City Council Community Update! 

Check out the following updates from the February 7 City Council meeting.

Proclamations:

The Napa City Council declared February 2023 as Black History Month! This month we honor the incredible contributions the Black community has made throughout US history. Watch the Council Meeting to check out the special proclamation.

Council Discussion:

The City of Napa recommended awarding a total of $1.15 million of Community Recovery Bank funds to 21 organizations in Napa. These grants were designated from the City's American Rescue Plan Act funding for local organizations that benefit the community. Residents determined that housing assistance, addressing homelessness, childcare, support for local businesses and workforce development were the top priorities when selecting organizations to award. The City distributed the limited funds based on the proposed projects' alignment with community survey results, level of community benefit and capacity to effectively administer the funds, among other criteria. These recommendations were presented to the City Council, who voted to approve 20 of the recommendations. Another vote will be taken at the March 7th meeting, when a quorum can be reached, to approve one remaining grant recommendation.

Presentations:

Tony Valadez of the Community Development Department presented a spotlight on the efforts of the Code Enforcement team who work hard to maintain Napa as a safe, healthy, and attractive community and ensure that local regulations are followed by all residents and businesses. 

Consent Calendar:

The Napa City Council reduced the speed on 23 streets in its annual speed limit update. A construction contract was awarded for the State Route 29 Bicycle and Pedestrian Undercrossing Project. Additionally, the Council approved an assessment of the Napa Storm Drain Infrastructure Conditions. This assessment will help the City determine the extent of infrastructure needing repair.

Watch the City Council meeting here!

Parking Program Community Workshop 

Don't miss the next Community Meeting about the City's parking program! Take this opportunity to share your feedback about the parking program that the City of Napa is developing for Downtown and the Oxbow District.

Wednesday, March 22, from 4 PM to 6 PM at the Napa Senior Center, Manzanita Room.

Topics to be discussed:

o        Educational presentation to explain the “Why” behind paid parking.

o        How paid parking can help address the current parking challenges in the City.

o        Overview of paid parking.

o        Open discussion.

What the attendees can expect from the workshop

o        Learn more about the reasoning behind paid parking.

o        Provide input and feedback.

Learn more about the City’s Downtown Parking Management plan at https://bit.ly/3IUIaLY, and keep an eye on our social media pages for future workshop dates!

Community Recovery Bank Grant Funds Awarded

The City of Napa is excited to announce the organizations that will be awarded Community Recovery Bank grant funds! 

The City of Napa designated $1.125 million in grant funds for local organizations that benefit our community from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The City conducted a survey to glean residents’ funding priorities which included: housing assistance, addressing homelessness, childcare, support for local businesses and workforce development. 

The City received 78 applications totaling over $9 million in funding requests! While we wish we could have provided funding to everyone who applied, we had to distribute the limited funds to the organizations that would benefit the community the most and whose mission’s align with residents’ priorities. Following an extensive review and scoring process, we are incredibly excited to award Community Recovery Bank grant funds to 20 incredible organizations! 

Read more about the selection process and how organizations will use their funds here.

And keep an eye on our social media pages to learn more about the organizations!

Celebrating City of Napa's New Hires and Promotions!

Last week, the City of Napa held their annual employee breakfast, where we take a moment to celebrate our incredible team! This year, we welcomed over 10 new employees and recognized over 30 promotions from 2022. 

The City of Napa prioritizes promoting from within to foster growth in our talented workforce. We love to see new employees flourish when faced with new challenges and responsibilities. Join us in celebrating all the Napa employees who were promoted in the following departments:

City Attorney's Office

City Manager's Office - Housing

Community Development Department

Finance Department

Fire Department

Parks & Recreation Department

Police Department

Public Works Department

Utilities Department

Do you want to build your career with the City of Napa? Apply today at: cityofnapa.org/careers

Volunteer Opportunity: French Broom Removal at Westwood Hills Park This Weekend

Join the City of Napa, the Friends of Westwood Hills Park, and the Napa County Resource Conservation District (Napa RCD) for a series of invasive plant removal days at Westwood Hills Park!

French Broom is an invasive plant that needs to be removed regularly to allow native plant species to survive and thrive. These invasive plant removal days are scheduled over the next three months - the next volunteer opportunity is coming up this Saturday, February 25th from 9 AM - 12 PM.

All you have to do is:

-Register to volunteer at www.napaRCD.org/events

-Wear sturdy shoes, long sleeves, and pants, as well as layers appropriate for the weather 

-Bring gardening gloves, if you have them (all supplies will be provided!)

Tell your friends and neighbors and ask them to join you - the more volunteers we have, the more we can get done! Can't make it this Saturday? There are two more events - Saturday, March 25th and Saturday, April 29! Together we can keep Westwood Hills Park clear of this noxious weed!

Request for Qualifications Now Open for Soscol Avenue Median Art

The City of Napa seeks to identify and select a qualified public artist to create and install a site-specific artwork in the Soscol Avenue medians. This Request for Qualifications (RFQ) is open to professional artists or teams with experience in the design, fabrication, and installation of public art.

More information found at www.cityofnapa.org/publicart

Napa Recycling & Compost Facility Recognized as Large-Scale Compost Manufacturer of the Year!

Congratulations to the Napa Recycling and Compost Facility, which was recognized as the Large-Scale Compost Manufacturer of the year by the United States Composting Council! 

The facility produces more than 10,000 tons of compost each year, turning organics that would produce harmful pollutants in a landfill into rich soil that feeds the thriving agriculture in Napa. The compost facility has improved their landfill diversion rate from 27% to 63% in the last two decades—continually making strides toward their goal of maintaining a 75% or more diversion rate. 

The success of the local composting facility can be attributed to an incredible dedication to climate change investment from our residents, City Council and Napa Recycling and Waste Services. Their continued success is reliant on residents’ ongoing commitment to sorting their trash into organic waste, recycling and landfill, so keep up the good work, Napans! 

Learn more about our award-winning compost facility at: https://naparecycling.com/residents/napa-recycling-facility/

8th annual Napa County Water Conservation Video Contest

The 8th annual Napa County Water Conservation Video Contest is now open to all 9th-12th grade students. 30-second videos capturing this year's theme Planning for those not-so-rainy days are due by Friday, May 19, 2023. Winners will be announced via social media and local agency web sites. 

Top prize is $1,500 and the winning video will be shown before films at Century Napa Valley Theatre for one week this summer. The 2nd and 3rd place videos will garner $1,000 and $500 cash prizes. View the contest web page for full details.