07/11/2022 Climate Action Commission Meeting

City Manager’s Update (pdf) 
July 1, 2022

Greetings, all. We’re all about the July 3^rd FIREWORKS SHOW today! Click on the link for more information.

The show will begin Sunday after 9:15 when it’s completely dark. Launch site is from the High School; field gates open at 5 p.m.

• Alcohol is prohibited on school property; no glass on the field, please. Bags will be checked at the gates.
• Food trucks and pop-up tents will be on Hemenway and behind the bleachers – we have A LOT this year!
• Pre-show music is provided by local DJ Barnett through a generous contribution from the Winters Volunteer Fire Fighters. Thank you!
• We anticipate heavy traffic in and out of town. Please do not walk in streets; stay on the sidewalk. Please cross Grant Avenue at traffic signals.
• To facilitate traffic leaving town after the show, PD will place all Grant Avenue lights on flash and allow only right on right for the side streets. This will allow departing traffic to clear more quickly; we appreciate your understanding this temporary inconvenience for drivers trying to cross Grant to head to the north side of town. Please give PD about an hour after the

  show to clear the traffic.

• PARKING: The dirt lots on Railroad will be paid parking, $10 cash. Thank you, Marianis! The high school lots on Railroad will be paid parking $10 – cards only. These fees help offset the cost of the show. Parking on the east side of Hemenway adjacent to the field is for food trucks, vendors, and event coordinators.
• FUNDING: The event will cost approximately $20,000. The show itself is $18,000 for July 3^rd and would have been more for July 4^th – since people have asked. We’ve raised about $5,000 in

  donations and vendor fees thus far. Plus the $4,600 in the fund. We expect parking fees and gate donations to generate about $3,000. We are still short about $6,000 plus to fund this event. To donate, please click here.

• CORPORATE SPONSORS: It’s not too late to donate! We’ll acknowledge your minimum donation of $1,000 throughout the event, on our website and with a certificate of appreciation at Council. Please email trepa@cityofwinters.org for you would like to donate $1,000 or more. Thank you!
• VOLUNTEERS: We appreciate everyone who has signed up to help support this community event at a gate or a parking lot entrance. We pay staff to fill in if we don’t have enough support. A huge thank you to Taylor Buley for his help coordinating volunteers. If you have signed up to volunteer, please come to the football field at 4:15 p.m. Hemenway Gate.

Illegal Fireworks:

• Please don’t shoot them off. They are dangerous, cause fires, disturb others, and scare pets. Violators could be cited $1,000.
• The City recently launched the Nail'em" App for mobile devices; created by TNT Fireworks, the app is a tool to report anonymously the sale and use of illegal fireworks. By downloading the application to your iPhone or Android (links provided below), you can report the use of illegal fireworks. Sending a report through the Nail' em" App, will NOT solicit an immediate response from PD or Fire. The information will be sent to and reviewed by our Code Enforcement Division. A $1,000.00 administrative fine may be assessed to homeowners and hosts of gatherings if sufficient documentation has been provided.

We also encourage you to report illegal fireworks, by calling our non-emergency dispatch number at 530-795-4561. They will need as much specific information possible, such as location. Please help your First Responders ensure our community celebrates safely this year by using only approved Safe and Sane Fireworks!

For more information about this app, please watch the video at: https://fb.watch/dX7EQ94Z2I/
Android Users: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPtXmUrP_IA
iPhone Users: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTo2LFeuPio

Did You Know?

• The animal shelter is full of adoptable dogs, cats and kittens! The Friends of Yolo County Animal Services are looking for forever homes, foster parents, volunteers and donations. Please visit friendsofycas.org or visit County Animal Services.

Upcoming Council Meeting – July 5th

The packet is linked here. The consent calendar includes appointing a delegate to the League of California Cities Annual Business Meeting, approving the city-wide maintenance district annual assessment, and the adoption of the new tow ordinance. Discussion items include an update to the Emergency Operations Plan and a discussion regarding site coverage.

Woot Woot!

