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HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 14620 City of Palo Alto (ID # 14620) City Council Staff Report Meeting Date: 8/8/2022 Report Type: Information Reports City of Palo Alto Page 1 Title: City Council Recess Report From: City Manager Lead Department: City Manager DISCUSSION The following informational report provides a brief update on activities accomplished during the City Council’s July recess. The updates are organized by department. While the summary is not an exhaustive list of staff activities, it seeks to inform the City Council and the broader community about items completed since the last City Council meeting of the fiscal year or recent efforts underway. The report is transmitted with the August 8 City Council meeting packet. Administrative Services Department End of Fiscal Year and New Fiscal Year Activities Administrative Services Department (ASD) staff have been focusing on annual steps needed to transition from one fiscal year to a new fiscal year, it is the “New Year” for financial staff. This year, in partnership with the Information Technology Department, staff was able to increase automation of software processes needed on June 30 to transition to the new fiscal year on July 1. This increased automation helped this work effort finishing during normal business hours for the first time in years! Staff also completed other year-end activities including the annual inventory of both warehouses at the Municipal Services Center and Regional Water Quality Control Plant (RWQCP). This annual process requires the physical count of inventory and resulted in no material discrepancies. Staff implemented employment contract terms for payroll processing such as the sunset of provisions implemented for adaptation to the pandemic including changes to leave accrual balances on June 30, 2020. Additionally, staff is actively working on publishing the FY 2023 Adopted Operating and Capital Budget books, targeting an August release date. Staff published the FY 2023 Municipal Fees, available online. Other Administrative Activities City of Palo Alto Page 2 Other staff activities included a focus on employee recruitment and retention, with three active recruitments underway and two new employees beginning in critical roles. An additional Storekeeper in the warehouse (approved in the FY 2023 Adopted Budget) will ensure a safe working environment and the Finance Manager will supervise all accounting functions, including payroll and accounts payable activities. Throughout this summer, staff continued to support the activities of two Council Ad Hoc committees for the exploration of potential ballot measures as part of the November 2022 election as well as the review of documents in relationship to the ROTH building and partnership with the Palo Alto History Museum. The Purchasing division engaged internal stakeholders to review and improve the City’s procurement process as part of the Purchasing Redesign Project. Staff successfully timed the sale of securities to ensure no loss to the City in order to meet cash-flow needs including the pre-payment of the unfunded accrued liability annual actuarial determined payment. City Manager’s Office Three Assistant to the City Manager and Communications Coordinator positions were filled in July, all expected to start in August. The Assistant to the City Manager positions (approved by the City Council as part of the FY 2023 Adopted Budget) will focus on key areas such as housing, economic development and other priorities. Uplift Local Update Per Council direction, the Uplift Local closed streets program was extended to December 31, 2023, and adopted access and perimeter rules such as implementation of an emergency access lane, edge treatments no taller than 36” placed around retail and dining spaces, elimination of large tents, and re-established the eight-foot sidewalk width. In order to truly refresh the space, staff planned the physical changes to include a much-needed deep cleaning of the streets and sidewalks. By Friday, August 5, businesses are required to remove all large tents. During the week of August 8-11, Public Works staff and a City contractor will perform sweeping and power washing of the streets and sidewalks. Cleaning will be performed overnight so that businesses can continue to operate during daytime business hours. Businesses will remove all items from the street and sidewalk prior to the nightly cleaning. Once the roads are clean, a City crew will install intermittent striping in front of businesses that use the streets for business operations, which will create the “invisible” emergency access lane down the center of California Avenue and Ramona Street. Coordinated barrier wraps and pole banners will be installed in downtown and on California Avenue that will feature work from local artists. Additionally, staff began working with a consultant to further develop the closed streets, compile a scope of work for the closed streets alternative analysis study, and create a stakeholder engagement plan that will assist with both efforts. Federal Grant Earmarks Approved City of Palo Alto Page 3 On June 30, Senator Josh Becker