Community Update for May 18, 2022

Posted on May 18, 2022

Local Road Safety Plan 5 18 (1)

HAGA CLIC AQUÍ PARA ESPAÑOL

 

Hello, Petaluma —
It appears the hot weather has officially arrived! As we enter the hotter, dryer months, please remember our region is still in a drought emergency. In this evening’s email we will share some helpful resources that can help you save water. Please take a look and share with your circle.
This evening we’ll also share news of a plea from public health officials as COVID-19 case number rise, ways to get involved in planning the future of our beloved Fairgrounds, an update on some of our Safe Street projects, and much more. Please enjoy, share with friends, and have a lovely evening. We’ll see you in your inbox next Wednesday!

 

HEALTH OFFICERS URGE PUBLIC TO TAKE PRECAUTIONS AS COVID-19 CASES RISE

Per the County of Sonoma, twelve Bay Area health officers are stressing the importance of taking safety precautions, including continued masking indoors, as the region experiences a new swell of COVID cases and hospitalizations.
The Bay Area now has California’s highest COVID infection rates. The current  wave is fueled by highly contagious Omicron subvariants. Bay Area counties  are seeing increases in reported cases, levels of virus in sewer sheds, and hospitalizations. Actual case rates are higher than those reported because of widespread use of home tests.
These health officers reiterate their continued, strong support for people to mask up indoors, keep tests handy, and ensure they are up to date on vaccinations by getting boosters when eligible.
Health officials say people should also stay home if they feel sick and get tested right away. Officials also encourage getting tested after potential exposure and limiting large gatherings to well ventilated spaces or outdoors. For people who are more likely to get very sick from COVID-19 infection, medications are available that can reduce your chances of severe illness and death. Talk with your healthcare provider right away if you test positive.
The above statement has been endorsed by health officers from the counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Monterey, Napa, San Benito, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, and Sonoma as well as the City of Berkeley.
CLICK HERE to learn more.

 

 

RESOURCES TO HELP YOU SAVE WATER

The City of Petaluma offers many water conservation programs to help our residential and commercial customers conserve water. Along with rebates, water evaluations, and free water saving devices, there are additional resources that provide actionable steps to save water. To learn more, see the links listed below.
Questions? Call the Water Conservation line at (707) 778-4507 or email [email protected].
Water Conservation Resources:

GET INVOLVED WITH THE FUTURE OF THE PETALUMA FAIRGROUNDS

As the Fairgrounds Visioning process unfolds, we are working with the community to think comprehensively about how the Fairgrounds property can fit into and complement our community’s broader goals and values while retaining our annual fair event and other agricultural activities that are at the heart of Petaluma’s past and future.
The Petaluma Fairgrounds Advisory Panel – We have partnered with nonpartisan, nonprofit Healthy Democracy to establish a lottery-selected group of community members that will spend 100+ hours reviewing information and considering the future of the Fairgrounds. In its first weekend together, the Panel began gathering the information they need to make recommendations about the future of the Fairgrounds property. The group got to know one another and shared their personal experiences at the site. The group reviewed briefing materials from the City and Fair Board, stakeholder statements from the Informational Advisory Committee, and 13 presentations from across the community. The group worked closely in small groups, to decide who else they want to hear speak in their June sessions.
Ways to get involved:
  • Watch the sessions – Go to the dedicated Healthy Democracy YouTube channel
  • Get on the mailing list – Subscribe to the Healthy Democracy Petaluma mailing list to get updates via email about the advisory panel process
  • Visit the website – Go to the Healthy Democracy Petaluma website for details
  • Take the Survey in English / Spanish – We have created a survey to gather feedback from the community about what the Fairgrounds means to you, what you would like to see at the site in the future, and more.  Click the English and Spanish links to take the survey today.

