Sign up for our newsletter!

If you'd like to get this City Manager's Update sent directly to your email inbox every two weeks, go to our "Notify Me" page to sign up. Thank you.

March 26, 2021

Joint Statement from City & Chamber

Earlier this week, an anonymous letter filled with anti-Asian hate speech was mailed to a local business. The City of Healdsburg and Healdsburg Chamber of Commerce issued this joint statement in response:

Healdsburg prides itself on being a great community where residents and business-owners of diverse backgrounds can flourish. We are aware that a local business received a letter with vile and hateful anti-Asian language.

This letter did not come from within our community and it does not reflect our aspirations of full inclusivity and values that unite rather than divide. In fact, we recognize that celebrating and embracing diversity makes us healthier.

The City of Healdsburg and the Healdsburg Chamber of Commerce condemn these sentiments and will continue to work tirelessly to support our community. The Healdsburg Police Department is reviewing this matter. Anyone who receives such a letter should contact Sergeant Van Vleck directly at (707) 431-3377.

In the face of a disturbing rise in hate speech across the country, we call on our community to demonstrate our commitment to inclusiveness by supporting neighbors. We encourage citizens to visit local Asian and Asian-American owned businesses to affirm that they are valued and celebrated members of our community.

March 29 & 30: Community Meetings
on Business Parklet Program 

City Staff will host community meetings via Zoom at 9:30 AM on Monday, March 29, and 4 PM on Tuesday, March 30, so community members can learn about and give input on the City’s downtown parklet program and a potential temporary extension of the program that the City Council will consider on April 5. The parklets allow local businesses such as restaurants, retail stores, and tasting rooms to use sidewalks and public parking spaces so they can better operate during the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
If you would like to provide feedback or hear more about this business-support program, please attend – your input will be valuable in framing what parklets could look like now and into the future. To register, please visit the Marketspace Outreach webpage and follow the links to register. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with the information you need to join the meeting. 

April 7: Coffee with the City

Our Coffee with the City (CWC) series is back! After a hiatus in 2020, we are re-starting these casual chats with the city manager and other City employees on City-related projects, programs and other news brewing here in Healdsburg.The first Coffee with the City of 2021 will be held online on Wednesday, April 7, at 9 AM.

Register for the event here: http://bit.ly/CoffeeHBG

Since COVID-19 is not behind us yet, we will hold this first quarterly chat on Zoom, but we are aiming to host future CWCs in person. Note that while the event will be livestreamed on Facebook, if you want to ask questions or chat with us live, please join us on Zoom.

Drought Conditions = Water Supply Shortages

We need to prepare for the impacts of drought conditions. So far this year, Sonoma County has received only 35 percent of typical rainfall and Lake Mendocino, which supplements Healdsburg’s drinking water, is 46.3 percent of its target storage.

To underline the potential severity of the drought, the California State Water Control Board recently issued a warning of ongoing dry conditions in most California watersheds, including here in Sonoma County. Hydrologic conditions since 2020 have been very similar to the drought years of 2014 and 2015.

The Utility Department is preparing for water supply shortages by reducing the City’s operational water use and increasing residential conservation efforts. Please do your part to conserve water:

• Check your water meter for a leak. Instructions are here.
• Do not install a pool this year.
• Don’t plant lawns or water-intensive, non-native plants. Check out the Sonoma County Master Gardeners list of native, drought-tolerant plants here.  
• Mulch and compost your landscaping.
• Invest in laundry-to-landscaping greywater systems. Find technical support here.
• Replace old top-loader washing machines with front loaders, which use less water. Energy Star’s most efficient clothes washers are here. 

The City is finishing the week-long process of cutting back and removing tree limbs, vegetation, and other potential wildfire fuels on the Fitch Mountain Open Space Preserve.
This mitigation work is very important to help protect against future wildfires. Since this is the start of the bird-nesting season, bird surveys were completed prior to this work. Many thanks to the Northern Sonoma County Fuels Crew, Eric Dicke Road Building, Fitch Mountain neighbors, COPE groups, and hikers.

