California State Assembly Candidates: Patricia Hernandez,
Jim Frazier, Gene Gantt, Len Augustine, Mike Hudson and Charles Kingeter will
answer questions by Moderator, Eddie Woodruff, former Mayor
of Rio Vista, on Wednesday April 18, 2012 —at Discover the Delta Foundation’s Delta Farmer’s

Market at the corner of Hwy 12 and Hwy 160 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Beginning at 5:30 p.m, for just $10, a
tri-tip sandwich with salad and a beverage may be purchased . Wine will also be on sale. From 6– 7 p.m. the candidates will be asked to answer the same series of questions.

These questions will be written by Rio Vista citizens and asked by moderator, Eddie Woodruff.

From 7 to 7:30 p.m. attendees have the opportunity
to visit informally with the candidates.On April 25th, from
5:30—7 p.m, the candidates for Solano County Supervisor District 5, Mike Reagan and Skip
Thompson, will face off at D.H. White Elementary School, 500 Elm
Street, Rio Vista. The moderator for this Meet
the Candidates evening is TBD. Questions will be
asked of the candidates 5:30-6:30 p.m. and attendees
have the opportunity to visit informally
with the candidates from 6:30-7p.m.

The newest patrons of the Rio Vista library meet every Wednesday at 10:30 am.
As they arrive, and take their place on bright blue colored rug s, they first turn their
attention to a large and enticing box of toys. Inside they find toy animals of ev ery
kind, vehicles, dolls and lots of interesting curiosities which make strange sounds.
It is called Story Time and it open to the little one from babies to children up to 6
years old. Their parents, grandparents or caregivers come along to enjoy w atching
the children take those early steps toward understanding that r eading is fun.
Some of the children are regulars and greet one another with hugs or by wrestling
themselves to the floor and rolling around to say hello. Some of the children stick
close to their parent and watch intently. The program, headed by Nanett Overholt,
combines reading books and playing games and music for the children to follow
along with. At the appropriate time, the kids will make animal noises, clap , play
peekaboo, hold hands and circle the room and practice taking directions. Overholt
uses hand puppets and other aids to keep the kids focused on the story. All of this
serves as good practice for the discipline necessary for starting school. The children
also hear new words, begin to understand their meaning and use these words in their daily life. Other benefits are thought to to include healt hy social and emotional
development and an enhanced imagination.

Our City is on the move. Under the direction of our Public Works Director David Melilli our City is replacing some of the aging water and sewer pipes in the down town area.

This is being done with funds collected for this purpose by the current water and sewer rates. Sufficient money has been collected to accelerate the projects, and do the work at a reduced cost because of the downturn in the economy

Some residents have questioned why contingency funds are added to a construction budget. The purpose is to fund extra work that sometimes becomes necessary when something unforeseen is found during the construction that is not covered by the bid award. If a Change Order to the contract is necessary, the City Manager can approve up to $5,000 without City Council approval. Any Change Order greater than $5,000 again requires City Council approval even though a sufficient contingency fund was approved at the time of the bid award. In some cases, the City Council may seek three new bids to do the work.
A recent example: during a pipe construction project a sewer pipe and a storm water pipe were found adjacent to a water pipe, rather than the water pipe being separated from the other two by three to four feet as required by the Department of Public Health. The extra work required to remedy the problem was not covered by the scope of the contract. Fortunately because contingency money was in the budget we were able to repair the problem without either delaying the project significantly or borrowing money.

Trilogy Residents will be hosting the Rio Vista High School Golf Team for 9 holes
of Golf followed by dinner on April 25, 2011.

This event is made possible by the generosity of Lira’ s Supermarket, which is supplying
the food, The Nine’s Restaurant, which is supplying the preparation and food
service and the Rio Vista Senior Men’s Golf Club, which is supplying gift certifi -
cates for the student-athletes.

The sign up sheet is in the golf room at the Trilogy Golf Club.

Contact info:
Douglas Littrell (707 374-3291)
Email: dlittrell1@yahoo.com

Spaghetti Feed and Bake sale

Rio Vista Fire Station (350 Main st)
Friday April 27, 2012
5pm-8pm
Dine in or Drive thru

Proceeds benefit Movie in the Park

Hosted by the Rio Vista Reserve Firefighter Association

Research shows that simply training servers and
sellers is not enough to create long-term
change; a successful RBS program must be
rooted in the community.

The training program is tailored to the community’s
concerns:off-sale (stores), on-sale (bars, restaurants), or special
events (fairs, festivals).
If you are a business, service club, restaurant
owner, or a member ofany other group who
plan on, or already serve or sell alcohol,
this training is for you!

