02/18/2022 City Manager’s Update

City Manager’s Update  (pdf)
February 18, 2022

Greetings, all. City Hall will be closed on Monday in observation of Presidents’ Day.

COVID-19

• Healthy Yolo Together, funded by Yolo County in cooperation with UC Davis, has opened COVID testing at the Community Center Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 9:00 – 11:30 a.m. No appointment necessary, no cost.
• Doors are open at City Hall and the Public Safety Facility for walk-in traffic. Although the universal indoor masking order has been lifted, masking is still strongly encouraged especially for the more vulnerable and at risk. Vaccinated individuals may remove their masks inside city facilities. Some employees are choosing to continue to wear their masks regardless of vaccination. Thank you for respecting individual choices and remaining considerate of others.

Aquatic Updates:

• The heater is being repaired this month – hopefully, the final major investment to essentially rebuild the original equipment over the course of this last year. We’ve also signed a maintenance agreement for the equipment to keep it operating for another 10 years…
• We’ve posted job openings for lifeguards, a supervising lifeguard and a pool manager. Last year’s lead team is not returning to town (we wish them well!), so we’re looking for new people to step in or up. Please click here for more information. We will conduct lifeguard training during high school spring break: 3/28 – 4/2. Returning lifeguards need to apply and onboard.
• Lap swim will open beginning of April. We’re working with SASO Swimming to return for swim team and lessons.

Don’t Miss Out!

• The Winters Friends of the Library (WFoL) will host their annual fruit tree sale on March 5^th beginning at 9 .m. (8:30 for WFOL members) at the parking lot on the corner of Railroad and Edwards. Trees are $10; proceeds help support WFoL community programming. More information is here.
• Tk and Kindergarten registration packets are available at Waggoner Elementary School, 500 Edwards Street, from 7:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Developmental Bilingual Education (DBE) forms for Kindergarten will also be available. DBE Enrollment is Limited. The deadline to submit a packet is March 18th. For more information, please contact the school office at 530-795-6121 or email Nicole at nbrace@wintersjusd.org.
• To non-profits and CBO’s ~ if you’re interested in applying for a microgrant from Yolo County for American Rescue Plan funding, the County is offering information sessions and assistance during officehours. More information is here. Grant deadline is March 31 at 5 p.m.

Please Note

• The Fire Department is getting a head start on private property weed abatement this year. With no rain on the horizon, approximately 50 property owners with large parcels will begin receive courtesy letters explaining the annual process and timelines for weed abate. Given the lack of rain, property owners should expect to have to abate several times before everything stays knocked down…
• The Winters Chamber of Commerce is preparing a community resource guide for businesses, non-profits and community organizations. If you would like to advertise or be included in the Guide, please contact the Chamber directly at 530-795-2329 or by emailing sue@winterschamber.com or jeff@winterschamber.com. More information is here. Sign up for the Chamber newsletter to receive information about upcoming events, business tips, training opportunities and resources.

• The City is still interested in receiving applications for vacant seats on the Natural Resources Commission, Senior Commission on Aging and the new, yet to launch Climate Action Commission. Participating on a commission is a great way to get involved in local issues, meet community members, and participate in local governance. More information is here.
• Speaking, of participatory governance, Valley Clean Energy (VCE) is looking to fill two at-large Community Advisory Committee seats. Ideal candidates possess subject matter expertise / experience or are from professional sectors that intersect with VCE activities. More information is available on VCE’s website (CAC Meetings and Agendas - Valley Clean Energy).

Upcoming Council Meeting – March 1

• Public meetings will remain virtual / remote for the time being, until we stabilize a hybrid platform for the Council Chambers, which requires integrating older AV equipment with Zoom and our agenda streaming platform. We’re interviewing contractors to help us complete this effort so that elected, appointed, staff and the public have the option of participating in person or remotely to accommodate different needs.

Woot Woot!

After today’s meeting with State transportation officials, a continued thank you to all the community members, advocates, elected officials, and state, county and local staff who have worked tirelessly to advocate for $10 million in funding to widen the I-505 overpass at Route 128 to improve safety and more importantly to reconnect the Rio Villa community that was cut off from Winters when I-505 was constructed. A special thank you to Ponticello Engineering for their efforts to support this project. Our next grant application is due June 15.

And if you’re curious about what it’s like to walk in someone else’s shoes, check out this I-505 project video…https://www.mizzicafilms.com/dangerous-crossing.