 

 

CITY COUNCIL ADOPTS FISCAL YEAR 2022-2023 BUDGET

On May 16, 2022, the Petaluma City Council approved its budget for Fiscal Year 22-23 which will fund all City operations, projects, and programs starting July 1, 2022, through June 30, 2023. This $311 million budget supports the City’s goals to improve infrastructure, complete safety improvements, expand recreation opportunities, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, increase diversity, equity, and inclusion, and much more. The City Council also introduced an ordinance to approve the associated appropriations. This ordinance is scheduled to be reviewed by the City Council on June 6, 2022.
While this budget represents hundreds of projects and programs across all City operating budgets, we expect to see several major accomplishments during this upcoming fiscal year such as:
  • The first City Councilmembers, elected by districts, will be seated on the Council.
  • The City will have a new General Plan Housing Element.
  • The City will have a Climate Action and Adaptation Plan, outlining the necessary steps to achieve the Council’s goal of carbon neutrality by 2030.
  • Community-wide engagement on visioning the future of our fairgrounds property.
This budget also represents the second full year of Measure U revenues that will be invested in our roads, safety services, and workforce stabilization.
Of the $311M overall budget, $70M represents our Capital Improvement Program (CIP) that includes both long-awaited projects (e.g. North McDowell Boulevard Complete Streets project) as well as “under the radar” projects in many infrastructure categories – airport, storm water, facilities, transit, etc. After decades of disinvestment in City infrastructure, this CIP budget places a renewed emphasis on improving the lives of every Petaluman and investing in our Climate Ready future.
CLICK HERE to learn more.

 

CHECK OUT OUR APRIL 2022 MONTHLY UPDATE

Here at the City, we are always working hard to make Petaluma the best it can be for our community – and we want to share our progress with you! Each month, we publish a report featuring some key projects and initiatives our staff is working on.
Each of these projects featured are significant and impact our community, and reflect specific Council priorities in our Council’s Goals and Priorities.
Check out our latest Monthly Update and sign up to receive more at cityofpetaluma.org/monthlyupdate.

 

PLEASE JOIN US MAY 31 FOR A COMMUNITY WORKSHOP ON HOMELESS SERVICES

Over the past year, the City of Petaluma has been developing a strategic action plan to effectively address homelessness in our community. Please join us on Tuesday, May 31, from 6 to 8:30pm at the Petaluma Community Center, for a Community Workshop designed to:
  1. Provide the community with an opportunity to learn about current efforts to solve homelessness in Petaluma
  2. Solicit feedback from residents and community stakeholders about future homelessness programming efforts.
Feedback from this event will be incorporated into the action plan, which will then be presented to the City Council on June 20 for final approval.
More details of the event will be made available when the agenda is posted to our meetings page – cityofpetaluma.org/meetings – stay tuned!

 

 

IT’S NATIONAL PUBLIC WORKS WEEK!

This week, we are #PetalumaProud to honor the members of our Public Works and Utilities Department as we celebrate National Public Works Week. Public Works and Utilities PWU plays a very important role in keeping our City functioning, providing services that are essential to our quality of life.
The PWU staff are responsible for operating, maintaining, and continually improving our airport, marina, transit system, water delivery system, wastewater collection system, water recycling plant, and community facilities. They also provide support for our parks, pools, and community open spaces. As you can imagine, we keep them pretty busy! We are grateful for all this important department contributes to Petaluma.
Thank you, Public Works and Utilities team!

 

 

HARD AT WORK CREATING SAFE STREETS

The City of Petaluma is committed to making our streets safer for all who travel them. We are hard at work on projects all over town and look forward to updating you on our progress as we go. Check out what we’ve been up to below!
Petaluma Boulevard South Project Nearing Completion
The Petaluma Boulevard South Complete streets project is getting close to completion!  Our contractor is currently finishing up curb ramp installations and has begun to lower the metal utility covers in the roadway in preparation for repaving. Please travel with caution as this work is happening in the travel lanes.  Repaving is scheduled to start on Monday, May 31st, beginning at D Street and continuing south.  Thru traffic and driveway access during the repaving will be provided, but parking along the boulevard will not.  Be aware that orange cones, delineators and temporary lane markings will be used to guide traffic and the configuration will change.
If you have any question or concerns of the upcoming activities, please contact City staff at 707-331-2316. To learn more, visit: cityofpetaluma.org/blvdsouth
Bassett Upham Temporary Mini Traffic Circle
We recently installed a mini traffic circle demonstration project at the intersection of Bassett and Upham Streets. The project is designed to help slow traffic and increase safety for all road users. The circle has been installed temporarily and, over the next 6 months, we will gather feedback from the community to determine how it is working for the neighborhood.
Have you tried the circle? We’d love to hear what you think. To share your feedback and learn more about the project, including tips for navigating traffic circles, please visit: cityofpetaluma.org/bassettuphamcircle
Local Road Safety Plan
Did you know, according to Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) crash statistics, at least 40% of all vehicle fatalities are on local roads?
Keeping our roads safe for all who use them is a high priority for the City of Petaluma. We are putting together a Local Road Safety Plan and an Active Transportation Plan and we need to hear from you!
CLICK HERE to give your input.

