Category: Maintenance Divisions

Diesel smoke testing for heavy fleet

In the photo, Garage technician James Arieta is performing the annual diesel smoke opacity test using our newly purchased wireless opacity meter. The smoke opacity meter is an instrument that measures the optical properties of the diesel exhaust. In California, the periodic smoke inspection program requires the owner of California-based heavy truck fleets to perform annual … Continued

Rainstorm soaks City of San Rafael

Recently, the Bay Area saw a historic storm pass through the area on Sunday, October 24th. San Rafael received over 8 inches of rain in a 24-hour period along with strong gusty winds and a storm surge that caused a predicted 5.6ft tide to swell to a 6.9ft observed height. San Rafael saw significant flooding … Continued

Fire Station 57 apparatus bay improvements

To help firefighters hear dispatchers better and with less distortion, Facilities team members Michael Rieser and Anthoney Heaven assisted with the installation of new acoustic panels at Fire Station 57. The installation of these panels will help reduce the echo noise in the apparatus bay area

Storage container removal from City Hall lower parking lot

The Facilities and Garage Division supervisors Omar Garcia and Gerardo Paredes assisted in the coordination of removing several large storage containers that were located in the lower parking lot of City Hall.  Originally, the containers were being utilized by the Police Department, but since their relocation to the Public Safety Center, they no longer have … Continued

City Hall conference room addition

Online meetings have become popular in recent times. It helps businesses to conduct video conferences, online meeting and even webinars. Recently, a request was made to have a television hung in the City Hall conference room located on the first floor. This conference room has not been updated since 2016 Facilities crew installed the tv … Continued

The importance of fleet vehicle maintenance

When it comes to ensuring the safety of drivers and integrity of City vehicles, preventative maintenance is the best way to reduce and even avoid vehicle breakdowns. In the photo below, Garage technician Angel Lopez is shown replacing the driver’s side drive axle shaft on one of our patrol vehicles (the axle shaft is a … Continued

Spinnaker Point Dr. median project

Earlier in the year, the maintenance crews were asked to remove the ivy in the medians in order to reduce nesting spots for rats and other rodents.  Last week, the Parks Department placed down weed blocker fabric and covered the area in wood chips.  In the photos, Parks Staff members Jose Tellez and Jorge Hernandez … Continued

Helping to keep park users safe – Installing park safety measures

In preparation for the upcoming Bunya tree pinecone growth, Facilities Department staff, Omar Garcia, Anthoney Heaven and Michael Rieser constructed temporary fencing around trees located at the Falkirk Cultural Center, Boyd Park and Gerstle Park. These fences will serve as a barrier to protect the public from the potential hazard of large falling pinecones.  

Pickleweed Child Care building cover addition

San Rafael’s Pickleweed childcare buildings have areas between the units that are used for much needed secured storage and space for small activities. Up until now, these areas have been covered with suspended small tarp and this has not provided much protection from the elements, such as harsh sun and rain. The staff in the Facilities Department have set out to … Continued

Pump station flap gate maintenance

The flap gates keep water from flowing back into the pump station during high tides. The salt water from the canal can cause corrosion and premature wear to pump station components so it is very important to keep it from flowing in.  The City’s 12 stormwater pump stations require frequent inspections to ensure they are … Continued

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