08/05/2022 City Manager’s Update
City Manager’s Update (pdf)
August 5, 2022
Greetings, all. Don’t forget Shakespeare under the stars, beginning this weekend, produced by the Winters Theater Company. Thursday night live music in Rotary Park continues through August, courtesy of the Downtown Business Association. And Main Street is still poppin’ with live music on Friday nights. Music begins at 7 p.m. both nights. And don’t forget to put Fourth Fridays on your calendar for more activities and programs downtown.
Don’t Miss Out!
This Saturday, August, 6, from 6 – 8:00 p.m. is Root Beer Floats with a Cop at Pizza Factory, 108 Main Street. Come by to meet our local officers who help keep Winters safe and peaceful. Thank you, Chuck, for hosting.
Please Note:
- Yolo County has reported the first human case of West Nile Virus in the County, which is caused by a bite from infected mosquitoes. Symptoms include fever, headache, body
aches, nausea, vomiting and something swollen lymph glands. The best way to prevent mosquito borne illnesses is to drain any standing water, wear long sleeves and pants when outdoors in areas with active mosquitoes or wear repellent, and make sure open doors or windows have screens. For more information, visit fightthebite.net. - The City of Winters is looking for one more commissioner for the Winters Senior Commission on Aging. The commission focuses on programming and resource opportunities for seniors and will assist with developing the list of furniture and fixtures needed to outfit the new senior center. Meetings are the second Wednesday of every month beginning at 5:30 p.m. More information is here. To apply, click here.
- Work at Three Oaks Park has picked up steam. Trees have been replaced and are being inspected by our consulting arborist. Irrigation continues to be addressed. Final lighting fixtures have been installed, and some concrete repair should soon be completed. We’re beginning to get ready to start final punch list items and work out a warranty agreement for newly planted trees. Once the park is officially “accepted” as meeting standards, the 90 day period will begin.
- Work at Shandalla Estates (LDS / Crowne Communities) has been put on hold while the framing crew has been transferred to Arizona to complete a project. They should be back in September. This project will provide slightly smaller one-story homes (1,500 – 1,850 square feet) on smaller lots, making them more “affordable by design.” Click on the link for more information.
- For those of you who have been tracking the senior center project, we are finally making some good progress on obtaining the rights to the construction plans. We met this week with the architect and again with State HCD to iron out some complicated questions regarding architectural rights and services under the approved grant. The complications related to the senior center project being initially combined with the adjacent Blue Mountain Terrace project and then split out and returned to the City. We’re finally optimistic we may be on a path to move forward. At the risk of prematurely sharing news, we hope to bring a purchase agreement to Council in September to obtain the rights to the plans.
Did You Know?
At Tuesday’s meeting, the City Council approved an Exclusive Negotiating Agreement with NeighborWorks (NW) to kick start the self-help affordable housing project in Winters Highlands, once again. 24 lots are earmarked for moderate income applicants (80-120% AMI) who can devote time to help construct their homes. NW will submit an application to USDA in September to help fund construction. Once funding has been secured, we’ll actively encourage income eligible people to apply.
Are you looking for resource referral information, related to health, housing, food, legal assistance, and any number of other services? 211 Yolo is a joint service with Sacramento County that refers residents to
over 1,600 providers. You can dial 2-1-1 or email info@211sacramento.org to connect with an operator.
- Did you know that downtown Winters is listed on the National Registry of Historic Districts? Curious about the downtown buildings? Check out hmdb.org. You can click on the “Near You” button to find more fun facts or plan a historic scavenger hunt. Even easier if friends and family visit, book a tour through Yolo 365 Tours. Bites, tastings, and tours ~ a great way to decompress, enjoy good company and savor the moments.
Upcoming Council Meeting
No Council meeting on August 16 to allow for some vacation and family time. The next Council meeting will be September 6, via Zoom and in-person. We continue to work on addressing audio issues; we fix one side of the equation and seem to be pushing problems to another side. We’ve ordered a new sound board that we hope will stabilize audio inputs and outputs.
Woot Woot!
A huge shout out to Fire Chief Brad Lopez who, after nearly thirty years of service to the Winters community, has accepted the Fire Chief position with Suisun City. Chief Lopez first began as a volunteer with the Winters Fire Protection District, was hired and promoted, and then crossed over into the City’s Fire Department in 2011 when the City took over as lead service provider for the town and the 80 square mile district. He was promoted to chief three years ago. Brad is the consummate fire professional: dedicated, calm, experienced, thoughtful, and committed to the community’s public safety. He will be sorely missed at the Fire Station and City Hall, but we’ll still see him around town. Please thank him for his service and wish him all the best. His last day with us will be August 21st. Yup, that’s a Sunday. He begins in Suisun City that Monday. Thank you, Chief.