Need to replace your home’s heating and cooling system? Want to add solar panels to your roof? The Town’s Building Division will help ensure that the work is being done correctly and safely.

As part of the Community Development Department, the Building Division reviews residential and commercial building permit applications. They ensure that the applications comply with local and state building codes, from electrical and mechanical to plumbing and structural, as well as those safeguarding access to persons with disabilities. Building Division staff also go on site to inspect the work being done, whether it’s as simple as a water-heater replacement or as complex as a multi-level senior-living facility with independent-living units and commercial space. Code enforcement also falls under the aegis of the Building Division.

At just three full-time staff members, the constant flow of home-renovation projects coupled with the more than 30 residential and commercial developments in the works keeps the Building Division quite busy. The division, comprised of a Building Official, Senior Building Inspector, and Community Development Technician, is augmented with consultants/contractors in code enforcement, engineering, and other fields.

“We do a lot with the staff we have,” says Community Development Director Patrick Streeter. “They’re multidisciplinary and wear a lot of hats."

“They’re experts on the California Building Code, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and of course the Town’s municipal code. They also have a lot of institutional knowledge -- they know a lot of history about Windsor.”

All About Safety

Getting a project permitted doesn’t just mean that it complies with all relevant ordinances; it also means that it’s received a stamp of approval when it comes to safety.

Take a water-heater replacement: You must ensure that the gas line has been inserted correctly, for example, and ditto for the temperature and pressure gauges. The division also works closely with the Windsor Police Department and the Sonoma County Fire District to ensure development projects meet safety requirements, such as ceiling sprinklers and defensible space.

“It’s all about life safety,” says Building Official Doug Hughes, who oversees the division and also serves on the board of directors for California Building Officials, a non-profit membership organization.

“It’s not my job to tell someone ‘no.’ It’s my responsibility to find a code-compliant way to tell them ‘yes.’”

Senior Building Inspector Skye Barnett, who performs almost all the project inspections, is an excellent problem solver and has “great customer service skills,” Mr. Hughes says. “Everyone just raves about how he handles people.”

And Community Development Technician Courtney Rider is the project manager on his team, collecting all documents for review, sending comments to developers, tracking progress, and managing the timelines of the various projects.

“She tells us what to do and when we need to do it,” Mr. Hughes says. “She keeps everyone in line. She basically runs the department!”

Mr. Streeter emphasizes the excellent customer service the Building Division provides.

“They’re a really good resource for information on any project, from a kitchen remodel to building a 158-room hotel,” he says. “They take pride in their jobs and our community is lucky to have them.”

5:30 PM Today: Roundabout Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony 

We hope to see you at 5:30 PM today, March 2, at the ribbon-cutting ceremony and light display to mark the completion of the Windsor Road and Windsor River Road Roundabout project. Local officials and SMART will talk about this landmark project, one of only 7 roundabouts in the U.S. with a railroad going through it. Afterward, join us for light refreshments at the Chamber of Commerce.

We’ve been testing out the roundabout lights in advance of ceremony – check out this drone video!

March 11: Compost Giveaway

Calling all gardeners: Zero Waste Sonoma will host a compost giveaway on Saturday, March 11, from 9 AM – 12 PM at Keiser Park (700 Windsor River Road). The free compost is certified USDA organic and CDFA approved and comes from a compost facility. It’s first-come, first-served. Be sure to bring your own shovels and buckets! For more information, go here. 

Compost donations are also available for non-profit farms, educational gardens (e.g., schools), or habitat restoration on a case by case basis. Please email xinci.tan@sonoma-county.org with an explanation of your needs, how much compost you'd like, and where the compost should be delivered. 

Fix Your Toilet Leak

In recognition of the Environmental Protection Agency's Fix-a-Leak Week, March 20-26, we encourage you to find and fix leaks with the Dye Tab Challenge. Submit your test results through March 31 and you’ll be entered to win a $25 gift card. Here’s how:

1. Pick up free toilet leak test dye tabs at the Public Works Department, 8400 Windsor Rd. We’re open Monday-Thursday 7AM-6 PM. Or just use food coloring!
2. Place the dye in your toilet tank.
3. Wait 15 minutes. If the water in your bowl changes color, you have a leak.
4. Enter your toilet test results at Dye Tab Challenge - Sonoma- Marin Saving Water Partnership to be entered to win a $25 gift card. 

