It will be a happier holiday season for merchants and their customers this year thanks to the new Employee Parking Pilot Program instituted with the support of our nationally-recognized Main Street organization and other downtown stakeholders. For some time downtown parking has been problematic, making it difficult for employees and customers. Now after several months of study and extensive input from dozens of citizens, we have a program that will provide parking for employees in five different lots, freeing spaces for customers. Employee parking permits will cost $5 apiece and will be tracked by electronic license plate software. This software will yield real data about parking patterns, making future improvements more accurate and effective. The program originally designated 75 spaces for employee parking. Initial response has been so favorable that your City Council immediately doubled that capacity. Future parking improvements will include partnerships with private lot owners and alternative transportation into and out of the downtown area. Thank you to all who took the time to offer ideas and suggestions on how to address the parking situation. Once again, working together, we find solutions we can all support.
Street repairs continue. The most recent and notable project is the stretch of Sherwood adjacent to the Food4Less shopping center. In addition to complete reconstruction of the roadway, this project includes a new stoplight at the intersection with Commerce Way. Other projects remain on schedule. You can see a map of street repairs at the City’s website: www.prcity.com.
Public input has also been the hallmark of progress regarding the conversion of residential properties into short-term vacation rentals. This conversion has had negative effects on some neighborhoods and extensive citizen input has been received as we seek an equitable solution. That solution could range anywhere from an all-out ban to limits on the total number of conversions along with stringent operational rules. This issue should come back to the City Council in a couple of months. If you have ideas please let me know at smartin@prcity.com.
Public safety services continue to improve. Two new officers have been added to the Paso Robles Police Department and six new members of the Paso Robles Fire/Emergency Service Department have been approved. Plans continue for the expansion of both organizations to keep Paso Robles citizens safe.
Josh Cross, the Chamber of Commerce’s new Economic Development Director, is busy enticing new business to our city. We are planning improvements near our airport to facilitate new business development there. Our goal is to expand and diversify our economic base to provide a greater variety of jobs.
We continue to work with our employees to address the unfunded liability situation facing our city and many others. Thanks to their cooperation and support we are getting a handle on this situation. Additionally, we have paid down our liablity and continue to invest funds in a special account to generate interest income to address the situation. We anticipate this liability will stabilize and decrease within four years.
Conversations continue with the State of California regarding the fate of the former California Youth Authority facility on Airport Road. We’ve unraveled the red tape regarding the disposition of this property and will soon be making a decision regarding the City’s participation in this process. Whatever the decision, City Council has instructed staff that it must not impact the City’s General Fund. That means part of the solution will be the identification of partners for any future use.
Of course, very soon we will have a General Election. I am running for re-election as your Mayor and I sincerely hope that my performance over the last four years gives you the confidence to return me to office. I’m proud to say that Councilmembers Steve Gregory, John Hamon and Fred Strong endorse my candidacy, as do Paso Robles Police and Fire. Former Paso Robles Mayor and County Supervisor Frank Mecham has offered his endorsement. I have also been strongly endorsed by the San Luis Obispo Tribune. I respectfully ask for your vote. However you vote, if you have not already submitted your absentee ballot, I urge to do so. If you vote in person, Nov. 6th is election day. Make your vote count.
Until next we blog, here’s to you Paso Robles!