Hotel Winters received a 2022 Travelers’ Choice Award from Trip Advisor! Joining an elite group of hotels, Hotel Winters has been a tremendous economic partner for the City of Winters and the downtown businesses. The hotel also generates transient occupancy tax (TOT) that goes into the City’s General Fund, which helps fund general operations. Hotel Winters is a critical part of the Yolo Countryside event business, providing lodging for people who attend weddings and events at beautiful facilities in the country. People shop and dine while they are here, helping to support our local businesses. So congratulations to the Hotel Winters’ team, and thank you for your community support.

City Manager’s Update (pdf) 
June 24, 2022

Greetings, all. Discover Winters is a great place to check out wonderful weekend activities and adventures, right here in our own backyard.  This Saturday has a number of different events, noted below. It will be a busy weekend ~ enjoy!

Don’t Miss Out!

• If you’re interested in running for a City Council seat (3 seats are open in November), please join us Saturday, June 25 at 9 a.m. in the large conference at City Hall – Abbey Street entrance. Staff will present general information about the role of the City Council and an overview of the election process. Two Councilmembers will also be on hand to answer questions. The forum is expected to last about two hours, depending on how many people participate and the number of questions. Please visit our elections landing page for more information. This site will be updated when the nomination period opens on July 18.
• Don’t let the heat discourage you from attending the garden talk and tour presented by the Master Gardeners of Yolo County at the Winters Library Teaching Garden (708 Railroad Avenue,Winters) on June 25^thfrom 10:00 am to 12 noon. Enjoy the summer warmth, sip a cool drink, and learn how to create a garden with year-round blooms and vital food sources for pollinators such as bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. The Master Gardeners will be available to answer all your gardening questions, and you can attend the talk at 10:30 am, Pollinators and their Plants for All Seasons. Take this opportunity to see pollinator plants in bloom and ask questions about which plants will work best in your garden.
• Winters Farm to School event is Saturday, June 25 beginning at 11:30. A crowd favorite, tickets are still available online.
• The Winters Elder Day Council is hosting a birthday celebration for residents 90 years of age and older at the Community Center on Saturday, June 25, beginning at 2 p.m. Happy birthday to all those wise ones!
• Surprise! The State is still looking for employees. YoloWorks!, Yolo County Health and Human Services Agency, and the Yolo County Workforce Innovation Board, in partnership with the CaliforniaDepartment of Housing and Community Development (HCD), are hosting a Virtual Diversity Career Fair on June 28. This diversity virtual career fair provides job seekers the opportunity to connect to three divisions at HCD to discuss available opportunities.
• And, yes, our local businesses need help, too! Please consider working local to save on gas, reduce vehicle emissions, and get your steps in! There is no better way to get to know your community.
• The July 3^rd Fireworks Show is going to rock out this year. Music by DJ Barnett will be sponsored by our volunteer fire fighters and staff has lined up twice as many food trucks and pop up tents behind the bleachers. Check out the City’s Instagram and Facebook accounts for vendor information. I’m heading to the lobster truck for a New England lobster roll! Gates open at 5 p.m. To volunteer to support the event, please click here. We need assistance at the gates to the football field and at the paid parking lots. Once the lots are full (a couple hours), volunteers can leave. The shift for gate greeters is about 4 hours. Thank you for helping!

Did You Know?

• There are so many interesting people who live in the Winters area. My newsfeed revealed another, Craig McNamara, who recently published his memoir “Because our Fathers Lied” about the Vietnam War….This town has such an amazing mix of people.

COVID-19

• The school district continues to offer COVID testing at the District Offices, 909 W. Grant Ave.

Upcoming Council Meeting

The next meeting is July 5^th, hybrid: in person and via remote.

Woot Woot!

https://kcra.com/article/vegetation-fire-burns-near-winters/40383915

A big shout out to the Winters Fire Department and other fire agencies for their quick response to the Wintu Fire yesterday. The Winters Department is hybrid volunteer department with full-time paid management and an engineer. This small and mighty team puts in an extraordinary amount of overtime working to protect the community and respond to fires across the State. And we need more volunteers! For more information, please contact the Fire Department. More information is here.

