Mayor Lee Brand, along with local civic leaders and partner agencies, today announced the signing of the Master Grant Agreement (MGA) with the Strategic Growth Council for the Transformative Climate Communities Collaborative program.  Mayor Brand will ask that the City Council approve the MGA for development and implementation of greenhouse gas emissions reduction projects in the amount of $66,500,000 at the council meeting on Thursday.

The City of Fresno has been awarded grant funds from the State of California through the Strategic Growth Council (SGC) to fund the development and implementation of neighborhood-level coordinated greenhouse gas emissions reduction projects that provide local economic, environmental and health benefits to disadvantaged communities.

The submittal for the grant funds, named the Transform Fresno Plan, includes coordination with several partners to deliver a variety of California Climate Investment projects such as urban greening, active transportation, housing, low income weatherization, and food waste prevention and rescue in the Downtown, Chinatown, and Southwest Fresno communities.

“We can improve our environment and take a giant step to reduce chronic poverty with this program. This grant will lead to triple the investment in economic development and that will mean more jobs and better services for everyone,” said Mayor Brand. “It will not only transform communities, it will transform lives.”

The City was awarded the funding in January of 2018 and has since then been working with SGC to finalize the details of the Master Grant Agreement that dictates the regulations for project implementation and the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) which lays out the plan for continued community engagement in all facets of implementation as required by TCC Grant Program guidelines.

Fresno was selected to receive 50% or $70 million (minus a mandatory 5% reduction for a State administrative fee) of the total available state funding for several factors. Fresno has long faced challenges of environmental and socioeconomic disparity.

A total of $111 million of leveraged funds are included in the agreement in order to satisfy the TCC Grant Program’s 50% match  requirement. Some key projects included in the leveraged funds are $70 million from State Center Community College Bond Measure C Initiative for the Fresno City College West Fresno Satellite Campus; $15 million from CMAQ, Measure C, SB1 and Rule 20A for transportation infrastructure and utility undergrounding funds for the perimeter street improvements at Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard, Jensen, Church and Walnut; and $3.5 million Federal and State transit funds for FAX service improvements.

City of Fresno offices will be closed in observance of the Presidents Day holiday on Monday, February 18, 2019.  Normal operations will resume on Tuesday, February 19.  Here is the schedule for City of Fresno operations for the holiday: 

Airports:  Administrative offices closed;  Terminal, concessions and airlines normal operations otherwise.

Building & Permitting:  Office closed.  Permit applications can be submitted, and progress can be monitored, online through our FAASTER portal at any time during the Presidents Day holiday.

Business License:  Office closed.  The Business Tax Web Renewal will be available for TOT (only) and new business tax online application submittals will be available throughout the Presidents Day holiday.

City Clerk’s Office:  Closed.

City Hall Offices:  Closed.

Development and Resource Management:  Closed.

Dog License Division:  Closed.

Finance Offices:  Offices closed.Business Tax TOT (only) Web Renewal and new business tax online application submittals will be available throughout the Presidents Day holiday.

Fire/Police Departments:  Administrative offices and public counters will be closed.  Normal operations otherwise.

Fresno Area Express:  Administrative offices closed.  Weekend bus routes/schedule in effect.  Call (559) 621-7433 for details.  FAX route maps and schedules.

Parking Division:  No enforcement at parking meters and City parking facilities on Presidents Day.  Office closed for citation payments. 

Parks and Recreation (PARCS):  Administrative offices closed.  Parks facilities and recreation centers operating with normal schedule.

Personnel:  Closed. Online applications accepted at www.fresno.gov/jobs.

Public Utilities:  Offices closed.

Public Works:  Offices closed.

Purchasing:  Office closed; Bid opportunities and updated information are available on the City’s website, under the “For Businesses” tab, then click on bid opportunities.

Residential Solid Waste:  Administrative offices closed.  Normal residential and commercial collection schedule; for questions regarding residential solid waste collection, please call the Solid Waste Management Division at (559) 621-1452.