shared that the City will receive $2M in funding to replace the 100-year old Newell Road Bridge at San Francisquito Creek. Staff continue to work on the design and are working on a grant application with California Consulting due in mid-September. In addition, thanks to Assemblymember Marc Berman, the City will receive $5.4M in funding for the Fire Station 4 replacement project. Community Services Department Summer Camps The Community Services Department (CSD) offered a full menu of summer camps including music, dance and theatre, art, science, sports/recreation, and popular Foothills camps. Special interest camps are also offered such as LEGO, technology, writing, and cooking camps. Most camps are offered in person, with a few academic camps in virtual format. Roughly 3,000 youth were served through the City’s camps. Vice Mayor Kou made a special appearance on July 1 at the Young Mayors Kidizens camp, where “kidizens” build small-scale cities with LEGOs and learn how their decisions impact others in their community. The campers built cities that included police stations, schools, grocery stores, fire stations, and more. Special Events CSD continued to host events in July, offering a safe and welcoming space for the community to come together, including family movie nights and the July 4th Festival at Mitchell Park featuring live music, a DJ, games and art activities for kids, inflatables, and food trucks. The 2022 Twilight Concert Series, overseen by staff from Palo Alto Children’s Theatre, kicked off on June 25 with a World Music Day Celebration. Presented in collaboration with the Palo Alto Recreation Foundation in Rinconada Park, a diverse roster of acoustic musicians play in the park throughout the day, culminating in an evening concert by the Bay Area Beatles cover band, The Sun Kings. In July, the Twilight Concert Series continued with two concerts featuring popular bands “In the Led” (Led Zepelin tribute band) and “Carnaval” (celebrating the music of Santana) on July 9 and 23. This year’s concert series continues through August at Mitchell Park with Grammy-Award winning musician Mads Tolling on August 6, Heartless on August 13, and The Boys of Summer on August 20. CSD also supports the Magical Music and Motion Summer Concert Series at the Magical Bridge Playground on Friday nights, May through September. The Palo Alto Children’s Theatre Summer Hot Dog Series production of Goldilocks and the Three Bears completed performances in July, before opening The Stinky Cheese Man on July 20, with performances running through August 7. In addition to a busy roster of summer camps and classes, the Children’s Theatre expanded its Magical Series, spectrum and sensory friendly programming, to include free Music Therapy classes at Mitchell Park Library and Saturday Summer Sing-Alongs held at the Magical Bridge Playground in Mitchell Park. In July, the Children’s Theatre concluded its fourth annual collaboration with the Stanford University Engineering Department’s Compression Forum, with this summer’s research project focused on the creation of a virtual interactive experience that explores human interaction with algorithms. City of Palo Alto Page 4 Public Art initiated a new round of ten ArtLift Microgrant projects in July that will provide more than twenty uplifting community engagements, workshops, performances, and installations through the end of September. Artist in Residence, Rayos Magos, completed the community engagement portion of his residency, which included 21 workshops as well as conducting interviews and gathering stories through his Five Box Project installed at Palo Alto City Libraries. Rayos Magos is working on design development for his temporary artwork in King Plaza, which will be installed this fall. Information and how to sign-up is available on the Public Art Program website. The Art Center opened its new exhibit RESTART in late June and hosted a free Friday Night at the Art Center for the community on July 1. RESTART showcases how art can promote healing, connection, and restoration and is the Art Center’s first juried exhibition in more than a decade. The exhibition features work from a wide range of media by Northern California artists, including six artists from Palo Alto. RESTART is on view through August 20. The Art Center also hosted the annual Palo Alto Clay and Glass Festival on July 9-10 and resumed its free virtual meditation sessions with stress management consultant Julie Forbes on Thursdays at noon through August 25. Sessions will rotate each week between mindful meditation, body scan, loving kindness, and guided visualization, with some gentle movement activities. Parks and Open Space Open Space Rangers provided support to Public Works and Fire Department staff to clear brush and vegetation along Arastradero Road and Page Mill Road to reduce fire risk in the Foothills. Rangers closely monitored Open Space Preserves on July 4 to monitor visitors and prevent illegal fireworks. Parks and Tennis Courts Maintenance Parks staff continued to maintain neighborhood parks, athletic fields, and courts with an emphasis on water conservation. While staff reduced irrigation, specifically targeting aesthetic grass