The City Council met on Monday, June 16; its final scheduled meeting until August. Two proclamations started the meeting. One to honor “Parks Make Life Better” Month. A group of staff from this year’s summer camps attended to receive a proclamation. Volunteer Don MacKay offered appreciation for the opportunity to volunteer with city programs.
A proclamation acknowledged June 22-28 as Pollinator Week. Shaun Shields, Norm Fujita and Ted Calvert spoke to the council and recognized the Rotary Club of Healdsburg as supporters of Pollinator Week.
Railroad Quiet Zone
The council heard from Healdsburg Public Works Director Larry Zimmer about the city’s application to be a “quiet zone” when the SMART train comes to town. To clarify, “a quiet zone does not guarantee quiet,” said Zimmer, who explained that residents will still hear noise from train engines, brakes and bells.
The quiet zone designation, if approved by the Federal Rail Administration, will require SMART to reduce the use of train horns that are otherwise mandatory.
Zimmer noted that the Town of Windsor did not have a quiet zone in place prior to SMART’s arrival, and the train horns were an unwelcome surprise to Windsor residents (the zone was eventually approved for Windsor).
“We want to get ahead of that,” Zimmer said.
In response to questions about the SMART project, Zimmer said city staff meets regularly with SMART to discuss rail crossings (where the train will cross a public street) and other logistical issues. “There’s a lot going on behind the scenes,” he said.
Zimmer also said SMART is on schedule to replace the aging railroad bridge in summer 2027 and begin regular train service by the end of 2028.
Multicultural Center
The council reviewed a proposal to repaint the Abel De Luna Community Center in bright colors, as the first phase of a proposed transformation of the city-owned center into a Multicultural Center and Resiliency Hub.
Shades of red, orange, yellow, purple and pink were chosen by a volunteer committee that has met during the past few months. In addition, the first phase will include two original murals by artists Jake Messing and Blanca Molina.
Subsequent phases of the project are still unfunded and are conceived as reconfigurations of two internal courtyards and the multipurpose room.
The nonprofit organizers of the project, Corazón Healdsburg and Healthcare Foundation Northern Sonoma County, say painting and mural creation could begin in August and be complete in October. The council approved the not-to-exceed cost of $156,200 to paint the exterior of the campus.
Pedicab
The council heard an application from Breathless Wines to operate a six-passenger pedicab in the area between Plaza Park and the Breathless tasting room on Moore Lane. After hearing from Healdsburg Police Chief Matt Jenkins and Breathless Wines representative Sharon Cohn and being reassured that the pedicab will follow a fixed route and not play amplified music or serve wine, the permit was approved.
Commission Appointments
The council filled three open seats on the Planning Commission by reappointing Conor McKay and Jonathan Pearlman, and adding a new commissioner, James Gentry. Next, the council appointed Caroline Gonzalez to serve as Healdsburg’s representative on the Sonoma County Library Commission.
The City Council has no scheduled meetings in July. The next regular meeting will take place on Monday, Aug. 3, 2026.
