Dear Council Members and City Staff,
I am writing to request that four projects are prioritized for Capital Improvements in this budget cycle.
The first is a connecting sidewalk on Palm Avenue between Main Street and Petaluma Blvd. to connect two major crosswalks across two major roadways. This projected was supposed to be funded in a prior year but it was removed for budget concerns. It is a critical piece of pedestrian infrastructure. If you have walking as a City goal and priority, this sidewalk should be of utmost importance.
The second is a stop sign at Burnett and High Streets. People get off Highway 12 and cut down High Street to go to 116/ Main Street. They often quickly turn onto Burnett. I have seen several times drivers moving too quickly through this intersection. There are a lot of pedestrian in this area because of the library and Ives Park. Creating a 3 way stop here would improve safety in the area.
The third is creating a stop at Jewell and Willow and pedestrian crosswalk. It is very difficult for pedestrians to cross at this intersection. Once again this is an area with high pedestrian usage due to Ives Park and Ives Pool.
The fourth is replacing the fence at Ives and making the walkway ADA compliant. There is now a major sinkhole at Ives that will need to be repaired as the Ives has extremely high summer usage between the pool, camps, concerts and public events. As the sinkhole will need immediate repair, please complete the ADA walkway and fence replacement. These projects relate to pedestrian safety and pedestrian activity. This will vastly improve park while the City waits and sees if it gets any grant money. The timeline for any work funded by grants is at minimum 3 years so the public should have access to a safe and upgraded park while the City continues to pursue money for creek daylighting.
Please prioritize these projects as there is immediate need. If the City wants people to walk, it must invest in its walkways.
Best,
Kate Haug