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October 8, 2021

Installing Greywater Systems – Webinar Series Starts Oct 14

Looking for more sustainable and resilient ways to save water during this historic drought? Join the Sonoma-Marin Saving Water Partnership and Daily Acts for a deep dive into graywater systems. Graywater is gently used water from your bathroom sinks, showers, tubs, and washing machines, and is a valuable resource that can help your garden flourish. This 3-part webinar series will cover:

Graywater basics: October 14^th 6-7:30pm
Laundry-to-Landscape: October 21^st 6-7:30pm
Permitted Graywater Systems: October 28^th 6-7:30

For more information: https://dailyacts.org/events-cal/lets-talk-graywater-introduction-to-concepts-considerations/ and be sure to apply for the Utility Department rebates for greywater systems once it’s installed. All rebate applications forms are available at smartlivinghealdsburg.org

Foss Creek Pathway Opening Event, 12:00 p.m. October 30

The Foss Creek Pathway extension project is nearing completion and we are excited to announce that the opening ceremony event will happen on Saturday, October 30. Activities will begin at Noon. More information coming soon on the City’s website and social media pages!

Request For Proposals For Preschool Program Provider

Community Services Releases Request for Proposals for Preschool Provider - On September 25, Community Services staff issued a request for proposal document seeking a full-day preschool pro-gram provider. This is an opportunity for a provider to develop and offer a new program at the Healdsburg Community Center. As part of the City’s efforts to support working families, this initiative will provide dedicated preschool program space at no cost to the selected provider, with the expecta-tion that this savings will result in lower program registration fees for families. While open to all pro-posals, the goal of this initiative is to provide preschool and daycare options for working families within the community. Community Services staff hosted three informational zoom meetings and site tours October 4 - 8 for interested providers. The deadline for potential providers to submit a proposal is October 24. The announcement and full RFP can be found here: https://healdsburg.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=560

Fall Recreation Programming Underway

In addition to the youth soccer program, which has 460 participants enrolled, Community Services staff recently released the fall schedule of recreation programming which includes early childhood education, martial arts, dance and fitness, culinary, tennis programs, and art classes hosted in partner-ship with Healdsburg Center for the Arts. All programs are following current COVID-19 health and safety guidelines issued by the California Department of Public Health and Sonoma County Health Department. For a full listing of current offerings and registration information, please visit: https://www.ci.healdsburg.ca.us/243/Fall-Programs-2021. Stay tuned as we continue to roll out new and exciting programming this fall and into the winter.

Community Discussions about Parklets, 15 Minute Parking, and Open Streets

On October 5 and 6, Community Services staff facilitated two online community meetings to provide residents and business owners the opportunity to give feedback on these initiatives. As part of these meetings, staff presented draft guidelines for an ongoing parklet program, discussed the status of the Open Streets area of Plaza Street, and received feedback on designating more ongoing 15-minute parking zones in the downtown core. Staff will include feedback received at these meetings into their report and presentation to City Council at the October 18 City Council meeting. Any community members who have additional feedback can email communityservices@healdburg.gov. The presentation and recordings from the community meetings can be found here: https://www.ci.healdsburg.ca.us/996/Marketspace-Outreach

City of Healdsburg Domain Name Changes to Healdsburg.gov

The City of Healdsburg recently changed our domain name to Healdsburg.gov. Starting immediately, you can visit our website at Starting immediately you can visit our website at https://healdsburg.gov or you can email staff at {staffName}@healdsburg.gov. To ensure minimal impact all previous website addresses and email addresses still function as they did prior to this change. If you regularly communicate with city staff via email please make sure to white list @healdsburg.gov in your spam filter.

The Police Department and Fire Department Go Pink

A group of police officers standing in front of a patrol vehicle

For the month of October, Police Officers and department staff as well as the Fire Departments have gone pink! In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness, Healdsburg police officers have the option of wearing pink patches on their uniforms. The Pink Patch Project started in 2013 in Southern California, and today more 247 agencies in California and over 390 agencies across the United States participate. The pink patches are intended to stimulate conversation within the community and to encourage public awareness about the importance of early detection and treatment in the fight against breast cancer.

The Healdsburg Fire Department are wearing pink "Breast Cancer Awareness" T-Shirts. They were made by a local vendor and funded by the “Healdsburg Firefighter Association”. We hope that someday, through awareness, we will see an end to this tragic disease.

Fuels Management on the Open Space

Healdsburg Fire, Community Services and contractors have been working on reducing fire fuels on the Open Space with the help of the Coastal Conservancy grants. The grazing sheep and goats have completed over 150 acres along the perimeter and fire roads of the open space. The maps show where the grazing animals have completed work. The grazing community has been very responsive to educate the public and address complaints. In addition to the grazing animals, treatments have included mastication and fuels crews. We are working closely with Ag + Open Space to find a balance of fire fuels removal and conserving natural resources.

Highland Circle and Scenic Lane Area Improved Fire Protection

Public Works, through a contractor, has completed installation of a new 8-inch water main extending from Highland Circle to Scenic Lane and south along Scenic Lane approximately 300-feet thereby allowing installation of two new fire hydrants where none previously existed.

The Public Works and Fire Department staff attended many community meetings regarding the project. The addition of two fire hydrants along Scenic Lane greatly improves the ability of responding fire departments to have a reliable water resource while fighting a structure or vegetation fire. The fire department responded to a vegetation fire in this area in the past and had to rely on water tenders to extinguish the fire. The safety of the City has improved with the addition of these fire hydrants in this high fire severity area.