Around the Arch Blog

The City’s Recreation and Park Commissioners are adopting a number of Reno parks this summer and are hopeful that other residents will adopt parks as well. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRGPYgAPnFI]

Residents wanting to know when their street is scheduled to be swept can now find out easily by visiting the City of Reno website.

Providing a sweeping schedule allows residents to remove parked vehicles from the street on their scheduled sweeping day. Removal of vehicles from the street is not required but it does provide residents an opportunity to move them and improve the cleanliness of their neighborhood.

The Street Sweeping Program will function on a seasonal basis from April through October. Routes will be swept between 6:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Holidays will be handled by having the routes swept on the next working day. All routes have been coordinated with Waste Management to avoid having garbage and recycle pick up occurring the same day as sweeping for the individual neighborhoods.

The City of Reno performs street sweeping though its Public Works Department and is required through Air Quality standards to sweep every street at least once per month. There are four separate sweeping operations performed throughout the year:

• Routine Sweeping: General debris removal and cleaning of streets on a monthly rotational cycle.
• Leaf Sweeping: Removal of leaves and other debris in the late Fall of each year.
• Winter Sweeping: Removal of sand/salt material and other debris from roadways after snow events.
• Special Event/Accident Sweeping: Occasional sweeping of parade routes and special events as well as specific calls for service to sweep up after accidents for safety purposes.

The City of Reno Public Works Department is dedicated to providing Reno residents with safe, clean streets. For more information about the City of Reno’s Street Sweeping Program, schedule and route map visit www.reno.gov, click on the “Quick Links” drop-down menu and select “Street Sweeping.”

Under a Police Department reorganization, Acting Reno Police Chief Steve Pitts is increasing the number of community action officers. Currently, there are two officers in the program. They are dramatically curbing calls for services in the Pat Baker Park and Yori Park neighborhoods through communication and a proactive approach to problems. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJ_N5gaIwIw]

The City is again sponsoring the USDA Summer Food Service Program this year.  During summer vacation, meals will be served to all children under age 18 free of charge at several locations:

Students enrolled in City of Reno summer camps at these service locations will also receive these meals. For additional information, call Alan Roney, Recreation Supervisor at 775-334-2262.

Volunteers removed 81 tons of illegally dumped trash and invasive weeds from local outdoor recreation areas during the 5th Annual Great Truckee Meadows Community Cleanup on Saturday, May 8.

“Although 81 tons is still a lot of illegally dumped trash, we are seeing less every year,” said Christi Cakiroglu, Executive Director of Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful. “With the implementation of the 329-DUMP hotline to report illegal dumping, the continued support of the community and free quarterly bulky item weekends through Waste Management, we are making a huge dent in the problem. Education is the key!”

Over 500 volunteers worked at 14 sites from Verdi to Vista Heights to Dorothy McAlinden Park to Toll Canyon. In all, 541 yards of trash and invasive weeds were removed, including 18 tons of concrete, 500 pounds of metal, and over 300 tires, as well as Scotch and Musk thistle. Read the rest of this entry »

The City of Reno and Windspire Energy™ (formerly Mariah Power), developer of the Windspire® wind turbine, released an RFP to paint the City of Reno’s Windspire wind turbine during a live Artown event on July 8th at the West Street Market. The event is a celebration of the City’s commitment to both art and renewable energy.

To read more about this exciting partnership and event with the City of Reno, Windspire Energy, and Artown click here.

Gather your neighbors and join the City of Reno, City of Sparks, Washoe County, Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful, and numerous other agencies to help clean up our community. The event is the Great Truckee Meadows Community Clean Up on Saturday, May 8 from 8:30 a.m. until 12 noon.

Once you have saved the date in your calendar please sign up at www.ktmb.org or call 851-5185.

To learn more and view the Great Clean Up flyer click here.

We hope to see you on May 8th!

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.

Residents in Washoe County will be able to dispose of their household bulky items (free of charge) and municipal solid waste (reduced rates) during special community events in April. These events are being held in an effort to reduce illegal dumping in our community. For complete details and requirements please read this information from Waste Management.

Thanks to the Ward Two Central Neighborhood Advisory Board (NAB) area residents will be able to enjoy the water play feature at Yori Park.

At last Wednesday’s Reno City Council Meeting, the Council approved a request from Ward Two Central NAB for $3,000 in Community Pride Grant (CPG) funds to the City of Reno Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department. The CPG funds will be used to offset operating expenses associated with the water play feature at Yori Park.

Yori Park is a heavily used neighborhood park with a popular water play feature. Without the CPG allocation this feature would not be operational this summer due to budget restrictions. Turning the water play area on at Yori Park this summer encourages family visits while providing free entertainment and relief during the summer months.

Each NAB’s CPG funds are designed to be used for neighborhood-specific projects. These funds are allocated to projects that the City may not have budgeted for that the NAB would like to expedite. Funds are generally intended for projects that are short term in nature and quick to implement. While funding is recommended by the boards, its use and expenditure are guided by established city procurement, expenditure procedures, and ground rules.