areas, particular care is being taken to ensure that trees continue to be adequately irrigated. On July 20, 2022, a contractor completed the resurfacing of the Cubberley and Peers Park tennis courts, which were in dire need of repair. Office of Emergency Services The City’s Office of Emergency Services (OES) continued to support pandemic-related functions, both internal to City operations as well as regional coordination with the County of Santa Clara. The Emergency Operations Center (EOC) posture remained in “virtual” mode, with OES staff in the office, at the Mobile Emergency Operations Center (MEOC), and other sites. OES led the annual 4th of July Safety Watch that involved agencies such as CAL FIRE, the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, San Mateo County, Santa Clara County, and other state and local agencies. City of Palo Alto Page 5 OES continued to work with regional partners to improve wildfire safety. This includes the alertwidlfire.org program, with new equipment at the Montebello Reservoir and other locations. Internally, OES worked with the Foothills Fire Management Team to coordinate various City departments (Fire, Public Works, Utilities, Community Services, etc.) to continue mitigation work, such as roadside clearing of brush per the Foothills Fire Management Plan. OES also conducted numerous public outreach and education events such as the MSC Open House and training and exercises for the Emergency Services Volunteer (ESV) program. Fire Department Fire Station 8 Staffing Palo Alto Fire (PAFD) and Santa Clara County Fire (SCCFD) firefighters began staffing Fire Station 8 in the Palo Alto Nature Preserve. The summer of 2022 is the second fire season that PAFD and SCCFD staffed Fire Station 8 since the Tri-Party Fire Agreement for Foothills Fire Station staffing was signed in June 2021. Fire Station 8 is occupied every day between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. and is available to respond to emergencies that occur in Palo Alto, Los Altos Hills, and surrounding open spaces. This staffing rotation will continue until the end of fire season, typically in November. Santa Clara County Joint Fire Academy Graduation On July 8, the Palo Alto Fire Department graduated ten firefighters from the Santa Clara Joint Fire Academy (SCCJFA). The SCCJFA wrapped up after eighteen weeks of firefighter and Emergency Medical Services training with partnering agencies, Milpitas Fire Department, Santa Clara County Fire Department, and South Bay Regional Consortium. There were two women in the academy, both of whom are Palo Alto Fire Department hires. Both women were Palo Alto Fire Department cadets before they became PAFD recruits. Battalion Chief Promotion The Palo Alto Fire Department conducted a promotional process for the Battalion Chief position. Human Resources personnel and nine chief officers from five different counties representing nine fire agencies assisted in the assessment center. As a result, Marc Muzzi was promoted to Battalion Chief on July 16. Human Resources Department Human Resources staff continue to focus on employee recruitment and hiring new talent. In June and July, 90 new hires were onboarded. HR partnered with Community Services to hire 57 of these new hires to lead summer camps. Other successfully completed recruitments include placement for three Assistant to City Managers positions who will focus on Housing, Economic Development, and other priorities. Other positions filled include: City of Palo Alto Page 6 • Utilities Assistant Director, Engineering • Sustainability Program Administrators (2) • Assistant Power Engineer • Associate Power Engineer • Planner In addition, there were 13 promotions including a Battalion Chief recruitment resulting in the promotion of Captain Marc Muzzi, who has served Palo Alto for 22 years. Human Resources staff also completed the critical and extensive Police Chief recruitment process. In June, negotiated salary increases were processed and implemented for the Fire Chief’s Association, the International Association of Firefighters, and Service Employee International Union hourly employee group. Most recently, negotiations with SEIU launched and will continue the bargaining process with a goal to reach agreement of a new contract and bring to Council for approval by the end of 2022. Finally, a significant amount of staff’s time and resources continue to be required to track, monitor, and complete reporting requirements related to COVID-19, including assisting the administration of employee and community testing, which remains available daily Monday to Thursday each week. Library Department Events & Activities The 2022 Summer Reading Program launched on June 1 with nearly 1500 signups. This year’s theme of “All Together Now” provides participants a unique opportunity to read for a cause. For every participant who completes the program, the Library will donate $1 to the Palo Alto Community Fund (PACF), an organization which provides grants to non-profits that improve the quality of life for everyone in our community. With the start of Summer Reading Program, the Library also launched in-person events for all ages. A Little Ones Storytime in the