View as a webpage  /  Share

Message from the Manager-  June 2023 Update

City Manager, Greg Folsom

Happy Fiscal New Year!  Suisun City’s fiscal year runs July 1^st through June 30^th, which is why we need to pass a budget every year in June, prior to the expiration of each fiscal year.   

Budget:

Speaking of the budget, the largest cost center we have is labor. Staffing and staffing related costs account for the lion’s share of our general fund budget, with Public Safety as the largest cost. Due to the shortage of qualified new police officers nationwide, there has been a significant increase in police officer pay throughout California and specifically in our region.  This surge in police officer pay in surrounding agencies, combined with Suisun City’s lowest in the region wages for police officers, has led to a significant turnover in staff over the last year.  Given the choice of continuing to be the lowest paid police department in the region and seeing even more losses in sworn personnel or paying a more competitive wage, Council prioritized providing a competitive compensation package for our police officers in order to help retain and attract officers. These raises will put Suisun City police officers at around the median for our comparative agencies.  Council also prioritized paying a competitive wage throughout the organization and set all wages to at least 90% of the median of competing agencies.  These pay raises do come at a cost and labor costs will be up pretty significantly for this new fiscal year.  However, turnover throughout the organization should be reduced, resulting in overall better service to the community.

Looking Forward:

There is a lot going on in Suisun City, as you will see from the rest of this Update.  Here are a couple of important projects to highlight for July:

• The Highway 12 Landscape Improvement Project will begin the week of July 10^th.
• Senate Bill (SB) 1 road improvement projects will also begin the week of July 10^th.
• The Suisun City Mobility Hub project begins construction in July.
• The Downtown Suisun City Farmers’ Market begins July 15^th.
• Take 5 Oil Change opens in July.
• Cllaimm Academy Childcare Center opens in July.
• The Lawler Residences (luxury apartments) is expected to open in July.

City Council

City Council Meeting Highlights (June – 3 open meetings):

1. Budget workshop
2. Discussion on Senior Center
3. Amended labor MOU’s
4. Approved Regional Transportation Impact Fee agreement with Solano Transportation Authority
5. Approved contract for Automated License Plate Reader cameras
6. Approved placing garbage liens for failure to pay
7. Received quarterly investment report
8. Approved letter opposing AB 1637 (website/domain names)
9. Approved budget and master fee schedule
10. Approved levy and collection of districts
11. Approved Driftwood Drive Path Gap Closure project
12. Approved agreement with Firefighter Museum
13. Approved Train Depot vendor lease
14. Discussed changing City Council meeting dates
15. Approved revised Special Event Permit application

City Council Proclamations in June:

1. Proclaiming June as Pride Month
2. Proclaiming June 19^th as Juneteenth
3. Proclamation for Mount Calvary Baptist Church 60^th Anniversary

Development Services Department

Dr. Nare Dental Office

The proposed project is located along the south side of Lotz Way directly adjacent to the One Harbor Center office building. The Planning Commission held a special public hearing on Thursday, June 29^th to consider the project (dental office with additional leasable space). Following the Commission’s action, staff will publish a public notice for City Council consideration in July.

Train Depot Vendor Lease Agreement

The City Council approved the lease agreement with Mama Laine’s Café at the June 26^th meeting. The agreement will be executed by both parties and recorded with Solano County. The applicant will make an application to the Solano County Health Department and begin that permitting process. The hope is for Mama Laine’s Café to be operating within a few months.

Cannabissary

City staff met with the applicant and discussed the remaining items that were required to be able to deem the application complete. The applicant is actively working on providing the missing items in order for staff to be able to deem the application complete. The expectation is the Planning Commission will be considering the development application in the next couple of months.

Lawler Residences

Staff has conducted initial inspections for the project and is allowing the owner to begin the leasing process with specific conditions while the remainder of the items is being addressed.

Code Enforcement Division Update 

City Council Public Comment – June 6^th Meeting

Staff received a report about a potential issue with too many people living at a residence on Solano Street. Our code enforcement officer conducted inspections during regular business and off-hours. During the investigation, staff did not observe any signs of overcrowding on the property or within the building. Staff did not assign an active case to this property based on the investigation and findings.

Sunset and Railroad Canal Property

Code Enforcement has reached out to the property owner regarding the overgrowth of weeds and homelessness encampments on the property. The property owner is in the process of retaining a contractor and will work with the Police Department to remove the homeless. The property owner asked for a week to address these matters.

Pickering Property (Railroad/Sunset)

Following the property transaction with the Pickerings, in May 2023, to acquire right of way and settle an ongoing litigation, the Development Services Director and City Attorney established procedures to address nuisance and homelessness issues with the property owner. The property owners have until July 20th to clear the site. Additionally, an abatement hearing will be scheduled for the week of July 17th to reinforce the City's position to abate the property, provide due process, and allow for the recoupment of attorney and staff fees. Failure to comply by the July 20th deadline may result in filing an abatement warrant, which would enable the City to address most of the ongoing property issues.

