06/25/2021 City Manager’s Update
City Manager’s Update (pdf)
June 25, 2021
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Greetings, all. Event planning is in overdrive for the July 3rd fireworks show at the High School football field. Gates open at 5:00; the show will begin around 9:30 p.m. More information will be in Wednesday’s Winters Express so make sure you pick up an edition or check online. A huge thank you to the Winters Express for all their community support!
The City has created a new upcoming events tab on the website www.cityofwinters.org and a landing page for fireworks show information, so please click on the links and check daily as we update the site. Or use the QR code to the right, which we will update as well.
New for this event will be food trucks on Hemenway and popup tents next to the bleachers for food, merchandise, and information. To be a vendor, click here. As we register vendors, we’ll add that information to the QR link. Vendor fees will help cover City costs for the show. 5 popup tents will be reserved for local non-profits at no charge.
Parking: We have reserved the PG&E parking lot at the training facility at 1 PG&E Way for event parking. People will need to walk, flag a cab, call for ride share or make other arrangements to get to the football field (I sense entrepreneurial opportunities…). Parking will be available at the library and school lots on Railroad Avenue. Please note one lane in the school lot will be reserved for event workers and volunteers – cars must display an event pass. The Mariani Nut lots on Railroad have been reserved for paid parking ($10). Proceeds will go to eand Taylor Buley for coordinating! Please, no personal fireworks at the Mariani Nut parking lots.
Volunteers: We need help! At parking lots and field gates, for trash & clean up, and likely other duties as assigned. To volunteer, please sign up at here. We would really appreciate it!
Football Field Rules: A final note about new rules for the show. To protect the community’s significant investment into the new football field, track, and facilities, please note: No alcohol, glass, tobacco, or any wheels on the track (vehicles, bikes, wagons, carts). No personal BBQs or fireworks. The track will be coned off and visitors will be asked to cross onto the field from the bleacher area where the track will be protected. We will have a bag and cooler check at the entry gates. Any alcohol or glass bottles will need to be disposed of to enter. Please throw out trash in garbage cans that will be staged around the field and at the exits. Do not sit in the fireworks fall out zone. An Event Map is attached at the end of the newsletter.
Please Note:
- The Farmstead project is moving into the tentative map and Environmental Impact Report phase, which means the developer needs to confirm the project scope. A project page has been added to the City’s website here. The project is approximately 62 acres along Grant and proposes to include 200 single-family homes, a mixed-use multi-family project, commercial space along Grant, a traffic signal at Grant & E. Main, park space and a trail along the project flood control berm on its eastern side. This project is only possible following significant engineering work to address its current location in a flood zone. A public workshop is being planned to present the project to the community, so please watch for more information when the date is confirmed.
- The new Three Oaks Park that is under construction along Taylor Street is experiencing some material and electrical delays. Trees are being installed with temporary power to support irrigation. The landscaping will require a 90-day maintenance period to ensure plant material is successfully established before the City accepts the park from the developer. As a result, the park is not expected to open until later this fall.
Don’t Miss Out!
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- Swim lessons have begun and are filling up quickly. Please click here for more information or visit the City’s website at cityofwinters.org and visit the Recreation Section. SASO is hoping to add more lessons given their popularity so check back and watch for updates.
- Winters Friends of the Library have coordinated a wonderful line up of music in Rotary Park on Thursday evenings. Bring your blankets and lawn chairs, grab take out or picnic, and dance like no one is watching. Please donate to support the music series and WFOL’s community programming. wfol.org
- The Downtown Business Association has a variety of activities planned in the downtown area on the weekends, including music under the misters, special menu items, and sidewalk sales. Main Street is closed from Friday around 3 p.m. to early Monday morning, from Railroad to the mid-block crossing. Come on down!
Did You Know?
Mulch and compost piles self-combust in high heat? . . . A spark from a mower or weed-trimmer with a metal blade can start a fire? . . . Fireworks can start fires if detonated near dry weeds, in palm trees, or anywhere that has flammable material. PLEASE think about the potential for starting a fire as we work, celebrate, and recreate. It’s extraordinarily dry out there.
Upcoming Council Meeting
The next Council meeting is July 6. We are still working on integrating Zoom with our Chamber AV system and the new Granicus agenda software. Our goal is still to provide an integrated platform for in person and Zoom participation. Stay tuned!
Woot Woot!
The Winters Museum at 13 Russell opened its new exhibit, “The Lost Japanese Community of Winters,” detailing the heart wrenching story of more than 200 Japanese residents who were forced out of Winters into internment camps during WWII. Homes and businesses in the Japanese district were burned following their departure in the area that is now Rotary Park and the Community Center. Many in town at that time participated in the racism and xenophobia that rejected these Japanese residents despite decades of contributions to the community and the local economy. But not all, like the Vasey family who helped store belongings for many Japanese residents, hoping for their return after the war. Only about 20 people did.
The museum is open Thursday – Sunday, 1 – 5 p.m.; the exhibit will be open until October. This week’s Woot! Woot! goes to the Museum team that developed the exhibit; the many families who donated photos and memorabilia and shared their stories from that time; and to the many conversations about the impact of past injustices on people and communities today, recognizing that we are stronger together than divided.
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