Secret Garden at Children’s Library attracts a weekly crowd of 80+ babies and caregivers. The summer’s “What’s Up Wednesdays” series has provided performances and craft activities for all ages at Children’s, Mitchell Park, and Rinconda Libraries. The Seed Library has returned to Rinconada Library. It is currently stocked with native wildflower seeds from the #PlantWildFlowers grant courtesy of HHMI Tangled Bank Studios and PBS Nature. Reboot Services at Mitchell Park Library quietly launched in mid-July. The newly re-vamped Ventura Technology Learning Center on the 2nd floor, provides a variety of hands-on technology workshops, in-person help with eBooks and other digital resources, and the return of the popular Vintage Media Lab, which provides equipment to digitize old formats, such as photos City of Palo Alto Page 7 and video cassettes. The Library is currently offering Reboot Room tours and Vintage Media Lab appointments. Coming Soon The Library will be expanding hours at all locations later this year, including adding a fourth service day at Children’s, College Terrace, and Downtown Libraries; and a sixth day at Mitchell Park and Rinconda Libraries. The Library is still filling vacancies to meet these expansion plans. Planning and Development Services Department Boards and Commissions Continued to Meet Planning and Development Services continued to staff meetings and hearings of commissions and boards during July including the Historic Resources Board, Planning and Transportation Commission, and Architectural Review Board. Topics discussed included permanent parklet standards, courtesy review of the Project Homekey, consideration of accessory dwelling unit policy development, and more. Safe Parking Neighborhood Check In The Department held a virtual Safe Parking Neighborhood Check In for a proposed congregation-based safe parking permit at First Congregational Church at 1985 Louis Road. Over 80 participants attended the event. Staff, the applicant, and the safe parking program operator answered questions from attendees and shared information about the proposed permit. An appeal of the permit has been filed. Appeal of safe parking permits are adjudicated by the City Council, which will be scheduled soon. Policy Development Staff continue to develop policies related to notable topics such as hazardous materials, green building, and the 2022 triennial building code update. A potential moratorium on hazardous materials, previously contemplated for Council action in June, was deferred to allow staff additional time to develop a stronger understanding of current and potential new regulations. Staff are preparing outreach to local stakeholders in advance of City Council discussions on this topic. The triennial building code update also presents an opportunity to explore local energy reach codes. Staff have been preparing for two outreach meetings to occur in August. Every three years, the State adopts new building standards referred to as the California Building Standards Code. While the State sets the minimum building standards, local jurisdictions can enact more stringent local building standards based on unique local climatic, geologic, and topographic conditions. The City’s proposed 2022 green building regulations aim to increase water conservation and reduce water loss, lower embodied carbon in new construction projects, reduce fossil fuel use in buildings, and facilitate electric vehicle adoption by community members and visitors to Palo Alto. The two upcoming meetings will be held on August 16 and August 18 (both scheduled from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.) to provide background information City of Palo Alto Page 8 and create an opportunity for community input on these new proposals. Community input gained will help inform the City Council as they consider staff recommendations later this fall. A new webpage is available for the public to learn more about the proposed green building and local energy code updates here. Project Homekey Staff continue collaboration with LifeMoves to develop an 88-bed shelter facility on San Antonio Road. Efforts include meetings to review plans for the proposed site to provide feedback and problem solve. In addition, the Architectural Review Board met on July 21, 2022 and provided non-binding comments on the proposed design. Hiring The Department continues to work with Human Resources to recruit and fill vacant positions— including newly approved positions in the FY 2023 budget. An offer was made to a building inspector, two new planners were hired, and two planners in Current Planning were promoted. The summer also included the conclusion of Rachael Tanner’s tenure with the City of Palo Alto; she served as assistant director of PDS from 2019 through the end of July. Police Department Recruiting and Hiring The Department is focused on the recruitment and hiring of qualified candidates to fill current vacancies this fiscal year: (14) police officers (9 vacant/5 hire-ahead for pending vacancies), (5) Dispatchers (4 vacant/1 hire-ahead for pending vacancies), (2) Records Specialists, (1) Business Analyst, (1) Admin Associate. The Department has been working collaboratively