January 26, 2023

Employee of the Quarter

Neighborhood Services Manager Jennifer Rhyne was honored as Employee of the Quarter this week. Jennifer was nominated for her incredible work ethic and production in garnering grant resources for projects like Harmony Homes and the Access Center. Jennifer is always ready with an answer to address public and council inquiries. Lodi is fortunate to have this dedicated public servant!

Lodi Community Development Department, Neighborhood Services Division awarded $1,048,050 as part of their request to Representative McNerney FY2023 Community Project Funding (CPF)

Each year, the United States Congress considers and enacts annual appropriations bills that provide the federal government with the funding it needs to operate. These appropriations bills fund numerous activities, including general government operations, medical research, and national defense. The Fiscal Year 2023 appropriations process will permit Congress to fund specific projects in the form of Community Project Funding. Under current rules, the entity must be a state or local unit of government or a nonprofit organization. Members of Congress were only able to submit a total of fifteen CPF requests to the House Appropriations Committee for consideration in Fiscal Year 2023. Unfortunately, this limitation meant that our representative's office received more eligible and worthy requests for funding than they were able to support. Staff submitted the application on April 20, 2022, for the Lodi Access Center and Emergency Shelter project, and thankfully was one of the 15 submissions selected by Congressman McNerney’s office for a CPF appropriation request and was awarded on January 23, 2023, through the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2023. Staff are extremely thankful for the support being received on a local (County/City), State, and Federal level to help this project come to fruition. 

Welcome Officer Duron

The Lodi Police Department is pleased to announce that Officer Duron successfully completed the field training program today. He will be assigned as a solo patrol officer. Please join us in congratulating Officer Duron.

Kofu Skate Park

The Parks maintenance staff have completed the repairs to the lights at the Kofu Skate Park and it will now remain open until 8:30 pm each night. Skaters enjoyed the first night of skating on Monday night!

Biobot Analytics at White Slough

At the request of San Joaquin County Public Health Services, White Slough Water Pollution Control Facility staff will be assisting in collecting samples of the City’s wastewater to determine the presence of COVID-19 within the community. This testing method, performed by Biobot Analytics, is becoming more common in tracking the viral load in cities up and down the Central Valley and can provide real-time information related to oncoming surges and emerging variants. The County is considering future testing possibilities associated with wastewater surveillance efforts to test for opioids, as well as other viruses such as rotavirus, norovirus, and influenza.

Organics Workshop

Waste Management will be holding an Organics Workshop on Saturday, January 28 from 9 am-noon at the Lodi Boys and Girls Club. Learn more about organics and help keep Lodi green! Participants will each receive a free kitchen pail and tips on sorting food scraps.

Parks Reopened

Thank you to our amazing Parks maintenance staff who have worked tirelessly to restore our parks after the storm.

The following park facilities are currently reopened:

• Borchardt Park

• Candy Cane Park

• Century Park

• Century Meadows Park

• DeBendetti Park

• English Oaks Park

• Grape Bowl – (Rentals ONLY)

• Hutchins Street Square

• Kofu Skate Park

• Bob Johnson Park

• Lodi Lake Park – (Nature Area CLOSED due to fallen trees)

• Reynolds Ranch / Orchard Lane Park

• Rose Gate Park

• Roget Park

• Van Buskirk Park

Park Restrooms open:

• Beckman Park

• Blakely Park

• Emerson Park

• Hale Park

• Katzakian Park

• Lodi Lake Park – (North and South)

• Peterson Park

• Salas Park

• Villa Fiore Park

Another Grateful Resident Expresses Thanks for City Crews During Storm

We cannot thank our staff enough for the amazing work they did during the storms to keep our community safe and the power on.

Thank you to Barbara Z. for her recent letter thanking our staff. She expressed how she saw firsthand our staff working quickly and efficiently to restore any power that was lost, mitigating localized flooding, and even repairing the street light that was out on her street. It is always appreciated to get these letters from citizens who see our crews out working hard for the City and our residents.