05/28/2021 City Manager’s Update
City Manager’s Update (pdf)
May 28, 2021
Greetings, all. On this eve of Memorial Day weekend, I would like to recognize all the people who serve, and have served, our country and our communities. Our deepest respect to the families and friends of those who made the ultimate sacrifice so we may enjoy the freedoms and liberties they helped protect. May they live forever in our hearts. Semper Fi.
COVID-19
We remain in the Orange Tier because one of our metrics trended upwards last week, so the earliest we can leave Orange is June 6, remembering that the Governor has announced the tiers will be gone as of June 15.….
The County’s vaccination clinics are regularly posted on the County’s website here. Or visit https://myturn.ca.gov/ , a national pharmacy chain location, or your medical provider network. Fully vaccinated people won’t need to wear masks in public after June 15. If that isn’t an incentive, according to the news, you might win a million dollars or some other prize!
Please Note:
LAP SWIM WILL OPEN TUESDAY, JUNE 1!! Woot! Woot! We are so excited to be able to take this initial step. To manage occupancy, all lap swimmers must reserve their time slot online, link here. Payment will be taken at the pool entrance (credit / debit cards only or a pass). We have doubled the number of people per lane. While school is in session (until June 10) lap swim will be in the evenings. All information is on the page linked above.
We are onboarding lifeguards and a new pool manager, many of whom need to renew or obtain lifeguard certifications. Once that work is done, we will be able to phase in the swim team (June 21), swim lessons and open recreational swim time. We appreciate everyone’s patience during this process and look forward to seeing you on the deck. We’ll have more updates each week.
In the whoops category, please note that there will be no water feature in the new park under construction in the Winters Highland subdivision. It was removed from the design because of cost.
The City’s draft Housing Element has been released. Documents are available at the library and at the Community Development Counter at City Hall. It is also available electronically on the City’s website here. The draft will be open for public comment until June 30th. Any questions or comments can be submitted in writing via email to maguire@cityofwinters.org or contact Dan at (530) 794-6718.
Don’t Miss Out!
This week’s section includes inspirational programming that will feed the heart, soul and mind…
2021’s annual Juneteenth Celebration, themed “Still WE Rise,” goes virtual on Sunday, June 6 from 1:15-3:30 p.m. at: https://tinyurl.com/yolojuneteenth2021. This family friendly event will be recorded in Davis on DCTV and will feature a variety of entertainment and educational presentations by people from around the region. This year’s theme was selected by Juneteenth organizers to inspire community members to think critically about the world they live in and that they can make a difference. Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, does not coincide with the implementation of the Emancipation Proclamation in January 1863, but instead the day when the Proclamation was finally enforced in Texas, June 19, 1865, finally freeing the population of enslaved African Americans in that state.
Join Yolo County Library’s virtual Summer Reading Program (SRP), themed Reading Colors Your World, from June 1 - August 14. Children, teens and adults can join by logging reading hours, earning prizes, and participating in special virtual programs and activities that will get everyone looking at the bright-colored world with new eyes.
All participants who register for the SRP at: https://yolocountylibrary.org/summer/ will receive a free book and themed activity bag and everyone who completes their summer reading challenge by earning 1,000 points will receive a free book and prize, plus an entry into a final drawing for additional prizes. In addition, adults who complete the SRP challenge can choose to have up to $10.00 in late fees that accrued before April 1, 2021 removed from their account in place of their finisher prize.
The spirit of community collaboration and mutual aid thrives in Winters, as it does throughout the County. Taking care of each other, and understanding our interconnectedness makes Yolo County a special place to live and work. Please see the Palladium Group article here about the County, community-based groups, farmers and volunteers who came together to vaccinate the ag worker population.
Upcoming Council Meeting
We have a Council meeting on Tuesday, June 1, beginning at 6:30 p.m. via Zoom. The agenda packet is linked here. There are a number of items on the consent calendar. Under discussion staff will provide an update on potential funding for pedestrian and bicycle improvements to the I-505 overcrossing and Council will consider adopting next fiscal year’s operating budgets.
Woot Woot!
Friday, May 29, is Chaplain Robert Duvall and K9 Kepi’s last day as a volunteers with the Winters Police Department. Robert served nine years as a Chaplain and six years with K9 Kepi as the Winters Public Safety Crisis Intervention Team, the first such team sponsored by a law enforcement agency in the United States. Kepi’s special skill is to detect PTSD and people in extreme distress. Robert brought his passion for community service and the welfare of first responders across the State as an emergency responder at disaster sites and major fires. He was much appreciated by the Winters Police Department, Winters Fire Department, and our neighboring agencies, not to mention the 100’s of firefighters he met on the fire lines. Robert and Kepi will be recognized by the City Council at the July 20 Council meeting. Thank you, Robert and Kepi, for your service.
Congratulations to all the graduates of the Solano Community College Fire Academy as they graduate Friday evening! We were happy to host the academy at the Public Safety Facility. Please join us in wishing all the graduates the very best as they launch their careers in public service. And a special congratulations to Aaron Mendoza, a current volunteer and son of Winters Fire Captain Art Mendoza and his wife Mary Lou who works as an accountant for the City of Winters. Public service runs strong in the Mendoza family!