 

 

ROAD CLOSURES THIS WEEKEND

Cruising the Boulevard, Inc. is having their annual Car Show and Cruise on Saturday, May 21, 2022 in Downtown Petaluma. They are requesting street closures for the purpose of the Car Show and Cruise. The event is scheduled to start at 8:00am and end at approximately 8:00pm (12 hours).  Road closures will take effect starting at 5:00am.  The road closures will remain in effect until 8:00pm.
CLICK HERE for a list of road closures.

 

 

BIKE TO WORK/WHEREVER EVENT THIS FRIDAY

This Friday, May 20 the City of Petaluma is partnering with the Sonoma County Bike Coalition and SMART for a special event encouraging community members to bike to work or wherever instead of traveling by car. All are welcome to gather at the SMART Station in Petaluma anytime between 6am-9am. Mike’s Bikes will have their tune-up trailer set up and there will be a giveaway, as well as water and snacks.
The City of Petaluma has committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2030 and to start, we are tackling transportation emissions. This is one of our many community events set for the year to encourage Petalumans to bike, walk, scooter, or skateboard instead of drive. To learn more about upcoming climate-friendly community events, visit our webpage: cityofpetaluma.org/climateready

 

 

MAY GENERAL PLAN ADVISORY COMMITTEE SESSION

May 19, 2022, 6:30 PM – 9:00 PM on Zoom
Since late 2020 the City of Petaluma has been working on updating its General Plan, the road map that will shape the future of the city for the next 20 – 30 years.
The May 2022 General Plan Advisory Committee (GPAC) Session moves this process forward with an overview and discussion of the Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (CAAP), our city’s plan to reach the 2030 Climate Neutrality Goal. This will be followed by a special presentation from the Sustainable Design Assessment Team (SDAT) on their efforts to support community sustainability.
Then, we will check in with GPAC Working Groups to hear more about their efforts alongside other community members on issues that include housing, climate action, equity, open space, mobility, sense of place, and economic development.
In addition to these primary objectives, the session will share updates on various related City initiatives including the City Council’s top priorities, the 6th Cycle Housing Element, the Fairgrounds Community Visioning Process, and flood and sea level rise modeling.
To learn more about past GPAC meetings, the General Plan Update, and the 6th Cycle Housing Element Update please visit the project website at www.planpetaluma.org and view the agenda on the City meeting website.

 

 

HELP BUILD A GREAT COMMUNITY TOGETHER – JOIN A COMMITTEE, COMMISSION, OR BOARD

Petaluma’s Commissions, Committees, and Boards (CCBs) provide important oversight to City operations and the decision-making process. We are now accepting applications for vacancies on the following City Committees and Commissions:
  • Airport Commission
  • Animal Services Advisory Committee
  • Climate Action Commission
  • Measure U Oversight Committee
  • Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Committee
  • Planning Commission
  • Public Art Committee
  • Recreation, Music, and Parks Commission
  • Senior Advisory Committee
  • Sonoma County Library Commission
  • Technology Advisory Committee
  • Transit Advisory Committee
  • Tree Advisory Committee
  • Youth Commission
CLICK HERE to learn more.

 

 

JOIN OUR PETALUMA TEAM! 

The City of Petaluma is looking for talented people to join our team! Please click the links below for more information about our open positions. CLICK HERE for a full list of career opportunities.

Have questions about working for the City? Please reach out to [email protected].

 

 

UPCOMING MEETINGS 

The City of Petaluma is hard at work for our community. Please check out our upcoming meetings and click on the links below for more information:

May 24, 6:30pm – Youth Commission 
May 25, 7pm – Technology Advisory Committee 
May 26, 6pm – Public Art Committee

Check for upcoming meetings, agendas, and how to participate on the City’s meeting webpage: https://cityofpetaluma.org/meetings/ 

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