Around the Arch Blog

Reno’s Public Works Department worked with the Bureau of Land Management and the Nevada Department of Wildlife on a project to restore the river bank at the Oxbow Nature Study Area. The City secured  two grants for the project, which will also protect a sewer interceptor that goes through the park from future floods.

On Monday at 5:30 p.m., Reno’s famous landmark, the Reno Arch will turn blue in support of the University of Nevada Wolf Pack.

American Sign and Crane Company donated the labor and equipment for the bulb replacement project. The cost for the bulbs has been completely funded with generous community donations.

The blue bulbs will remain in place until after the sold-out University of Nevada and Boise State football game on November 26.

“Turning our famous Reno Arch blue shows the town’s support for our Wolf Pack teams and generates great community spirit,” advises Mayor Bob Cashell.

The City of Reno is urging downtown casinos and business along with the entire community to put up blue lights or “Go Pack” on their marquees and signs.

“The University of Nevada has had an exciting fall and we have enjoyed fantastic community support for the Wolf Pack this fall. Seeing the famous Reno Arch turn blue will be great for our community as we look forward to our final home football game of the season,” Nevada Director of Athletics Cary Groth said.

What: The Reno Arch Goes Wolf Pack Blue
When: Monday, November 22 at 5:30 p.m.
Who: Reno Mayor Bob Cashell, the Reno City Council, University President Dr. Milton Glick, and Director of Athletics Cary Groth
Where: Harrah’s Plaza on N. Virginia Street next to the Reno Arch

Reno’s Public Works Department secured grants to build a pervious concrete parking lot at the McKinley Arts and Culture Center. Q & D Construction completed the demonstration project, which is among the first in this area. The concrete allows stormwater to seep through to add to the City’s groundwater. The parking lot is the final phase of a project to help cut down on pollutants to the Truckee River. Last summer staff completed a rain garden and other LID or low impact development changes to the art and culture center.

Sixteen residents join more than 700 citizens who have completed the Reno Citizens Institute. The free 10-week program offers residents a chance to learn about City departments and what employees do on the job.

The Reno Police Department advises there have been seven reports within the past week where a suspect has gone into a business under the pretense of being an inspector. The suspect has not claimed any affiliation with any specific company or governmental entity.

“He has been introducing himself as an inspector, usually stating he is there to inspect a leaky roof or check the fire sprinkler system,” said Lieutenant Mohammad Rafaqat. “To add legitimacy to whom he claims to be, he usually carries a clipboard with papers and red colored camera.” The suspect has been taking, or pretends to take, photos of the roof and works his way into the back of the business. He has been seen exiting the businesses with a coat or jacket over his arm, concealing the victims’ purses under it.

The suspect has targeted businesses with a high of volume of customers which keeps the employees busy at the front of the stores. Typical businesses targeted by the suspect have been Starbucks and hair/nail salons.

The suspect has been described as a white male, 35-45 years of age, and 250 pounds with a heavy build. He may have unknown types of blemishes on his face. He does not wear any official uniform and is usually dressed in jeans. He carries a clipboard and a red colored camera. Please see below the two video stills of the suspect from Starbucks.

Officials with the Reno Fire Department, City of Reno Code Enforcement, and the Reno Police Department offer these prevention tips:

 • Be suspicious of anyone not wearing appropriate credentials.
• Be suspicious of anyone not in appropriate or official uniform.
• Be ware of anyone who shows up unannounced or without and appointment to do an inspection. A legitimate inspector will have an appointment.
• A government inspector will be in uniform and will have proper credentials displayed.
• Always ask for person’s identification and the name of the company they are representing.
• If you are suspicious about someone’s claims, have them wait while you call their company for confirmation.
• DO NOT allow anyone access to the unauthorized areas if you are uncertain about their identity or claims.
• Report suspicious activity or individuals to your local police agency.

Anyone with information regarding these incidents is asked to call the Reno Police Department’s Detective Division at 775-334-2115 or the Secret Witness at 775-322-4900.

Today, another phase of the McKinley Arts and Culture Center low impact development (LID) project was completed with the pouring of a pervious concrete parking lot. 

Pervious concrete is a cutting-edge material used more commonly in other communities to reduce stormwater runoff by capturing and treating the water, allowing it to seep into the ground through the porous material. This demonstration project explores local design and installation tactics with Reno’s unique climate. The Sierra Nevada Concrete Association (SNCA) was instrumental in providing the mix design for the concrete and training in the community.

