City manager reports infrastructure work, police drone grant and rising water demand

At the start of its Aug. 4 meeting, Newberg’s city manager delivered a monthly report summarizing July operational activity and upcoming work. The report said Keller Associates will conduct smoke testing to identify cross‑connections between the sanitary sewer and storm systems; staff will notify residents in advance so smoke is not confused with an actual hazard. Street work completed in July includes crack sealing on Mountain View, South Center and adjacent blocks and grinding/inlay repairs on East Fulton; slurry sealing is scheduled for Third Street and Howard in August. Staff reported surfacing objectives were met and the program came in under budget. The city said it was awarded $225,000 to outfit two patrol pickup trucks as enhanced drone vehicles for patrol use; the funds will buy equipment and extend operational capabilities, allowing faster launch and deployment. National Night Out was scheduled for Aug. 5 at Memorial Park, where the mayor and police chief planned to serve hot dogs. Records and finance work included reorganization of records for scanning, work on an email retention policy and efforts to support electronic court modernization—e‑convictions to DMV, online payments and e‑docketing—with red‑light camera testing ongoing. The library reported high attendance for an interpreted story time and summer reading activities; the teen services club supported registrations and crafts. Public‑works updates noted that average daily water demand was about 12% higher than the previous five‑year average during a long, dry summer and that the system exceeded 4 megagallons per day on several days; staff said maximum production capacity is about 5.5 megagallons per day. The report also described clarifier and hypochlorite system repairs, backflow testing and other routine maintenance.