March 2020 City Update

News from the City!
Support Your Community!

In response to the status of the COVID-19/novel coronavirus outbreak, the City of Atascadero has declared a State of Emergency. What this very simply means is that the City will now be able to access state and federal funding related to the pandemic, should they be made available; and can activate emergency plans in order to be prepared for any future developments.

The City of Atascadero continues to provide services to the community. City Hall is currently open for business with newly implemented limited public contact procedures. The Police and Fire stations, Colony Park Community Center and A-Town Park have been closed to the public, and larger events and gatherings that had been scheduled for the upcoming weeks are being postponed or cancelled. As always, the health and welfare of the members of our community as well as our staff is our highest priority.

During this extraordinary time we currently all find ourselves experiencing, I wanted to take just a moment to express how very proud I am of our wonderful community. Many of our local service organizations as well as kind and generous hearted individuals are stepping up to provide services to community members who are currently isolated and to others in need. Some great suggestions for anyone wanting to help include delivering meals to vulnerable seniors, donating to the homeless shelter or food bank, volunteering at these or other local service organizations, providing wellness checks to your elderly and homebound neighbors, and donating blood. Also, support the local non-profits organizations that are serving the most vulnerable of our residents, such as seniors and low-income individuals. You can find more ideas and information at https://californiavolunteers.ca.gov/get-involved/covid-19/.

This is an extremely difficult time for our business community and I’m asking everyone to continue to support our many wonderful small local businesses as much as possible. Although bars, breweries, and tasting rooms are closed for now, restaurants are open for business and operating under the current social distancing guidelines. For anyone who is uncomfortable or is currently unable to dine out, please consider ordering food for take-out – many of our eateries are very happy to provide curbside pick-up service; or have your meal delivered via one of the local delivery services that are available in town. For your springtime gift-giving needs, consider purchasing online gift cards from your favorite local vendors; and when you go out and about, be sure to check for all that can be found at perhaps somewhat unusual locations for your weekly shopping needs. In addition, see the great social distancing/self-isolating ideas and special offers that just a few of our Atascadero merchants have to offer:

• Alle-Pia Fine Cured Meats – stock up on your favorite salami made locally!
• Anna & Mom – plenty of new merchandise to keep the entire family busy!
• Arlyne’s Flowers – free delivery!
• Bloom & Grow – doorstep delivery! Send flowers and brighten someone’s day!
• Book Odyssey – stock up on books!
• Colony Market & Deli – curbside pickup & delivery available!
• Indigo Clothing – up to 50% off!
• Nautical Cowboy – curbside pick-up & delivery available!
• Street Side Ale House – St. Patty’s Day T-shirts for $10!
• Traffic Records – an always amazing selection of vinyl records!

I will paraphrase and reiterate here what Mayor Moreno has said: Atascadero is a very strong and resilient community that is made up of many wonderful individuals. By working together and helping each other, we will all get through this very unusual time, just fine.

As always, if you have any questions about these or other City-related items, please contact me at rrickard@atascadero.org.

Featured Image by Rick Evans.