The City of Rio Vista ATOD Coalition is offering
this useful, and in some cases, required,
training at NO COSTto you! Successful completion of the class
provides RBS certification valid for 2 years.
Funding for this program is provided by the
Solano County Board of Supervisors and the Reducing Rates
Coalition to the Rio Vista ATOD Collaborative.

If you are interested in participating in this
class, call Beth Roberts at 707-374-6451, ext.
106, to signup. Sign up deadline is Thursday, April 12.

Here are your basic choices:

Cash out your plan. If you cash out your plan, your company will likely pay you 80% of your account value, withholding the rest for federal taxes. And if you’re younger than age 59½, you may well be slapped with a 10% IRS tax penalty. Even worse, you’ll have lost a key source of your retirement income. Still, if you are leaving your employer involuntarily, and you need the money, cashing out your 401(k) is an option you may need to consider.

Keep the money in your company’s plan. When you leave a company, your employer may allow you to keep your money in your existing 401(k). You may want to choose this route if you like the investment choices available in your plan. However, you might be caught by surprise if the company decides to change investment options. Furthermore, some employers may charge former employees fees to maintain their 401(k) plans.

Move the money into your new employer’s plan. If your new employer has a 401(k) and allows transfers, you could roll the money from your old plan into the new one. This might be an attractive option if you like the investment options in your new employer’s plan.

Roll the money over to an IRA. You may find several advantages to rolling your 401(k) over to an Individual Retirement Account (IRA). First, your money will still have the potential to grow on a tax-deferred basis. Second, you can invest your funds in virtually any investmentyou choose — stocks, bonds, governmentsecurities, certificates of deposit (CDs), etc. Third, if you own more than one 401(k) account, you could find it advantageous to consolidate them into a single IRA, thereby making it easier to allocate and monitor your retirement assets. And fourth, IRAs may give you greater flexibility if you plan to pass money to your children. In fact, if your child inherits your IRA, he or she has the option of stretching withdrawals over the child’s entire lifetime, rather than taking the money as a lump sum. (If you do transfer funds from your old 401(k) to an IRA, be sure to use a “direct rollover” to avoid the possibility of triggering unwanted taxes.)

Before making any moves with your 401(k), consult with your tax and financial advisors. By looking closely at your options, and by getting professional guidance, you can make the choice that’s right for you.

This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward

Help cancer society save lives by reducing your own risk.

The American Cancer Society is a nationwide, community-based health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem. They want to prevent cancer, save lives and diminish suffering from cancer.

Their goals, by 2015, are to reduce cancer mortality by 50 percent, to reduce the incidence of cancer by 25 percent, and to improve the quality of life for cancer patients. How can you help the organization reach its goals and save lives, including your own? Think about this:
* You could help reduce cases of skin cancer. It’s not that difficult for you as an individual, but if many people stay out of the midday sun, cover exposed areas of the skin when outdoors and wear plenty of sunscreen, skin cancer can be avoided. Protecting children, who are outdoors more than adults, is especially important. Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer.
* Believe the facts about smoking and lung cancer. It’s the leading cause of death from cancer in both men and women. In order to quit, you have to do more than read statistics. You need to make a personal commitment. Over-the-counter nicotine replacement products and prescription medications can help you start, but it takes great dedication to quit for a lifetime. You can do it.

* Your anti-cancer lifestyle is much the same as that recommended for a healthy heart and avoidance of other diseases. You’ll get a big bang for your buck if you decide to eat a healthy diet, avoid weight gain (or lose weight if you should) and get some exercise on most days of the week. Adopting a healthy lifestyle can’t be done instantly, but if you steadily work toward it, you can save your own life. Think about it every day and make a plan.

* Take early detection seriously. Many cancers are curable if found early, including cancer of the colon, prostate, cervix and breast. Ask your doctor for a screening schedule.

Council Hires Interim City Manger
Roger Wong is the new interim city manager for Rio Vista. The City Council hired him during the City Council meeting held April 5, 2012. Mr. Wong’s first official day in that position will be Monday, April 9. He will have all powers and will perform all functions and duties of the city manager. The City Council continues to undergo a search for a permanent city manager.

Old Sewer Plant and Swale Sale Pending

A decision to give the swale known as Marks Channel to the Trilogy’s Master Homeowners Association (HOA) and to sell the old sewer plant will be made at a later date. After thorough discussion during the City Council meeting, the Council decided to wait until the sewer plant is decommissioned before entering into a sale agreement for the old sewer plant located in the Trilogy development. The proposed sale and transfer of land agreement would have included the sale of 35,000 square feet of land, with an approximate 3,500 square foot building, and the drainage swale in exchange for an amount to cover the decommissioning costs. The theory behind transferring the swale to the Trilogy HOA is to release the city from having to provide maintenance to the swale.
According to the staff report, the estimated cost to decommission the Trilogy Wastewater Treatment Plant is $96,677, which includes $10,738 for design, engineering, and preparation of bids and specifications. The city has entered into a contract with Dover Company Inc. to decommission the plant for an amount of $74,439 plus a 10% contingency. However, during the Council meeting, it was suggested that the total amount of cost associated with the decommission process could exceed the contracted amount due to the complicated nature of the process. The cost of the process could be raised if the State imposes mandates on the methods to be used to ensure that there is zero contamination.

