HAVE A QUESTION?  JUST DIAL 311!

The times they are a changin' and even the City of Sacramento is changing how it does business.  As of Wednesday, August 13, 2008, the Sacramento City "Operator" is history.  In its place is the newly reorganized and expanded services with a new name and a simplified phone number.  It is now the "Sacramento City 311."  Residents of the Sacramento can contact the City of Sacramento with questions simply by dialing 311. 

City of Sacramento 311 agents are available 7/24/365 - even holidays - to assist residents and businesses with questions regarding City services, as well as take and process requests for City services.  In addition, agents are responsible for after hours and weekend municipal emergencies - expect for Fire and Police emergencies which remain under 911.

Agents are able to do the following:

• Receive and process all calls for Code Enforcement (abandoned cars, graffiti, substandard housing, etc.);
• Receive, process and dispatch all calls for Animal Care (injured, stray, aggressive animals, etc.);
• Development Services Help Line: all calls for Development Services Department are first routed to 311 for triage;
• Street Maintenance: receive and process all calls for potholes, cracked sidewalks, lighting problems, etc.;
• Facility Maintenance: receive and process all work order requests related to repair/maintenance of City buildings;
• Citywide directory assistance and information about all things related to City services;
• Receive and process all calls requiring the response of a City crew for drains, water, solid waste, along with general inquiries; 
• Accept credit card payments for City Utility bills; and
• Much, much more.

I-5 CLOSING IN SACRAMENTO FOR MAJOR REPAIRS

Sacramento, CA - The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and Sacramento area contractor C.C. Myers have set a timeline to complete the much needed repairs on the "Boat Section" of Interstate 5 through the heart of downtown Sacramento.   The closures will take place beginning May 30 and continue on through July 15, 2008. 

It will be important for anyone commuting in and out of the downtown area or traveling north or south on Interstate 5 through Sacramento to be aware of the construction and make appropriate changes to travel and commuting plans.  Caltrans will be providing real time traffic information available at www.fixI-5.com.  The website features live traffic cameras, links to ridesharing and transit resources as well as answers to frequently asked questions. 

The good news about this project is that C.C. Myers is know for its speed and quality of construction.  So, while seven weeks is a relatively long period to inconvenience commuters, travelers, and commercial transport carriers, it is significantly shorter (nearly 1/2 the time) than originally estimated by Caltrans.  C.C. Myers is the same Sacramento firm that rebuilt the highways in Southern CA after the earthquake in 1994, rebuilt the SF Bay Bridge following the Loma Prieta earthquake and the recent reconstruction of the I-580 in Oakland after the fire and collapse of the MacArthur Maze in 2007.  All of these were done in record time with great precision and a maximum concern for safety. 

Below is a map of the area and the schedule for closures:

Caltrans and C.C. Myers are planning the following schedule for completing this massive project:

Stage 1:

Friday, May 30 at 8:00PM - All northbound lanes of I-5 closed from U.S. Highway 50/Capitol City Freeway Interchange to L Street on ramp, two lanes of I-5 will be open from L Street to Richards Blvd. (Q Street off-ramp, and I & L on-ramps will remain open from northbound I-5.)

Monday, June 9 at 5:00AM - All lanes will be open for four days.

Stage 2:

Friday, June 13 at 8:00PM - All southbound lanes of I-5 closed from Richards Blvd. to the U.S. Highway 50 except two lanes will remain open for traffic exiting at J Street.

Monday, June 23 at 5:00AM - All lanes will be open for four days.

Stage 3:

Thursday, June 26 at 8:00PM - All northbound lanes of I-5 closed from U.S. 5/Capitol City Freeway Interchange to L Street on ramp, two lanes of I-5 will be open from  L Street to Richards Blvd. (Q Street off-ramp and, I & L on-ramps will remain open from northbound I-5.)

Thursday, July 3 at 5:00AM - All lanes will be open for six days.

Stage 4:

Tuesday, July 8 at 8:00PM - All southbound lanes of I-5 closed from Richards Blvd. to the U.S. Highway 50 except two lanes will remain open for traffic exting at J Street.

Tuesday, July 15 at 5:00AM - All highway interfering work will be complete.

Please be careful out on the roadways and be particularly vigilant in constructon zones. 

WikipediA...The Free Encyclopedia That Anyone Can Edit

OK, many of us have heard of Wikipedia and maybe even gone to it to look something up.  But, what exactly is it, who invented it and when?

Wikipedia was the first "wiki" ever created for the internet.  It was created in 1995 by a computer programmer from the United States named Ward Cunningham.  Cunningham started the first "wiki" and named it the "Wiki Wiki Web".  A "wiki" is similar to a blog only anyone can add or edit the actual content unlike a blog where the blogger provides the content and the readers are limited to being able to comment on the content.

Cunningham got the name from the Hawaiian term "wiki wiki" which means quick.  He had heard the word when visiting the Islands and having a creative mind he chose the term "Wiki Wiki Web" rather than his initial idea of the Quick Web.  It's certainly cooler and with the obvious alliteration to the "world wide web" it is a better name from a marketing perspective.  Wiki can also be a "backronym" for "What I Know Is."

Wikipedia is a tool for the masses.  It is easy to use.  Anyone can add, edit, remove and change the sites content and even its structure.  Think you know something about anything that no one else knows? Put it up on Wikipedia and add it to the people's encyclopedia.  To check out the type of content you will find just take a look at the entry for Sacramento, CA and see what you think. 

Aloha and mahalo for reading this post.