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It rained like heck yesterday. While I was working in my cozy (and dry) office, the Public Works crew was all over town checking drainage and managing stormwater flows (and getting drenched - thank you!). Our biggest delight of the day was Kimberly Park. As you already know, Kimberly Park is more than just a soccer field; it was constructed specifically to be a detention basin to hold water during heavy rain periods then release that water when the creek and tide go down. And it worked like a charm. Yes, the street was a few inches deep in water, but there was not damage to any homes and the water dissipated quickly. We are very pleased.
PS: Our next edition of the Friday Update will be a special "all holiday celebration" edition and will be sent on December 22nd. I'm looking for stories about your non-profit, school group or neighborhood and projects you have undertaken this holiday season to help others in our community. Food drives? Adopt a family? Send me your story and photo, and I'll get it in the next special update. Let's show everyone how giving AmCan can be this season. Respond to this newsletter, or
email me directly
.
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The City Council will meet again next week, December 20th, at City Hall. During the meeting, the Council will consider extending the moratorium on outdoor cultivation, processing, manufacture, distribution, testing and sale of marijuana in American Canyon. This moratorium will allow staff time to do further research and make recommendations to the Council for permanent regulation. The City Council will also hear a report from the Public Works Director about our long-term water supply options currently under consideration. This is an important discussion and I hope you can attend.
Finally, the Council will do a little housekeeping by selecting a Vice Mayor for 2017, discussing committee assignments and adopting a meeting calendar for next year. The meeting will also be Councilmember Ramos' last City Council meeting, as she takes on her new role as our County Supervisor in January. (We will have a little going-away party for her at the January 17 Council meeting). View the agenda
here.
Since our Last Update
Your City Council met on December 6th. The first order of business was to share our gratitude to retiring Councilmember Joan Bennett for the many years of service she has given to American Canyon. While Joan will not be on the City Council any longer, she will be as active and ever-present in the community as always. We also welcomed Mariam Aboudamous as our newest City Councilmember, and the City Clerk administered the Oath of Office to Mariam, returning Councilmember Ken Leary, and Mayor Leon Garcia.
Thanks to the hard work and dedication of the Fire District, the City of American Canyon was designated a Heart Safe Community by the Napa County Public Health Officer.
The American Canyon Community and Parks Foundations presented a generous donation to the City for Newell Open Space and picnic tables and benches at neighborhood parks.
Other items of business included allocation of community grant funds to eight local non-profit and community groups providing services to our residents.
You can watch the meeting
here
.
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City Offices Closed for Holidays
Seasons Greetings from our families to yours!
City offices will be closed for the holidays from Friday, December 23, 2016 through Monday, January 2, 2017.
Offices will re-open on Tuesday, January 3, 2017.
The Senior Center will be closed on Friday, December 23rd, Monday, December 26th and Monday, January 2nd.
FOR AFTER-HOURS ASSISTANCE, PLEASE CALL THE FOLLOWING:
- For Emergency Calls Only dial 911
- For non-emergency call American Canyon Police and Fire Dispatch (707) 648-0171
- For an urgent Public Works or Parks related matter call the answering service at (707) 995-8674
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Magic of the Season is well underway! We had an extremely successful Holiday Tree Lighting at Shenandoah Park, where Santa and the Grinch lit our brand new permanent City Holiday Tree. Snow Day, the following day was a huge success with double the snow areas, new activities to include a giant slide, and delicious food made available from local food vendors. Thank you to the 2,000+ people who attended, and also to our sponsors, Dr. Jeffrey Nichelli (Mr. Snow) of American Canyon Orthodontics, American Canyon Pediatric Dentistry, and Encore at 32 Dental. Please also check out our fabulous event pictures, by Robin Craig Photography,
here
.
The Holiday Decorating Contest & Tour concluded this week. We had amazing participation from our residents with 25 entries! If you were not able to get a seat on the bus tour you can still take a self-guided tour by downloading maps here (we had so many homes, we needed 2!). Map #1:
http://mapq.st/2hFZrIL Map #2:
http://mapq.st/2hG1b4R
You may also download the
American Canyon Connect
app (downloadable through iTunes or Google Play), to access the maps and to vote for your favorite!
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Tree Disposal
The Boy Scouts will be picking up Christmas trees on Saturday, January 7th. Trees should be placed at the curb, with all ornaments and tinsel removed, by 7 AM. Flocked trees will be
picked up too.
A $5 donation is requested for the pick-up and can be placed on your front door in a marked envelope.
You may also mail a check payable to Boy Scout Troop 62 to:
Boy Scout Trees
46 Goldfinch Drive
American Canyon, CA 94503
If you have questions or need more information please contact Debbie at (707) 853-1745.
