Dear Friends and District Five Residents:
This is the July Newsletter with some general information on economic development, infrastructure updates, and more.
I encourage you to stay connected by following me on Facebook @MayorBarajas or Instagram @MayorBarajas or sign up for my monthly newsletter below!
I hope you enjoy this e-newsletter. Please reach out to me if I may be of assistance.
Sincerely,
Chris Barajas
Mayor
COMMUNITY developmenT
COUNCIL ACTIONS (PUBLIC SAFETY/QUALITY OF LIFE)
We received a presentation and full reporting of our first Fiscal Year City Work Plan. This is a direct result of your Council's dedication to transparency, accessibility, and strategic planning by continuing to transition away from contractors. The Work Plan will serve as a performance measurement and accountability for the public, staff, and council. It will communicate priorities for the upcoming year and demonstrate commitment to continous improvement. You can see the Work Plan here: https://www.jurupavalley.org/.../Vie.../Agenda/_07072022-500
We approved our agreement with the Flock Group. As I've been sharing for almost a year, the Council has been looking at additional tools for our Sheriff's to deter and/or mitigate crime in our City. After much review and analysis, including our partnership with our Sheriff's Dept and their valuable input, we will be installing 20 cameras across our City. You can learn more about Flock here: https://www.flocksafety.com/
We approved the transition of the Traffic Safety Committee into the Public Works Advisory Committee. Traffic Safety will still be an area in their purview and you can submit any traffic related concerns to the body via our City website. They will now have expanded purview to include landscaping, streetlights, and much more that impact quality of life.
We approved an agreement with the County to fund an Emergency Management Coordinator to replace some key personnel that was separated from Fire Protection. This was a key position and as a Council, agreed that we couldn't do without. This is an additional $80k a year.
CALIFORNIA AIR RESOURCES BOARD
I had the opportunity to tour the new California Air Resources Board (CARB) facility in Riverside today with my good friend Ben Benoit and others. The work being done at the facility is invaluable. We're exploring potential green or bioscience projects in Jurupa Valley. More to come... #jurupavalley
INLAND EMPIRE TRADE TECH CENTER
Thank you Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes for your continued advocacy on behalf of our residents! This proposed project has been a grand vision for over a year and this vital funding that you secured will help bring it to fruition.
We are now beginning to hold stakeholder meetings with business, labor, public officials, and our youth regarding the IETTC. Many of our very own JUSD Youth were able to participate in a focus group to share their thoughts on what the proposed Inland Empire Technical Trade Center in Jurupa Valley should include to meet the workforce needs of the future!
infrastructure
Ever wondered which roads have been repaired and which ones are scheduled for repair in our City? You can view all that information at the following link:
Each year, during our public budget hearings we review available funds and approve the next set of projects on our CIP list.
Some current projects to note that have received funding are:
Pacific Avenue Street Improvements
The project proposed to reconstruct/widen the existing AC pavement, add continuous curb, gutter, and sidewalk along both sides of the street, and install pavement markings and signage to provide for Class III bicycle facilities.
Construction Award Date: November 18, 2021
Awarded Contractor: Hardy and Harper, Inc.
Award Amount: $565,000
Anticipated Construction Schedule: January 2022
- Limonite between Felspar and Pedley
- Traffic Signal light at Jurupa and Pedley
- Mission phase 2 between Bellegrave and Pyrite
- Van Buren Widening between the Bridge and Limonite
Mission Bridge Replacement
The County of Riverside, in cooperation with the Cities of Riverside and Jurupa Valley, proposes to replace the existing Mission Boulevard Bridge over the Santa Ana River. The proposed project will accommodate two 12-foot lanes, two 14-foot lanes, two 8-foot shoulders, and a 4-foot median. A 12- foot multipurpose trail with barrier separation from vehicular traffic will be located along the south side of the bridge in lieu of standard sidewalks on each side.
The new bridge will be approximately 88 feet wide and 1,100 feet long. The replacement bridge profile will be raised slightly to accommodate current standards for the roadway design. At mid-span, the profile will be approximately 4 to 6 feet higher than the existing bridge. Learn more about the project.
Market Bridge Replacement
The County of Riverside, in cooperation with the Cities of Riverside and Jurupa Valley, proposes to replace the existing Market Street Bridge over the Santa Ana River. A new 4-lane bridge will be provided to enhance public safety and traffic circulation in the area. The work will include reconstructing approach roadways, providing necessary channel improvements, and a multi-purpose trail connecting to the existing and proposed regional trails. The new bridge will be approximately 88 feet wide and 1,200 feet long. Learn more about the project.
