Vallejo Weekly | Vol 10 | Issue 43

On The Cover:

In these photos you’re seeing the Water Facilities team remove and replace our Kathy Ellen Pump, which is used to pump water to the housing area elevated above the water treatment facility - where we cannot gravity feed to.

The pump being replaced was in service for 15 years and is being pulled to get rebuilt. Installation of a new motor and pump will take its place so customers will not see a halt in water.

This type of job doesn’t come up every day, so when it does, we make sure to give proper training opportunities to those staff members who show interest and aspirations in pursuing either the mechanical or instrumentation fields.

What better way to learn than on the job - firsthand!

commission on culture and the arts – artist highlight: Shannon o’hare - designer, fabricator, and builderObtanium works

Shannon has been designing and building fantasy buildings and contraptions since the 1980’s when he had his own prop business that supplied to the various theaters in the Bay Area. After that, he traveled around the United States building permanent buildings for the various Renaissance Fairs before settling in Texas for 14 years where he built and ran a number of haunted houses for their Renaissance Fair.

In 2006, Shannon returned to the Bay Area where he designed and built the Neverwas Haul, taken from an idea inspired by the sci-fi novel, Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson, which had characters traveling on a 3-story Victorian house on tractor treds. The Neverwas Haul has since then inspired a number of other artists in the steampunk style and has become an icon for the steampunk movement. Currently

housed in Vallejo, the Haul was on display in Las Vegas for 2 years and is now on display on Mare Island for the Mare Island Art Yard.

Since 2006, Shannon and his crew of volunteers have built over 20 art cars that have been featured in a number of online and print media as well as on television including two segments of SF Oddities, Battlebots, and Jay Leno’s Garage.

Shannon and his wife, Kathy, met while designing the Neverwas Haul, married in 2007, moved to Vallejo in 2009, and moved their art studio, Obtainium Works to Vallejo in 2012. Kathy works part time as an acupressurist and full-time as the cat herder for the studio. They have been bringing their unique art to the area through a number of venues including Burning Man, the Mad Hatter Holiday Festival and Parade, Maker Faire, Vallejo’s 2nd Friday Art Walk, and their own events – the Feast of the Tentacles, the Obtainium Cup Contraptor’s Rally, and the Haul-O-Ween Murder Mystery.

Please visit their website for information at obtainiumworks.net.

Celebrating Milestones

October 11 was a milestone day in the Water Department!

After three years of work, the largest motor/ pump combination in the water system came back in service! When its VFD (Variable Frequency Drive) failed in 2019, the Water Team had to rely on their five smaller remaining pumps at the Jameson pump station to ensure our water system continued to run and serve customers efficiently. Jameson #7 motor and pump are the most powerful in the water system. At 1,250 horsepower, it's capable of pumping 10,000 gallons per minute.

It's been a challenge, but all the hurdles to bring this huge pump back online have been met by the team: new upgraded design, compliance with regulations, the pandemic impacts, and

supply chain issues.

The Water Department is made up of multiple technical teams who are all outstanding collaborators. A complex collaboration among the Water Facilities, Water Engineering, Water Operations, and Water Procurement teams delivered this crucial result.

As a final step in the process before the motor and pump were put back into service the Water Facilities team double and triple checked every component, verifying motor rotation, seals, electrical and instrumentation connections, and communications functionality, running multiple trial-runs after-hours.

These are the complex efforts your Water Department team delivers so that your drinking water is there when you need it!

Cracking Down on Guns

During a recent proactive patrol in the wee hours of the morning, Vallejo Police Officers were searching for stolen vehicles, and located one that was stolen out of Oakland.

Officers searched the vehicle and located an AM-15 rifle with a loaded 60-round barrel

magazine, nine individual small baggies of crack cocaine, and ten individual small baggies of heroin.

Officers also discovered the driver was a convicted felon with prior conviction of robberies, possession of firearms and illegal drugs. The driver was booked into jail for various felony charges.

Lock Out, Tag Out

What you see in these pictures is the use of the Lockout/Tagout program, or LOTO.

This program is used almost daily in our industry to keep employees safe.

Lockout requires use of a lock or other lockout device to hold the energy-isolating device in a safe position to prevent machinery from becoming re-energized. Lockout also requires employees to follow an established procedure to ensure that machinery will not be reenergized until the same employee who placed the lockout device on the energy-isolating device removes it.

Employees can be seriously or fatally injured if machinery they service or maintain unexpectedly energizes, starts up, or releases stored energy. The standard applies to the control of hazardous energy when employees are involved in service or maintenance activities such as constructing, installing, setting up, adjusting, inspecting, modifying, and maintaining or servicing machines or equipment. These activities include lubricating, cleaning, or unjamming machines, and making adjustments or tool changes, where the employees may be exposed to hazardous energy.

Four Arrested in Sunday's Sideshow

On Sunday, October 22, at approximately 10 p.m., a large sideshow was initiated at the intersection of Georgia Street and Columbus Parkway with reports of shots fired. Four subjects were arrested (cited and released with misdemeanor offenses). Some of the listed charges were sideshow spectating and failure

to yield to an emergency vehicle. At least one vehicle was towed and placed on a 30 day impound.

No injuries were reported due to the sideshow.

