Around the Arch Blog

During yesterday’s Reno City Council Meeting, nine students from Proctor R. Hug High School were honored for their excellence in education and successful completion of the City of Reno’s “4 Steps into the Future” program.

The city-sponsored school-to-career program course matched the students with City departments which closely complement their career goals and academic interests. Students had the opportunity to learn on-the-job while earning academic credit towards high school graduation. In addition, students received a city paid internship, bus passes, and were eligible to participate in the “4 Steps” scholarship program. Of the nine students, five of them received scholarships totally $3,000 to help with their post-secondary college studies in a publicly funded State of Nevada university or college.

Procter Lotuleili, a former student of the “4 Steps into the Future” program said, “I know that if more teens go out and start to contribute more to their community, it will help inspire younger youth to go out and do the same.”

Created in 2002, the “4 Steps into the Future” program was designed to educate youth about the range of career opportunities available in municipal government; encourage youth to participate in civic affairs; expand the diversity in future applicant pools for City positions; and to strengthen relationships with area schools.

Starting in June, Reno City Council Meetings will convene at noon rather than 10 a.m. Public comment will continue to be heard at noon, and will now be the first substantive item on the City Council agenda.

Public hearings will commence no sooner than 12:15 p.m., and controversial public hearings that draw more public participation will continue to be held at 6:00 p.m. The regular public meetings will still be held in the Council Chambers, or other properly noticed location. They will still convene on the second and fourth Wednesday of the month except for July, November, and December when the Council shall meet on the first and third Wednesday of the month and the month of August when the Council shall meet on the third and fourth Wednesday of the month.

The new schedule will create staffing efficiencies permitting cost savings, while continuing to encourage public participation in City Council meetings. The next regularly scheduled City Council meeting is Wednesday, June 9. The meeting schedules and agendas are available at www.reno.gov.

The City’s Historic Resources Commission honored residents for their efforts to maintain the integrity of Reno’s past in architecture, Preserving historic structures is considered a very green thing to do.
The winners of this year’s awards are:
1. Distinguished Service Award – Alicia Baldrica, Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer. Alice has been instrumental in all aspects of historic preservation in the state, including working to establish the state’s Certified Local Government program.
2. Advocate Award – Edwin Bath. Ed, with the help of his wife Jenny, worked closely with the City to convert the Crissie Caughlin Ranch into a nursery. Ed secured the historic overlay zoning district and annexation that allowed the adaptive reuse of the ranch as a nursery.
3. Residential Award – Chism Residence – 575 Ridge Street. Mercedes de la Garza and Scott Gibson won the award for their work on the Tutor home. The Chism Residence was built in 1929 and is located in the Newlands Neighborhood. This structure was designed by Frederic Delongchamps and was originally owned by Edward Warren Chism.
4. Historic Landmark Award – Humphrey House – 467 Ralston Street. Northern Nevada HOPES owns the Landmark and works to restore it.
The Humphrey House was built in 1906 and is located in Reno’s 1874 Western addition. It is one of the finest Mission Revival style homes in Nevada. The home was designed by prominent Reno architect Fred M. Schadler who also designed the Steinmiller House on California Avenue. Reno Council Member Dan Gustin and Historic Resources Commissioner Cindy Ainsworth presented the awards.

The Mayor and Council honored our older residents with a proclamation declaring May – Older Americans Month in Reno.
Council Member Sharon Zadra presented the honor to members of the City’s Senior Citizen Advisory Committee. Pictured: Council Member Sharon Zadra and Senior Citizen Advisory Committee members Gerry Taylor, Matt Ladich, Donna Clontz and Armando Gaytan.

Grab your bike and mark your calendars for May 15 through May 21, 2010. It’s Bike to Work and School Week!

At yesterday’s City Council Meeting, Mayor Cashell presented the proclamation to announce the week in hopes of encouraging all commuters to join the City of Reno and the Truckee Meadows Bicycle Alliance in promoting and participating in bicycling as an alternative, non-polluting form of healthy transportation. 

Commuters who travel by bicycle employ a clean, quiet, and efficient mode of transportation while helping to reduce harmful exhaust pollutants and improve air quality, saving on fuel and maintenance costs associated with driving to work or school. Moderate physical activity such as bicycling on the part of employees can in turn be a benefit to employers by reducing healthcare costs, decreasing absenteeism, and increasing productivity.

The City of Reno and Truckee Meadows Bicycle Alliance encourages parents and kids to bike safely by observing all safety measures, including wearing a helmet and obeying all traffic laws.

To help raise awareness about Bike to Work Week, local elected government officials are riding from Sparks City Hall to Reno City Hall on May 17 at 10 a.m. More information will be sent out in the upcoming days.

The Reno City Council has made “green” a priority by enhancing the City’s efforts to reduce its impact on the environment by providing leadership in the community to encourage residents and businesses to join in this effort. To learn more about the Green Priority and how the City is “Keeping it Green” visit www.reno.gov.

To learn more about Bike to Work and School week visit www.bikenevada.org— “Burn calories, save money, help the environment and have fun.”

Crisis Call Program Assistant Sally Walker invited the City Council to attend the April 24th Reno Beer Crawl for the 2010 WALK A MILE IN HER SHOES! event. The event hopes to get men to walk a mile in high heels to support the end of gender violence. Council Member Jessica Sferrazza offered up her high heels to Mayor Bob Cashell. The event begins at 2pm at Amendment 21 in downtown Reno.
Sferrazza read a proclamation declaring April Sexual Assault Awareness Month in Reno. Pictured: Jessica Sferrazza, Sally Walker.

Transplant recipient Tracy Copeland tells the City Council how a liver donor saved her life. Council Member Dwight Dortch read a proclamation declaring April National Donate Life Month in Reno. Tracy is the event organizer for the Donate Life Fun Walk May 16, 2010, beginning at 9:00 a.m. (packet pick up opens at 8:00 a.m.). The 2-mile fun walk will be held at the Sparks Marina.

Reno City Council approved a staff recommendation to layoff up to 200 employees to balance an additional $5 million shortfall in this year’s budget. The reduction in staff will save millions towards making up a projected $30 million shortfall for next fiscal year, which begins July 1st.

Many of us enjoy projects that improve our community but many not realize that these projects would not be possible without the funding by the Community Block Grant (CDBG) Program.

The CDBG Program provides annual direct grants to communities that can be used to expand affordable housing and economic opportunities, to revitalize neighborhoods, and/or to improve community facilities and services, principally for the benefit of low to moderate income individuals.

The City of Reno receives annual CDBG allocation from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Sidewalk improvements in the Linden-Grove area, the Oliver-Montello Neighborhood Revitalization, numerous pedestrian ramps within our community, and the West Street Market are just some examples of beneficial projects that were funded with the assistance of the CDBG Program.

The CDBG Program was enacted and signed into law by President Gerald Ford, as the centerpiece of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974.

To celebrate the importance and necessity of the CDBG Program, Mayor Cashell proclaimed April 4 through April 10, 2010 as Reno Community Development Week.

For more information about Reno’s CDBG Program visit www.reno.gov, select “Government”, then “City Manager’s Office”, and “Community Resources” or www.reno.gov/Index.aspx?page=769.

Reno Council Members Sharon Zadra and Jessica Sferrazza began the Spring series of their informal outreach “Fresh Air, New Ideas” at Dragonfies Cafe and Gift Shop. A number of residents talked about ideas for improving Reno’s economy. The Council women held the gathering at the Cafe to acquaint residents with the business and its goals. Dragonflies is a non-profit that helps families, mostly single women get jobs and a stable lifestyle. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MH3EvSzbUg]