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February 25, 2022

 The City of Healdsburg 16th Annual Bucket Brigade 

The City of Healdsburg has been working diligently on reducing fire fuels on the top of Fitch Mountain. Mayor Osvaldo Jimenez and Chief Jason Boaz met with Amanda MacDonald and Joey Frazier from the Northern Sonoma County Fuels Crew while on break. The reduction of fire fuel work has been funded by Coastal Conservancy grants.  Please save the date of Friday March 4, 2022, at 10:00 AM to visit the top of Fitch Mountain! We invite the public to learn about the fuels reduction from professional forester Jacob Harrower, and masticator operator Eric Dicke. Healdsburg Fire and Ag + Open Space representatives will be available to answer questions.  If you have questions regarding the event, please call Fire Marshal Linda Collister at (707) 431-3125. 

 Senior Center Receives A  Grant to Support Congregate Dining  

The Healdsburg Senior Center received a grant of $50,000 grant from Healdsburg Forever to support congregate dining. Our Community Services team is pleased to announce the return of the lunch-time congregate dining program at the Senior Center after a hiatus. The Council on Aging discontinued the congregate dining program during the COVID-19 pandemic, and since that time the program has been the most requested service to be reinstated for the both the nutritional value and the social interaction. We are grateful for Healdsburg Forever’s generous support and hope to launch the return of the program in mid-spring. Stay tuned for more information and the official launch date.

Introducing Soundstage 

Soundstage is a sound reactive lighted art installation, curated by local artists Gregg and Greta Schoenberg at the gazebo in the Healdsburg Plaza. The installation features over 800 LED lights that respond to sounds in the surrounding environment. Please come and experience the Soundstage by talking, singing, and letting your voice help bring the installation to life. There will be special music demonstrations featuring a fun dance party on March 5 and March 12 from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. The newly installed Soundstage is the latest feature of the Temporary Art Installation Program and will be on display through March 13. Thank you to the Healdsburg Tourism Improvement District for supporting this installation and to the artists for bringing this interactive experience to our community. If you are a local artist/creator that is interested in displaying your art for the community, we encourage you to check-out the Temporary Art Installation Program framework by visiting https://www.ci.healdsburg.ca.us/838/Temporary-Art-Installation-Program

 Budget Simulation Launched 

The City of Healdsburg has launched an interactive budget simulation that is easy to use. As part of our upcoming two-year budget development process, we want your feedback. Please follow the link to take the budget simulation and engage in the budget development process. You will be able to adjust revenues and expenditures and provide your thoughts and comments on each City department’s budget. These are your tax dollars, please take a moment to share with us how you would like to see them spent! The simulation will be available until April 1st.

To click on the interactive budget please visit:
English: https://bit.ly/3GRjn6U       Spanish: https://bit.ly/3BwvtBu

The City has also announced public meeting dates for residents to learn more about the budget:

Wednesday, March 2^nd from 6PM-8PM
Tuesday, March 15^th from 6PM-8PM
Saturday, March 26^th from 10AM-12PM

All meetings will be bilingual workshops and will be held at the Healdsburg Community Center in the Community Meeting Room. Workshops will include a short presentation and an opportunity for members of the community to complete the budget simulation. Workshops being provided in partnership with Corazon Healdsburg.

Healdsburg’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade Returns 

Our Community Services Department team is excited to announce the return of the St. Patrick’s Day parade and festivities on March 17. The day will kick-off at 7:00 a.m. as parade-goers dressed in festive attire come together on Healdsburg Avenue in what has been called the “biggest shortest parade in the world.” Following the parade, there will be an afternoon of live Celtic music and traditional Irish dance performances in Plaza Park from 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm. For more information, please visit  https://www.ci.healdsburg.ca.us/961/St-Patricks-Day-Festivities

Healdsburg Swim Center 

The Healdsburg Swim Center will reopen for public lap swim starting on Wednesday, March 2.  Lap swim will be available for drop-in hours on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 10:30am -12:30pm.  Expanded lap swim hours, recreational swim, and swim lessons will follow this spring and summer as the high school team wraps-up their swim team season. More information is available on the Swim Center website at: https://ci.healdsburg.ca.us/254/Aquatics-Programs for the current schedule and program updates. We look forward to seeing you back at the pool! 

Funding For Utility Bills 

This week, the City of Healdsburg applied nearly $300,000 in billing credits to qualifying customer’s utility bills.  City staff applied for and received funds from the California Arrearage Payment Program (CAPP) designed to help utility customers who fell behind on electric and water bills due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. To qualify, customers had to have a past due balance for services provided between March 4, 2020, and June 15, 2021. Electric CAPP credits were provided by the State of California Department of Community Services and Development, Water CAPP credits were provided by the State Water Resources Control Board. Customers that qualified for a CAPP benefit will automatically receive a credit and notification insert on their utility bill. The utility bill insert looks like the graphic above. Utility customers didn’t need to apply to receive CAPP credits. For more info on this program please visit https://healdsburg.gov/172/Utility-Billing-Customer-Service.

Wood Pole Replacements 

As an ongoing and year-round effort, the City’s electric crews continue to replace wood utility poles throughout Healdsburg. Annually, Healdsburg inspects and tests portions of the City Electric System (grid).  When a pole needs to be replaced, due to internal rot or exterior decay the pole is put into the City’s planned maintenance program.  The pictured is a pole on the corner of Fitch and Hayden but several poles near Hayden and Fitch have been replaced.  Replacing these poles helps keep the City’s electric system safe and reliable.

Security Cameras 

The Healdsburg Police Department would like to remind residents and businesses that they can register their security cameras with the department. This voluntary program can help fight crime and increase the likelihood of developing investigative leads and the identification of criminals responsible for crimes. Registering a camera does not give police department personnel access to the cameras, rather it provides investigators information about where cameras are located to help further an investigation. Residents and businesses can register their camera(s) at: https://hspd.crimegraphics.com/2013/default.aspx

Street Sweepers

Street sweeping is a critical component of keeping our waters clean and healthy.  Regular sweeping removes toxins and dirt from entering storm drain inlets, which of course outlet into our creeks and the Russian River. If you keep a vehicle in the same location every time the street sweeper comes through there can be a buildup of debris which may get into the waterways when it rains.  You can help by parking your car off the street or change the location on your sweeping day if possible. If not, consider including sweeping your gutter when you are doing yard work.  Leaves and yard debris belong in your compost bin. The Recology website has schedules for when each of our streets get swept: https://www.recology.com/recology-sonoma-marin/healdsburg/schedule/