Dear Council Members,
I am writing in regard to the Capital Improvement Plan, Item 6.
I urge you to consider the following:
1) The Parks are currently under the domain of the Planning Commission. Parks are a key resource for citizens and deserve more focus and attention that they currently receive. Please make the discussion of Parks and their upkeep a more prominent part of public discussion. Specifically, please hold a Parks Update every six month.
This could be a presentation to Council and the Public by a Planning Commissioner, or a person associated with the Planning Department;
2) There are immediate ADA compliance needs at Ives Park. Please prioritize the walkway at Ives;
3) There are immediate fencing needs at Ives Park and Walter Libby Park. These parks are very high usage for our community and visitors. Please prioritize fence replacement at these parks. I do not even see fence replacement on the list. Please put it on the list and prioritize it.
4) Please remove any expenses associated with Purchase of Market Rate Units (project 0300-22.7) as the City is in Financial Crisis and will never have the money to purchase deed restricted market rate units and Sebastopol has already exceeded its RHNA numbers
5) Please remove any expenses associated with Ives Park Master Plan (project 0420-
22.05) as the City is in a Financial Crisis and keeps spending money on a Master Plan without any way to fund a $10,000,000 or more park renovation. Until there Ives is ADA compliant and Ives and Walter Libby have basic fencing upgrades, the Ives Park Master Plan should be furloughed
6) Please remove any expenses associated with the Sebastopol Community Cultural Center as the City is cutting the SCCC’s budget, it is unclear what form it will take moving forward. The SCCC should clarify its needs, mission and finances before the City invests more money into the building. Before funding a master plan for the building, the City should give the SCCC to clarify its mission, goals and funding plan. In addition, the building is in a flood zone. Perhaps after the SCCC board clarifies its mission and finances, it will know what it needs from a building, which might be at a new site outside of the flood zone;
7) Spend the $85,000 allotted to the SCCC on Ives Park upgrades, specifically ADA walkways and new fencing.
Thank you,
Kate Haug