They have also checked the sound levels at Mr. Garcia’s property line, and found the levels to be below the ability of the monitoring equipment to register it. J.R. Simplot acknowledged its equipment is creating some noise, and is working with an engineer to further reduce or eliminate the remaining sound. After leaving J.R. Simplot, Mr. Kriskovich and I monitored the ability to hear the sound at several locations throughout Manteca. We could find no locations where the noise levels rose above faint ambient sound and well below standards established by City ordinances.

City Manager
Follow-up from July 7 Council meeting:
Drinking fountain at Sierra Creek – A question was raised by a resident regarding a proposed drinking fountain within the Sierra Creek Landscape Maintenance District (LMD). Staff researched this and found that, in fact, a drinking fountain has not been installed, though water has been stubbed to a site for a potential future drinking fountain. Specific improvement plans for the landscaped area do not show a drinking fountain, even though the Engineer’s Report for the LMD shows it as a potential future project. Staff also confirmed that residents within the Sierra Creek LMD are not being assessed for maintenance of a fountain – only for already constructed improvements.

City Voice Mail – Councilmember Moorhead expressed concern about the City’s voice mail referring callers to the Chamber of Commerce on July 3 when City offices were closed, even though the Chamber was not coordinating the Independence Day events. It appears this was, in fact, the case, as callers to the Parks and Recreation Department were referred to the Chamber. Parks and Recreation staff had seen links on the Chamber’s website to Independence Day events and, thus, included the Chamber’s phone number, knowing City offices would be closed July 3. The Chamber was notified of staff’s error in referring these calls, and assured any future voice mail referrals will be directed to the appropriate parties.