Utility Payments:  Payment counters closed (Fresno City Hall and Manchester Center.)  Online and phone transactions available for utility payments.

For urgent matters during the Presidents Day holiday, please call (559) 621-CITY (2489) or use our FresGO mobile app.

Mayor Lee Brand and Fresno City Manager Wilma Quan today announced that Gregory Barfield has been named the City of Fresno’s new Director of Transportation, effective Monday.  Mr. Barfield was the interim director since August of 2018 and served as Assistant Director of Transportation for over two years, where he was in charge of Operations, Planning, and Support Services.

“Making the change in Greg’s title from interim to official was one of my easiest decisions as City Manager,” said Ms. Quan. “His experience in public administration and his talent for managing complex issues have made Greg an invaluable member of our team. I look forward to more great things from him in the future.”

A native of Fresno, Barfield was responsible for managing a department with over 500 persons that served just under 10 million riders last year with 16 fixed routes and 104 buses covering over 5 million road miles, and was instrumental in the continued success of the new Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and FAX15 services which helped Fresno’s public transportation system increase its ridership by almost 10 percent in 2018.  Prior to his role as Assistant Director of Transportation, he served for 10 years as Chief of Staff to Councilmembers Oliver Baines & Cynthia Sterling.

He has worked in all levels of government, been active in many local, state and federal political campaigns in the last 30 plus years with time spent working at community based non-profits, institutions of higher learning and private business along the way.  Barfield is a graduate of California State University, Fresno with a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work and is a graduate of Fresno Pacific University’s School of Business with a Masters in Leadership and Organizational Studies.  He is married to Angie and together in their blended family, they have seven children, four grandchildren and one great grandchild.

A MESSAGE FROM THE CITY OF FRESNO

The City of Fresno has a hardship payment policy in place that any customer may apply for when they are short on funds. The City can develop reasonable payment plans for customers with a past-due balance that are short on cash and is willing to defer payments if customers have lost their income stream.

IN THE CASE OF FEDERAL EMPLOYEES,

The Department of Public Utilities is happy to work with any federal employee affected by the recent government shutdown to set up a payment schedule and get them caught up now that they are back to work. If our customers have questions or would like to discuss our hardship plan, please contact Utilities Billing & Collections at (559) 621-6888.

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UN MENSAJE DE LA CIUDAD DE FRESNO

La Ciudad de Fresno tiene una política de pago por dificultades que cualquier cliente puede solicitar cuando no tienen fondos suficientes. La ciudad puede desarrollar planes de pago razonables para los clientes con pagos atrasados que carecen de efectivo y está dispuesto a posponer los pagos si los clientes han perdido su flujo de ingresos.

EN CASO DE EMPLEADOS FEDERALES,

El Departamento de Servicios Públicos está feliz de posponer sus pagos de servicios públicos mientras dure el cierre federal. Estableceremos un calendario de pagos y los pondremos al día una vez que vuelvan al trabajo. Si nuestros clientes tienen preguntas o les gustaría saber más acerca de nuestro plan por dificultades, por favor contacte a los Servicios Públicos de Facturación y Colecciones al (559) 621-6888.

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LUS LOS NTAWM FRESNO
Lub nroog Fresno muaj txoj cai pab rau txhua tus neeg raug kev nyuaj siab thaum tsis muaj nyiaj. Lub nroog yuav tsim tau txoj kev pab rau koj yog koj tsis muaj nyiaj los them koj cov nqi uas twb nrhau lawm; thiab yuav kam muab ncua cov nqi yog koj tau poob koj txoj haujlwm.

