City Manager Weekly Update - May 19, 2017
Assistant City Manager
Girl Scout Award Demonstration Garden Special Presentation to City Council
Girl Scout Alyssa Robins will make a Special Presentation to City Council on Tuesday, May 23, 2017 on the newly installed drought tolerant demonstration garden planted at the Woodland Library. Sponsors and Volunteers who assisted with the demonstration garden project will also attend the Special Presentation to support Alyssa and to receive thanks from City Council. The sponsors who provided resources, budget and expertise are California Water Service, the City of Los Altos, Bay Maples Landscape and Design and volunteers from GreenTown Los Altos and local schools.
Community Development
Single-Story Overlay District Vote Counted
The ballots for the single-story overlay district in the Larkellen neighborhood, which concluded on May 12, 2017, have been counted. The City received 34 valid ballots from the 47 properties in the overlay district. Of the returned ballots, 84% of the properties elected to approve the single-story overlay. This election lays the groundwork for the hearings before the Planning and Transportation Commission and City Council that will codify the one-story requirements. These hearings will begin this summer.
Downtown Vision
Two pop-up workshops were held this week in the ongoing effort to solicit community input on the Downtown Vision. The first of the two workshops was held at the Los Altos Main Library and the second was held at the Grant Park Community Center. Each of the events had numerous participants who expressed good ideas for downtown. Meetings were also held with several parent teacher organizations at schools in the community. The attendees at these meetings appreciated being included in this process and were grateful to the City Council for reaching out them.
Police
Drug/Alcohol Education Program
Agent Ryan Langone, who serves as Los Altos Police School Recourse Officer, provided an impairment education program last week for students at Los Altos High School. Through a city law enforcement grant, Los Altos Police purchased Drunk Busters Impairment Goggles and pedal karts to aide in drug/alcohol prevention outreach and youth diversion programs. After leading students through a drug/alcohol education lesson, Agent Langone led students outside to an obstacle course they completed while wearing goggles that simulated various levels of drug and alcohol intoxication. The exercise demonstrated the difficulty and dangers of operating a vehicle while impaired. More photos are available on our Facebook page.
Public Works
Fremont Avenue Bridge Project Receives APWA Project of The Year Award
The City of Los Altos is pleased to announce it has received the 2017 American Public Works Association (APWA) Silicon Valley Chapter Award Project of the Year in the Structures - $2 to $5 million category for the Fremont Avenue Bridge project. City representatives accepted the award during an APWA monthly meeting on Wednesday, May 17, 2017. The APWA project of the year award promotes excellence in public works by recognizing the efforts of the managing agency, collaborating agencies and consultants and their successful completion of high-quality public works projects.
The existing Fremont Avenue Bridge, constructed in 1915, was classified as structurally deficient with substandard railing, cracking, spalling in the girders and deck. The existing bridge had one narrow sidewalk of the Southern half of the bridge and no bike lanes. The new bridge, completed in 2016, consists of two travel lanes, two five-foot bike lanes, and an ADA compliant sidewalk with observation area on the Southern side of the structure. A bioswale to treat stormwater runoff prior to entering Permanente Creek was also included in the project. During the design phase of the project, the City sought feedback from the community to determine aesthetics and landscaping features for the project. Through collaboration and teamwork with community stakeholders, features such as stone veneer, stamped concrete railing and color schemes were selected to match the rural feel of the adjacent community. This beautiful new bridge will serve the Los Altos community for generations to come.
Hillview Community Center Redevelopment – RFP
The Engineering division issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) this week soliciting proposals from qualified consulting firms to provide architectural design services for the Hillview Community Center Redevelopment. The Project, located in the City of Los Altos Civic Center complex at 97 Hillview Avenue, includes the design of a new community center with an overall project budget of $25 million. Proposals are due June 15, 2017.
City Land Surveyor Services – RFP
The Engineering division issued an RFP this week soliciting proposals from qualified individuals and consulting firms to perform and provide City Land Surveyor services. Services include review of tentative subdivision maps, preliminary parcel maps, lot line adjustments, certificate of compliance applications, and other related services. Proposals are due June 5, 2017
Street Resurfacing - Bid Opening
Transportation Engineering received bids this week for this summer’s street resurfacing project. The annual project includes asphalt concrete pavement repairs, asphalt overlay, and striping to repair various streets. Two bids were received and the City intends to award the project to the lowest responsible bidder at the June 13, 2017 City Council Meeting. It is anticipated that work will begin in July.
First Street Utility Undergrounding Project
PG&E and its subcontractors completed the final pavement and sidewalk restoration efforts on First Street between Main Street and San Antonio Road. Work will continue in a few locations next week as the truncated domes required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) were backordered to the supplier. Fortunately, the additional work will not require any lane closure or other traffic control restrictions.
Weekend Community Events
Kiwanis Pet Parade
The 70th Annual Pet Parade, hosted by the Kiwanis club of Los Altos, will take place downtown on Saturday, May 20, 2017 at 10:00 a.m. This event has been a community tradition since 1948, attracting thousands of people to watch a variety of animals parade down Main Street. The parade begins promptly at 10:00 a.m. at the intersection of Main Street and First Street in Downtown Los Altos. For more information, visit the Kiwanis Club website.
Fine Art in the Park
Hosted by the Los Altos Rotary Club, Fine Art in the Park is an open-air art show featuring works in a variety of forms - painting, sculpture, ceramics, jewelry - from over 170 artists. The event will take place both Saturday, May 20 and Sunday, May 21 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Lincoln Park located at 99 University Avenue. Head on over to enjoy the art show, entertainment, food and beverages. All proceeds support a wide range of community service agencies throughout the Bay Area, as well as some international development programs. For more information, visit the event website.
City Workshops and Events
Public Art Vision Workshop
Monday, May 22, 2017 - 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Hillview Community Center Room 2, 97 Hillview Avenue, Los Altos
Join the Los Altos Public Arts Commission for a conversation about what public art could be in Los Altos and hear from featured Public Artist, Morgan Bricca. Activities will include selecting locations for public art, types of art and specific strategies as they relate to specific areas of Los Altos. This event is free and open to the public.
smART Planning: A Conversation on Art, Place, and Innovation
Wednesday May 24, 2017 - 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Los Altos Youth Center, 1 North San Antonio Road, Los Altos
Join the Los Altos Public Arts Commission for an evening of thought-provoking discussion centered around the intersection of art, innovation and place. The panel will feature a combination of tech leaders, artists, and designers. Following the panel discussion, we will open the floor for audience Q&A. This panel is being held in conjunction with the creation of the Los Altos Public Art Master Plan. Panelist include: Paul Buchheit, Y Combinator, Danny Harris, Program Director, Knight Foundation, Chris Flink, Executive Director, Exploratorium, Kelly Snider, Principal at Kelly Snider Consulting, Development Advisor to Los Altos Community Investments and Matt Schultz, Public Artist, Burning Man. The panel will be moderated by Cathy Kimball from San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art. This event is free and open to the public.
City Council Open Office Hours
The Los Altos City Council will host Open Office Hours on the following dates and times:
Sunday, June 11, 2017
1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Shoup Park
400 University Avenue, Los Altos
Wednesday, June 21, 2017
4:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
Grant Park Community Center, Room 3
1575 Holt Avenue, Los Altos
Friday, July 7, 2017
2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Hillview Community Center, Room 2
97 Hillview Avenue, Los Altos
Thursday, July 20, 2017
4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Grant Park Community Center, Room 3
1575 Holt Avenue, Los Altos
One City Council member will be available to the public for these two-hour periods to answer questions, receive input and discuss topics of interest with community members. Everyone is welcome.
