City of Benicia This Week
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In this edition: Benicia COVID Vaccine Clinic Thursday, Library Hosts Poetry Reading Monday, Lake Herman Road to Close for Resurfacing, Input Sought for Update to Parks Plan, Tree City USA 2020, Easter Giveaway a Success, Support Benicia Businesses, COVID Assistance, City Employee Spotlight
Message from the City Manager
April 5, 2021

Hello Everyone,
I’m very excited this week that we were able to partner with Solano County Public Health to host another vaccine clinic this week. We were able to get 400 doses of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine. We will be focusing on seniors 60 and over in Solano County in hopes of getting vaccine to those most vulnerable who have not yet been able to be vaccinated. If there are still reservation openings, we will open it further to 50 and over. Please see the link in the article below to sign up for a reservation…we will only be accepting those who have signed up online. With our numbers in Solano County trending dangerously up, it is critical we get as many people vaccinated as quickly as we can.
 
This week I wanted to take a moment to focus attention on another of our City’s most important priorities, the update to the Parks, Trails, and Open Space Master Plan. This is Priority Project 2 under the City’s Strategic Goal 2 ‘Maintaining and Enhancing a High Quality of Life’. Our parks and open spaces are much loved by most Benicians and certainly an important part of our identity and what makes our community so special. We have 28 parks and many miles of trails through our beautiful open spaces. That said, we have not updated the plan since 1997! It is critical to address both this plan as well as the Landscape and Lighting Districts in order to ensure our parks continue to serve our community for another twenty-plus years into the future.
 
In my walks and talks with community members I’ve had many conversations with residents interested in improved dog parks, multi-weather/multi-use sports fields, increased pickleball courts, and many other needs. Now is the time to have your voice heard in this process so we can best ensure we capture the community’s vision of our future. To say that this is an important process, and one that should be community driven, would be an understatement. I would ask you to please read the article below from our amazing Parks and Community Services Department and get the word out for people you know who might be deeply vested in the future of our parks and open spaces to join the process. I’m very excited about the potential of this project and the positive impact it will have on our entire community as well as working to ensure the future of this critical community resource for decades to come.

Thank you for your interest in the City of Benicia This Week! If you enjoy reading this weekly message, please share and encourage your friends, family, and coworkers to subscribe or text jointhisweek to 22828 (messaging and data rates may apply).

Erik Upson
City Manager
City News
Benicia COVID Vaccine Clinic Thursday
The City of Benicia is pleased to have the opportunity to host a Johnson & Johnson one-dose COVID-19 vaccine clinic for the more vulnerable members of our community, those aged 60 and above. The clinic will be on Thursday, April 8, 9 a.m. - noon at Benicia Senior Center. Registration is required. Sign up at www.tinyurl.com/AprilBeniciaVaccine.
Library Hosts Poetry Reading Monday
Benicia Public Library is hosting a reading by poets on Monday, April 5 from 7 to 9 p.m. via Zoom. Jane Hirshfield will read from her recently published book of poetry, “Ledger,” along with Lynn Ungar, whose poem “Pandemic” went viral in March 2020.

The event coincides with National Library Week (April 4-10) and National Poetry Month(April), and kicks off a series of library events, virtual for now, on the first Monday evening of every month.The First Monday Author Series is co-sponsored by Bookshop Benicia.

“We are so happy to welcome Ms. Hirshfield, and grateful for her willingness to share her poetry with the community,”said Library Director David Dodd, who added “We had her scheduled for a reading last year on March 29, but it was cancelled, along with pretty much everything else.”

Hirshfield’s work has been widely praised, garnering national and international attention and meriting publication in The New Yorker, among many others. The Washington Post described her as belonging “among the modern masters” and The New York Times characterized her work as“passionate and radiant.”

Poet Lynn Ungar attracted wide attention with her online publication, via a Facebook post, of her poem Pandemic, just over a year ago. Subsequently, she wrote a series of poems about her experience, and that of the world, as all coped with the pandemic. These 43 poems have been collected into the book, These Days, available through her website.

No registration is necessary but attendance is limited to 100 people on a first come, first serve basis through this Zoom link: https://bit.ly/2PJ9IdS, or watch live on the Benicia Public Library’s Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/BeniciaPublicLibrary.
Lake Herman Road to Close for Resurfacing
The City of Benicia Public Works Department announces an updated schedule for the 2019-20 Citywide Street Resurfacing Project, which started on July 13, 2020.

Last summer, the project completed the rehabilitation of 11 city streets mostly on the east side and in the industrial area of Benicia. The Lake Herman Road portion of the project was started in fall of 2020, then put on hold in mid-November as the weather cooled. The remaining work on Lake Herman Road, from Reservoir Road west to the city limit, is scheduled to restart on Thursday, April 8, with completion expected in mid-May.

Due to the nature of the project, Lake Herman Road will be closed in both directions to all traffic from April 8 to Saturday, May 1. Emergency vehicles will be allowed access to the road around April 26.

The Street Resurfacing Project will rehabilitate the pavement by a process called Full-Depth Reclamation (FDR). FDR is a recycling method for reconstruction of existing pavements using the existing pavement as the base for the new roadway surface. The treatment of the base layer and recycled asphalt provides a stronger foundation for present and future traffic. This process produces a cost-effective solution that maximizes limited budgets.

