In order to ensure a safe passage for pedestrians and cyclists and maintain vegetation overgrowth, the Parks Division gave some needed attention to the Puerto Suello Bike Path. Here you see Parks Lead worker Matt Scales finishing up some landscape work along the path. Earlier this month, Parks Mechanic Jim O'Hagan cleaned up some graffiti...
In preparation for the upcoming winter season, the Parks and Streets crews have been busy cleaning out storms drains around the city. As a result, the DPW dump trucks have been getting a lot of use as well as accruing miles. Here you see Garage tech Jay Arieta performing the first Lube Oil Filter (LOF)...
DPW maintenance worker Matt Gaehwiler, along with a contracted labor crew, cleaned areas underneath the Highway 101 viaduct. This area has been littered with trash and debris the past couple months due to homeless residents that have vacated the area. SRPD received a consent letter from CalTrans to enter their property and clean up the...
North San Pedro Road between Merrydale Road and the SMART Railroad crossing recently received fresh striping. The centerline and lane lines were restriped, and a striped island was added to further separate the two directions of travel. The City is working with SMART to review this area for additional improvements.
As part of an ongoing collaboration between the City, SMART, and CPUC, the city reviews upcoming projects to see how they can enhance safety at railroad crossings adjacent to these city projects. This week as part of the Francisco Blvd West one-way conversion project, the city’s contractor installed warning striping on 2nd Street between the...
The City had two important kick-off meetings with the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) staff on November 5th and 12th. The first was a virtual introduction to the project team at USACE that will be working directly on the San Rafael Channel dredging environmental/design, and the second was an in-person site visit to the...
The Transportation Authority of Marin (TAM) has kicked-off a study of the feasibility and potential benefits of allowing buses to bypass heavy traffic on the US 101 by using the existing shoulder from Atherton Avenue/San Marin Drive in Novato to Mission Avenue in San Rafael. When buses can bypass congestion, transit (and sometimes even private...
Street Leaf Sweeping Will occur on November 21, 2020 starting at 7:30 AM. Public Works crews will be sweeping the following areas: Gerstle Park Additionally, Public Works will sweep up as many side streets as time permits.
Starting November 23rd through November 25th, City Hall and most non-essential City facilities, which include Public Works, will be closed in accordance with the non-public safety Furlough Schedule, which is a cost-saving measure in response to significant COVID-19 related revenue losses the City continues to experience. The 13-day closure schedule, as approved by our City...
Parks around the City have been experiencing an increase in vandalism. Recently, our Facilities Division discovered some vandalism to a fence at the Albert Park Tennis court. The damaged section had been impeding the pedestrian walkway. The damaged section of fencing that was causing the sidewalk to be blocked was cut and removed.
Facilities department (re)installed a previously used vice in the new Police Department armory using all of its existing hardware. This device will be used to service the police departments firearms as needed.
With all the recent wildfires and extreme poor air quality we all experienced around the city, the Facilities department installed a PurpleAir device at the Terra Linda pool area in order to monitor the air quality. A PurpleAir device has “sensors that measure airborne particulate matter. Particulate matter describes solid particles suspended in air; this...
The Facilities team installed a new commercial vacuum cleaning system in order to better assist staff at the Public Safety Center with the maintenance of City vehicles. The new system is located in the basement level of the new Public Safety Center.
The San Rafael Police Department has 20 marked patrol units that our two garage techs work diligently to keep in operating order. As you can imagine, these patrol cars, along with many other City vehicles and equipment, see a lot of hard use and require constant attention. As the fleets age, they begin to require...
The Parks and Streets Divisions have been busy cleaning catch basins in preparation for the rainy season. In the photos, you see Parks Maintenance Worker Valente Curiel cleaning out one of the catch basins that is full of leaves, debris and soil. The Parks and Streets Divisions have also been very busy cleaning up illegal...
Caltrans is planning to improve the intersection of the 101 Freeway northbound exit at Freitas Parkway and Civic Center Drive/Redwood Highway to relocate the Golden Gate Transit bus stop and make pedestrian access much safer and more efficient. Caltrans has proposed two alternatives, one a signalized intersection and the other, a round-about. The City plans...