Fire Department

Fire Department Statistics

Information & Announcements

Suisun Elementary School: Firefighters received a thank you poster made by Miss Bregman’s Kindergarten class students for their fire station tour and public education presentation.    

Police Department

***Special Olympics Torch Run***

On June 20^th SCPD staff ran the Suisun City leg of the Northern California Special Olympics Torch Run.  Several members of the Solano County Probation Department ran with us from the county buildings in Fairfield to the boat ramps in Suisun City.  Fairfield PD assisted our Suisun City patrol units with blocking traffic along the route for the safety of the runners.  This is a great cause to raise awareness for the Special Olympics.

Public Works

Public Works Engineering: 

Slurry Seal Project

City staff has held a pre-construction meeting with the contractor, and the contractor anticipates beginning work on this project during the week of July 10^th starting with dig-out repairs, crack sealing, and preparatory work. The following week, slurry sealing will begin, and work is anticipated to be completed by the end of July. 

McCoy Creek Trail Phase II Project

The new segments of concrete trail associated with this Project have been substantially completed.  Remaining work is focused on the following: landscape work - fence/gate and site furnishing installation (shade sails, seats, installation of drinking fountains, custom bike rack, dog waste station, trash receptacles, and fitness equipment; crossing improvements - at Pintail Drive, Worley Road, and Blossom Avenue (curb extensions, rectangular rapid flashing beacons, high visibility crosswalk, paving and energization of new street lights); and installation of the pedestrian bridge.  A photo is provided below showing the bridge under construction at the manufacturing warehouse.  The prefabricated bridge is scheduled to be delivered in two main pieces at the project site. Upon delivery, it will take one day to assemble the two main pieces of the bridge. The following day after assembly, a crane will hoist and place the bridge onto the concrete abutments. The tentative delivery and installation dates are July 27^th and 28^th.  City staff will be at the site during the bridge placement. This Project is anticipated to be completed in mid-August 2023.

PG&E Gas Pipe Replacement Project on Wigeon Way & Surrounding Streets

Currently, concrete restoration work in the project area is approximately 50% complete. See the map below for the project area. Wednesday, 7/5, PG&E concrete subcontractor resumed work on replacing concrete sidewalks and private concrete driveways. This work is anticipated to be completed this week. Next week, pavement restoration for the potholes and bore pits associated with the project will begin and be completed.

PG&E Gas Pipe Replacement Project in Downtown PG&E began this project last year and halted work at the start of the rainy season in late 2022. The project has also experienced delays due to unforeseen findings of unmarked underground utilities. Work in installing the new gas main lines and the new gas services to the houses is scheduled to resume on August 7th.  Typically, restoration work begins after all the new gas main lines and all the new service lines have been completed. However, given that this is larger in size than typical PG&E gas replacement projects in Suisun City, PG&E will potentially phase the restoration work in coordination with City staff. PG&E will check on the availability of concrete and paving subcontractors for the potential phasing of the restoration work and staff will provide schedule updates as available from PG&E.

Marina Village Apartments – Replacement of Median Island on Marina Blvd.

Work has begun on the replacement of the damaged median island on Marina Boulevard fronting the Project site. The median island will be reconfigured per the new median island design shown in the exhibit below. The re-design will improve vehicular movements on westbound Buena Vista Avenue turning left onto southbound Marina Boulevard.

Public Works Maintenance Division:

The Maintenance Division does a lot of work throughout the city.  Here is a snapshot of work performed during May:

• Monday and Thursday twice weekly trash runs and illegal dump pickups (approximately 186 trash cans).
• Monday and Thursday twice weekly trash runs in the LLD’s.
• Mowed the following areas on a weekly schedule:

• Monday - Hall Park – 178,450 sq. ft. = 4.10 acres – Completed
• Monday - Geopp Park – 199,430 ft. t = 4.51 - Completed
• Tuesday - Downtown – 144,031 ft. = 3.3 acres - Completed
• Wednesday - Heritage Park – 270,000 ft. t = 6.20 acres - Completed
• Thursday - Sports Complex – 313,596 ft. = 7.1 acres Completed
• Friday - Montebello Park – 274,724 ft. = 6.3 acres - Completed