You may also remove all decorations and cut your tree to fit in your yardwaste container to be picked up by Recology on your regularly scheduled service day.
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The American Canyon Fire Protection District, in conjunction with the United States Marine Corps Reserve is sponsoring the annual "Toys For Tots" drive. Anyone wishing to donate new, unwrapped toys for children up to age of 16, can bring them to the sites listed below through December 30th:
* American Canyon Public Safety Building - 911 Donaldson Way East (through December 22nd)
* American Canyon Aquatic Center - 100 Benton Way (through December 22nd)
* American Canyon City Hall - 4381 Broadway (through December 22nd)
* Starbucks - 6050 Main St. and 101 American Canyon Road
* Safeway - 103 American Canyon Road
* In Shape Gym - 120 American Canyon Road
* Fast Signs - 100 American Canyon Road
* American Canyon Family Resource Center - 3431 Broadway
* Walgreens - 210 American Canyon Road
* WalMart - 7011 Main Street
* Dunkin Donuts - 410 Napa Junction Road
Firefighters are only accepting toys; anyone wishing to donate food or clothing can contact American Canyon Family Resou
rce Center at 3431 Highway 29, Suite A-5 or (707) 980-7024. Those wishing to provide a financial contribution in lieu of toys, please drop off or send checks payable to "U.S.M.C. Reserve Toys for Tots Program" to the American Canyon Fire Protection District, 911 Donaldson Way East, American Canyon CA 94503.
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The community still has a week of Christmas activities to help celebrate the season. In addition to all the fun City events outlined earlier, the American Canyon Arts Foundation is hosting a
Holiday Boutique
until December 18th.
On Saturday, December 17th from 3-7 PM, the Season of Giving supports low income families and seniors by providing a festive winter carnival, complete with a visit with Mr. and Mrs. Claus.
You can find these events, and others on the Community Calendar.
Interested in adding your event to the community calendar? Click
here
for more information.
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Dealing with a barking dog in your neighborhood can be pretty frustrating at times. If you are a dog owner please be considerate of your neighbors by taking proper care of your pet and keeping them quiet. Please know that it is a violation of the law to let your dog bark and disturb the peace of others. Police Officers will generally provide a warning or two, but if the problem is not resolved, you can be cited for having a dog that disturbs neighbors. If you live near a dog who has a lot to say at all hours of the night, there are a few things you can do. Ask your neighbor to keep the dog quiet. Sometimes owners are blissfully unaware that there's a problem. If the dog barks for hours every day or night -- but only when it's left alone -- the owner may not know that you're being driven crazy. If you can establish some rapport with the neighbor, try to agree on specific actions to alleviate the problem. If you don't feel comfortable speaking with your neighbor try leaving a note on their door to let them know of your concerns. If you are concerned about the health and welfare of the animal or unable to resolve the situation yourself with these helpful tips contact Animal Services at (707) 253-4451 or the Police Department at (707) 648-0171.
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Railroad Crossing
Last Friday evening, the railroad crossing arms on American Canyon Road at Highway 29 malfunctioned and were stuck in down position for more than two hours during the evening commute. If you didn't personally experience the effect on traffic I'm sure you heard about it. From time to time the arms do malfunction; however, this was extraordinary because it took so long to resolve. For safety, only the railroad can operate the crossing arms and lights - our own Police and Fire departments do not have authority to move the arms. California Northern Railroad dispatched their nearest available employee to correct the problem, but that employee was more than 120 miles away. If you have questions or want to report a problem with railroad crossings in American Canyon, call (800) 800-3490.
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The City of American Canyon and American Canyon Fire Protection District issue accounts payable checks every week. Check registers are generated detailing payments to vendors which include check number, check date, invoice number, payment amount and a brief description. To view the check register, click
here.
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CERT Training in American Canyon
If we had a major earthquake right now would you know what to do? Would you know how to provide first aid to a loved one, rescue someone, or get drinking water? Are you ready to have your life disrupted and not have any help for 24 to 72 hours? If the answer to any of those questions is "no", please join us for Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training. The series of training is FREE, informative and fun! American Canyon Fire Department is offering this five-session class in American Canyon on January 24th & 26th (6-10 PM),
January 31st & February 2nd (6-10 PM), and
February 4th (8 AM-12 PM).
For more information or to enroll contact Sandra Hage at (707) 253-4799 or
email
.
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Public Works Updates
Kimberly Park Flood Control
The storm lastnight provided a good test of the new Kimberly Park Detention Basin. The V ditch on Kimberly Drive channeled water from the surrounding streets and directed it toward the grassy area shown in the picture to the right. The grassy area is actually a channel that directs the water toward the detention basin (under the soccer fields). During this storm approximately 2 million gallons of rainwater was diverted into the basin. Prior to the project completion this water would have backed up into the street and possibly into neighboring homes. The stormwater was held overnight in the basin and by morning had drained into the creek as designed.
