CC Min 1998-02-09 - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

but it persists to this day. Ms. Miller asked the Council to refocus on this issue and protect this Neighborhood from annual and devastating flooding, and all the citizens ITom contaminated water. Vice Mayor Ruskin agreed with Ms. Miller. He said flooding in that area is a regional problem, and he wanted Redwood City to provide the regional leadership to tackle this Issue. Council Member Claire, who grew up in the Friendly Acres Neighborhood, provided history of that area and flooding, the 5th Avenue Sag and Bayfront Canal area impacts, and agreed with Vice Mayor Ruskin that it was a regional issue that needed regional action. Council Member Claire recommended that he and Vice Mayor Ruskin form a committee and work with the Mayors of Atherton and Woodside to address this issue. MEMO 2/10/98 Council Member Leipzig asked for a staff report on this issue that would incorporate previous reports, and said the flooding in that Neighborhood was unacceptable. MEMO 2/10/98 Council Member Ira reported that the Council Committee on Utilities was currently in the process of looking into that subject with City Civil Engineer Chu Chang. He said once the report, with recommendations, was complete it would be brought back to the Council. Vice Mayor Ruskin, also a member of the Utilities Committee, agreed that the City needed faster action on this problem. (210) C. Public Works Services Director Ingram presented an update on the effects of the El Nino storms in Redwood City. He advised that the Governor and the President had declared San Mateo County a disaster area which paved the way for federal help and reimbursements from FEMA. He described the Public Works Services staff around the clock efforts to keep ahead of the devastating effects of so much rain and high tides. Director Ingram said the EOC was now in a recovery mode. He described the damage to four areas of creek wall, the cost estimates, the public information updates from Human Resources, and the social services provided by the Fair Oaks Community Center. (802) Director Ingram said that normally 6,000 sandbags are distributed per year. He said before last Monday, 16,000 sandbags had been distributed so far this year, and between last Tuesday and Friday, 22,000 sandbags had been distributed. He said there were another 20,000 sandbags ready for distribution right now. Director Ingram summed up by saying there were no system failures, that all the pumps operated smoothly and ran, and ran, and ran. He thanked his staff for their outstanding work. REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING MINUTE BOOK NO. 56 FEBRUARY 9,1998 MINUTES Page No. 244 PAGE 2