Archived News Release from 2010

For Immediate Release

Redwood City Honors Community Preservation Volunteers, Welcomes New Group as Training Begins

Redwood City, CA - April 6, 2010 - At a special ceremony at City Hall last Monday, three City Council members honored and congratulated Redwood City’s group of Community Preservation Volunteers, who over the last year have assisted the City in Code Enforcement and Community Preservation activities. At the same time, the Council members welcomed a new group of community members who are about to begin training to become Community Preservation Volunteers.

In early 2009, Redwood City initiated the Community Preservation Volunteers program and it’s been a great success, with seven trained volunteers dedicating a total of over 500 hours serving as “ambassadors” for Redwood City’s Building & Inspection division. They have helped beautify and improve neighborhoods and business areas by assisting Code Enforcement staff with various community preservation projects, code enforcement research, visual assessments of neighborhoods and business areas, and special projects.

This year, a new group of 16 remarkable volunteers have signed up to become Community Preservation Volunteers. They come from all walks of life in Redwood City, from a mechanical engineer to a small-business owner; from an accountant to a student; and from retirees to an administrative assistant. Their training will include riding along with Building and Inspection staff, and developing an understanding of the policy and procedure manuals for the department. After training, volunteers help Code Enforcement officers with a variety of task areas including abandoned cars, rubbish and eyesores, sign ordinance enforcement, code enforcement clerical and office duties, graffiti and abandoned shopping cart reporting, and special community projects.

“This is a great way for community members to get involved and help supplement services that otherwise would be delayed or deferred due to the City’s budget problems,” said Redwood City Mayor Jeff Ira. “My call to action to our community is for everyone to find some organization they can volunteer with – whether it’s a non-profit, a sports activity, a library, youth organization, faith group, or an activity with Redwood City. Everyone can and should do their part to help their community during this tough economy.”

For a partial list of volunteer and community service opportunities, people are invited to visit www.redwoodcity.org/opportunities.

Redwood City salutes the existing Community Preservation Volunteers, and congratulates them for a job well done, and welcomes the new volunteers who are working to give back to the community.

Visit Redwood City’s award-winning website at www.redwoodcity.org for information about the City and its services, the community, recreation programs, education, and local business. Subscribe to Redwood City’s email newsletter and other City documents by visiting www.redwoodcity.org/egov.

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Contact:
Michel Wayne
Redwood City Building & Inspection
650-780-7352