The City of Vallejo implemented a sideshow spectator ordinance in October of 2021 in order to curb this illegal and unsafe nuisance activity. Each sideshow spectator arrested for this misdemeanor can expect a result of up to six months in jail or a $1,000 fine.

Free fall dump day

It is estimated that the City of Vallejo Maintenance Department disposes of over 150 tons of illegally dumped material each year. That’s equal to the weight of the Statue of Liberty (without the base), nine-tenths as heavy as a house, or twenty times as heavy as an elephant!

In our effort to give residents an alternative to illegal dumping, the City of Vallejo will be working in conjunction with Recology Vallejo and Caltrans to host a FREE Fall Dump Day Event on Saturday, November 12, 2022, from 7 a.m. to 12p.m. at 100 Solano Avenue in Vallejo. (Participants will need to enter from the North Side of Sonoma Boulevard.)

This FREE dump day is open to vallejo residents

only and proof of residency will be required to participate. Acceptable forms if residency include: California ID or real ID, California driver’s license, rental or lease agreement, home utility or cellular bill, vehicle registration, bank or credit card statement.

Acceptable items will include the following: Tires, Furniture, Mattresses, Refrigerators, Garbage, Yard Waste, All Appliances, E-Waste (anything with a plug) and metal objects.

Unacceptable items will include the following: Household Hazardous Waste, Chemicals, Propane Tanks, Sharps or Medical Waste and Construction and Demolition Debris.

Residents will be allowed to make multiple trips throughout the event.

Integrated Health and Resource Team (IHART) program

The Vallejo Police Department (VPD) is pleased to announce a grant award for over $300,000 from the US Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS). This grant will support developing and deploying a new Integrated Health and Resource Team (IHART) program. The program will establish a new mobile community crisis intervention team (CIT) that will address Vallejo's specific and urgent mental and behavioral health needs.

IHART mobile crisis response unit will operate 24 hours a day, 365-days a year. It will provide Vallejo residents with a specialized response team trained in trauma-informed response and mental and behavioral health support. The department expects improved outcomes by deploying a team of highly-trained individuals skilled in addressing social services-related calls, especially for those experiencing mental health- and social services-related crises. The team will also be equipped with information regarding medical and housing referrals, outpatient mental health services, substance abuse support, and much more to ensure that individuals can get connected with longer-term services to support their well-being.

Additionally, integrating this specialized unit will significantly reduce the need for VPD officers to respond to mental and behavioral health-related calls for service. Replacing

police officers with crisis workers, social workers, and medical professionals with specialized training in addressing mental health and social crises will significantly reduce the potential for escalation and remove potential triggers for individuals who are struggling. Incorporating this program in the City's emergency response toolkit will also provide VPD with increased capacity to respond to Vallejo's most urgent and violent crimes.

Since 2018, VPD has seen a 37% increase in mental health-related calls, with officers responding to 100+ mental health-related calls monthly. The department is confident that IHART will divert nearly 70% of mental healthrelated calls to the CIT once established.

"The Vallejo Police Department recognizes the need for appropriate trauma-informed response and services when it comes to taking care of our residents experiencing a mental or behavioral health crisis," said Police Chief Shawny Williams. "We are proud to work with our community partners to help reduce officer involvement for those in crisis who require unique and specialized care."

In the coming weeks, VPD will hold two public workshops to ensure IHART's policies, protocols, and priorities are community-led and informed. The workshops will be held on Wednesday, November 16, 2022, from 6 pm to 8 pm and Wednesday, December 7, 2022, from 6 pm to 8 pm in the Vallejo Room, located at 505 Santa Clara Street, Vallejo, CA 94590.

Gearing up to vote?

Statewide Election Day is Tuesday, November 8!

Every registered voter in Solano County received, and may vote, a Vote-by-Mail (VBM) ballot.

Voters may cast VBM ballots in person at the Solano County Registrar of Voters Office located in Fairfield, or in the secured VBM Ballot Box located in the lobby area of Vallejo City

Hall during regular business hours: MondayThursday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

PREFER TO VOTE IN PERSON?

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on November 8. Click here to find your polling precinct.

QUESTIONS?

Click here to contact the Solano County Registrar of Voters.

Vallejo Weekly

GVRD October Events!

Looking for something to do this month to celebrate the season?

The Greater Vallejo Recreation District (GVRD) is hosting a variety of fun-filled events for the whole family throughout the month of October. To pre-register, see the schedule of programs and events, or for more information, please visit their website at GVRD.org.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 31

NIGHTMARE ON GLENN STREET - FREE FAMILY EVENT

Children’s Wonderland 360 Glenn Street, Vallejo 5pm-7pm Music, Activities, Trick or Treat Lane, and Cosplay Costume Contest! This event is absolutely FREE and includes entrance to the park, haunted alley, bounce house and more! Cosplay Costume Contest will be held at 5pm and trick-or-treat lane to follow. Adults will not be permitted in the park without being accompanied by a child.

cityofvallejo.net

555 Santa Clara Street, Vallejo, CA 94590 Facebook.com/cityofvallejo Instagram.com/cityofvallejo

For maintenance emergencies, please call: (707) 648-5235

Photo: Walter Gutierrez