Construction began on October 6th for the Bungalow Ave and Woodland Ave Resurfacing Project. Thank you to our neighbors for your patience as improvements are continually made. Currently Ghilotti Bros Inc. is working on curb ramps all along Woodland Ave and a sidewalk gap closure on Bungalow Ave. Over the next few weeks, weather permitting,...
Contact: Faby Guillen-Urfer / Sr. Project Manager – Public Works We are very excited to announce that on Monday, October 18, Council authorized us to move forward with construction of Fire Station 54 & 55. Council was extremely supportive of the project and enthusiastic to continue with the City’s essential facilities upgrades. The lowest responsive bidder and approved contractor is Wickman Development and Construction. Their base bid amount is approximately...
The B St Culvert Replacement Project was advertised on Sept 17th and bids were opened on Oct 7th. Maggiora & Ghilotti, Inc. was found to be the lowest responsible and responsive bidder. On Oct 18th, City Council awarded the construction contract to Maggiora & Ghilotti, Inc. Construction is estimated to start in November 2021. More...
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
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...
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...
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...
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...
To increase safety at traffic lights during power outages or Public Safety Power Shut Offs, Public Works sign crew members Arturo Tinoco & Tyler Nord, have recently started installing reflective tape around the signal heads. When the signals go dark, vehicle headlights will reflect from the tape making them aware of the upcoming intersection. They...
The long awaited resurfacing of Francisco Boulevard East from Grand Avenue to Vivian Street has commenced. The City’s contractor Ghilotti Construction Company started preparatory work for the Francisco Boulevard Resurfacing Project on Wednesday, October 13th and will be switching to nightwork on Monday, October 18th. The resurfacing of the roadway will take approximately two weeks...
The City of San Rafael continues to operate the Service Support Areas (SSA) for those experiencing homelessness and continues to see positive results. As part of the collaboration with Caltrans, the County of Marin, CHP, and multiple service organizations, this designated space located between Fifth and Mission in downtown San Rafael provides: Full time security Restrooms Handwashing stations Garbage pick-up Regular...
On Saturday, October 16, Overaa Construction will be closing Mission Ave between Cottage Ave and Bryn Mawr Dr from 8 am to 1 pm. This weekend closure is to avoid disrupting children on a school day. During this time, Overaa Construction will be delivering materials for the Marin Aquatic Center development. Neighboring businesses and and residents...
REMINDER: The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) will begin the second 55-hour weekend closure for the 101 NB Central San Rafael Off-Ramp Bridge Replacement project. The closure will start on Friday, October 22 at 10 pm and reopen on Monday, October 25 at 5 am. Please note: these dates and times are subject to change. If you would like to...
In San Rafael people and families are struggling to live close to where they work and pay a price allowing them to cover essentials and put money away for the future. Some who have lived in the community a long time can no longer afford to and have had to leave, while others who would...
Shirley Fischer has dedicated her life to civic participation for the greater good of the community, and since she moved to Terra Linda 40 years ago she has been consistently active in bringing together community members and organizations to foster communication between residents and the City, to develop a common vision of community needs and...
Anyone travelling from the south on 101 with a destination in the East Bay or East San Rafael knows how frustrating it can be to wait in the queue to at the 101-580 off ramp with Bellam Boulevard. Right now, many drivers use Sir Francis Drake to get to the Richmond Bridge. The 101-580 off...
We’re approaching the tail end of the Southern Height Bridge Replacement construction project that started in December 2020. The primary bridge structure has been completed but several items of work remain including timber fencing, paving, bridge lighting, new road signage, and other items. As part of the project, several eucalyptus trees were cut to a...
The City of San Rafael, Department of Public Works is actively reviewing an application for a grading permit to surcharge or “preload” the 1075 Francisco Boulevard East property in preparation for construction of the proposed Hilton Hotel. The surcharging is required due to challenging soil conditions that exist below the property, specifically the presence of...
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.
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...
The Fire Department assisted Public Works and Sanitation District maintenance staff with CPR and "Stop the Bleed" training in the past few weeks. In the photos, you see Facilities Maintenance workers Michael Rieser and Anthoney Heaven practicing CPR chest compressions and learning how to apply a tourniquet. We would like to thank the Fire Departments...
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...
Public Works is usually known for its big, noisy, and (maybe) controversial construction projects but sometimes we need to take a step back and study our options before proceeding. For example, there is a half-mile gap in the North-South Greenway between the Puerto Suello Path at the top of Lincoln Avenue and where the trail...
San Rafael is undergoing a study with the help of Fehr and Peers to complete an assessment of the Canal neighborhood utilizing data and community feedback to better understand the transportation challenges and pinch points in East San Rafael. This study will take about a year to complete. We can use information from this study...
One of the big transportation issues in the Canal neighborhood is the on-street parking supply that can’t keep up with the parking demand. With the help of W-trans, and in collaboration with Parking Services, the area has been studied and assessed for potential improvements. After changing the parking time limits and getting the ability to...
Vision Zero was an initiative started in Sweden some years ago to get to zero roadway related fatalities and severe injuries. It takes engineering, education, enforcement, and strong policy all together to reach the goal of Vision Zero. This topic was discussed at the October 6 BPAC meeting and we will think about implementing more...
Anyone travelling from the south on 101 with a destination in the East Bay or East San Rafael knows how frustrating it can be to wait in the queue to at the 101-580 off ramp with Bellam Boulevard. Right now, many drivers use Sir Francis Drake to get to the Richmond Bridge. The 101-580 off...
REMINDER: The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) will begin the second 55-hour weekend closure for the 101 NB Central San Rafael Off-Ramp Bridge Replacement project. The closure will start on Friday, October 22 at 10 pm and reopen on Monday, October 25 at 5 am.* During this closure, Caltrans will be constructing the approach slabs for the...
On Thursday, September 30 at 2 pm, the City of San Rafael read aloud bids for the Fire Stations 54 and 55 Replacement project. A total of six bids were received from firms. Please see document below for the lowest three bids received: Bid Results for Replacement of Fire Stations 54 & 55 Project (re-bid)
Snapshot in Espanol Spotlight Photo Staff members from Fire and Public Works have completed walking all the streets in the Lincoln Hill neighborhood to identify designated parking boxes to help make San Rafael more fire safe. Pictured are Vegetation Management Specialists Mary Skramstad and Jesiah Goree, along with DPW Traffic Engineer Lauren Davini and DPW Intern Justin Lin. PHOTO CREDIT: Quinn Gardner, Emergency Operations...
