October 11, 2005 > Union City Council meeting

by Jeremy Inman

Councilmember Jim Navarro was not present for this meeting; all items passed with a 4:0 vote.

A brief proclamation was made proclaiming October 2005 National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Employees of the Union City Leisure Services Aquatics program were honored for their participation in the Northern California Lifeguard Games where they finished third out of over 30 teams competing in six events.

An urgency ordinance establishing a moratorium of the approval of permits for recycling facilities pending an update to the Municipal Code was continued indefinitely. The motion would require four affirmative votes from council; this vote could not be obtained because Navarro was not present and Richard Valle's affiliation with TriCED prevented him from voting on this item.

A resolution was passed awarding a contract to Zolman Construction to construct the new Union City Sports Center and entering a professional service agreement with Anchor Engineering to provide construction management. The $10.765 million contract was awarded to Zolman Construction, who bid $10.7 million as the lowest of six contractors in late August, 2005. The total cost of the sports center project is $13,847,000 to provide for construction by Zolman, fees and inspections, fixtures, furniture, and equipment, and a project contingency of 9.3 percent. The bulk of the funding will be appropriated from the city's Capital Facilities Improvement Fund, with the remainder coming from the Capital Projects Fund and the Special Parks Fund. The Sports Center is expected to be up and running by early 2007.

Police Chief Randy Ulibarri informed the council that the police department was directing radar enforcement on Union City Boulevard in response to excessive speeding in and out of the Union City and recent accidents. The Tuesday before the meeting, 21 speeders were pulled over and ticketed as well as a number of unlicensed and drunk drivers. When Mayor Green asked Chief Ulibarri if the police department had had any direct contact with the Chabot College about the recent accident involving three students from the school, Ulibarri responded that Union City detectives have, and that the police department intends to inform students that speeding is not harmless. Chief Ulibarri also noted that the Union City and Hayward Police departments would be coordinating traffic efforts going between the two cities on Union City Boulevard. He advises speeders; "Don't ask for a break."

City Manager Larry Cheeves added that because of the two recent accidents, the city will be hiring traffic consultants to assess the traffic situation on Union City Boulevard. He iterated that the road is not considered unsafe by the city, but that there "might be something to be suggested."