In January 2009, the Reno City Council accepted a grant in the amount of $115,500 from the Truckee River Fund for this LID project, and in April 2009, the Council approved a contract between the State of Nevada and the City of Reno for a Nevada Nonpoint Source Grant 319(h) in the amount of $128,500.

Q&D Construction, a construction company founded in the Truckee Meadows in 1964, was awarded the bid for the installation of the pervious concrete parking lot. Q&D hired master craftsman to assist in the installation and to help provide their workers gain expertise. Construction Materials Engineering, Inc., another local contractor, was hired to assist with geotechnical studies and designing the infiltration trench testing.

LID retrofits to McKinley have included all aspects of on-site stormwater treatment: rooftop snow slide clips and rain gutters to collect rainwater and snowmelt, impervious swales to transport rainwater away from the building and into the landscape depression or rain garden, retrofit of turf sprayers adjacent to the building to low water-using drip irrigation and xeric landscape, drip irrigation for the rain garden, and a new parking area made of pervious concrete.

LID is an innovative stormwater management approach which includes modeling nature and allowing the ground to hold, soak up, filter, and naturally treat rainwater. LID methods may also help alleviate local flooding problems by redirecting runoff from concrete and rooftops to landscape areas, allowing the natural softscape to store waters, rather than overburdening the gutters and storm drain system.

The retrofits to the McKinley Arts and Culture Center will treat storm water, allow for infiltration into the ground, and assist in watershed protection within the Truckee Meadows.

Here are photos from today’s pouring: 

Washoe County and the City of Reno already share many services through interlocal agreements, memorandums of understanding and even full consolidation.

To make sure we’re taking advantage of every opportunity to improve service delivery and/or save money, we hired Matrix Consulting Group to study consolidation or shared services in three areas: Human Resources, Information Technology and Purchasing. Washoe County and the City of Reno would like to know what you think.

Please share your thoughts about Washoe County and the City of Reno sharing Information Technology, Human Resources and Purchasing services. To learn more and share your comments click here.

The City’s Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department recently honored more than 60 volunteers at an appreciation ceremony.

One of the most beautiful times in Reno is this season when the leaves begin to change to amazing, vivid colors. As the season furthers, those beautiful leaves will soon fall and the cleaning up of the leaves will need to begin. 

The City of Reno would like to thank you for taking the appropriate measures to make certain that your leaves are picked up and not blown into the gutter or public right-of-way. We thank you for doing your part in keeping our city a safe and attractive community.

Here are some important things to remember:

• Fallen leaves do have some negative impacts, including blocking gutters, storm drain inlets and pipes, which can ultimately result in local flooding.
• Residents need to remember that you can’t blow leaves into the public right-of-way. Blowing leaves into another neighbor’s property is just not neighborly either. Please be a considerate neighbor.
• Code Enforcement understands that property owners sometimes are not aware that it is illegal to block gutters, drain inlets, or pipes that can cause flooding. It is also their responsibility to remove all leaves from their own property and their trees. (Reno Municipal Code Sections 10.04.040 & 12.10.020, it is unlawful to place anything including dead vegetation in any public right-of-way or to block any drain, gutter, or pipeline. Both violations may be punishable by civil citations of up to $500 and/or a misdemeanor citation with a maximum 6 months imprisonment, or a $1000 citation.)

Area residents will be able to help the Reno Police Department’s K-9 Unit by dining at the Texas Roadhouse.

The Texas Roadhouse has generously agreed to donate 10% of food purchases to the Reno Police Department’s K-9 Unit when the attached flyer is presented to a server. To participate, visit the Texas Roadhouse at 150 Damonte Ranch Parkway on Sunday, September 12 from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and Monday, September 13 from 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Flyers can also be downloaded by visiting the K-9 Unit’s page on City of Reno’s website, http://www.reno.gov/index.aspx?page=2112.

The Reno Police Department’s K-9 Unit serves the community by working as a patrol support function. Officers and their K-9 partners assist with suspect apprehension, narcotics detection, finding articles of evidentiary value that have been discarded, tracking lost people such as children and Alzheimer’s patients, and explosive material detection. Additionally, the unit is called upon to conduct many public demonstrations to entities such as schools, churches and civic organizations.

The K-9 unit relies heavily on donations, and has been called upon to assist every agency in the area to include Sparks Police Department, Washoe County Sheriff’s Department, Reno-Tahoe Airport Authority, the U.S. Secret Service, F.B.I., D.E.A., U.S. Customs, California Bureau of Prisons, U.S. Federal Bureau of Prisons, to name a few.