City of Benicia This Week
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In this edition: COVID Assistance, Library Welcomes VOENA for Outdoor Concert, Planning for Climate Change in Benicia, City Celebrates Building Safety Month, May is National Historic Preservation Month, Picnic Table Maintenance at Community Park, City Employee Spotlight
Message from the City Manager
May 2, 2022

Hello Everyone,
While COVID continues to be prevalent, as Dr. Fauci has stated, we are now transitioning from a pandemic phase “into hopefully a more controlled phase and endemicity”. As I’ve said many times, I could not be prouder of our City’s response, both from your City staff and from our amazing community members. Many of the support services, especially for the community, continue to provide assistance to those who continue to struggle. Many of the formal services are beginning to wrap up, so I’m taking a moment to remind those in need, impacted by COVID-19 to get assistance while you can. In addition to the amazing organizations listed below, you can still reach out to the City’s Family Resource Center at the Police Department. This will be our last bulletin providing the links to COVID-19 resources.

A special shout out to the Benicia Community Foundation volunteers for their amazing work on the picnic tables at the Community Park. This is such a wonderful testament to the volunteer spirit in Benicia. We are still looking for volunteers to sign up on our volunteer app, Helper Helper. We’d love for you to join us! When assignments come up, you are never obligated and you can sign up in ‘categories’ based on your preferences of missions you would like to help with.

One of the volunteer initiatives we are working on is one to create a team of Benicia ‘Ambassadors’. These high-level volunteers would have an exceptional understanding of Benicia and its history and resources. They would have a natural affinity for interacting with people and strong communication skills. The City would provide further training on local businesses, shopping and visitor amenities. These Benicia Ambassadors would serve the City in a variety of special ways, including at special events, during various tourism campaigns, and other instances calling for their special skills. If you are interested in this unique position, please email my assistant Sarah Grebe at sgrebe@ci.benicia.ca.us with Ambassador in your subject line.

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
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 Cares.org, your one-stop resource.

Benicia residents in need of help may find assistance through these local resources:


Additional COVID related information is available through Solano County Public Health at https://www.solanocounty.com/depts/ph/coronavirus.asp (see graphic).
Library Welcomes VOENA for Outdoor Concert
If you have lived in the Bay Area for any length of time, you will likely have heard of VOENA, the a cappella children’s choir that has been around since 1994. However, opportunities to hear them perform have been few and far between over the last two years. Throughout the pandemic, the VOENA choir continued to meet and practice virtually and now that our communities are emerging from COVID restrictions, these amazing kids have dusted off their vocals and are ready to sing for you!

The Benicia Public Library invites you to pack a picnic and join them for an evening of music at their outdoor amphitheater—behind the library adjacent to First Street. This FREE concert, titled “Voices in Harmony” is set for Saturday, May 7 at 6 p.m.

About VOENA
VOENA has a simple mission: Unite the world with children’s voices. VOENA Children’s Choir, unique because of its no-audition policy, teaches children ages 5-18 ethnically diverse music, instilling in them an appreciation and enthusiasm for different languages and cultures. VOENA participants learn to think beyond borders while singing music from many countries, all in the native language, promoting peace through the exchange of culture. VOENA is supported in part by a grant from the City of Benicia’s Arts and Culture Commission. Learn more about VOENA’s program, concert opportunities, and summer camp options at www.voena.org.

Are you a Friend?
This program is sponsored by a gift from the Friends of the Benicia Public Library (FOL). The Benicia Public Library is a center for culture and learning, free and open to all. The library is tax supported, but many items cannot be included in the annual budget. The Friends of the Benicia Public Library is one of hundreds of similar groups throughout the United States that work to support their public libraries. The money raised from monthly book sales and other FOL fundraising activities helps to pay for programming, materials, and even staff. Learn more and join now at www.benicialibrary.org/friends.
Planning for Climate Change in Benicia
The City is hosting an Open House to introduce the Draft Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment, which outlines the natural hazard risks that the City may face in coming years due to anticipated climate change. These hazards include flood, fire, extreme heat and more.