The work on Lake Herman Road is a joint effort between the City of Benicia and Solano County, with the county including Benicia’s portion of Lake Herman Road within their paving project for cost savings. Solano County has issued a road closure notification on their web site and notified Solano County dispatch and CalOES (Office of Emergency Services).

Additional information on Citywide Street Resurfacing Project is available in the November 5, 2020 City of Benicia Press Release at http://www.ci.benicia.ca.us/announcements.

Questions or comments should be directed to Daniel Sequeira, City Engineer at 707.746.4237 or dsequeira@ci.benicia.ca.us.
Input Sought to Update Parks Plan
The City of Benicia has begun work to update the 1997 Parks, Trails, and Open Space Master Plan to guide the planning, maintenance, development, and rehabilitation of Benicia’s parks, trails, and open space system. Benicia residents are invited to join in the process, which will be led by the Parks & Community Services Department, as the City seeks feedback from all members of our community about the future of Benicia’s parks, trails, and open space system.
 
 
“We are very excited about updating the Parks, Trails and Open Space master plan and engaging the community in virtual focus groups and public meetings. We look forward to the Benicia community guiding our efforts to improve our very expansive parks, trails and open space system and assist in planning for the future. This process will include prioritizing projects, maintenance, policy, and funding,” said Parks and Community Services Director Mike Dotson.
 
The City will conduct two identical virtual public input meetings in late April to gather feedback from residents. These meetings will seek to engage the Benicia community to obtain their input through live polling, Q&A and public comments on the following dates:

  • Wednesday, April 28 from 6 -7 p.m.
  • Thursday, April 29 from 6 – 7 p.m.
 
An ADA-accessible, crowdsourcing website to guide this project is also being set up at www.LoveBeniciaParks.com. This will be a good place to submit comments, review project videos and documents, and to track the latest project updates. 

For additional information, please contact Parks & Community Services Director Mike Dotson at mdotson@ci.benicia.ca.us, or Senior Planner Vic Randall at vrandall@ci.benicia.ca.us.
Tree City USA 2020
The Parks & Community Services Department is pleased to announce that the City of Benicia has been recognized as a Tree City USA for the 12th year (2020)! 

In order to become a Tree City USA, cities must have a tree ordinance, tree committee / board, spend at least $2 per capita on trees, and have an annual Arbor Day observance and proclamation. 

This year Arbor Day will be celebrated in October to take advantage of the fall / winter rains to help establish the trees and minimize the need for supplemental manual watering. More information on Arbor Day will be provided soon. Follow the links below for more information.
Easter Giveaway a Success
In partnership with Soroptimist International of Benicia, the Benicia Police Department's Family Resource Center (FRC) recently provided $25 Safeway gift cards to 40 families with small children so they could buy supplies for Easter baskets or for Easter dinner. The Soroptimists generously provided $1,000 in gift cards.

The families were contacted and given the chance to reserve one of the gift cards. All gift cards were picked up in person at the FRC office to lessen the chance of mail theft.

This was a brand new project for the FRC but it proved to be very popular. They found it to be an easy and festive program that they will consider doing again.
Support Benicia Businesses
The City of Benicia Office of Economic Development reminds residents to support Benicia businesses to keep them in business. One that appreciates your support is Bruehol Benicia Brewing. They invite beer enthusiasts to pick up cans to-go or fill growlers in their taproom at 4828 East 2nd Street. In addition, enjoy a pint (or two) at these Benicia establishments and support them, too:

  • Lucca Bar & Grill
  • The Cellar
  • Bella Siena [exclusive]
  • Cullen's Tannery Pub
  • The Chill
  • The Rellik
  • Benicia Yacht Club
COVID Assistance
Find resources and information for seniors, local food access, basic needs and rental assistance, mental health, stress and coping, and more courtesy of Solano County Public Health. Benicia residents in need of help during these difficult times may find assistance through these local resources:
City Employee Spotlight
Robert Blair, Water Operator IV in the Public Works Department has received the American Water Works Association’s Operator Meritorious Award. Robert is a critical member of City staff and is considered by his peers and supervisors as a subject matter expert. His calm demeanor and can-do-attitude are a key asset to the City and to our water customers. Below is his award citation. Congratulations to Robert, our City’s first operator to receive this award!
 
Robert Blair, Water Operator IV with the City of Benicia is nominated for the AWWA Operator Meritorious Award for:
  • Continuous compliance with all public health standards in treated drinking water.
  • The development of new and/or modified equipment or significant process modifications to provide for more efficient and/or effective treatment.
  • Special efforts in the training of treatment plant operators.
  • Special acts not directly related to water treatment, but which demonstrate dedication to the public beyond the normal operating responsibilities. (providing a role as Acting WTP Supervisor until position was filled)
Robert is a consistent and highly skilled operator, and is always willing to assist staff in operations and fact finding. He is an asset to all the staff at the City.
Save the Date
Modified service due to COVID-19
City Hall is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. If you require entrance to City Hall offices outside of these hours, please make arrangements with staff from the department that you will be visiting.

All visitors shall be required to enter City Hall from East L street through the door located on the left (East) side of the building closest to the Post Office. Please check in with the staff person at the designated Welcome Window.

You will be required to wear a face covering over both your nose and mouth for the duration of your visit to City Hall. Please maintain 6 feet of social distancing between other visitors and staff. Do not visit City Hall if you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19. Appointments can always be rescheduled.
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