City Manager’s Update (pdf)
June 17, 2022

Greetings, all. Don’t miss out on the live music downtown all summer long. Thursday night Music in Rotary Park begins at 7 p.m. and live music on Main Street begins at 7 p.m. on Fridays. More information is posted at https://www.discoverwinters.com/events . Join your neighbors and come get your groove on!

COVID-19

• And it is still spreading. New more highly contagious sub-variants have evolved that can evade prior infection and immunization. Please consider your health risks and others when in public.

Don’t Miss Out!

• The Fire Works Show is July 3^rd. More information is at 3rd of July | City of Winters, including a link if you would like to donate to the event fund. The team has secured food trucks and vendors tosupport the family-friendly event at the Football Field. Gates open at 5 p.m. Show begins around 9:15. Please NO ILLEGAL FIREWORKS.
• Safe and Sane Fireworks will be available for purchase at a booth located in front of Lorenzo’s later this month. Proceeds support Little League and the City’s youth aquatic program. Please consider volunteering at the booth by contacting Kathy Cowan directly or emailing kathleen.trepa@cityofwinters.org and I’ll forward your information along.
• Want to learn more about serving on the City Council? The City is hosting a Candidates Forum on Saturday, June 25, beginning at 9 a.m. to noon in the large conference room, Abbey Street entrance. Information will be posted here. At Tuesday’s Council meeting, the Council will adopt a resolution calling for the election and requesting that the local election consolidate with the General Election on November 8. The nomination period will open July 18 and close in August.
• The Winters Participation Gallery (WPG) is gearing up for its next mural.  The new mural will be located on the north side of the Winters Post Office.  The board of the WPG is looking for more students to participate in the project.  The project is set to begin on June 20th.  Any middle school and high school student can join the project.  Interested students should contact Liz Coman at lcoman@wintersjusd.org.  For more information on the mural project, please visit https://www.wintersparticipationgallery.org/.

Please Note:

• Thank you, Yolo Resource Conservation District, for eradicating a patch of silver leaf night shade along the Nature Park trail near the Community Center. This invasive weed is difficult to control once established.
• Yolo County is partnering with other agricultural counties to coordinate a pesticide collection event to safely dispose of these chemicals. To determine what service levels are necessary, please pre-register at http://www.surveymonkey.com/r/legacypesticides. More information is here.
• The School District is coordinating a project to replace the flooring in the restrooms at the Bobbie Greenwood Swim Center. Thank you!

 Upcoming Council Meeting – Tuesday, June 21

Items include the adoption of the FY 22-23 operating and Capital Improvement Program budgets; a fee for Carry Concealed Weapons Permits recently delegated to local agencies from the Yolo County Sheriff; an update to the City’s Conflict of Interest Code to reflect new staff titles; an introduction of new Police initiated tow ordinance; a contract extension for Bureau Veritas; and a resolution calling for a local Council election. The packet will be posted here by the end of the day.

As a reminder, you can participate via Zoom or in-person at the Council Chambers. If you are sick, please do not attend in person. You may also watch the live stream of the Council meeting on the City’s website at the same link above.

Woot Woot!

Congratulations to the Winters 50/70 Little League team on their recent championship win following a three-day tournament! The final score against Davis was 11-1 in the last game. Kudos for all the hard work from the players and the many family and community members that support the League.

WJUSD Message to the Community (pdf)

Good evening, all. Please see below and attached a message from Superintendent Jimenez regarding counseling and supportive services that are available to the community following yesterday’s tragic loss.
There is also a community-coordinated candlelight vigil planned for this evening at the high school football field beginning at 8 p.m. Candle lighting will begin at 9 p.m. Please bring candles for yourself and others.

Kathleen

Good evening Community Partners,

In light of yesterday's tragic event, attached you will find our message to the community that shares our counseling and support response and additional resources.
We would appreciate it if you would share this information with the community.
Thank you for all you do to support our scholars and families.

