04/08/2022 City Manager’s Update

City Manager’s Update (pdf) 
April 8, 2022

Greetings, everyone. It’s warming up! Have a glorious weekend. Don’t forget to get your tickets for the Toast of Winters tonight at the Community Center, beginning at 5:00 p.m., to recognize 2020 and 2021 community leaders. More information is here.

Calling All….

• Volunteers! The Winters Historical Society operates its museum with volunteers. The museum is open Thursday – Sunday from 1:00 – 5:00 p.m. As a volunteer docent, even one shift a month would help this dedicated team. A volunteer meeting will be held at the Museum at 13 Russell Street on Thursday, April 14th at 5:30 PM. To sign up, click here. For more information, contact wintersmuseum@gmail.com.
• Camp Counselors! The City operates Munchkin Camp during the summer months and needs instructional aides to coordinate programs, activities, and academic support for eager, fun loving kids. More information is here. To apply as an instruction aide, click here. Bring your energy, crafts, and/or parenting skills to make a difference in a child's life. Starting salary: $18/hr.
• Future CPUC Employees! The California Public Utilities Commission is hosting a virtual open house on April 26, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. allowing job seekers to connect with six departments at the CPUC. Open positions include internships, analysts, engineers, administrative law judges, attorneys, managers, IT specialists, customer assistance, and more. Professional development, telework opportunities and competitive benefits packages are available. Your future begins here.
• Local Employees! Just about every business in town needs help. Want a summer job, contact your favorite businesses. Volunteer if you just want to help out, get the blood flowing, meet your neighbors. There are no shortages of opportunities within the Winters community to help us grow and thrive.

Pool Updates:

• The dreaded heater needs a new part, which is on order. Until the heater is fixed, the pool remains closed. We apologize for the delay in opening the pool. When the heater is fixed, we will open online reservations and begin selling passes. Stay tuned for more information.
• We have filled our lifeguard spots. Thank you, new team members! We look forward to getting you certified and on the deck!
• Youth swim programs will begin June 6. Sign ups for swim team will open the week of April 18 and swim lessons the week of May 2. There will be a tiered fee schedule by skill group for swim team. Also new this year is a scholarship program to assist students who participate in free or reduced meals within the Winters School District. A reduced fee of $75 will be available for all families who provide a copy of their eligibility for the District’s subsidized lunch program. In keeping with Bobbie Greenwood’s legacy, the scholarships will be funded with the Winters Swim Team funds, which Council approved at its April 5 meeting. More information for swim team and swim lessons will be available here.
• The Winters Swim Team funds are primarily funded by proceeds from firework booth sales. In collaboration with Little League who will manage one large booth, the proceeds will be split between both programs. Swim parents – we need your help at the booth! Please volunteer for a two-hour shift to help support youth swim programs and scholarships. Information will be available on the deck during program orientation. Please watch for more information or reach out to Cathy Cowan.

Please Note….

• Speaking of fireworks, City staff are finalizing arrangements for the fireworks show. The vendor is confirmed. Stay tuned for more information. We will seek donations to help cover the increasedcosts.
• Fire season is upon us. Please weed abate large parcels of land by April 11. Live in the Wildland Interface Zone and worried about fire risk? For a free inspection to learn more about defensible space, please contact Fire Marshal Art Mendoza at mendoza@cityofwinters.org. To learn more about hardening your home for wildfire, visit the California Fire Safe Council website here or www.readyforwildfire.org.
• The Winters Joint Unified School District is looking for nominations for its Hall of Fame, honoring graduates, former employees and major contributors who have positively impacted the WJUSD family through their contributions in scholarship, athletics, student activities, career, community service, or to the school community as  a whole. Nominations are due April 22.

Don’t Miss Out!

• The opening of the “Remembering Monticello” exhibit begins Friday, April 8, at the Winters History Museum. The museum is open Thursday – Sunday from 1:00 – 5:00 p.m. 13 Russell Street. For all you newcomers, the village of Monticello was purchased and inundated to create Lake Berryessa, forcing 250 residents to find new homes. A recent article is here. For more information about the Winters History Museum, please visit historicalsocietyofwinters.org.
• The Winters High School Car Wash is scheduled for April 23, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. at the Fire Station. Please support the senior class and swing through the car wash!
• Youth Day Festivities are upon us! The return of the duck derby is Friday, April 29, beginning at 5 p.m. To help support Youth Day activities and scholarships, sponsor a duck! More information is here.
• On Saturday, April 30, beginning at 7 a.m. Rotary and the Volunteer Fire Fighters will host a pancake breakfast at the Community Center. Then the Youth Day main parade will kick off at 9:45 a.m. followed by the kiddie parade at 10 a.m. Street closures on Main will begin at 7:00 a.m. and will lifted after the parade passes. Please watch for the No Parking Signs and ensure cars are moved out of the parade zone by the appropriate time. Activities are planned all day in City Park. More information is atwintersyouthday.com. To participate in the parade, please contact info@wintersyouthday.com.
• Mark your calendars - the Garage Sale of the Rich & Famous returns on Saturday, May 7! Get your treasures ready for sale; more information in next week’s Friday Update about reserving a free spot at City Park. Or host a sale in your own driveway and take advantage of all the drive by traffic looking for treasures.

Upcoming Council Meeting – April 19^th, via Zoom

City staff is working with a retired network engineer to stabilize the A/V system in the Council Chambers in order to provide in person and remote participation options for public meetings. We’re getting closer! Parts are on order. As soon as the work is completed, and we’ve been able to test the system, attending Council meetings in person will be available.

The April 19^th agenda is quite full. We’ve scheduled presentations on municipal and regional water usage as part of a recommended update to the City’s Water Master Plan.  January – March 2022 have been the driest first three months of any year in California’s recorded history.  Water conservation measures will become increasingly important as we enter six plus months of heat and little to no rain on the horizon…

Woot Woot!

I would like to introduce our new Administrative Services Director, Cathy Mathews, to the Winters community. Cathy comes to us from the private sector, including entertainment, private education, and manufacturing. She is a credentialed human resources professional and has years of experience overseeing human resources, finance, IT, recreation, and maintenance operations. As a result of her experiences and skills, we will do a little reorganizing in the general government side of City Hall to leverage her background. Cathy began on Monday, and we are thrilled to have her on board. She can be reached at cathy.mathews@cityofwinters.org.