with HR to advance the recruitment and hiring processes in this competitive hiring environment. Currently, there are (5) officers in the Field Training Program and (4) in the police academy. New Police Chief Selection The City Manager has announced the selection of Acting Chief Andrew Binder as the City’s Chief of Police, following the retirement of former-Chief Robert Jonsen in July. This appointment will be considered by the City Council on August 8 and if confirmed, Chief Binder would become the 11th police chief in the 128-year history of Palo Alto. Personnel in the Department are excited to welcome Chief Binder and are enthusiastic to continue their service to the residents, businesses, and visitors to Palo Alto under his leadership. New Efforts in Public Communications Staff worked over the summer to develop ways to re-engage with the community online, after the reduction in staffing due to the global pandemic and economic shifts limited the Department’s budget. The Department shuffled resources and worked with employees to solicit City of Palo Alto Page 9 online content from all workgroups, and recently began new efforts to share more information (especially pictures and videos) via social media highlighting police personnel, the work they do on a daily basis, and the bonds they have with our community. The Department will continue engaging with the community online by using social media to have two-way conversations with community members whenever possible, answer questions, provide information, and address concerns in a public way. These efforts are currently underway and are intended to be another way that staff are “getting back to normal.” Below is media inquiry response data for Palo Alto Police Department in June 2022. Media Inquiries Handled: 18 Staff continued to track these inquiries to ensure response to media requests. Watch Commanders continue to be responsive and accessible, and prioritizing media inquiries appropriately and the web form continues to increase effectiveness and efficiencies of staff supporting these inquiries. Staff responded to requests on the same workday 100% of the time in June (18 of 18 inquiries). In mid-June at the annual shift change, the two Watch Commanders who will be handling media inquiries for the foreseeable future are David Lee and Con Maloney. Number of news releases proactively distributed in June 2022: 5 Total media inquiries handled by PAPD in June 2022: 18 Shortest response time: 5 minutes Longest response time to one of those 18 inquiries: 6 hours and 2 minutes Other Stats: Response time on each of the 18 inquiries • More than 24 hours: 0 (0%) • Within 24 hours: 18 (100%) • Same work-day response: 18 (100%) • Between 90 minutes and 24 hours: 5 (28%) • Within 90 minutes: 13 (72%) • Within 30 minutes: 6 (33%) Method of response to all 18 inquiries • Via e-mail with reporter: 13 (72%) • Via phone conversation with reporter: 5 (28%) City of Palo Alto Page 10 • Daily Post: 5 Making Community Connections Due to the pandemic, the Department had largely been unable to continue the longstanding tradition of formal community interaction opportunities during the past two years. Over the summer, staff spent time planning how to bring back many of those opportunities moving forward. National Night Out on August 2 is the first example of this, and staff planned a free block party open to the public to bring the police and community together over food, games, and conversations. Police are also planning on visiting several resident-hosted block parties throughout town that night. Other planned community events, set to debut again this fall and winter, include the Department’s popular Basic Citizens Police Academy, “Breaking with the Law” gatherings (our unique spin on “Coffee with a Cop” events that other agencies often host), and other opportunities for outreach with our schools, community groups, resident associations, nonprofits, and businesses. Public Works Department Progress on Public Safety Building and Charleston/Arastradero Corridor Project Significant progress was made on the Public Safety Building (PSB) and Charleston/Arastradero Corridor projects this summer. The PSB reached a key milestone and “topped out” on June 24, pouring the roof of the third story. Since then, work started on the construction masonry unit (CMU) walls in the basement levels and ongoing mechanical, electrical, and plumbing work continues. Two thirds of the Phase 3 section of the Charleston/Arastradero Corridor project were paved and striped, concrete medians and irrigation lines were installed, and work on the El Camino Real/Arastradero intersection began. Other Capital Projects Several construction projects made significant progress and are nearing completion including Mitchell Park Library roof and gutter redesign/construction, Municipal Service Center reroofing, and street resurfacing construction projects. The Citywide building assessment started and the draft facility and electrification assessment report was completed and is now being reviewed by staff. Additionally, prior to Council’s summer break, the design contract for Fire Station #4 was approved and staff held the design kick-off meeting in