07/29/2022 City Manager’s Update
City Manager’s Update (pdf)
July 29, 2022
Greetings, all. The weather is glorious out, not too hot by Yolo standards. What a great time to stroll downtown. Don’t forget to check out upcoming events and activities in all the usual places.
Don’t Miss Out!
- The Winters Theater Company is back with Shakespeare in the park and under the stars! Don’t forget to get your tickets, grab your lawn chair and pack your snackies. Performances of Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Community Center amphitheater are scheduled for August 5, 6, 12, and 13. Tickets are $10 for 13 years and older.
- August 6 is Tire Amnesty Day! Residents can take up to 9 tires to the Yolo County landfill (9:30 a.m. – 2 p.m.). Up to 20 tires can be accepted with an approved exemption. For more information, please call 530-666-8856.
Did You Know?
Paving has begun in the Hideaways (Phases 3, 4, & 5) of Winters Highland. This is the extension of Scotty Way. For all of our newer residents who aren’t familiar, this road is named in honor of Scotty Dozier, who passed in 2014. Scotty served as the Chief of the Winters Fire Protection District and was the City’s first Fire Chief when a municipal department was formed in 2011. Scotty spent 36 years working on behalf of greater Winters and was a legend locally and throughout the Yolo Fire community. He led the modernization of our Fire Department from a volunteer force to a 24/7 operation. So, when you drive down Scotty Way, please send a thank you his way for his dedicated service.
- The State of California, through SB 1383, requires organic recycling. Organics like food scraps, yard trimmings, paper, and cardboard make up half of what Californians dump in landfills. Organic waste inlandfills emits 20% of the state’s methane, a climate super pollutant 84 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Air pollutants like PM 2.5, which contributes to health conditions like asthma. Reducing
organic waste that goes into the landfills will have the fastest impact on the climate crisis. Please consider getting rid of your food scraps in your green waste bin or through back yard composting.
Please Note:
- Starting July 16, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline number has transitioned to an easy to remember 988 Like 911 to call in emergencies, 988 is the number to call for anyone experiencing a mental health or substance use related crisis. You can also text 988 or chat at Lifeline (www.988lifeline.org) and connect with trained counselors. Mental health, substance abuse, and thoughts of suicide are real problems facings hundreds of thousands of people and their families across the country. If you need help, please reach out. If you suspect someone is at a breaking point, please contact Suicide Prevention of Yolo County.
- The contractor for Homes By Town is making good progress at Three Oaks Park. About 40+ trees have been or will be replaced by the end of next week, and irrigation repaired in various areas. Any deficient plants will also be replaced. If progress continues at this recent pace, our goal is to have the park enter into its 90-day maintenance period mid- to late August, which means the developer will still be responsible for park maintenance. The newly planted trees and landscaping will need time to establish before wear and tear from the public, so we will still request that the public remain out of the park until it is accepted later in the fall.
In discussions with the landscape architect, the dog park areas were planted with native grasses, which are not intended to be irrigated once established. The grass goes dormant without irrigation and regerminates with cooler weather and rain fall. The grass is intended to serve as erosion control since both dog parks also serve as a retention area and storm drain inlet (hence their bowl designs). The City will authorize that irrigation to be turned off once we’re satisfied the grass has substantially taken root.
- Installation of new pathway lighting for Blue Oak Park will be completed next week.
- The undergrounding of utilities along Newt’s Expressway is progressing. The recent work stop due to COVID will set the schedule back a week or two. When PG&E is done, they will cut the tops of the poles off along the alley. We do not yet have a schedule for when AT&T will return to pull their wires into the new underground conduit. Wave / Astound will need to remove their facilities, at which point that block of Main Street will not have access to Wave services. Once AT&T is done undergrounding, AT&T will remove the poles.
- Link21 is a long-range transportation program to transform passenger rail in the 21-county Northern California mega-region. Link21 is creating an Equity Advisory Council (EAC) to provide a forum for
meaningful community collaboration to advance equity throughout the Program’s development and implementation. If you’re interested in regional transit and social equity, this could be for you. For more information, please click here. Applications are due August 21st.
Upcoming Council Meeting
Our agenda management system is hiccupping badly today, across the Cloud, so we are posting the packet the old-fashioned way as one scanned copy. https://www.cityofwinters.org/city-council-meetings_/ Please scroll to the bottom to find Tuesday’s packet, which will be posted by tomorrow at 5 p.m. We’re hoping Granicus fixes its issue and the usual agenda packet with hyperlinks will be available before the meeting.
Items of interest include: appointing Eleanor Yeatman to the Senior Commission on Aging, adoption of the new Grading Ordinance, Downtown Fall Festival Main Street closure request, adoption of amended construction standards, agreement with Wood Rodgers for the design of the I-505 bridge widening project, a public hearing to consider a new grading permit fee, consideration of an Exclusive Negotiating Agreement with NeighborWorks for the self-help housing project, and a requested loan deferral for the Cradwick Building.
Woot Woot!
We are excited to introduce the City’s Pre-Approved ADU Program. Approved by Council and grant funded, the City has acquired three sets of accessory dwelling unit (ADU) construction plans to
offer to Winters residents at no cost. Staff has created this Pre-Approved ADU Program to assist property owners interested in constructing an ADU on their property. The models range in size from 496 to 749 square feet. More information is on the City’s website at https://www.cityofwinters.org/pre-approved-adu-program/. Please note the plans are at no cost; however, there may be additional costs associated with energy code compliance, fire sprinklers, and solar. A big thank you to Senior Planner Kirk Skierski for getting this new program over the finish line. For any questions, please review our new landing page and then contact Planning at (530) 794-6718.