Diana
WJUSD Message to the Community (pdf)
--
Diana M. Jiménez
Superintendent
Winters Joint Unified School District

City Manager’s Update (pdf)
June 10, 2022

Greetings, all.

Fireworks Show~ July 3^rd

• We’re looking for volunteers to help us with the July 3^rd Fireworks Show: parking attendants, food truck wranglers, welcome team at the football field gates, and a pick-up crew the next day. More information is here. To register as a volunteer, visit https://bit.ly/fireworkheroes. A big thank you to Taylor Buley for coordinating the volunteers again this year! It’s a great way to spend time with neighbors and friends and contribute to a much-loved community event.
• A related tidbit, Hotel Winters will offer a weekend promotion for the July 3^rd fireworks show that will include a rooftop viewing party for the event. Watch their social media and website for more information. Last year we estimated approximately 5,000 people came out to watch the show. The rooftop lounge at Hotel Winters should be the best spot in town for this event, after the football field, of course.
• If you would like to donate to support the fireworks show, please drop a check into the payment box in front of City Hall – or mail it in – marking “fireworks show” on the memo line. We’re hoping to raiseabout $16,000. The total cost of the event is about $20,000, including $18,000 for the actual fireworks show.

Don’t Miss Out!

• Looking for weekend adventures? It’s sunflower time! Sunflower Experience Passes are available through July 15.
• Thursday nights June – August is Music in the Park at the Gazebo, beginning at 6 p.m. Bring your deck chairs and snackies, and let your kids dance like no one is watching. The Winters Friends of the Library sponsor the month of July while the Downtown Business Association and other non-profits help coordinate June and August.
• Calling all businesses! Visit Yolo is offering two free virtual workshops with Miles Partnership to provide hands-on assistance with optimizing business presence on Google, Yelp and Trip Advisor. Online business profiles are the single largest source of organic (non-paid) exposure to customers. Learn more by clicking here or contacting Tiffany Dozier at tiffany@visityolo.com.

Please Note:

• The City has authorized an early start to weekday work for construction in the tracts. When temperatures are forecasted to reach 95 degrees or higher, work may begin at 6 a.m. We’ve asked that back up beepers be turned off to the degree possible in the early morning. We’ve also authorized Saturday work for the next 4 weeks beginning no sooner than 8 a.m. for outside construction. The extra day will help the infrastructure teams complete their work before the rainy season (fingers crossed we have one) and to help catch up for labor shortages and COVID delays.
• Waste Management is releasing the next service schedule for July 2022 – June 2023. Please note the City will be divided in half by Grant Avenue for brush collection and street sweeping so there will be a schedule for the north side of town and a different schedule for south of Grant.
• Also, waste collection and disposal costs will also be going up. Effective July 1, 2022, the annual rate increase for WM services will be approximately 3.5%. Notifications will be included in the next billing cycle.
• For a little good news, the new control panel for the pool heater is scheduled to be installed on Tuesday. Fingers crossed.

Upcoming Council Meeting

The next Council meeting is June 21^st, beginning at 6:30 p.m. Via Zoom or in-person in the Council Chambers.

With Deepest Sympathies

The tragic accident yesterday afternoon that claimed the lives of two Winters teen-agers has weighed heavily. The unimaginable grief for those families and friends is heartbreaking.  As the community comes together to support them and each other, I would also like to recognize the heroic efforts of the first responders from Winters, Vacaville and the California Highway Patrol. These are extremely difficult calls. Thank you for your service. Our deepest sympathies to the families and friends of these young lives so tragically lost.
WJUSD Message to the Community (pdf)

City Manager’s Update (pdf)
May 27, 2022

Greetings, all. On this Memorial Day weekend, we honor service men and women across the armed forces, past and present, who have dedicated their lives in service this county and other countries around the globe, and especially those who gave the ultimate sacrifice. It’s also important to recognize those families and friends who help sustain those service members and each other so the mission can go on… Semper Fi.