Shown in the picture from left to right: City Councilmember Ariel Kelley, Healdsburg firefighters Dean DeLaMontanya and Eric Smith and Northern Sonoma County Fire Protection District Chief Marshall Turbeville, who was recently recognized with a prestigious National Wildfire Mitigation Award. 

Help shape the future of arts and culture in Healdsburg! Community Services Staff and the Creative Leadership Team invite community members to share their vision for a creative and vibrant arts community via an online survey.

Go to http://bit.ly/healdsburgartsurvey to take the survey; it's open through March 31.
 
The survey, which is part of the Arts and Culture Master Plan process, is available in English and Spanish (choose the language of your choice from the top menu) and will take about 10 minutes to complete. Your feedback will help inform the final plan and ensure that arts and culture continue to thrive in Healdsburg. 

College Street Sewer & Water Replacement Project

A City of Healdsburg contractor has completed the underground utility and sidewalk repair portions of the College Street sewer and water replacement project. Starting on Monday, March 29, the contractor will repave and restore the trench surfaces in this area, which should be completed in about two weeks. After that, the contractor will adjust utility access covers to grade and install roadway signs and markings.

Street repaving will include:

• Fitch Street between North Street and Piper Street
• Piper Street between Fitch Street and College Street
• College Street between Piper Street and Grant Street
• College Street between the Healdsburg Jr. High modernization area

• Grant Street between College Street and Brown Street
• College Street between Grant and the Healdsburg Jr. High modernization area

Construction hours will be 7:30 AM – 6 PM, Monday to Friday. The project is expected to take about eight months. During construction, traffic on parts of Fitch, Piper, Grant, and College streets will be impacted. Please observe and follow construction-area signage and traffic control. For any questions, please email Senior Engineer Clay Thistle at cthistle@ci.healdsburg.ca.us or (707) 431-3391.

Fire Department Visits St. John the Baptist School

On March 17, the Healdsburg Fire Department visited St. John the Baptist Catholic School to speak to students about fire safety and participate in the school’s 8th grade science-class “egg drop” project. Students learned the concepts of speed (time rate at which an object is moving along a path) and velocity (rate and direction of an object’s movement).

Healdsburg Firefighter Hector Madrigal dropped eggs (each ensconced in a student-created protective structure) from 50 ft. high in the air, from the top of a fire truck ladder. Three eggs survived the fall without breaking. Twelve, alas, did not. 

Early April: Start of Foss Creek Pathway Extension

Construction work to extend the Foss Creek Pathway another mile north to the intersection of Grove Street and Healdsburg Avenue will begin in early April and last about eight months, depending on weather conditions. The construction will start from the flood-control detention basin by the skate park and extend north, across Dry Creek Road.
 
Once this project is complete, there will be a dedicated pedestrian and cyclist connection from the northern area of the City near Dry Creek Road to the southern area, beyond downtown. The pathway will include lighting and a prefabricated steel truss bridge where the path will cross over Foss Creek. At Dry Creek Road, a signalized pedestrian crossing will be installed so cyclists and pedestrians can activate a signal to stop traffic.
 
During construction, driving on portions of Dry Creek Road and Grove Street may be impacted. Construction hours will be 7:30 AM to 6 PM, Monday to Friday. Work is not anticipated on weekends or holidays. 

Planning Commission Vacancy

The Healdsburg City Council is seeking qualified applicants to fill one vacancy on the City of Healdsburg Planning Commission. Members of the Planning Commission are required to attend two meetings per month; reside within City limits of Healdsburg; disclose economic interest as required by the Fair Political Reform Act and the Local Conflict of Interest Code; and complete the required AB 1234 Ethics Training.
 
Applications are available on the City’s website under “Boards and Commissions” at https://www.ci.healdsburg.ca.us/177/Boards-Commissions. You may also email rallan@ci.healdsburg.ca.us. Commpleted applications must be submitted to the Office of the City Clerk by 5:30 PM on Thursday, April 22.