|
|
City of Santa Fe Weekly Wrap
|
|
Highlights from the Week of January 24, 2022 |
|
There's a lot going on in the City Different!
|
|
Doing Our Best to
Prevent the Worst
|
ALL OVER THE COUNTRY, public institutions are dealing with stress from major staff absences due to Omicron: hospitals, schools, and other key institutions. The same applies to the private sector — restaurants and stores cutting hours or days of operation due to staff shortages. That's why the City continues taking steps to stay ahead of the curve so problems don't become crises.
COVID cases — more infections, less severe illness — are spiking due to Omicron. The Human Resources Department is diligent about reporting the infections to the workforce. Anticipating increased absences, Emergency Management Director Brian Williams is coordinating department-by-department continuity-of-operations contingencies to prepare for any eventuality.
We're also doubling down on prevention to mitigate the spread of this variant and reduce its more drastic impacts on the workforce and the community.
The new Emergency Resolution that passed this week recommends the use of high-quality masks — and Williams purchased a large shipment of KN95's for distribution to City employees.
The Resolution also recommends frequent testing — and Curative will begin to offer Rapid PCR Testing (results in two hours) to all comers at the Midtown Public Safety Building beginning Friday, February 4, and continuing every day of the work week except for Thursdays, when vaccinations are offered at the same location.
Find details of the City's and NMDOH's current COVID prevention resources on a new page of our website and take advantage of the available resources.
|
|
MAYOR'S NOTE:
Santa Fe Is
World Class!
|
It's been a good week for Santa Fe's bragging rights as a world- class city for arts and culture.
Travel + Leisure magazine recently reported that Santa Fe ranked #7 among “The 10 Best Cities in the World for Art Lovers,” based on a global survey. Places like Venice were ahead of us and only two U.S. cities, Miami and San Francisco, ranked higher.
But wait — there’s more! This week MovieMaker Magazine ranked us #3 in the Small Cities and Towns category in a roundup of Best Place to Live and Work as a movie maker. We trailed New Orleans — not bad!
Santa Fe is not just the State Capital; we’re also a World Capital for arts and culture. We make art, we promote art, we market art — but most importantly, we live art. Art and culture is in our DNA as a community and as a people.
Now we’re looking for nominations for the 2022 Mayor's Awards for Excellence in the Arts. If you have a group or a person you’d like to see recognized, send in a nomination here. Art and culture are alive and well in Santa Fe!
|
|
|
|
New Plaza Benches, Same Look |
On Wednesday afternoon Mayor Webber cut the ribbon on one of the 33 new benches in the Plaza, with an assist from members of the City Council, City department leaders, the head of the Chamber of Commerce, and Buddy and Irene Roybal, the volunteers behind the project. The new benches are made from the molds of the ones they replaced, with more durable materials. Kudos to Acting Parks Director Melissa McDonald and the installation crew! |
|
Community Services Director |
City Manager John Blair has appointed Maria Sanchez-Tucker as the City's new Community Services Director. The division is now part of the Community Health and Safety Department, and this appointment coincides with the next level of reorganization in which Community Services will encompass Libraries, Senior Services, Youth Programs, and, newly, Recreation.
Sanchez-Tucker has been Library Division Director since August of 2019. Learn more about the appointment here.
|
|
The Land Use Department has recently hired personnel that will greatly enhance operational capacity. The Enforcement Division, in charge of Zoning Code Compliance and Short-Term Rentals, is 95% staffed as of January 2022, with one position to be advertised; the division was previously at 70% capacity. A year ago, the staffing level of the Construction Inspections team was less than 60 percent; as of now, it is at 85%. The department is still hiring, and so are many others.
|
|
|
|
Please join representatives of the City and Interfaith Community Shelter (Pete's Place) for a community dialogue session on Tuesday, Feb. 1, from 5 – 6:30 p.m. The meeting will start with an information session, including a presentation by the Police Department. Residents will be able to address and ask questions of City and Interfaith Shelter representatives. The meeting will take place on Zoom.
|
|
Share this email with your networks! |
|
|
|
|
|
|