Please Note:

• Congratulations to all the Solano Academy graduates! The graduation ceremony begins at 10 a.m. at the Fire Station. The City of Winters partners with Solano Community College to host the fire academy, which helps us recruit volunteers and generates rental income for the City. And we could use more volunteers, for local coverage and state-wide wild fire response. Fore more information, please visit https://www.wintersfire.org/volunteer-program/.
• Residents love Winters for its historic charm and family friendly environment. However, crimes of opportunity still occur, so please remember to lock your cars and don’t leave valuables in sight. A recent example of “I wish I hadn’t done that” ~ someone left a car running and someone else drove it away. The driver crashed the car in Solano County and was booked by Solano SO.
• Construction along Newt’s Expressway will begin the week of June 6. Please avoid walking and driving down the alley during construction. Once PG&E is done, AT&T will follow, and the new EV charging station at the corner of the parking lot against First Street can be installed.
• Home construction work has been authorized in the tracts for Monday, after 8 a.m. Most work should be relatively quiet. The supply chain shortages have been incredibly impactful for new construction, prompting the City to issue temporary certificates of occupancies for new homeowners as long as one bathroom is functional and a stove has been installed. People are moving in without kitchen cabinets, garage doors and all bathrooms completed. Craziness.

Don’t Miss Out!

•  Tonight is Fourth Friday downtown! Come one, come all! Food, music, family and fun ~ beginning at 6 p.m.
• Yolo County Library invites residents to attend its free Juneteenth Holiday Celebration on Sunday, June 5^th, from 11 am to 5 pm at the UC Davis Conference Center and the Manetti Shrem Museum of Art. Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. The event will honor Black artists and artisans, performers, elders, and musicians. The family-friendly celebration will include live entertainment, educational presentations, art displays, activities for youth, giveaways, artisan vendors, food trucks, sponsor tables, and more. Residents can learn more by visiting: https://www.yolojuneteenth.org.
• Yolo Works will host an in-person Job Fair on June 16from 10 am to 2 pm at the Woodland Community & Senior Center. Up to 60 participating employers are recruiting job seekers for job opportunities in Customer Service, IT, Healthcare, Sales, Food Service, Manufacturing, Trucking, Warehouse, & Hospitality. More information is at yoloworks.org.
• Don’t forget to VOTE! You can mail in or drop off your ballot at multiple locations across the County, click here. You can also vote in person at the Public Safety Facility, 702 Main Street, beginning Saturday, June 4. This site will be open through Tuesday, June 7 at 8:00 p.m.

Did You Know?

• The Sacramento Area Council of Governments is working toward a six-county regional trail network for walking and biking. Want to get out and explore the region on foot or bike? Click here or visit readysettrails.com.
• For Gardeners ~ Free compost is available at the Yolo Landfill. More information is here.
• Yolo County is now offering a monthly payment service for property tax payments.

COVID-19

Yup, COVID is still surging, although the good news is that hospitalizations remain low. At work or home vaccination for any dose is still available through the County by calling 530-902-3230.

Upcoming Council Meeting

June 7 is the next Council meeting, which will be hybrid for the public, staff and Council. You may either Zoom in via the link or participate in person. Masks are optional, although recommended given the recent surge in COVID. If you are sick, please do not attend in person.

Woot Woot!

Sharing some more photos of the mulch spreading and updated staining of the phenomenal play equipment at City Park; a big shout out to the Project Playground team and Josh Colter for his discounted staining service. If you’re new in town and don’t know the history of the best playground in the California, check out this story in the Winters Express or visit https://www.projectplaygroundwinters.com/. This playground was paid for, built and is maintained by the community. The City of Winters could not do this on its own.

City Manager’s Update (pdf) 
May 20, 2022

Greetings, all. It’s a’blowing out there. Please secure those garbage cans and patio chairs, and check fence gates to avoid lost dogs. Stay safe out there and have a good weekend.

To monitor CalFire for Fire Updates, like the current Dunnigan Fire, click on the links. To register for Yolo County emergency alerts, click here. For Solano County emergency alerts, click here.

