🌱 New Park Benches + L&M Motel Housing Update + Local Jazz Shows

Happy Friday, everybody! Simone here with your fresh edition of the Healdsburg Daily. Today's newsletter is a little abbreviated, with a couple quick news items and some local events. I'll be sending your full weekend edition tomorrow. Thanks for sticking with me! Here we go...

First, today's weather:

Cloudy with a chance of rain. High: 55 Low: 38.

Here are the top 3 stories today in Healdsburg:

1. We're learning more about next steps for the planned housing project for people experiencing homelessness at the L&M Motel, located at the south end of Healdsburg Avenue next to Fincher's Auto Service. Late last month, the state approved a huge $7 million payout to the City of Healdsburg for the project. Now the real work starts. "Obviously there is a little bit of work yet to do to make this project a reality," Healdsburg City Manager Jeff Kay said earlier this week. First, there will be a community meeting to gather input next Tuesday, Jan. 11, at 5 p.m. During the meeting, according to the Healdsburg mayor, "City Staff and Reach for Home, the proposed site operator, will provide a 30-minute overview of the proposed project" — including "who the proposed project would serve, how the project would operate, and a timeline on the implementation." And "after the presentation, there will be a question-and-answer session." (Facebook & City of Healdsburg & SoCoNews Healdsburg)
2. Healdsburg Running Company owner Skip Brand is featured in a new Press Democrat story on the 2022 outlook for local businesses. Like many other companies in our region, Skip's store saw huge supply chain issues last year. " We were more challenged in the fourth quarter as we had to sell what we could get," he tells the PD. "You can’t special order a lot. That’s pretty hurtful for us as we make up our sales for selling new (hard-to-get and specialty) brands. We have done a lot more selling of local goods and local clothing. The supply chain is holding me up, so I have to pivot" in 2022. Read more about what's ahead for our little running company that could. (Press Democrat; paywall)
3. You could see a bunch of new park benches popping up around Healdsburg in the coming months and years. A new local nonprofit called the Healdsburg Parks Foundation has launched a park bench project that will "provide an outlet for residents to donate to the community’s public parks and raise funds for the maintenance of parks by offering park bench legacy projects." For instance, the Tribune reports, "Healdsburg resident Matt Villano is working on the foundation’s first bench project, which will be installed in honor of LaMarion Spence, a beloved Healdsburg resident who died in 2018 after a multi-year battle with lung cancer." And the org's leaders hope to install more "series of benches near the Plaza or along the Foss Creek Trail." (SoCoNews Healdsburg)

From our sponsor:

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Healdsburg pics of the day:

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Today and tomorrow in Healdsburg:

Friday, January 7

• Solo Pianist Stephen Prutsman in Concert at THE 222 (7:30PM)
• John Jorgenson Quintet Live at the Raven Theater (8PM)

Saturday, January 8

• Healdsburg Running Company Run at Jenner Headlands Preserve, With Cafe Aquatic Finish (8AM)
• Deadline for Healdsburg Little League Early Bird Signups: Paperwork Dropoff (11AM-3PM)
• Healdsburg Center for the Arts Annual Members' Exhibit Opening Reception: "Insight & Inspiration" (4-6PM)
• David Udolf Trio Live at Hotel Healdsburg Spirit Bar (5-8PM)
• Sonoma Shakers Live at Coyote Sonoma (7-10PM)

More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Events:

• Boys & Girls Clubs of Napa Valley 31st annual Crab Feed 2022 (January 22)
• Add your event

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That's all for today! I'll be back in your inbox tomorrow morning with your weekend update.

— Simone Wilson

About me: I was born and raised in Healdsburg, CA, where I was the editor of the Healdsburg High School Hound's Bark. I have since worked as a local journalist for publications in San Diego, Los Angeles, New York City and the Middle East. I'm currently a senior product manager for Patch.