Visit the link above for a full list of projects. I've asked staff to work on creating a more user friendly map by introducing interactivity through a GIS map instead of a flat file. More to come.
JURUPA ROAD GRADE SEPARATION UPDATE:
SUBSCRIBE: WEEKLY UPDATES
http://www.JurupaGradeSeparation.com
TRAFFIC CONTROL:
August 8-12
Monday - Friday
6 a.m - 4 p.m.
NB and SB Felspar St. from north of Jurupa Rd. to Galena St.
Expect traffic flagging.
BUSINESS ACCESS REMAINS OPEN
>Use Van Buren Blvd. to Rutile St.to Galena St. to Felspar St.
>or Van Buren Blvd. to Pedley Rd. to Jurupa Rd.-->
RESOURCES
council business/community news
Jurupa Area Recreation and Park District Board and staff did an amazing job with their Independence Day Celebration! The City of Jurupa Valley is a proud sponsor and partner of the event.
It was great to see everyone back in person with their friends and family enjoying a safe and fun evening that ended with a spectacular firework show!
My family and I wish you all a safe and happy Independence Day. Please celebrate responsibly.
As a reminder, fireworks are illegal in most of Riverside County, Jurupa Valley included. Professional shows, such as the one held last night, are planned with CalFire, RSO, and others to ensure a safe event for our residents. You can report illegal fireworks here:
What a great turnout at today's Adventure Garden Cleanup! Thank you to @weare_reachout , Healthy Jurupa Valley , and all the volunteers for creating and maintaining this interactive open space.
If you're interested in helping with community cleanups you can learn more here: https://www.jurupavalley.org/491/Community-Cleanup-Day
We had a great time at Concert in the Park hosted by Jurupa Area Recreation and Park District ! My daughters enjoyed hanging out with their grandma (my mom), aka Mrs. Chavez to many at Troth Elementary
There are a few more Concerts in the Park scheduled for this month. Check out the info on the attached flyers or at jarpd.org Hope to see you there!
I would like to thank outgoing Jurupa Valley Chamber Board Members Pat Bergh, Jose Campos and Evon Berghamer for their numerous years of service to our community! Congratulations to Jurupa District Lions Club #2659 for being awarded Organization of the Year and Jurupa Area Recreation and Park District for People's Choice Award ! JD's Steakhouse was awarded Community Spirit, JUSD teacher Anthony Gomez a awarded the President's Award, and last, but definitely not least, JUSD student Erika Guardamondo was awarded the Young Achiever Award!
I had the pleasure of installing the incoming Jurupa Valley Chamber Directors and look forward to working closely with them to bring our business community closer together. #jurupavalley
City Staff and I had a call with DTSC to discuss the City's demands to remove the hazardous materials from the Exide site being stored at Stringfellow. It was a productive meeting and all parties agreed to work towards solutions. The City's position on the solution continues to be the removal of the containers from the #Stringfellow site in Jurupa Valley.
Attached is the letter we received from DTSC. We will continue to work with all parties until the containers are removed from Jurupa Valley as soon as possible.
STRINGFELLOW UPDATE: The hazardous material from Exide will be removed from Stringfellow by the end of the year. See attached letter.
It was great to see residents, especially our youth, come out and enjoy ice cream with a Cop. Thank you to Jurupa Valley Sheriff's Station for hosting events like Coffee with a Cop and today's Ice Cream with a Cop that help strengthen our community! #jurupavalley
Had a great time at Norco's Day of the Cowboy Rodeo with family and friends. Thank you to my good friend Norco Councilmember Kevin Bash and City of Norco for the invite. I had the opportunity to participate in the chip tossing contest alongside my friend, Mayor of Corona, Wes Speake. All in all a great night! I had a chance to speak with my friend Norco Councilmember Ted Hoffman and others about the return of the Jurupa Valley Pro Rodeo.....much more to come! #jurupavalley
Thanks again to Jurupa Unified School District! AYSO AREA 1R was able to train hundreds of volunteers so thousands of our youth can enjoy a great Fall Season across Riverside County! We kept our lunch local and want to thank our local Graziano and Waba Grill for the quick turnaround on feeding close to 200 people each. #community #smallbusiness #jurupavalley #ayşo