COVID-19

• COVID is surging again, creating the usual disruptions in its wake. Please test often, stay home if you’re sick, and mask up if you’re trying to avoid spreading germs or catching them. The FederalGovernmentis again offering free kits – 8 this time, click here. While these home kits are convenient, they are less sensitive and require up to 5 days to incubate enough virus load to register a positive result. In the meantime, a false negative could mean an infected person is spreading the virus. This subvariant of Omicron is more contagious than last winter’s variant, so please respect public health guidelines and follow the protocols for direct exposure and infection.

Please Note: Development Tidbits & More

• As we move into the very warm weather, for worker safety staff has authorized a 6:00 a.m. start for subdivision work when temperatures are forecasted to reach 95 degrees or above. That does not mean theworkday will be extended, just that a contractor may begin one hour earlier at 6:00 a.m. subject to the site supervisor’s discretion. This will allow work to be completed before peak heat is experienced. When starting at 6:00 a.m., we’ve asked contractors to turn off back up beepers if they can (depending on work) and to avoid loud work to the degree possible.
• We have authorized 2 Saturdays for utility work for Meritage in Winters Highland, which cannot begin before 8 a.m. These two extra days will help get the schedule back on track given significant delays thatare being experienced overall in the construction industry – labor shortages and material shortages / delays are having a big impact. And as we enter fire season, PG&E will become less available to close out electrical infrastructure work.
• Drilling is done for Well 8. The sound walls withheld today’s high winds. The driller will demobilize next week. Thank you, neighbors, for your patience and understanding, and thank you, crew, for your professionalism and consideration.
• Please do not enter active construction sites, which are private property. These sites are potentially dangerous for those not authorized to enter, and trespassers may be cited. Three Oaks Park remains closed while the developer’s contractor continues to work on bringing the landscaping up to standards and complete punch list items.
• Public Works had to remove two trees in Rotary Park this week. Internal rot was apparent when the limbs came down. As a result, the trees were deemed end of life and hazardous, and were removed.
• Don’t forget to obtain a business license if you conduct business in the City. More information is available here. A Home Occupation Permit is also required if you work out of your home, linked here. The Municipal Code related to business licensing is here.
• We are responding to an increasing number of accidents on Hwy 128 and rural county roads, some of which are related to impaired driving. Please slow down, don’t imbibe and drive, and do not violate hands-free driving laws.

Don’t Miss Out!

• The City’s social media gurus are really getting a new vibe going. Please follow the City of Winters, and the Winters Police and Fire Departments, on Instagram and Facebook for City Hall and community updates. Thank you to the team that is taking our presence to the next level!
• The library summer reading program is kicking off June 1. Participants who register at https://yolocountylibrary.org/summer will receive a free book and welcome bag, and earn points for prizes at the end of summer.
• Yolo County is offering microbusiness COVID-19 relief grants for small, underserved businesses that earned less than $50,000 in 2019. More information is here. Grants are awarded first come, first served.
• PG&E is offering STEM scholarships to students pursuing a degree in science, technology, engineering and math. 20 scholarships of $10,000 and 20 scholarships of $2,500 are available. Applications close June 1. Click here for more information.

Did You Know?

• Following a traffic engineering speed study, the City Council adopted an ordinance at the May 17 meeting establishing a 25 mph speed limit on W. Main Street and a 30 mph speed limit on Niemann Street. These speed limits comply with State law and will be radar enforced. For those random hot shots out there who have been exceeding the posted speed limits, please note a citation may be in your future if you don’t slow down. Your neighbors would appreciate if you please would.

Upcoming Council Meeting

The next Council meeting is June 7.  The Planning Commission meets Tuesday; the packet is here and includes the City’s first Capital Improvement Program, which must be reviewed by the Planning Commission for General Plan consistency. The complete CIP budget and operating budget will be presented to the City Council on June 7.

Woot Woot!

A big shout out to the community coordinators who help maintain the wooden play structure at City Park and to those volunteers who braved the heat one morning to spread the new chips around. It takes a village and we at City Hall certainly appreciate the partnership to help this treasured community asset stay in pristine condition.