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January 14, 2022

16th Annual Bucket Brigade Blood Drive

The next City Council meeting will be held online on Tuesday, Jan. 18, at 6 PM because of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday on Jan. 17. Here's the meeting agenda: Agenda - Tuesday, January 18, 2022 (iqm2.com)
 
Agenda items include:

• Acceptance of the award of Project Homekey funding from the State of California  Department of Housing and Community Development for the acquisition and operation of the L&M Motel, 70 Healdsburg Avenue, as interim housing.
• Appointment of Parks and Recreation Commissioners and Senior Citizen Advisory Commissioners.
• Professional Services Agreement with the Chamber of Commerce; and
• Updating the Water Shortage Contingency Plan.

Seven New 15-minutes Parking Spaces in the Downtown

Due to the pandemic, many of our local businesses had to adapt to a new way of serving customers which includes curbside pickups. To aid this process the City allowed temporary short term parking spaces using A-frame signs. The permit process allowing these signs has expired but the need for more short-term parking has not.  

Recognizing the communities need for more short-term parking spaces City staff reached out to the business community to gauge interest in a permanent solution. Based on the response received, staff intends to add seven new 15-minute parking spaces throughout the downtown area and remove the one loading zone adjacent to what was the paint store on Center Street. All seven spaces will be signed, the adjacent curb will be painted yellow, and the pavement surface will be painted with “15 Min Parking.” A few other existing loading zones will be updated to keep these spaces consistent.  

Any questions or comments should be directed to Public Works Director Zimmer – lzimmer@healdsburg.gov 

Sonoma County Health Officer Restricts Large Gatherings

On Monday, January 10, 2022, Sonoma County Health Officer Dr. Sundari Mase out of an abundance of caution, issued a Health Order canceling large gatherings to limit the further spread of the novel coronavirus in the county. Large gatherings of more than 50 people indoors, or more than 100 people outdoors (where social distancing is not feasible), are prohibited for the duration of the order. 

She also issued an appeal to residents to stay home as much as possible for the next 30 days and limit interactions with those outside of their immediate household.

Wastewater Backup Generation Repairs

To assure the operation of the wastewater treatment plant under a variety of circumstances, the City operates and maintains a large 1,250 kilowatt backup generator.  Recently the City identified some significant and needed repairs with this generator.  To initiate the repairs and provide continued backup generation, a second temporary generation was installed prior to dismantling the existing generator.  Repair work will continue through the month of January and once completed will return the permeant generator back to service.  This is good example of the “behind the scenes” work City staff perform daily to make sure basic public services, such as wastewater treatment, continue uninterrupted.

Healdsburg Avenue Apartments

The proposed 30-unit apartment project at 3 Healdsburg Avenue, originally scheduled for the January 11th Planning Commission meeting, has been continued to a date uncertain at the request of the applicant in order to hold a neighborhood meeting, make changes to the project in response to comments received, and then move on to a Planning Commission Workshop in advance of a future hearing.

Hotel Healdsburg Residences

On January 25th at 6 p.m. the Planning Commission will hold a public workshop to review plans for the 16-unit Hotel Healdsburg Residences Project located at the northeast corner of Healdsburg Avenue and North Street. The purpose of the workshop is to introduce the project to the Planning Commission and Community and to obtain input. No official action will be taken at this meeting. Information on this workshop can be viewed on the City’s website under Agendas & Minutes.  

Holiday Tree Recycled

On Tuesday, January 4th, we said goodbye to the Plaza Christmas tree. The 45’ tree was sustainably farmed at Jones Forest Products farms in Grants Pass Oregon. It then made the 375-mile trip to Healdsburg by hitching a ride on a truck that was already delivering other trees to locations in Novato and Napa. Our tree was delivered and put into place on November 10 where it stood tall through the holiday season, highlighted by the first annual Merry Healdsburg tree lighting event. The tree was decorated with 3,000 LED lights, 504 ornaments and a 4-foot-tall LED star on top. With the holiday season behind us, the tree was removed, mulched, and recycled.  

A special thank you to Image Tree Service for donating their time decorating and removing the tree. We appreciate everyone that had an opportunity to come see the tree, take a photo, and enjoy its presence in Plaza Park. The Community Services team has already begun discussions about next year’s holiday festivities and look forward to sharing a new tree with the community in 2022.

Project Homekey - L&M Motel

On Tuesday, January 11, 2022, the City of Healdsburg, in partnership with Reach For Home held a community meeting on the proposed purchase of the L&M Motel, located at 70 Healdsburg Avenue for interim housing. If you missed the meeting and would like to watch it, the meeting can be found at the following link: https://healdsburg.gov/DocumentCenter/View/13856/Project-Homekey-Community-Meeting---LM-Motel