City of Arcata

Season's Greetings from all of us at the City of Arcata! We’re more grateful than ever to be able to serve each & every member of our community this year. We hope you and those you love have a safe & happy holiday however you choose to celebrate. In observance of the winter holidays, Arcata City offices will be closed on Thursday, December 24 & Friday, December 25. City offices will also be closed on Friday, January 1 in observance of New Year's Day. For more information on winter holiday closures and how to contact City departments, please visit cityofarcata.org. Photo by Matt Filar for the Mad River Union.

When you sit around the table to celebrate this holiday season, please be mindful of food waste! Here are some tips from the Environmental Services Department on how to reduce food waste and the impact it has on our environment this holiday season: Plan ahead. The safest way to celebrate the holidays this winter is to spend time with people in your same household or celebrate virtually, & the easiest way to reduce food waste during the holidays is to purchase and ...prepare the right amount of food. If you are planning on preparing a festive meal for your household, be sure to only shop for the amount of food you need. Check out check out Save the Food's online "guestimator" tool to help you prepare for a waste-free holiday meal: savethefood.com/guestimator Use smaller plates. Reduce food waste by using smaller plates & serving utensils. You can always go back for a second helping. Share your leftovers. Drop off leftovers to friends or family safely if you have leftovers to spare, and be sure to use reusable to-go containers when you do. Re-purpose & store leftovers. Avoid leftover fatigue by using your leftovers in exciting new dishes. There are many delicious leftover holiday recipe ideas that can be found online. Use your food scraps wisely. Save vegetable scraps in the freezer to make soup stock, or use apple peels to make tea. Compost food scraps. Instead of throwing out food scraps, please compost them. Composting keeps food out of landfills and provides valuable nutrients for your garden. The Environmental Services Department sells compost bins at the low price of $25 for Arcata residents, limited one per household. Call 707-822-8184 for more information. Donate excess food. Donate canned or dried foods to the Arcata Food Pantry. Contact Arcata House Partnership at 707- 633-6236 or Food for People, Inc. at 707-445-3166 for more information on how to make a donation. Unopened, non-perishable foods can also be dropped off at Food For People’s donation drop boxes throughout Humboldt County, and a list of drop box locations can be found at foodforpeople.org. For more helpful zero waste tips, visit cityofarcata.org or call the Environmental Services Department at 707-822-8184.

Construction update! Our Streets Division will be making some improvements on 12th Street TOMORROW, Tuesday, December 8! 12th Street will be closed between P and Q Streets from 8 AM to 5 PM, and community members are encouraged to take alternative routes during that time. Please be sure to follow all directions & traffic control devices in the project area, and give our Streets Division a call at 707-825-2129 if you have any questions.... Thanks for your patience with us as we continue to make improvements! For more information on City construction plans and updates, please visit cityofarcata.org.

The King Tides are here! The King Tides will be active today, Sunday, December 13 through Tuesday, December 15, & the highest local king tide is projected for tomorrow, Monday, December 14 at 11:24 AM. If you’re out observing the tides, we’d love to see your pictures of them! For more information about King Tides and how you can help us plan for sea level rise by photo-documenting the tides, check out the link below, and remember to follow these tips on how to safely obs...erve the King Tides: Pick a safe place away from large waves. There are plenty of safe places to observe the tides at the Arcata Marsh & Wildlife Sanctuary, and a map of those sites can be found in the link below. Be sure to wear a mask and keep a 6 foot distance from people you don’t live with when you’re observing the tides. Don't go out alone! Bring someone from your household if you’re able to. Get elevated! Those who choose to check out the King Tides at local beaches are advised to observe them from higher ground. Select an elevated viewpoint, like a cliff with an established safety barricade to watch the tides. Pay attention! Heed all warnings to stay off the beach. Do not cross barricades or fences. Community members are advised to consider their safety before heading out close to the waves. Those who choose to observe the King Tides at the edge of the surf are encouraged to watch how far the waves are coming in and how volatile the ocean is before setting foot on the beach. When approaching the beach, get there using a route that is easy to retrace in case of an emergency. Avoid jetties, rocks, logs & other slippery surfaces. Always keep an eye on the ocean! If on the beach, always keep a safe distance from the waves. If a piece of land is dry, there is no guarantee it will stay that way. Walk diagonally on the beach so waves coming in from behind can be seen, and be ready to act fast as waves can come in rapidly and those in their path must react quickly. Community members with slower response times are advised not to venture close to the waves. www.cityofarcata.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=374