July. Several important Regional Water Quality Control Plant (RWQCP) projects are going through the procurement process and have either already started or are beginning shortly. The projects include the RWQCP’s 12kV Electrical Loop Rehabilitation, Primary Sedimentation Tank Rehabilitation, and Secondary Treatment Upgrades projects. Foothills Roadside Vegetation Clearance/Fire Prevention City of Palo Alto Page 11 Roadside vegetation clearance and dead tree removals began on Arastradero Road, Los Trancos Road, and Page Mill Road. Work was completed on Arastradero Road and Los Trancos Road. Work on Page Mill Road is in progress. This year, the work is being performed with in-house crews from Public Works and Community Services Department Open Space staff provide fire watch and firefighting equipment during the work in coordination with the Fire Department. Fire mitigation work involves clearing dry grass 15 feet from the edge of the road or to a fence line and removing dead trees. Work on Page Mill Road includes 3.3 miles of road from Foothills Park up to Monte Bello parking reserves. Due to the rugged terrain and slope, much of the work has to be done manually by a crew of 8-10 employees. Hot weather and poison oak add to the challenge. In parallel with this work, the Foothills Fire Management Plan team is working on preparing a scope of work and bid documents to contract this work out. TESLA Supercharging Stations Installation at Bryant Street Parking Garage TESLA is nearly complete with the installation of 19 supercharging stations on the 3rd floor of the Bryant Street parking garage. Many City departments including the City Manager’s Office, Attorney’s Office, Office of Transportation, Utilities, and Public Works had a hand in bringing this project to fruition. The contractor is currently waiting for final wire material delivery, and the supercharging stations should be available for public use by August 1, 2022. Airport Updates A contract was executed for a self-pay parking app for vehicle and transient aircraft parking at the airport, which will make all payments for transient aircraft and vehicles at the airport paperless. By reducing the need for face-to-face contact, the app reduces the spread of COVID- 19 pathogens as well as maximizes staff time. The Palo Alto Airport will be the first general aviation airport in the country to implement an app-based payment system for transient aircraft in the Country. Airport staff implemented an aviation account management system for all tenants to view their account balances, communicate with Airport staff, and submit maintenance requests. Testing and staff training begins the first week of August. Office of Transportation (OOT) Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Following last year’s successful elementary school event, the Office of Transportation Safe Routes team coordinated an Adaptive Cycling event for Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) Exceptional Needs secondary school students at Palo Alto High School on June 28. In total, 13 middle school, 6 high school and 3 post-secondary students attended this year’s event. Bay Area Outreach and Recreation Program (BORP) staff fitted each student with adaptive road bikes customized for youth with various physical abilities at the Paly basketball courts. Adaptive cycling is one way the Safe Routes staff incorporates equity for all students into its programs. SRTS staff wrapped up a successful Mobile Information Kiosk E-bike program, providing active transportation outreach to the community at City parks, community events, and public schools. City of Palo Alto Page 12 This activity was supported via Measure B Bicycle and Pedestrian funds, and staff are preparing the final report for VTA. SRTS staff also prepared materials, updated Walk and Roll Maps, and streamlined processes in advance of the busy fall season, including creating Zero Waste Bike Rodeos, scheduling Back to School events at all secondary schools, and contracting with partners on fall educational programming. South Palo Alto Bikeways Grant Applications Staff applied for two grants for the South Palo Alto Bikeways project. Construction phase funding was requested from the Active Transportation Program and from the One Bay Area Grant Program. Grant notification will occur by February 2023. Churchill Avenue Enhanced Bikeways Project Design consultants are currently working to develop 95% improvement plans for the Churchill Avenue Enhanced Bikeways Project. Next steps include finalizing design plans and submitting the project to Caltrans for obtaining encroachment permit application for work in State of California Right-of-way at El Camino and Churchill Intersection. Churchill Avenue/Alma Street Railroad Crossing Safety Improvements Work continues towards developing final improvement plans and bidding documents for the Churchill Avenue/Alma Street Railroad Crossing Safety Improvements project. Staff received and incorporated California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) comments and changes were submitted for Final Approval from CPUC. Staff is working with Caltrain’s Joint Powers Board (JPB) to execute a Service Agreement & Construction