March 28, 2024

Successful Transportation and Public Works Project Open House!

Our Transportation and Public Works Project Open House was a hit! Nearly 60 community members attended the event last week to engage directly with Public Works staff about significant City projects.

Our teams showcased various projects, including the seismic retrofit of the Murray Street Bridge, the reconstruction of West Cliff, a variety of required maintenance programs, and several initiatives to improve safety for cars, bikes, and pedestrians.

As people left the event, we received great feedback, indicating a desire for similar open houses in the future—stay tuned!

Spring Beautification: Greening Up Downtown Parking Facilities with Landscaping

As spring arrives, our Parking Facility Maintenance Team is focused on enhancing the surroundings of downtown parking garages with landscaping projects.

We're committed to ensuring efficient parking and a pleasant environment for our residents and visitors. Look for the green touch-ups around your favorite parking spots!

Keeping Sidewalks Safe and Clean

Property owners have an important responsibility to keep sidewalks clean and accessible. Overgrown weeds and inadequate sidewalk maintenance hinder pedestrian safety and the beauty of Santa Cruz neighborhoods.

Weeds collect trash and other debris, exacerbating pollution and flooding when washed into storm drains. Cracked concrete can pose serious risks to pedestrians and people with disabilities. Visit the City’s website for resources, guidance, and support to maintain sidewalks and gutters in our neighborhoods. Thanks for doing your part to keep Santa Cruz safe and clean!

Homelessness Response

Action Plan



The City of Santa Cruz is updating its three-year Homelessness Response Action Plan. The goal is to develop a plan that will guide our increased efforts in responding to homelessness. An important part of the plan is soliciting feedback from community members like you!

We invite you to complete this survey. It will take 10 minutes to complete, and all responses will be anonymous. Thank you for providing your important feedback.

The survey will close on April 10th.

Creating Recycling Champions

Our Waste Reduction Team recently wrapped up the last class for the 2024 Master Recycler Volunteer Training Program. The 2024 volunteer cohort is 20 members strong. These folks will join over 100 other Master Recycler Volunteers to help educate, engage, and inspire good recycling habits in our community through outreach and tabling.



If you see Master Recyclers around town, stop by and say hi! Our volunteers are ready to answer all your recycling and waste reduction questions!



Citywide Street Maintenance Creates Smoother Travels

In the latest street maintenance updates, our dedicated road crew is keeping up with patching projects across Santa Cruz. Areas that received attention last week include:

• Ocean Street and Broadway
• Ocean Street Extension
• High Street and Laurent Street

Be sure to drive safely when passing City workers!

Visit Santa Cruz County Features Loch Lomond Reservoir

Thank you, Visit Santa Cruz County, for spotlighting Loch Lomond in the recent article: Beyond Your Wildest Dreams: Loch Lomond.



The article invites readers to explore the lake and the surrounding recreational area, which doubles as our drinking water reservoir and a space for learning, playing, and relaxing. Read the article and plan your trip today!

Climate Resilient Santa Cruz: Graham Hill Water Treatment Plant Improvement Project

The Water Department is working on vital projects to improve our resilience against a changing climate and meet our future water needs. This includes a significant effort to update the aging infrastructure at the Graham Hill Water Treatment Plant. The project includes the following goals:

• Establish a climate-resilient facility to ensure a continuous supply of safe drinking water.
• Upgrade aging infrastructure to meet seismic standards and become a wildfire-hardened facility.
• Integrate proven technology for enhanced efficiency and performance to address future water quality challenges influenced by climate change.
• Ensure preparedness for meeting future water treatment regulations.

A Draft Environmental Impact Report was circulated for feedback and public comment from December 7, 2023, to February 5, 2024. The Final Environmental Impact Report is scheduled to go to the Water Commission this summer and then to the City Council for certification. Matt Zeman is the project manager for the Graham Hill Water Treatment Plant Improvement Project.

While improvements to water treatment processes and equipment are generally exempt from local land use controls per California Government Code Section 53091(e), the Planning Department is reviewing an application for several permits for the project, including special use, design, heritage tree removal, and slope development. These permits are needed to 1) recognize the use of the Graham Hill Water Treatment Plant administration building and 2) consider proposed modifications and improvements to the administration and maintenance buildings.

Prior to certification of the Final Environmental Impact Report, the Planning Commission will make a recommendation to the City Council regarding the permits mentioned in the paragraph above. Timothy Maier is the planner reviewing the project.



City of Santa Cruz

City Manager's Office

809 Center Street

Santa Cruz CA 95060

santacruzca.gov

831-420-5010