Capitola City Council: Parking Structure, Roundabout and Flood Relief Dominate Agenda

Thursday night’s Capitola City Council meeting covered a variety of agenda items over its three-hour span. In case you weren’t one of the handful of Capitola residents in attendance, or didn’t watch on Channel 8 at home, see below the five most important things you missed. 

• Councilman Michael Termini announced that Bay Federal Credit Union has offered $5,000 zero-interest loans to people who suffered flood damages.

• Mayor Dennis Norton declared that of the 3,000 electric car-charging stations being installed throughout California, one will be placed in the Pacific Cove Parking Lot behind City Hall. It is tentatively planned to be installed next month.

• Michelle Wendler of Watry Design presented construction plans for a multilevel parking garage where the Pacific Cove parking lot now stands. Wendler showed the council two options, one that would cost more than $12 million, and one that would cost nearly $19 million. Both plans would encroach toward, but not onto, the Pacific Cove Mobile Home Park. The council unanimously motioned to accept the report and to consider including one of the options in a future budget.

• Frederik Venter, also of Watry Design, presented a plan to build a roundabout at the intersection of Bay and Capitola avenues. Venter argued that the roundabout would decrease the average wait time at the intersection from 50 seconds down to 13 seconds. The council unanimously motioned to accept the report for future consideration.

• Public Works Director Steve Jesberg said that if FEMA opts to give aid to Capitola for flood relief, it would fund 90 percent of the estimated $2 million in expenses to public structures. Jesberg expects to hear FEMA’s determination in the next two weeks. FEMA will not give grants, however, to private citizens for personal flood damages. Residents can apply for aid from the Capitola Disaster Relief Fund through the Capitola Chamber of Commerce, and must submit an application by May 1. The council unanimously motioned to maintain the city's disaster proclamation following Jesberg's report.