Pinole for Fair

IVETTE RICCO’S WISH

I would develop a Task Force and develop a grant program for our small business community.

 

TAMMY CAMPBELL’S WISH

I agree with Ivette. We should invest $500K into our business community. Our small businesses need our help more than ever. Without these businesses providing job opportunities and generating taxes to support our city, we will not be able to afford our city’s safety services, our public works, our senior center, services for our youth, etc. We need to be prudent with our dollars now more than ever.

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FRANKE MARTINEZ’S WISH

Pinole Fire – How I would spend $500K

     While the intentions and goals to maintain and support our Fire Safety Services may be well meant, now is time for the City Council of Pinole to expand our Fire Safety to bring it to OSHA’s National Standards.

     As we have seen over the past couple of weeks Fire’s have ravaged our surrounding communities while we remain in a fire hazard zone.  Many years of neglect from the Pinole City Council have left our Fire services greatly crippled.  This is occurring while the businesses in Pinole who provide our Sales tax revenue have been shuttered due to Shelter in Place orders that currently have no end date in sight. While we do not have a precise understanding of how Covid-19 will impact our budget we can expect that the City of Pinole’s revenues will likely plummet while its expenses are likely to skyrocket, so earmarking precious dollars is more urgent now.

OSHA Fire Safety National Standard:

     In firefighting, the policy of two-in, two-out refers to United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) policy 29 CFR 1910.134(g)(4)(i)[1] that mandates that firefighters never go into a dangerous situation in a fire or rescue incident alone, and that there be two firefighters outside the hazard area to initiate a rescue of the firefighters inside, should they become in trouble, during the initial stages of the incident where only one crew is operating in the hazard area. Once a second crew is assigned or operating in the hazard area, the incident is no longer considered in the initial stages and a dedicated firefighter assist and search team or rapid intervention crew is required

Station 73 Staffing (Old Town fire station):

     City Council is responsible approving our City budget we would like to see Station 73 “Old Town” staffed to four (4) men/women per truck as we only have one truck in service in Pinole.   This truck should be staffed to OSHA standards immediately. 

Station 74 (Valley Fire Station):

     We are asking our City Council Leadership team to develop a concise plan to finally re-open Station 74 with a plan for ongoing budget to keep it maintained to OSHA standards as well.  Leaving station 74 closed for over 10 years is not only reckless but downright dangerous during this fire season.

Sincerely,
Franke Martinez
Pinole Resident – Old Town

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DAVE RUPORT’S WISH

TO:   Andrew Murray and the Honorable May Roy Swearingen, councilmembers Martinez-Rubin, Murray Tave and Salimi:
RE:   Comments  made at the  8/18/20 city council  regarding  local “cooling stations” near Pinole 

 

Dear City Manager, mayor and council members: 

 

Thank you for informing the general public of the nearest public “cooling centers”  where  they can go to if they cannot find relief from the current heat wave that the bay area has been suffering from for the past few weeks.  These locations are in Richmond and Martinez.

 

In past years, the Pinole Senior Citizen’s Center (PSCC) has served this function when needed.  Due to Covid -19 aka the Corona Virus,  PSCC   has been closed for several months due to  general public health concerns.   At this point In time, the city has not announced when this building will be opened. Although informative, I feel that your suggestion is not a viable option for Pinoleans for the following reasons:

 

1. It is too far for the public to drive to either location.  The average round trip would take nearly an hour depending upon traffic.

2. These 2 locations have very low capacity and cannot meet the needs of their own citizens should   there be a prolonged heat wave which seems to be the norm for the past few years.

3. Besides the current pandemic and heat issues, the public is suffering from pandemic fires. This disaster has generated other health/logistic problems which limit whether the  general public should be traveling long distances.

4. Putting more vehicles on the road to get to a cooling shelter compounds the already dire traffic  and pollution problems that we are currently suffering.

 

Having said this, I would like you to focus on an old American adage that was often used by former U.S. President Harry S. Truman,   “The Buck Stops Here”;   not in Richmond, not in Martinez;   but in Pinole.    Given the fact that our city has performed the function of providing a “cooling center” in the past,  we should not shirk this obligation when the need to provide this service appears to be great. 

 

Surely money cannot be the reason. Our city leaders have assured us that we are flush with money and  they are willing to spend lots of our general fund money on non essential public amenities.   If so why  can’t these funds be used to keep the general public safe/comfortable during our  multi pandemic health/fire/heat  crisis?   Health reasons do not seem to be the reason why PSCC cannot be used as a “cooling  center”.  The other  two  sites  have figured out a way to diminish any reasonable health risks to  the public.   Maybe you just never thought about this issue before?  I could speculate about many other   reasons  but it seems prudent that you tell the general public and myself what your thoughts are on this matter.   “Cooling Centers” and other basic public needs during   pandemic events   will be recurring   problems  in Pinole.   Better to deal with these issues now than to “kick the can” down the road or push them on to other communities who have their own unique problems.

 

Always willing to talk to someone  who wants to discuss this matter.

 

Sincerely,

David O. Ruport Jr., a private Pinole citizen

 

P.S.  Kudos   to   councilmember  Vincent  Salimi.   On 8/18/2020 at city council, he brought up the issue of   providing   food resources to the needy in Pinole.   We have an idle kitchen at the PSCC and a potential distribution location that could be put to good use if someone in the city takes the time to think it out