[ad_1]
The holiday season on Eucalyptus Avenue in San Carlos has grown in popularity, drawing large crowds and heavy traffic, forcing the city to strengthen the police presence in the neighborhood and distribute toilets and trash for use. public.
For years, residents of Eucalyptus Avenue have decorated their homes with lights and displays during the winter holidays. The celebration drew larger and larger crowds, culminating last year when the pandemic forced many to be called off.
“They want the celebrations to continue, but the growing footprint has become a real concern,” Deputy City Manager Tara Peterson said at Monday’s city council meeting.
Having received numerous complaints about the celebration last December, becoming “a victim of its own success,” said board member Ron Collins, the board has asked staff to conduct community outreach activities to gather feedback. additional information on concerns and potential solutions.
A community survey that received 106 responses from registered residents showed that while the majority of those surveyed appreciated the event for its holiday spirit, beauty, sense of community and family nature, the public fell in love with it. increasingly concerned with crowd size, safety and waste.
“It has become a victim of its own success,” said board member Ron Collins.
Similar comments were provided by participants at two community meetings on May 26 and June 8 of this year. Some solutions discussed at the meetings included the requirement for a permit to install lights, limiting the duration of illuminated displays, supporting garbage cans and toilets, increasing police presence and restricting the event to only community members and neighbors.
In the end, the staff agreed to recommend only a few of the solutions offered in a $ 110,550 annual plan. The funds would cover police and security guard personnel, traffic control devices and the distribution, removal, rental and maintenance of portable toilets and bins.
To address traffic issues, Director of Public Works Steven Machida recommended that streets near the celebration be one-way after the lights are on and until they are turned off. He also recommended that the city put up orientation signs warning of traffic and offering recommendations for alternative routes.
Addressing some of the other recommendations such as pedestrian traffic for the event or banning outsiders from visiting, City Manager Jeff Maltbie said staff objected to the measures because they would create bottlenecks. ‘bottlenecks in other areas and would require additional staff time.
“The suggestions came from a good place, but the reality was that if implemented they would only result in even slower travel times in the area,” said Maltbie.
Still, board member Adam Rak shared his strong disappointment with the plan which lacks any reference to parking solutions, a major concern for neighbors and their vacationers who often have to compete with party visitors for space in the area. Street.
Peterson said staff feared that by providing parking, the city could promote the event and ultimately draw crowds. Machida said those unfamiliar with the city could potentially have difficulty finding designated parking areas.
Disagreeing with the assertion, Rak encouraged city staff to contact the San Carlos School District and St. Charles Church about the use of parking lots near the neighborhood for public use during the holiday event. .
“I’m really convinced that we missed the mark in the parking lot,” said Rak. “We are not tackling the biggest problem there is, which is the traffic and the number of people.”
Vice Mayor Sara McDowell and council member John Dugan agreed with Rak’s recommendation, although Dugan’s support came with pressure for staff to do the extra parking without adding cost to the plan.
Putting the contribution in context, McDowell pointed out that the city has spent similar amounts in pandemic relief, including $ 112,000 in rent assistance, $ 112,000 in small businesses and $ 70,000 in food distributors. .
While Maltbie warned that personnel would likely be needed at parking sites and the city would be responsible for any issues that arise on the lot while using the city, he said city insurance would cover those damage. He agreed to contact the district and the church, noting that they could also decline the partnership.
The council ultimately opposed the requirement for a permit for Christmas lights, however, it supported a staff recommendation to require permits for Halloween events. The council encouraged staff to work with residents who set up the screens to potentially limit the days the lights are on and the time they are on.
Council members also encouraged staff to try not to go over budget, focusing primarily on flexible police staffing levels. The plan would require four motorcycle officers to be on scene as well as community service workers to ticket illegally parked cars.
“We hope everyone who visits this community behaves and does what they are supposed to do and respect the residents of the community they are in,” said Police Chief Kristina Bell.
[ad_2]
Source link