For more information and to find resources on how to fix a leak, visit Dye Tab Challenge - Sonoma- Marin Saving Water Partnership.

New Beverage District Signage 

Town staff installed eight wayfinding signs along Conde Lane and Shiloh Road to the Windsor Beverage District in southwest Windsor, just north of Shiloh Road. The signs, which help develop and promote this vibrant area, direct people to 15 wineries, breweries, and cideries.

The Town’s Economic Development Division has been working closely with these businesses to build awareness by collectively developing a brand identity, key messages, and a logo, which we used to develop the wayfinding signage as well as a webpage, a district map, and more. The print collateral/ map has been placed in all Beverage District businesses, the Windsor Visitor Center, and local hotels. During its annual release of Pliny the Younger beer, the Russian River Brewing Company handed out over 1,500 maps to visitors. Most of the businesses in the Beverage District saw a significant increase in business.

Town staff also developed a pilot program to allow food trucks for businesses in the Beverage District and in the Limited Industrial (LI) zoned areas in Windsor. We look forward to continuing to work to promote and grow the Windsor Beverage District. 

Work with Us

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.

Upcoming Meetings

We’d love to see you at our Town meetings and workshops. Here’s what’s on tap for the next two weeks. You can always find Town Council and Commission meeting information on the calendar on the Town website homepage, on our agendas, minutes, and videos page, and in the agenda packets for each meeting.

• March 8, 6 PM: Parks & Recreation Commission Meeting
• March 14, 5:30 PM: Planning Commission Meeting
• March 15, 6 PM: Town Council Meeting

Email notifications: If you’d like to get Town Council and Commission meeting reminders and agendas (which are made available at least 72 hours before regular meetings and 24 hours before special meetings), go to our Notify Me page to sign up for email notifications. You can choose specific commissions, for example, as well as topics such as mobile home parks, water conservation updates, and even this newsletter!

CalRecycle Visits Town of Windsor

CalRecycle, a branch of the California Environmental Protection Agency, and Zero Waste Sonoma visited Windsor last week to see how Windsor is complying with a law that requires Californians to collectively divert at least 75% of organic waste away from landfills below 2014 levels by 2025. 

They checked out the green organics bins and blue recycling bins at several businesses and a multi-family development in town. All those colorful fruit rinds, wilted vegetables, soiled cardboard you see won’t be left to molder in a landfill and contribute to our greenhouse gas emissions. Instead, they will be composted so they can benefit gardens.

Pro tip: Soiled pizza boxes can go in your green organics bin, not the trash. All cardboard boxes should be flattened before going into the appropriate bin (blue if clean, green if soiled from food).

What You Should Know About Wastewater

What, exactly, is wastewater? Wastewater is all water used indoors that goes down the drains in our homes and businesses. That includes water draining from the showers, sinks, toilets, dishwasher, washing machine, and anywhere else you may be using water inside your home/business. After going down your drain, this water flows out through the Town’s sewer system to be treated at the Wastewater Treatment Plant. 

Why is the wastewater rate higher than the water rate?  You may notice that on your bill there is a rate for both water and wastewater. Wastewater tends to make up a higher portion of the bill. Here’s why: All that wastewater going down your drains must be properly treated before it is returned to the environment or recycled for beneficial reuse. The pipes that carry the wastewater from your home/business must be maintained. These pipes tend to have higher construction and maintenance costs than potable water pipes. 

The Town of Windsor has its own wastewater treatment plant. Once the wastewater makes it to the plant, it must be treated to remove solids, bacteria, viruses, and other contaminants. Standards for treating wastewater have increased dramatically since the 1970s and Windsor’s plant treats the wastewater to the highest standard required by the state and federal government. 

This process comes at a cost that is much greater than the process to provide clean drinking water and is a major reason why wastewater rates tend to be higher than water. This high level of treatment allows for clean and safe recycled water to be produced. Our recycled water is used to irrigate yards in some parts of Windsor, many Town parks, the Windsor golf course, vineyards and even toilet flushing at the Windsor High School and Windsor Fire Station #3.

WPD at Career Fair

The Windsor Police Department talked to students about careers in law enforcement at Windsor High School’s recent 6th Annual Career Connections event. Students also checked out some police department equipment, picked up swag, and met K-9 Duke.