Calistoga City Council To Discuss Parklets For Lincoln Avenue

CALISTOGA, CA — The Calistoga City Council is holding a special meeting Tuesday to consider the installation of parklets on Lincoln Avenue in the downtown area.

In the meeting scheduled for 4 p.m. Tuesday, Council members are set to discuss the strategic placement of four parklets — cordoned-off areas — to address the local economic and public health impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.

"As a result of the COVID-19 Pandemic there is a significant public health and community need to provide additional outdoor seating and physical distancing along the Lincoln Avenue corridor," according to a staff report by Derek Rayner, public works director and city engineer. "Due to the high concentration of businesses and pedestrian traffic, it is in the best interest of public safety that additional public space be created on the Lincoln Avenue corridor."

The parklets would cost the city $28,000 and would be available for use by the general public.

Rayner is proposing using funds from the city's Pavement Maintenance program to pay for the parklets.

According to Rayner, city staff has submitted and received approval from Caltrans to install four parklets along Lincoln Avenue.

"Caltrans requires that the parklets be protected by either by a concrete or water filled barrier. Staff has identified water filled barriers as the best approach due to the fact that they can be repurposed for other events like the Harvest Table, parades, and road closures that the city can 'rent back' to event sponsors. This should enable the City to recover the purchase costs on over a 3-4 year window"

The proposed parklets would be 8 foot x 40 foot maximum, with water-filled barricades on three sides with ADA-accessible ramps.

The estimated cost to purchase the water-filled barriers is $21,000 with an associated cost to fabricate and install the ADA ramps of $7,000.

"It is important to note that [the] parklets are for generic public use and not specific to any business," Rayner wrote in the staff report. "Any furniture, lighting, or decorations inside the parklets, along with cleaning, would be up to the individual users. The City would perform nominal cleaning consistent with its street and sidewalk maintenance program."

Tuesday's meeting will be held virtually. Members of the public can watch and/or participate in the following ways:

• Watch on Napa Valley TV Channel 28
• Listen on your phone – dial 1-669-900-6833, enter webinar ID: 889 3038 5324, password: 123201
• Watch online via Zoom at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88930385324?pwd=U0pvYVNoMkVMWkNYbUZpODFnR21CQT09 enter password: 123201
• Watch online via YouTube Live at youtube.com/cityofcalistoga

According to the city: Community members can provide public comment on the agenda item via email. Comments should be 350 words or less and sent to publiccomment@ci.calistoga.ca.us. Written public comments submitted by email should clearly indicate the Agenda Item No. or specify "Oral Communications" in the Subject Line for items not on the agenda and are requested to include the submitter’s full name. Comments received by 2 p.m. on the day of the meeting will be posted online with the agenda packet and included in the record but will not be read aloud. Comments received after the commencement of the meeting and before the agenda item is heard will be read aloud for a maximum of three minutes, or as determined by the Chair. If a comment is received after the agenda item is heard but before the close of the meeting, the comment will still be included as a part of the record of the meeting but will not be read aloud.