HAIS TXOG COV NEEG UA HAUJLWM RAU TSOOMFWV,
Lub Department of Public Utilities zoo siab kam muab ncua cov nqi dej ciav, nqi dej khibnyiab, thiab nqi khibnyiab. Tsuav yog tsoomfwv Asmeskas tseem kaw thiab cov neeg ntawd tseem tsis tau rov qab mus ua haujlwm rau tsoomfwv. Peb mam tsim txoj kev sijhawm them kom txog rau thaum lawv rov qab mus ua haujlwm.
Yog tias koj muaj lus nug thiab xav nrog tham txog peb txoj kev pab, hu rau Utilities Billing & Collections ntawm (559) 621-6888.

City of Fresno offices will be closed in observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday on Monday, January 21, 2019.  Normal operations will resume on Tuesday, January 22.  Here is the schedule for City of Fresno operations for the holiday:

Airports:  Administrative offices closed;  Terminal, concessions and airlines normal operations otherwise.

Building & Permitting:  Office closed.  Permit applications can be submitted, and progress can be monitored, online through our FAASTER portal at any time during the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

Business License:  Office closed.  The Business Tax Web Renewal will be available for TOT (only) throughout the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday.

City Clerk’s Office:  Closed.

City Hall Offices:  Closed.

Development and Resource Management:  Closed.

Dog License Division:  Closed.

Finance Offices:  Offices closed.Business Tax TOT (only) Web Renewal and new business tax online application submittals will be available throughout the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday.

Fire/Police Departments:  Administrative offices and public counters will be closed.  Normal operations otherwise.

Fresno Area Express:  Administrative offices closed.  Weekend bus routes/schedule in effect.  Call (559) 621-7433 for details.  FAX route maps and schedules.

Parking Division:  No enforcement at parking meters and City parking facilities on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.  Office closed for citation payments. 

Parks and Recreation (PARCS):  Administrative offices closed.  Parks facilities and recreation centers operating with normal schedule.

Personnel:  Closed. Online applications accepted at www.fresno.gov/jobs.

Public Utilities:  Offices closed.

Public Works:  Offices closed.

Purchasing:  Office closed; Bid opportunities and updated information are available on the City’s website, under the “For Businesses” tab, then click on bid opportunities.

Residential Solid Waste:  Administrative offices closed.  Normal residential and commercial collection schedule; for questions regarding residential solid waste collection, please call the Solid Waste Management Division at (559) 621-1452.

Utility Payments/Business Tax:  Payment counters closed (Fresno City Hall and Manchester Center.)  Online and phone transactions available for utility payments.

For urgent matters during the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday, please call (559) 621-CITY (2489) or use our FresGO mobile app.

Two City of Fresno projects received awards from the American Council of Engineering Companies, California (ACEC California) after announcing its 2019 Engineering Excellence Awards winners yesterday.  Projects were recognized for demonstrating an exceptional degree of innovation, complexity, achievement and value.

Carollo Engineers, Inc. received the prestigious Honor Award distinction for its work on the Southeast Surface Water Treatment Facility (SESWTF).  While Fresno has had ample surface water supplies from the Kings and San Joaquin Rivers, they were underutilized for decades and the City depended on pumping groundwater for its main supply.  With construction of the SESWTF, the City has replaced its dependence on groundwater with high quality treated surface water supplies and can now replenish our underground aquifer in conformance with new State mandates and common sense. Carollo was the prime consultant, providing project management, design, and construction management, for the $180-million project.

“The successful completion of the Southeast Surface Water Treatment Facility was a huge step in Fresno’s efforts to continue providing safe, clean, reliable drinking water,” said Michael Carbajal, Director of Public Utilities for the City of Fresno. “The new treatment facility improves the City’s water infrastructure to maximize use of surface water from the Sierra Nevada Mountains and reduce pumping of groundwater from our aquifer.  We are extremely excited to receive the ACEC 2019 Engineering Excellence Award recognizing this achievement.”

Honor Award winners also are eligible to enter the national level Engineering Excellence Awards competition and will have photographic panels on display at the Capitol, outside of the Governor’s office, in early 2019.