• Trimmed, weeded, and cleaned up the Railroad median from Birchwood to Sunset Ave (Heritage Park LLD).
• Removed 5 dead trees in the Railroad median (Heritage Park LLD).
• Cleaned up the dumpster area in the Waterfront Plaza area.
• Sprayed and weed abated the Walters Road center median and sides.
• Rototilled and weeded the infield at Montebello Park in preparation for the Junior Giants (Montebello LLD).
• Weeded and cleaned up Bella Vista Drive from Bluejay to Walters.
• Mowed vacant lots due to fire danger along Old Railroad Ave from Blossom to the south side of Humphrey and the east side of Humphrey.
• Hydro-seeded soccer field bare areas at Heritage Park (Heritage Park LLD).
• Removed homeless camp debris from along Grizzly Island Trail. 
• Removed tree sap from the sidewalk along Harrier Drive.
• Addressed tripping hazard in front of 515 Suisun Street.
• Filled in potholes along Montebello Drive.
• Removed a hanging street sign at Hwy 12 and Sunset Ave.
• Repaired multiple broken drip tubing at City Hall (Vic C-D LLD).
• Replaced broken irrigation valve at Heritage Park (Heritage Park LLD).
• Repaired numerous irrigation leaks (Vic A LLD).
• Weeded and performed clean-up along Walters Road.
• Mowed canal tops from Hwy 12 to Pintail east side, Pintail to Emperor east side, Emperor to Bella Vista north and south side.
• Made numerous irrigation repairs and adjustments at Heritage Park.
• Completed set-up and clean-up for the Juneteenth event (Barricades and No Parking Signs).
• Removed fallen tree along Merganser Drive (Heritage Park LLD).
• Entire staff completed 8 hours of Sanitary Sewer Overflow (SSO) emergency response training.
• Repaired irrigation drip lines (Victorian Harbors A, B, C-D, E).
• Replaced broken irrigation valve in Geopp Park.
• Irrigation checks and repairs at the Sports Complex.
• Weeded and cleaned up Peterson Road from Fulmar to Walters Road (Walmart TZ#6).
• Made irrigation repairs at the North Basin turf area.
• Performed irrigation repairs at the Waterfront Plaza turf area.
• Removed graffiti at Geopp Park.
• Set out “No Parking” signs for the STA event.
• Removed graffiti on the Heritage Park play structure.
• Repaired pothole in front of 805 Emperor.
• Mowed weeds on the east side of The Walking Path (Peterson Ranch LLD).
• Removed ivy from a portion of the sound wall along Walters Road (Peterson LLD).
• Performed inspection of the RR crossing signal cabinet at Sunset and Old Railroad.
• Repaired irrigation drip lines (Victorian Harbors A & B LLDs).
• Repaired and adjusted five (5) sprinklers at the Sports Complex.
• Repaired 16 streetlights.
• Completed 62 USA requests.

• WEED ABATEMENT SCHEDULE
• Sunset Avenue — Quarterly (January, April, July, October)
• Highway 12— Quarterly (February, May, August, November)
• New Railroad Avenue — Quarterly (February, May, August, November)
• Walters Road — (March, June, September, December)
• Marina Blvd. — (March, June, September, December)
• Canal Tops – June (Based on DFW Permit restrictions)
• Canal Bottoms and Sides – August (Based on DFW Permit restrictions)
• Vacant City-Owned Lots – March & June

• HERITAGE PARK – NEW SOCCER FIELDS
• Pulled tall weeds.
• Adjusted fifteen (15) sprinklers to irrigation the hydro-seeded area.
• Replaced two (2) irrigation valves in the outside area of the park.
• Adjusted irrigation controller.
• Monitored hydro-seeded grass to ensure proper watering, moisture, and growth daily.
• Added more grass seed where needed.

Street Sweeping Schedule:

You can find a link to the street sweeping schedule on our website under Public Works at:

Recreation, Parks, Marina & Arts

Parks and Recreation Month Celebration

Save the Date! The RPM Department, as a part of the Solano Moves subcommittee, will be hosting its first-ever Parks and Recreation Month Celebration at Heritage Park on July 22^nd from 10 am-noon.  The event is designed to be a community health fair of sorts and will feature participation from the KROC Center, Solano County Public Health, Solano County Office of Education, Solano Transportation Authority, CalFresh, Innovative Health Solutions, and many more community organizations.  There will be a kid’s corner for activities, health resources, information from different organizations, a kid’s bike rodeo, and a free raffle. The intent of the event is to promote healthy eating, and movement, and to inform the community of the various resources available to encourage sustainable health. 

Solano Moves is a subcommittee of Solano County Public Health’s Education Department and includes representatives from various local agencies and community-based organizations. The RPM Department is excited to host the event and excited to be a part of partnership efforts with Solano Moves that benefit the Suisun City community.   

Juneteenth Celebration

The Juneteenth Celebration took place on Saturday, June 17^th, and Sunday, June 18^th. Hundreds of people filled the Suisun Waterfront for this two-day event hosted by Suisun City Youth Commission, R.E.A.L. Fairfield, and Tri-City NAACP Branch. The mission of the event was “to commemorate the emancipation of enslaved African Americans and promote the economic, educational, and social advancement of the Black community.” A variety of local vendors participated and provided food, merchandise, and information for the community. Entertainment included live music, dancing, community awards, spoken word, and speeches. California State Senator Bill Dodd spoke on Saturday and presented the Woman of the Year Award to Tri-City NAACP President Nikila Gibson. Event organizer David Knott was happy with the outcome of the event and reported “what a great vibe and event.” 

