Landscaping & Lighting
For your viewing pleasure: as promised previously, here are some photos of the new plantings on the Esplanade near Saluté Ristorante and Amini’s General Store. The recent hot weather has caused a little wilting but our new plantings are a beautiful addition to our neighborhood. Work is currently underway on a new irrigation system but at this point we do not have a timeline with specific benchmarks to share yet (it will be part of the new system going in for the landscape architecture that will be part of the new grade separation). Stay tuned to this website for regular updates.
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Good news from the City Council Meeting, July 20, 2010…following is the agenda item addressed at City Council during Open Hearing, followed by the results of the meeting.
“I-2. CONSIDER approving the proposed annual assessments for the Marina Bay Landscaping and Lighting Maintenance District for the 2010-2011 Fiscal Year and consider adopting a resolution approving the levy and collection of the proposed annual assessments – Public Works Department (Yader A. Bermudez 231-3009).”
The Advisory Committee (“AC”) is happy to announce that this coming fiscal year there will be NO increase in the budget for the Landscaping & Lighting Maintenance District (“LLMD”)! Therefore, you will not have to pay a higher assessment than you did last year (2009-10 was the first year for our assessment district). When you receive your 2010-11 Property Tax statement, you will see that your LLMD assessment is the same dollar amount as last year’s – i.e., NO increase.
The AC was hard at work for the last several months with Parks and Recreation Superintendent, Tony Norris, on the “2010-11 Engineer’s Report for Marina Bay’s Landscaping & Lighting Maintenance District” (the Engineer’s Report defines the scope, governance, and most importantly, it details the fiscal year budget for this special assessment district; it explains terms such as “General Benefit” and “Special Benefit”, “enhanced” versus “basic” upkeep, includes charts, tables, maps of the various areas being addressed, etc.). Last year, Marina Bay property owners voted two to one in favor of establishing the district and the funding for it by assessments. Based on the community vote, the City Council approved the 2009-2010 Engineer’s Report and formed the MB LLMD. This year, following property owner notification and the Public Hearing, the City Council approved the Engineer’s Report for 2010-2011. NOTE: as soon as the “Final” version is available in pdf format, it will be uploaded to this site for you to study so that you can be fully informed about the budget, the scope of work, etc.
If you own a detached single family home, you pay slightly more than owners of town homes and condominiums. The Marina Yacht Harbor pays a different amount for its hundreds of boat slips, and owners of businesses in the district pay unique amounts as well. Additionally, there is a healthy and growing Reserve Fund that was established in the original Engineer’s Report (last year’s Reserve: $43,000+; this year’s addition to the Reserve: nearly $60,000).
More good news: the actual City contribution (first determined in last year’s Engineer’s Report) will not change in the coming fiscal year (the City contributes slightly over $303M for the fiscal year). It is worth noting that the Hilltop Landscape Maint. Distr. was also on the City Council Public Hearing agenda for an INCREASE in its assessments (“I-1. CONSIDER approving the proposed increase in annual assessments for the Hilltop Landscape Maintenance District for the 2010-2011 Fiscal Year, and consider adopting a resolution approving the levy and collection of the proposed annual assessments – Public Works Department (Yader A. Bermudez 231-3009)”. Unfortunately, Hilltop homeowners will have an increase in their assessments. So when you see your Marina Bay neighbors who fought the good fight last year and those who are carrying on the work this year, make sure you thank them for cutting a good deal for you for two years running!
Without these assessment dollars at work here in the Marina Bay Neighborhood, the City would simply not have the money in this difficult economic environment to do more than very basic upkeep in our beautiful parks, medians, etc. For those who are new to the area and may not know about any of this, or who might have forgotten, 12/31/09 marked the end of 25 years’ contribution by the Redevelopment Agency to our area’s enhanced maintenance above and beyond what other areas of the City received from the City operating budget. Transfer taxes funded those contributions to Redevelopment’s budget for our parks, medians, irrigation systems, etc. but the “sunset” date on the 25 years of contributions was the last day of last year. The only way the area can be maintained and thereby help maintain property values, curb appeal, neighborhood beauty, etc. is by means of this assessment.
Older news on your assessment dollars at work: July 1, 2010
This page will display a rotating selection of photos, documents, and other useful information to keep you current on the work of the Advisory Committee (“AC”) to the Marina Bay Landscaping & Lighting Maintenance District (“LLMD”). The purpose is to inform you as to how your yearly special assessment dollars are being spent (refer to your property tax statement for fiscal 2009-2010 for the specific amount your household must pay).
As of June 2010, new median plantings have been completed along Marina Bay Parkway from Bayside Drive, south to Shimada Friendship Park. Additional future median work north of Bayside Drive up to Regatta, will be coordinated with the planned redesigned landscaping of the rest of the Parkway, once the overall railroad grade separation landscaping plan is finalized. This will provide a smooth visual transition from the “gateway” experience which will be an integral part of the new vehicular, pedestrian and bicycle corridor (important note: your tax dollars and assessment funds are NOT being used in any manner on the underpass, or any of the related features; all funding for the grade separation, underpass, associated lighting and landscaping, was secured from other sources).
Please also note the newly planted entry area of Shimada Friendship Park, as well as a newly planted berm along the Esplanade near Amini’s General Store. Stay tuned and we’ll be getting photographs of the Esplanade area as well.
(For additional information on the grade separation / underpass, please refer to the underpass article on the “Minutes & Archives” page on this website. See also, under Landscaping & Lighting menu, submenu “Related Projects-Grade Separation”.)
The AC – comprised of homeowners, a homeowner-representative for the MBNC, the Harbor Master, and commercial property interests – is hard at work in regular meetings with City representatives to prioritize repairs and maintenance and discuss future plans and coming budgets. At this time, park maintenance and other common areas are starting to receive enhanced upkeep (please see Enhanced-basic maint chart). Soon the irrigation and lighting will be restored on our trail as well; new, improved, more energy-efficient lights are under consideration at this time. New irrigation controllers will be connected later this summer via “Evolution System” gauges to a weather station that is calibrated to our particular micro-climate; these controllers and gauges will help to conserve water.
This photo alerts you to the presence of thieves having been here. This is one of many electrical junction boxes where copper wiring was stolen. If any individuals look suspicious, and appear to be removing copper wire along the Bay Trail or the Esplanade, etc., please call the Richmond Police immediately, dialing 911 if the suspects are on site, otherwise call 510-233-1214. Legitimate electricians or Parks & Recreation workers wear identification badges, their trucks have i.d. numbers on them along with the City of Richmond logo, and the license plate numbers start with an “E”. Report any suspicious persons to the police along with a description and license plate number if possible. Only uniformed City employees, driving marked City vehicles, during normal business hours would have any legitimate reason to be at the junction boxes that control the trail lights and irrigation controls. Copper wire transmits the electrical current that operates irrigation and lighting systems, so it is an essential component of the whole enterprise. Please also note that County Supervisor John Gioia (who also lives in this neighborhood) is working with District Attorneys throughout the County to address the copper wire theft problem, from penalizing the thieves who steal the wire, to trying to get the metal shops buying the stolen copper wire to stop doing so.
Return to this page and all the other pages on the website often for current information and updates on completed projects, scheduled projects, projects under way and additional photos of our beautiful neighborhood.
Click on thumbnail photos above for wider views. Use your “back” arrow to return to this page.