Provost & Pritchard Consulting Group received the Merit Award for its work on the Fulton Street Reconstruction Project.  The Fulton Mall corridor was renovated by reintroducing a pedestrian-friendly commercial streetscape together with a narrow two-lane street with on-street parking.  The project restored and relocated all of the significant public art and water features that make this corridor a virtual outdoor art museum.  Provost & Pritchard Consulting Group was a subconsultant to RHAA Landscape Architecture on this project, providing project management, land surveying and civil engineering services.

“These two projects are among the most important infrastructure programs in Fresno’s history, and will be the framework for success in Fresno’s future,” said Mayor Lee Brand. “They have set the standard for every City project to come.”

“Engineering and land surveying provide the innovative backbone of many critical infrastructure projects in California,” said Brad Diede, Executive Director of ACEC California. “This year’s recipients represent outstanding achievement in seismic safety projects, sustainable transportation projects and recycled water programs, among many others. Our engineering and land surveying firms and their local agency and private sector partners continue to harness cutting-edge technologies so that projects are more sustainable and more effective at serving the people of California.”

About ACEC California’s Engineering Excellence Awards:

ACEC California’s annual Engineering Excellence Awards competition recognizes outstanding achievements in engineering and land surveying projects completed by California firms.  Entries are accepted into one of 12 project categories: studies, research and consulting engineering services; building/technology systems; structural systems; surveying and mapping technology; environmental; waste and storm water; water resources; transportation; special projects; small projects; energy; and industrial and manufacturing processes and facilities.

City of Fresno offices will be closed in observance of the New Year’s Day holiday on Tuesday, January 1, 2019.  Normal operations will resume on Wednesday, January 2.  Here is the schedule for City of Fresno operations for the holiday:

Airports:  Administrative offices closed;  Terminal, concessions, and airlines normal operations otherwise.

Building & Permitting:  Counter will close at 4:30 p.m. on Monday, December 31 and remain closed Tuesday.  Permit applications can be submitted, and progress can be monitored, online through our FAASTER portal at any time during the New Year’s Day holiday.

Business License:  Office closed.  The Business Tax Web Renewal will be available for TOT (only) throughout the New Year’s Day holiday.

City Clerk’s Office:  Closed.

City Hall Offices:  Closed.

Development and Resource Management:  Closed.

Dog License Division:  Closed.

Finance Offices:  Offices closed.  Business Tax TOT (only) Web Renewal and new business tax online application submittals will be available throughout the New Year’s Day holiday.

Fire/Police Departments:  Administrative offices and public counters will be closed.  Normal operations otherwise.

Fresno Area Express:  Administrative offices closed.  FAX service is closed on New Year’s Day.  Call (559) 621-7433 for details. FAX route maps and schedules.

Parking Division:  No enforcement at parking meters and City parking facilities on New Year’s Day.  Office closed for citation payments.

Parks and Recreation (PARCS):  Administrative offices closed.  No senior hot meals.  Regional and neighborhood parks open every day.  Neighborhood and community centers will close at 5:00 p.m. on Monday, December 31, and remain closed on New Year’s Day.

Personnel:  Closed. Online applications accepted at www.fresno.gov/jobs.

Public Utilities:  Offices closed.

Public Works:  Offices closed.

Purchasing:  Office closed; Bids Online available for bids and vendor registration.

Residential Solid Waste:  There will be no collection service on New Year’s Day.  All collection will be postponed one day.  Tuesday’s trash, recyclables & green waste will be collected on Wednesday, January 2.  Wednesday’s trash, recyclables & green waste will be collected Thursday, January 3.  Thursday’s trash, recyclables & green waste will be collected Friday, January 4.  Friday’s trash, recyclables & green waste will be collected Saturday, January 5.  For questions regarding the residential solid waste collection, please call the Solid Waste Management Division at (559) 621-1452.