Tuesday, May 10
5 - 7 p.m.
Benicia Community Center
370 East L Street
 
The Draft Vulnerability Assessment will also be published online at www.ci.benicia.ca.us/safetyelement. The City welcomes any community feedback, which can be provided in person, online, or via email to comdev@ci.benicia.ca.us. Questions can be directed to Danielle Crider at 707.746.4324 or dcrider@ci.benicia.ca.us. 
City Celebrates Building Safety Month
The 42nd annual Building Safety Month, celebrated in May, is a worldwide campaign presented by the International Code Council, its members, and partners to promote building safety. This year’s campaign, “Safety for All: Building Codes in Action,” raises awareness about the importance of building codes in ensuring safety in the spaces in which we live, work, and learn.
 
Homes and buildings that are built and modified in compliance with building safety codes, and the officials who enforce the codes, are essential to helping communities become affordable, resilient, and energy and water efficient.
 
With an extensive history dating back to 2200 B.C and the Code of the Hammurabi, king of the Babylonian Empire, building codes have protected the public for thousands of years. Today, the International Codes, developed by the Code Council and adopted by our community, are the most widely used and adopted set of building safety codes in the world.
 
Learn more about Building Safety Month at www.buildingsafetymonth.org.
May is National Historic Preservation Month
Throughout the country, May is celebrated as Historic Preservation Month. Historic Preservation prioritizes the conservation of structures and sites that represent connection with people and events from our past. In addition to serving as visible reminders of heritage, historic buildings are recognized as an important part of Benicia’s identity as a historic waterfront community and former site of the Benicia State Capitol and Benicia Arsenal. This uniqueness strengthens the local economy by preserving property values, attracting tourists and encouraging investment in Benicia.

The City of Benicia is committed to preserving and enhancing its historic resources. To learn more about Benicia’s two historic districts, visit www.ci.benicia.ca.us/historicpreservation.

This month, the City also recognize our local volunteers with the Benicia Historical Society and the Historic Preservation Review Commission who further preservation goals in Benicia throughout the year.
Picnic Table Maintenance at Community Park
In November of 2021, the 27 year old wooden picnic tabletops and benches in the reservable area at Benicia Community Park were replaced with new redwood thanks to a grant from Proposition 68. In an effort to prolong the life of the new tabletops and benches, a wood preservative needs to be applied.

Benicians Helping Benicia and the Benicia Community Foundation worked with city staff to organize a volunteer event to apply the preservative. Last week, approximately 15 volunteers from throughout the community came together and pulled staples and cleaned the tabletops and benches, while others came in behind them and applied a wood preservative. The hope is that this will prolong the life of the tabletops well into the future.

The City of Benicia would like to thank Benicians Helping Benicia and the Benicia Community Foundation for their support. We appreciate the commitment of time and effort from these volunteers, and everyone who actively participates in giving back to our great community. 
City Employee Spotlight
Division Chief Mike Brown began his career as a firefighter at Glen Ellen Fire District in 1990. In March of 1999, he joined the Benicia Fire Department as a firefighter and promoted through the ranks of Engineer and Captain. Through the years, Chief Brown has been involved in several Benicia Fire Department programs. He was involved with fire investigation and serves as a Lead Investigator on the Solano County Fire Investigation unit. He was one of the initial boat operators at the start of the Department’s water rescue program. He is also a member of the County’s Urban Search and Rescue team.

In 2020, Mike was promoted to Division Chief. As Division Chief, Mike is responsible for several divisions and programs within the department: code enforcement, vegetation management, fire prevention, the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), and supervises vehicle maintenance and acquisition.

Chief Brown lives in Sonoma County with his wife and 2 children. He enjoys camping with his family and friends, tinkering on old cars (or just about anything mechanical), and is a fan of DIY projects. The most recent addition to the family is a 8 month old Yellow Labrador named Brandi, who keeps everyone entertained while simultaneously driving them nuts!
Press Releases

Recent City of Benicia Press Releases are available on the City of Benicia website under Main/Announcements.
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