Joseph Nelson Community Center

We are delighted to share the news that the installation of the floors in the preschool area of the community center has been successfully completed! The process was finished on Friday, June 9^th, just in time for the commencement of our summer camp and summer preschool programs.

With the fresh new floors in place, our preschool area has received a fantastic upgrade. The smooth and clean surfaces will provide a safe and comfortable environment for the little ones to explore, play, and learn throughout the summer and in the upcoming years.

Summer Camp

We're thrilled to announce that summer camp has officially begun for the youth in our community. With the arrival of summer, we have organized an exciting and enriching program for our young participants.

We kicked off the camp at the Joseph Nelson Community Center and are delighted to have 30 enthusiastic youth join us on the first day. It's fantastic to see such a great turnout and the energy they bring to the camp.

The summer camp will span over the next eight weeks, running from 7:30 am to 6:00 pm each day. During this time, our dedicated team has planned an array of engaging activities for the participants. They can look forward to weekly field trips where they will have the opportunity to explore new places, learn about various subjects, and engage in exciting outdoor adventures.

Suisun City Junior Giants The Suisun City Junior Giants league has completed the first set of games for the Junior Giants program at the Lambrecht Sports Complex. Games were well attended by families, uniforms were distributed, and concessions were open to provide refreshments to those in attendance. Feedback from families stated they love the addition of games at Lambrecht, as it makes the games feel like a big deal to the children.  At practices, the word of the week was ‘health’, so all coaches and volunteers stressed the importance of exercise, healthy eating, and good habits to all players that participated. The Suisun City League is one of the few leagues that does not have a Junior Giants ambassador assigned to it, so a special shout out to all RPM department staff that have picked up the slack and are making the league a huge success. Our league is currently full, with 150 total participants.

Preschool

Preschool is back in action! Our summer camp started, and the children are taking advantage of the beautiful weather. We have many fun activities planned this summer starting with our Under the Sea week where the children learned about ocean animals and the teachers created an ocean animal rescue station. At the station, the children practiced using their fine motor skills to free the ocean animals from the ice block. We will also be having plenty of water play activities as the days get warmer.

Summer/Fall 2023 Playbook

Physical copies of the playbook have been mailed out to Suisun City residents, and physical copies are available at the Joseph Nelson Community Center.  The electronic version is available here:

Marina Update

At the marina, staff continue to pressure wash the docks, pilings, and dock boxes as well as checking on boats regularly. Bellingham Marine completed the dock maintenance and inspection work making necessary repairs, water hose replacement at the guest dock, and balancing the docks.

Additionally, Sean Alexander Marine assisted with salvaging a boat the week of June 5^th. The marina had a derelict boat that had been abandoned by a marina tenant. The boat was removed, detoxed, and taken to the dump for disposal. The funding for the removal of the boat will be provided by the SAVE Grant, which helps remove abandoned and surrendered derelict boats from the waterways to prevent environmental hazards and damage.

Seniors

Staff took a group of seniors to the California Museum in Sacramento. The beautiful museum had many different exhibits that kept seniors interested for hours. Their favorite exhibits included the California Hall of Fame, Chinese Californian Stories, and California Missions. Everyone had a great time, and many are hoping to return in the future.

This month, Seniors were able to enjoy bingo, the popular Soul Line Dancing classes, Ice Cream Social, tai chi, and more! Thursday, June 29^th, the current session of Bingocize ended. Juliana has been a great instructor and the participants have enjoyed the program. A new session will start in August.

June Revenue Summary

I am pleased to present the monthly report for June 2023, showcasing the notable achievements and financial performance of our Recreation Department.

• Parks and Joseph Nelson Community Center Rentals: In June we continued to witness a high level of activity with 38 rentals between the park and Community Center. These rentals generated a commendable revenue of $21,400.
• Lambrecht Sports Complex: The Sports Complex experienced a slight slowdown in June with 46 practices and only one tournament. Despite the lower number of events, we generated $6,670 in revenue.
• Program Revenues: I am thrilled to announce a significant increase in program revenues, totaling an impressive $36,542. This growth is directly attributed to the outstanding success of our annual summer camp for students in grades 1 to 6.

The combined revenues from the Parks and Joseph Nelson Community Center rentals, Lambrecht Sports Complex, programs, and the Recreation Department achieved a remarkable total of $64,612 in June highlighting the strength and the impact of the collective efforts of all of the department staff.

To view the City Manager Newsletters on our website, click here: