Insider Edition 85 | February 20, 2025 | | |
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Hello Windsor!
We continue to weather the winter storms! This month our community experienced severe flooding, causing emergency road closures and safety concerns. To continue to safeguard our community the Town partnered with the County of Sonoma Department of Emergency Management to complete an emergency communication test through the County’s SoCoAlert.
The SoCoAlert Test exercise will take place on Tuesday, February 25, sending a TEST message to all Town evacuation zones. This exercise will ensure our community receives vital information during an emergency.
If you haven’t registered with SoCoAlert, please visit SoCo Alert.
In this edition of the Insider:
- SoCoAlert Test Exercise
- McClelland Hotel Webpage
- Proposed Rate Increase
- Weed Abatement
- It's Open! Bluebird Mulch/Compost Hub
- Solar Panel Recycling
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In response to ongoing community interest, the Town has launched a dedicated McClelland Hotel webpage to provide updates on the project’s status, financing, and next steps. The webpage offers historical context on the development, along with insights into the evolving economic conditions that have influenced its progress.
The Town continues to collaborate with the developer to explore creative solutions for advancing the project. In the meantime, the hotel site is being monitored to ensure compliance with the Town’s stormwater regulations. If the approved hotel design, which includes underground parking, does not proceed, an alternative plan may involve restoring the existing excavation to grade using structural fill.
Despite financial and design challenges, The McClelland remains a cornerstone project for Windsor’s tourism, business development, and economic growth. The Town remains committed to working with stakeholders to bring this vision to life.
Learn more about the McClelland Hotel project
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The Town is proposing rate increases over the next five years to fund needed water and wastewater projects to:
- Provide a backup drinking water supply to enhance drought resiliency
- Improve emergency preparedness infrastructure
- Conserve drinking water from the Russian River by adding two groundwater wells
- Stabilize rates by eliminating outside contractors and we process and treat our biosolids rather than outsourcing
- Achieve 100% net zero wastewater treatment: clean energy, biosolids reuse, and recycled water reuse
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SUPPORT FROM CONSERVATION CORPS NORTH BAY
Winter showers bring spring flowers—and weeds!
While our gardens may enjoy the back-and-forth of rain and sunshine, so do the weeds and grasses in Windsor’s 110 acres of public parks and 26 miles of streetscapes. Our dedicated maintenance crews and contractors will be working diligently throughout the Town to get ahead of the rapidly growing vegetation. We are grateful to have additional support from Conservation Corps North Bay (CCNB), who will be assisting with weed abatement services in peak growing months.
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Since 1982, CCNB has transformed the lives of young people in Marin and Sonoma Counties by providing education, career training, and hands-on work experience. Many corps members enter the program without a high school diploma or job history, often facing significant economic challenges. Through CCNB’s onsite charter school, counseling, and workforce development, these young people gain the skills and confidence needed to build brighter futures. Their dedicated crews have played a crucial role in managing invasive weed growth in our community over the last couple of years, and we deeply appreciate their hard work and invaluable contributions.
The weed growth is in part a reflection of the Town’s commitment to organic weed management practices. The Town’s Integrated Pest Management Policy (approved by Town Council in 2018) allows for only organic pesticides to be used in public parks and streetscapes, with an exception for street medians and landscaping for safety reasons. The Town of Windsor, in close collaboration with the Sonoma County Fire District, actively manages a year-round weed-abatement program that has more than doubled in cost and resources since 2018. The maintenance team continues to research new methods and test new products as they become available. Learn more about the Town’s Integrated Pest Management Policy and approved exemptions here: https://www.townofwindsor.ca.gov/1165/Integrated-Pest-Management-Program.
Thank you for your patience and understanding with Town staff and contractors as they work to create a healthier, organic, and natural landscape environment in Windsor.
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IT'S OPEN! BLUEBIRD MULCH/COMPOST HUB | |
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The FREE mulch is back! Now at the Bluebird Center: 25 Bluebird Drive
Mulch is invaluable for weed abatement, water retention, and most of all soil nutrition. This mulch isn’t cute, but the foliage will decompose in a few months, leaving you with a strong, great-smelling soil topper.
In past years, Windsor has collected Christmas trees that are trucked out of town for mulching.
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In past years, Windsor has collected Christmas trees that are trucked out of town for mulching. This year, the Town of Windsor partnered with Sonoma County Resource Recovery and Hagstrom & Sons to reduce our carbon footprint while providing a valuable resource to the Windsor community by mulching in Windsor instead. We took 14 trucks off the road going from Windsor to Healdsburg, then to Ukiah, saving about 500 pounds of carbon emissions!
Instructions:
1) Bring your shovel, gloves, and container to fill.
2) Respect the site and others by cleaning up after yourself.
3) Spread mulch ~4 inches thick over the soil and keep 6 inches away from the trunks of your trees
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Residential Solar Panel Collection Events 2025
3555 Airway Drive, Santa Rosa, CA 95403
Friday 9 AM – 5 PM
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Solar panels are considered universal waste, a subcategory of hazardous waste, which makes
them illegal to dispose of in the garbage. Until recently, there have been very few recycling
options in the state and no recycling options in Sonoma County.
To participate in this grant-funded program, panels must be generated by a resident of Sonoma County. Residents can bring a maximum of 40 panels.
For more information visit Zero Waste Sonoma or email zws-solarrecycling@sonoma-county.org.
Solar installation companies, solar manufacturers, solar repair companies, and other businesses are not eligible to participate in this program.
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Come Join Us!
The Town of Windsor is active with events year-round.
The following Town links will provide you with dates and event details to "mark your calendar".
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The Town of Windsor is looking for talented people.
For information on open positions, click here for the full list. If you have questions about working for the Town, please reach out to our Human Resources team at hr@townofwindsor.com.
Join our team! Go here to apply.
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Here are some public meetings and workshops we would love for you to participate in. For more information on the agenda, view the meeting, or the recording click on the meeting link. | |
As always, if you'd like to get the Insider sent directly to your email inbox, go to our Notify Me page to sign up. Please let us know what you think -- we welcome your feedback. | |
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Town of Windsor
9291 Old Redwood Highway
Windsor, CA 95492
(707) 838-1000
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