and Maintenance Agreement to perform work in JPB Right-of-Way. Alma Street/Meadow Road Intersection Repair and Improvements Staff finalized, began, and completed construction of repairs and pedestrian refuge improvements for the north-east corner of the signalized intersection. San Antonio & Charleston Intersection Improvements Staff is working towards completion of the 95% design plans for the intersection improvements that includes traffic signal modification at the San Antonio and Charleston. Potholing was recently conducted at the intersection to determine traffic signal pole locations and to determine any potential conflicts for the installation of signal pole foundations. Quiet Zone Study at Palo Alto Avenue Staff is initiating a study in collaboration with the City of Menlo Park to review the Palo Alto Avenue railroad crossing for quiet zone implementation. Kimley Horn & Associates was selected City of Palo Alto Page 13 as consultant to provide support to both cities in performing this study in accordance with Federal Rail Administration guidelines and requirements. Rail Grade Separation Project (Churchill Avenue, Meadow Drive, and Charleston Road) Staff are reaching out to PAUSD, PABAC, Stanford and local designers for refinements to the partial underpass alternative and other alternatives. Parking Updates Staff have been working on improving the permit order process as parking programs transition to offering virtual permit purchasing and issuing options. College Terrace Residential Preferential Parking permit renewal sales will begin online August 1, 2022, with current permits expiring at the end of August. Crescent Park No Overnight Parking permit renewal sales begin September 1, 2022, with current permits expiring at the end of September. California Avenue Parking District permit sales begin in September with vendor Duncan Solutions for permits valid during the final quarter of 2022. Parking and City Managers Office staff continue to improve the parking web pages to increase customer service and ensure they are streamlined, user-friendly, and service oriented. Grant Administration Staff submitted the necessary paperwork to receive grant funds for several grants such as Measure B: Bike/Ped Grant where the City will receive $60,000; Section 130 Grant to support the Churchill Avenue/Alma Street Railroad Crossing Safety Improvements project where City will receive $74,164; Measure B: Local Streets & Roads Grant to support local streets and roads programs where the City will receive $64,667. Ongoing Work Transportation Planning staff have been conducting development reviews, fulfilling bicycle parking requests, and providing continued support for cross-departmental initiatives, including the PAUSD relocation of Palo Verde Elementary to Greendell School, review of the County’s Stanford Community Plan Update, S/CAP Implementation Planning, Permanent Parklet Program guidelines, and Uplift Local coordination. Staff is also working in close coordination Public Works related to on-going projects such as the Charleston/Arastradero Corridor Phase 3, which has completed new paving, islands, and roadway delineation on Charleston Road between Middlefield Road and San Antonio Road. Utilities Department Drought Update California’s drought continues and State and local water use restrictions are in place in addition to Palo Alto’s permanent water waste regulations. New restrictions prohibit irrigating ornamental landscapes with potable water (drinking water) more than two days per week and between 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Some exceptions apply for trees and perennial (non-turf) plants such as edible gardens or landscapes that are functional as well as aesthetic. At non-residential sites, City of Palo Alto Page 14 functional turf (e.g., playing fields and golf courses) is exempt from these limits and non- functional turf cannot be irrigated at all, except to protect trees and perennial plants, or to address an immediate health and safety need. Additional water use restrictions include use of a hose without a nozzle or shut-off device and washing hardscapes except for health and safety reasons. In Palo Alto, restaurants are required to provide water only upon request and hotels and motels must provide guests with the option to opt-out of daily laundry services. Staff are collaborating with regional partners, such as Valley Water, BAWSCA, and Canopy, on outreach campaigns to share resources that help consumers conserve water while protecting the health of valuable landscapes and our urban canopy. Details, including designated watering days, are provided at cityofpaloalto.org/water. Fiber-to-the-Premises (FTTP) Update On June 23, 2022, the City launched the internet services market research survey and Palo Alto Fiber deposit program. This survey is designed to learn more about internet preferences and service needs for the community. The responses will provide guidance to the City Council for decision making on services such as pricing and speed and to help determine next steps for the Palo Alto Fiber project. The new deposit program is one measure of many to gauge community support for the Palo Alto Fiber internet services effort. By submitting a $50 deposit for the Palo Alto Fiber effort, residents and businesses have the ability to demonstrate strong support to obtain locally controlled fiber internet services. As of July 28, the City received 3,281 completed survey responses and 694 deposits. The survey will be available tentatively through August to gather as many responses as possible. The City Council and Utilities Advisory Commission will host a joint study session on September 19, 2022 to review the survey results and FTTP financial models. Sustainability and Climate Action Plan Progress Staff continues to move forward efforts focused on the Sustainability and Climate Acton Plan (S/CAP) Update, including assessing and developing potential program options to spur heat pump water heater adoption. Program evaluation will consider issues related to grid impacts and permitting. Staff anticipate bringing program recommendations to Council in late September for consideration. Staff are also making progress on other key priorities including the Sea Level Rise Vulnerability Assessment, implementing the updated tree ordinance, and supporting outreach during the drought. Business Electrification Technical Assistance Program The City will soon launch a new Business Electrification Technical Assistance Program. This program will offer free consultation and on-site assessment to all businesses to identify beneficial building electrification opportunities. Through work with the contractor, CLEAResult, the City will support the business’ electrification journey with contractor and equipment selection, and assistance with building permits and utility rebate applications. Staff anticipate a program rollout in August. Page Mill Pastures City of Palo Alto Page 15 Earlier this year, City staff began investigating the equestrian facility Page Mill Pastures for possible use of water, unmetered and unpaid for, from a City fire hydrant. The City requires that water use from hydrants be metered and paid for just like any other utility service. The City does not have record of Palo Alto Pastures renting a hydrant meter from the City or paying for water usage from a hydrant. Staff have been attempting to work with the property manager to address and resolve the situation. Palo Alto Pastures rents the land from Stanford, so staff have engaged Stanford real estate to assist in the efforts to resolve the situation. Investigation is ongoing and staff will keep the City Council apprised of the outcome. Update on Engineering and Operations Projects Electric Engineering is continuing to underground utilities in the Foothills to reduce fire risk. The Grid Modernization and Electrification study is in progress and is on track for completion in fall 2022. Advanced planning is occurring for expected rotation outage blocks in late summer due to systemwide shortages caused by the lack of reliable energy sources when renewables become unavailable. The Corte Madera Water Reservoir was replaced in April 2022. Staff will complete Phase 3 of the Cross Bore Inspection Project by March 2023, which is a critical safety program administered to ensure that there is no potential cross connection of natural gas pipelines or other utility within sewer laterals. Outage Management System (OMS) The City’s current electric outage management system, National Information Solutions Cooperative, Inc (NISC), was purchased in 2011. The system, which has not been upgraded, no longer meets staff and customer needs for quick and efficient outage updates. The City received two responses to an RFP and upon evaluation, a contract with Milsoft Solutions, Inc. is being recommended to Council at the September 12, 2022 meeting. Once implemented, the new OMS will substantially improve Utilities’ ability to notify customers and mobilize resources in response to electric outages and emergencies. STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT Citywide Communications During recess, the City Manager’s Office Communications Office drafted and/or coordinated important updates to keep the community aware of—and encourage engagement in—City initiatives, such as: Blog Posts on Medium • June 23, 2022 – Water Conservation Tips and New Drought Updates • July 1, 2022 – New City Budget Focuses on Fiscal Sustainability, Community Recovery & Near-Term Restoration of Services City of Palo Alto Page 16 • July 6, 2022 – Palo Alto Race & Equity Priorities: Progress Update • July 14, 2022 – Palo Alto Fiber Blog Series: What’s New & What’s Next! News Articles Posted to the City Website • June 13, 2022 – Human Relations Commission Recruitment Now Open! • June 27, 2022 – Water Conservation & Drought Updates • June 29, 2022 – Internet/Broadband Services Market Research Survey and Deposit Program • July 1, 2022 – Fiscal Year 2023 City Budget Summary Blog • July 6, 2022 – Flags Flown at Half-Staff in Honor of Highland Park Tragedy Victims News Releases • June 28, 2022 – County Fire Agencies Warn Community of the Extreme Danger of Fireworks • July 26, 2022 – City Manager Selects Andrew Binder as Palo Alto Chief of Police ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW This report is not subject to environmental review.