02/10/2023 City Manager’s Update

City Manager's Update (pdf)  click to view full Update
February 10, 2023

Greetings, all. The utility newsletter that used to be included in with the utility bills is coming back by popular demand, which means the Friday Update will no longer be weekly. The bilingual utility insert will help reach those who are not English readers or on social media and is part of a multi-pronged approach to reach different community groups.

I’ll prepare this newsletter the 2^nd & 4^th Fridays of the month and then prepare the utility newsletter the 3^rd week in time for envelop stuffing. As always, if you have an item of community interest that you would like to include in the Friday Update, please email me at Kathleen.trepa@cityofwinters.org by Thursday evening.  I’ll cull items for the monthly newsletter. Any thoughts on what we should name the monthly newsletter?

Don’t Miss Out!

• Tomorrow, Saturday, February 11 the Yolo County Fair Museum will be open from 10 – 1 p.m. About a dozen regional historical groups worked together to create the exhibit that highlights people and events that have shaped Yolo County through the generations. Enter through Gum Avenue; admission is free. The museum will be open the 2^nd Saturday of every month.
• There is a joint Planning Commission – City Council meeting on Thursday, March 2, from 6 – 9 p.m. at the Public Safety Facility’s Community Room. This is intended to be a community workshop to discuss various policy options and recommendations for the Downtown Visioning Project. The focus has been on outdoor dining and gathering, Main Street closure schedule, parking, trash management and a few other items sprinkled in, like the Community Center. Please attend if you have opinions on how we live, work, and play downtown. This is an in-person meeting only.
• Winters HealthCare and UC Davis are hosting a cancer prevention health care fair at City Park on Saturday, March 11. A number of health care and community partners will be onsite to share information and resources. A reminder that regular preventative wellness screenings can help catch cancer early!
• Wednesday, March 22 is Council goal setting in the downstairs conference room of City Hall, Abbey Street entrance, from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. This is a public meeting to establish project priorities. The date was changed from February 18 – our apologies for any confusion.
• Fourth Friday is back, along with programming on Main Street by the Downtown Business Association (DBA). This year’s Spring Festival is Friday, March 24 (Main Street will be closed from Main – First Street); Saturday, March 25 (Main Street will be closed from Second – Elliot, including the intersection for a craft show); and Sunday, March 26. Please note the approved road closures. More information will follow.
• Youth Day is on!! Saturday, April 29 is the parade and festivities in City Park. The famous duck dump into Putah Creek is Friday. Buy a duck and help support this much beloved tradition, now in its 85^th

Please Note:

• The City Council approved the seasonal closure for Main Street from Railroad to the mid-block crossing, beginning on Friday, March 24 – Sunday October 29, 2023. The weekend schedule has changed, however, so that Main Street will open around 10:30 a.m. on Sundays.
• Three Oak Parks entered its 90-day maintenance period on December 13. If the developer continues to meet maintenance standards, the park will open around March 14! Watch for more information for a grand opening celebration in April!!
• Next week we’ll open a recruitment for lifeguards and a pool manager! Please encourage any students who want a great summer job to apply ($18-$25 / hour) depending on position and qualifications. The City will offer lifeguard credentialing over 4 Sundays, beginning March 12, 8:30 – 5 p.m. We are looking for a qualified adult pool manager! Please help us make this upcoming season a success!
• We need commissioners! For Planning, Climate Action and Senior Commissions. If you’re interested in learning more about local governance and feel passionate about land use, climate change, natural resources or senior community programming, please click here.
• Girl Scout cookies are coming to a location near you! Please visit Winters Collective and Arco (2/24 and 2/25), Steady Eddy’s and Arco (3/4), Arco (3/5), Steady Eddy’s (3/11) and Winters Collective (3/17). Times vary so visit often! And you’ll be sure to find booths staffed by young entrepreneurs.
• Pool Update: we continue to wait on the permit from County Health to replace the heater, which we hope to have next week (everyone is short staffed…). The equipment is here and will not take long to install. The recruitment to hire lifeguards should open next week. The lifeguard credentialling will need to occur over 4 Sundays, beginning March 12. If we have enough returning lifeguards, we should be able to open the beginning of April per the traditional schedule.

Upcoming Council Meeting

The next meeting is February 21.

Woot Woot!

A huge Woot! Woot! to Officer Brandon Kenney who was unanimously selected by his peers as the 2022 Winters Police Department Officer of the Year. Congratulations! Our officers are committed to serving the Winters community with integrity every day; we thank them for their service.

A big welcome to Shery Enos, our new senior accountant who joined us from the City of Vacaville. We are thrilled to have someone with her expertise and credentials onboard to help tackle a back log of projects. Welcome, Shery!

And a big thank you to Teacher Melanie Ellison (and a new Natural Resources Commissioner) who brought her 6^th grade students to the Nature Park for a trash clean up. The storms brought a lot of debris downstream, which is a reminder to all of us to not litter or dispose of items in creek beds. Everything in the street eventually finds its way into our waterways.  Thank you, students and Ms. Ellison!