We're hiring a Supervisor in our Parks, Facilities & Natural Resources Division! This role at the City helps plan, perform and supervise the daily functions of the Division by identifying projects, managing budgets and developing & executing plans related to maintenance and construction at the City’s parks, playgrounds, structures, facilities and natural resource areas. Follow this link to learn more about this position and all other City job openings: www.cityofarcata.org/jobs.aspx Photo of a trail, trees and green ferns, courtesy of Humboldt State University.

At a special meeting held yesterday, Thursday, December 10, Arcata City Council’s newly-elected Councilmembers Stacy Atkins-Salazar, Emily Goldstein and Sarah Schaefer were sworn in to public office. After the formal swearing in, the new Council elected Sofia Pereira to serve as Mayor and Brett Watson to serve as Vice-Mayor. Follow the link below to learn more and to check out the agenda for next week's City Council meeting taking place on Wednesday, December 16.... www.cityofarcata.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=373

Due to the increase of COVID-19 cases locally, Humboldt County has been assigned to the widespread or purple tier under the state’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy by the California Department of Public Health. In order to slow the spread of the virus in our community, Arcata City Hall will have limited access to the public beginning Monday, November 30. Face to face interaction with City staff will be available by appointment, and essential city staff will be availabl...e online & by phone between 9 AM & 5 PM Monday through Friday. City offices will be closed tomorrow, Thursday, November 26 & Friday, November 27 in observance of the fall holiday. Please follow the link below for more information on how to contact City Departments or for the latest COVID-19 update. www.cityofarcata.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=352 Stay safe & healthy Arcata! Photo of the Arcata Marsh & Wildlife Sanctuary at sunset, with a blue sky, an orange setting sun & clouds reflected in a pond, with plants in the left foreground & a dark silhouette of tress in the far right background, courtesy of Leslie Scopes Anderson.

The Community Development Department will host a virtual Community Vision Listening Session on Thursday, December 17 from 5:30 to 7 PM. This year has presented its share of challenges to many of Arcata’s residents and to the City as a whole. As the year concludes, City staff would like to take time to reflect on how the events of this year are affecting the daily lives of Arcata’s residents. The City is interested in hearing what community members hopes and priorities a...re for the future and how residents envision Arcata in the next one, five or ten years. Feedback provided at this session will be used for future City planning efforts in 2021. In addition, Community Development staff will briefly discuss upcoming projects and how, through planning efforts, the City is continuing work to build a more inclusive and equitable Arcata. The Community Vision Listening Session will take place via Zoom video communications, which can be accessed at the link below: www.cityofarcata.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=371 All interested community members are invited and encouraged to attend. For more information, please email [email protected] call 707-822-5955. Photo of a blue and pink sunset reflected in a pond at the Arcata Marsh & Wildlife Sanctuary, courtesy of Visit Arcata.

We're hiring a Director of Environmental Services! If you have a proven passion and a record of accomplishments in environmental leadership, this may be the job for you! Follow this link to learn more about this position and all other City job openings: www.cityofarcata.org/jobs.aspx Photo of a trail, trees and green ferns, courtesy of Humboldt State University.

We’re hiring a full-time Construction Specialist in our Streets & Utilities Division! This job performs a wide variety of semi-skilled & skilled technical concrete duties in addition to tasks related to the construction, maintenance, repair, installation and monitoring of City streets & utilities systems and infrastructure. Check out the link below to learn more about this position and all other City job openings: ... www.cityofarcata.org/Jobs.aspx See more

ReminderCity offices will be closed tomorrow, Wednesday, November 11 in observance of Veterans Day. Please click the link below to learn more.