Fun Fact: 2.39 inches of rain fell in American Canyon yesterday. This new record beats the old record of 1.85 inches in 1977.
Water levels about 1 foot deep at Kimberly Park Detention Basin - 5 PM, December 15th
Kimberly Park - 9 AM, December 16th
Bio-Swales
When you visit the new Napa Junction shopping area take a look at the bio-swales. These beautifully landscapped areas are changing the way we look at stormwater. Traditionally stormwater was funnelled into a drain to a pipe below ground and routed to creeks, rivers and wetlands. Now, when it rains, the bio-swales at Napa Junction will serve as the first part of the stormdrain system. The water in the parking lot and sidewalk will run through breaks in the curbs where the plants, rocks and special soil in the bio-swale help filter out oil, pesticides, and other pollutants rain picks up the moment it hits a hard surface. When the water absorbs into the soil it will eventually get to the traditional stormdrain that is now located under all the landscaping. The benefit of this new system is to use nature to improve the quality of the stormwater that is traveling through our stormdrain system to our wetlands.
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Community Development Updates
Building Permits
Are you preparing for DIY or home improvement projects over the holidays? Make sure you have the proper permits if needed. Building permit information can be found on our
website
, or by calling the Building Division at (707) 647-4581. Due to holiday closures at City Hall, be sure to obtain your permit or request an inspection for completed work before December 22nd. City Hall will re-open on Tuesday, January 3, 2017.
Project Updates
The Tractor Supply store and Taco Bell are nearing completion and the Village at Vintage Ranch apartment project is seeking a minor modification approval. A complete list of current projects and their status is available
here.
Tractor Supply
Tractor Supply retail store specializes in equipment and supplies for farm and ranch; home and garden; pets and livestock; including agricultural and garden equipment, power tools, heavy-duty outdoor machinery, hardware and tools, clothing and footwear.
The 19,000 square foot store includes almost 20,000 square feet of outdoor sales display. Many of the parking spaces are extra-large for the convenience of customers that arrive in large trucks. The City issued a temporary occupancy permit to allow the store to be outfitted and train new employees. This store will be Tractor Supplies' 1,600th retail outlet.
Village at Vintage Ranch
The Village at Vintage Ranch apartment project was approved in 2006 for 164 townhome units on 11.59 acres at the northwest corner of Silver Oak Trail and American Canyon Road. The approvals were extended to July 2017 by State law. Recently, the applicant submitted an application to revise the existing approval, not an entirely new approval. Some of the proposed modifications include adding a clubhouse and recreation area, reducing the number of dwelling units from 164 to 159, adjusting building exteriors and parking arrangements throughout the site. The Planning Commission reviewed the project on December 15, 2016 and continued the hearing to January 26, 2017.
Taco Bell
Taco Bell is building a new 2,536 square foot 50-seat restaurant within the Napa Junction III shopping center that is expected to open in January. Located at 408 Napa Junction Road, the drive-through restaurant features Taco Bell's latest architectural design that includes a purple slat wall that lights up at night and has a landscaped outdoor seating area. Early morning and late night diners will appreciate the extended restaurant hours from 7 AM to 2 AM on Sundays through Thursdays and 7 AM to 3 AM on Friday and Saturdays.
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Parks & Recreation Updates
Pool Maintenance Closure Reminder
The Phillip West Aquatic Center pool has undergone an amazing transformation, with a brand new pool bottom! We're excited to reopen the facility starting the first week of January. In anticipation of the reopening, the pool dome has been erected, which will help with the chilly weather we've been experiencing. We appreciate your patience while we accomplished this important maintenance project to improve our facility.
Activities through April
The Winter/Spring 2016-2017 Activity Guide is viewable
online. The guide covers programming and events through April 2017. We have exciting programs to look forward to, including the return of Starbound Theatre with the production, Snow White in the Enchanted Forest, as well as a youth Indoor Futsal League, and adult 3V3 Basketball League.
Upcoming activities
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Class
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Ages/Grades
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Activity Date/Time
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Cost
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Location
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6
th-8
th
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Jan. 10 - Feb. 9, 2017
Practice:
T: 3-5 PM
W: 1-3 PM
Th: 3-5 PM
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$50
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Community Center Gym
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5-19
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Jan. 12th - April 2nd, 2017
Practice day/time varies per age division
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$85
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Community Center Gym
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15+
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Jan. 2nd - 5th
M, T, W, Th: 8:30 AM - 5 PM
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$125
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Phillip West Aquatic Center
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18+
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Friday, Jan. 13th
11:30 AM - 4 PM
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$20
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Depart/Return
Senior Center
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For more information contact us at: (707) 648-7275
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