The City’s contractor on Francisco Blvd East has made significant progress over the past several weeks by completing the installation of storm drainpipe between Vivian and Harbor Streets. The new sidewalk has been installed in multiple stretches, including Vivian to Medway and Hoag to Harbor. The contractor’s electrician has installed foundations and underground conduit for...
Work is scheduled to start on Friday, November 13 at 9 PM and continue until Saturday, November 14 around noon. The scheduled work is located on Merrydale Rd at Las Gallinas Ave and north of El Prado Ave. The work will be large transmission pole replacement, which will require power shutoffs. The timing is limited...
As of Monday, October 19th all City park bathrooms have been reopened. Bathrooms will be cleaned on a Monday and Friday schedule by Public Works and as needed. Since October 7th, all playgrounds have also been reopened with specific guidelines. A lot of effort has gone into implementing these State guidelines for parks with collaboration and assistance from the Library...
DPW staff have played a huge part in assisting the Police Rangers with clearing homeless encampments in the City. With the new full time and part time Police Rangers in place, DPW maintenance crews are assisting them on almost a weekly basis with encampment cleanups. Both the Parks and Streets Division assist in this and...
Construction for the San Rafael High School crosswalk begins Monday October 26! This crosswalk is being installed about 350 feet east of Third Street/Union Street. It will come with a pedestrian hybrid beacon that will be dark unless a pedestrian activates the button to cross. Pedestrians will cross in two phases and this beacon will...
The Streets and Parks Division recently went into their winter zoning schedule. There are 8 maintenance zones in the City which two maintenance staff members are assigned. Using a GIS based app, they go through all the storm water catch basins (and there are many!) and headwalls cleaning out debris such as leaves, trash and...
The Parks Division been very busy the last couple weeks. They have been working hard to finish up regular maintenance before most of crew joins with the Streets Dept crew for winter zoning. They have also been busy preparing for a big Arbor Day tree planting ceremony that occurred over the weekend. Volunteers planted 100...
PD is the Vehicle Maintenance divisions #1 customer. It is crucial that these vehicles are kept in top condition for safety. In the photo below, you will see Garage tech Angel Lopez replacing a broken ballistic panel in the door of one of the City's police cruisers. Due to the constant opening and closing of...
Construction for the San Rafael High School crosswalk begins Monday October 26th! This crosswalk is being installed about 350 feet east of Third Street/Union Street. It will come with a pedestrian hybrid beacon that will be dark unless a pedestrian activates the button to cross. Pedestrians will cross in two phases and this beacon will...
Public Works and our construction management team, Substrate Inc, will host a virtual public outreach meeting on November 4th at 6 PM for the City’s project to reconstruct the Southern Heights bridge, located at 116 Southern Heights Blvd. This is a neighborhood meeting for not only residents directly affected by the new bridge, but adjacent...
The Streets Division staff has had a very busy schedule heading into the rainy season. Catching up on pothole and road repairs, applying new STOP locations, updating crosswalks as well as other special requests. Here you see Streets Maintenance Supervisor John Shindelus with Streets crew members Kenny Gatlin and Jeremy Quintal installing benches on Robert...
The Parks Division has been busy setting up planters for the outdoor dining areas downtown and the business owners have been very pleased with all their hard work. The Parks Division has also been busy preparing for a tree planting ceremony where over 60 trees will be planted along McInnis Parkway and 30 to be...
The Garage Division has been staying busy with regular maintenance and unscheduled repairs. Here you see Garage Tech Jay Arieta doing some preventative maintenance on the shop service truck. This vehicle is crucial to the fleet as it responds to all the repairs required in the field. It is supplied with an on-board air compressor...
Facilities staff members Omar Garcia, Michael Rieser and Anthony Heaven have been working hard at the new Public Safety Center and the lower level of City Hall. Below, this is one of the many walls they are in the process of removing.
