06/03/2022 City Manager’s Update

City Manager’s Update (pdf) 

June 3, 2022

Happy Pride Month, everyone. Celebrating our diversity and inclusivity in one great community.

COVID-19

• Public health officials recommend masking, vaxing, boosting, and testing. COVID continues to surge around us. If you are sick, please stay home and test to make sure you don’t inadvertently spread the virus. The labor shortage is extremely difficult for everyone, and quarantining for COVID is contributing to staffing challenges.
• The OptumServe site at 2780 E. Gibson Road, next to the Juvenile Detention Center, offers rapid testing, a health screening if positive, and anti-viral medication if medically necessary. More information about testing and vaccinations is available here.

Don’t Miss Out!

• Music in the Park has started early this year! The Downtown Business Association is underwriting three months of music every Thursday evening, beginning at 6 p.m. Bring a picnic, your blanket and chairs, and let the kids dance their hearts out. It doesn’t get much better than Rotary Park on a Thursday night with your neighbors and friends.
• The Fireworks Show is coming together for July 3^rd at the football field, beginning around 9:15 p.m. This year we will have more vendors and food trucks for another family-friendly event. Please no alcohol on school grounds. Donation inserts have been included in June’s utility billing to help contribute to the $20,000 overall program cost. Approximately $4,300 remain in the fund from last year.

Please Note:

Please do not use illegal fireworks. Doing so may result in a $1,000 fine. The Safe & Sane fireworks booth is being managed by Little League this year (thank you!), splitting the proceeds with the Winters aquatic program. Please visit the booth for your sparkler needs and keep it Safe & Sane this year. Your neighbors and pets will appreciate it!

• Downtown parking enforcement will begin shortly to enforce timed parking as downtown activities are ramping up. Please be aware of two-hour parkinglimits. Employees should park in the Railroad lots. Even better if you can walk or ride your bike to work! Please note, an additional ADA parking stall will be returned to the Community Center lot adjacent to the door and crosswalk across Railroad.
• Graffiti in the alleys seems to be picking up. Please remove / paint over the graffiti as quickly as possible to not encourage more tagging. Crossing out tags is never a good sign – it’s like dogs lifting their legs marking turf. Taggers will lose incentive if their marks are consistently and quickly painted over.
• The Downtown Visioning project is kicking off at the staff level with the consultants. The team will need some time to evaluate previous planning and parking studies. Stay tuned as community and business engagement meetings are developed to receive input. To be included in the distribution list for project information, please email clerk@cityofwinters.org.
• As many are aware, the City will need to obtain the rights to the senior center plans. Staff recently received information regarding prior commitments to pay Domus, the original developer, for ongoing services to design the facility. That final cost is approximately $136,000 as audited by the City’s grant administrator. The legal team is preparing an agreement to pay for these services in exchange for the rights to the plans so that the construction process can proceed. That agreement will go before the City Council. Staff is also working to secure the services of the original architect to assist with finalizing plans and supporting the construction process.
• The dreaded pool heater is still not working. The new control panel (covered by warranty) is inbound. However, the pool temperatures are still hovering around 75 degrees in the morning; therefore, the start of swim lessons has been pushed back to June 13. Partial refunds will be processed. Swim team is still on schedule and will begin next week. SASO operates both our swim team and swim lesson The SASO coordinator is communicating directly with registered participants. Links are on the City’s landing page and highlighted above.
• The annual water quality report will be in June’s utility billing.

Upcoming Council Meeting – June 7

This meeting is available via Zoom or in-person in the Council Chambers, Abbey Street entrance. The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. Staff will present the FY 2022-23 operating budget and a new Capital Improvement Program for FY 22-27. Other items include the Engineer’s Report for the city-wide maintenance district, the appointment of Cathy Mathews as City Treasurer, a general services agreement to replace the HVAC system at the Community Center, and the final adoption of the speed limits on W. Main and Niemann. There is also a public hearing to correct several Planning Fees. The packet is posted here.

Woot Woot!

The Big Day of Giving raised $13.4 million for 718 local non-profits in the Sacramento Region. Most donations were between $15 - $50, showing that even small contributions can make a big difference. Thank you, all, who contribute financially, with time, and in-kind to all of the service organizations and causes around town. Together we all help make the village.