The Trilogy Master Association has agreed to pay $83,000 for the plant with the swale to be added in as part of the deal. It is Trilogy’s intent to use the plant as a maintenance facility. Several Trilogy residents addressed the City and spoke in opposition of the sale of property. The matter will come before the Council after the plant decommission is complete. According to the public works director and the city engineer, the process could take up to 90 days.
Snag in Sewer Pipeline Replacement

Due to existing waterlines obstructing the new waterline alignment on Front and Logan Streets, Knife River Construction will need an additional $28,668.33 to realign and repair the waterline. The Council approved the additional funds. In 2011 Knife River Construction Inc. was awarded the contract to complete the water and sewer pipeline replacement project in an amount not to exceed $1,021,797, with an $80,000 contingency. The $28,668.33 is within that contingency. Public Works Director Dave Melilli reported that the pipeline replacement project is near completion.

Did You Know?
Rio Vista now has a Slow Food Chapter. What is Slow Food? Slow food is a global, grassroots movement with thousands of members in over 150 countries, which links the pleasure of food with a commitment to community and the environment. The Slow Food Rio Vista Chapter is tasked with highlighting the integral role food grown in Rio Vista plays in the food chain. Many are unaware that endive is grown in Rio Vista and no other place in the United States. Nor to people know that lamb, goat and cattle raised in Rio Vista is sold throughout California. Food grown in the Delta also is shipped to and sold in other regions. Slow Food Rio Vista will host a Healthy Food Festival on Main Street by the waterfront Saturday, June 2, 2012 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Food grown in Rio Vista and throughout the Delta will be showcased through cooking demonstrations put on by gourmet chefs. This will be a ticketed event. More information about this important and fun event will be shared in the coming weeks. To find out how you can join the Slow Food movement, please contact me or go online to www.slowfoodusa.org. In the meantime, save the date!

Other Information
Car burglaries have been on the rise in recent weeks according to the Rio Vista Police Department. Chief Bowman encourages us to please remember to lock our cars. Our officers continue to serve and protect us as they patrol our streets and respond to incidences.
Officer Lisa McDowell gave me a first-hand account on what takes place while on patrol. She invited me to participate in a ride-along Friday, March 30. For several hours as she patrolled the city, she explained to me the various types of challenges officers face in dealing with the public while patrolling our streets and responding to calls. During the ride-along, I was able to witness what takes place when she receives a call to respond. Aside from me experiencing an acute adrenaline rush each time she responded, I learned how what types of problems exist in our city, and how the police continue to find constructive, strategic ways to deal with the societal problem of crime. Officer McDowell is one of Rio Vista’s finest. She is committed to our community. In her spare time, Officer McDowell heads up the Youth Services organization. She wants to help build a skate park in our city and provide other activities for our youth. Thank you, Office McDowell, for your dedication and service, and for giving me an opportunity to learn more about you and our community.

Your comments are always welcomed at www.JanithNorman.com. Send emails to Janith@JanithNorman.com or call 374-6451. Stop by city hall on Tuesdays between 1:30 and 3:30 to chat. I am also available by appointment.

Wednesday, April 11, 2012 at 6 p.m.
City Council Chambers
One Main Street
Rio Vista, California 94571

The regular meeting of the Planning Commission on Wednesday, April 11, 2012, will not be held.
The next meeting will be scheduled for Wednesday, May 9th, 2012
Questions about this agenda – call the City Clerk’s Office at 707/374-2131.
General notes: Meeting facilities are accessible to persons with disabilities. By request, alternative agenda document formats are available to persons with disabilities. To arrange for alternative agenda document format or to arrange aid or services to modify or accommodate persons with a disability to participate in a public meeting contact the City Clerk by calling 707/374-6451.
The City does not transcribe its proceedings. Anyone who desires a verbatim record of this meeting should arrange for attendance by a court reporter or for other acceptable means of recordation. Such arrangements will be at the sole expense of the individual requesting the recordation.
State of California, County of Solano, City of Rio Vista

DECLARATION OF POSTING
I, Judi Craner, declare under penalty of perjury that I am an Administrative Assistant for the City of Rio Vista, and that a copy of this agenda was posted on the bulletin board in front of City Hall on April 4, 2012 at or before 5:00 p.m.
______________
Judy Craner