Utility Payments/Business Tax:  Payment counters closed (Fresno City Hall and Manchester Center).  Online and phone transactions available for utility payments.

For urgent matters during the New Year’s Day holiday, please call (559) 621-CITY (2489) or use our FresGO mobile app.

City of Fresno offices will be closed in observance of the Christmas holiday on Tuesday, December 25, 2018.  Normal operations will resume on Wednesday, December 26.  Here is the schedule for City of Fresno operations for the holiday:

Airports:  Administrative offices closed;  Terminal, concessions and airlines normal operations otherwise.

Building & Permitting:  Counter will close at 4:30 p.m. on Monday, December 24 and remain closed Tuesday.  Permit applications can be submitted, and progress can be monitored, online through our FAASTER portal at any time during the Christmas holiday.

Business License:  Office closed.  The Business Tax Web Renewal will be available for TOT (only) throughout the Christmas holiday.

City Clerk’s Office:  Closed.

City Hall Offices:  Closed.

Development and Resource Management:  Closed.

Dog License Division:  Closed.

Finance Offices:  Offices closed.Business Tax TOT (only) Web Renewal and new business tax online application submittals will be available throughout the Christmas holiday.

Fire/Police Departments:  Administrative offices and public counters will be closed.  Normal operations otherwise.

Fresno Area Express:  Administrative offices closed.  FAX service is closed on Christmas Day.  Call (559) 621-7433 for details. FAX route maps and schedules.

Parking Division:  No enforcement at parking meters and City parking facilities on Christmas Day.  Office closed for citation payments. 

Parks and Recreation (PARCS):  Administrative offices closed.  No senior hot meals.  Regional and neighborhood parks open every day.  Neighborhood and community centers will close at 5:00 p.m. on Monday, December 24, and remain closed on Christmas Day.

Personnel:  Closed. Online applications accepted at www.fresno.gov/jobs.

Public Utilities:  Offices closed.

Public Works:  Offices closed.

Purchasing:  Office closed; Bids Online available for bids and vendor registration.

Residential Solid Waste:  There will be no collection service on Christmas Day.  All collection will be postponed one day.  Tuesday’s trash, recyclables & green waste will be collected on Wednesday, December 26.  Wednesday’s trash, recyclables & green waste will be collected Thursday, December 27.  Thursday’s trash, recyclables & green waste will be collected Friday, December 28.  Friday’s trash, recyclables & green waste will be collected Saturday, December 29.  For questions regarding residential solid waste collection, please call the Solid Waste Management Division at (559) 621-1452.

Utility Payments/Business Tax:  Payment counters closed (Fresno City Hall and Manchester Center).  Online and phone transactions available for utility payments.

For urgent matters during the Christmas holiday, please call (559) 621-CITY (2489) or use our FresGO mobile app.

The City of Fresno, Solid Waste Management Division, will observe the Christmas and New Year’s holidays on December 25, 2018, and January 1, 2019.  There will be no service on these days.

The City of Fresno, Solid Waste Management Division, will shift service days for the week of the holiday to the following day and provide trash, recyclables and green waste collection as follows:

Tuesday, December 25, 2018     No Service
Tuesday, January 1, 2019

Wednesday, December 26, 2018     Tuesday’s trash, recyclables & green waste will be collected.
Wednesday, January 2, 2019

Thursday,  December 27, 2018     Wednesday’s trash, recyclables & green waste will be collected.
Thursday,  January 3, 2019

Friday, December 28, 2018     Thursday’s trash, recyclables & green waste will be collected.
Friday, January 4, 2019

Saturday, December 29, 2018     Friday’s trash, recyclables & green waste will be collected.
Saturday, January 5, 2019

Our business office will be closed Tuesday, December 25, 2018, for Christmas and Tuesday, January 1, 2019, for the New Year’s holiday.

For questions regarding your residential holiday service schedule, please call the Solid Waste Management Division at (559) 621-1452.