Following warnings against adoption of its proposed truck traffic ordinance, the Patagonia Town Council went into executive session at its meeting on February 8, to get legal advice on the issue. After nearly an hour, council returned to quickly table the ordinance pending further review of the town’s legal standing to regulate truck traffic and possible consequences if it does.
While the purpose of the ordinance would be to protect the safety of the town’s residents and prevent damage to the streets, there is clearly widespread divergence of opinion among the townsfolk, and possibly even among the council members, as to whether the proposed restrictions on truck weight and trip frequency are necessary. Moreover, many who spoke at the meeting expressed concern that if the town enacts the proposed changes, it could lose the considerable state funding it now receives if the ordinance conflicts with state regulations.
Representative of the voices opposing the ordinance was Bob Ollerton, who spoke as a member of the Patagonia Regional Business Coalition. “Our group strongly opposes this ordinance,” he said. Carolyn Shafer urged the town to enact the proposed changes, saying “It’s a matter of safety and fiscal responsibility.”
At its March 22 meeting, the council welcomed County Supervisor Bruce Bracker and County Manager Jennifer St. John who thanked the council for the opportunity to come before them and emphasized that they are available to hear concerns voiced by Patagonia area residents.
The council also heard reports by Ray Klein and Charlie Montoy on the annual clean-up event scheduled for April 22 (Hazmat items only) and April 29 (general cleanup), requests by Planning and Zoning representative Susan Lange to install solar lights to illuminate the logs that line the sidewalk adjacent to the town’s headquarters and to consider installing a sidewalk along Harshaw Road.
A request by the Patagonia Library to install a new 10×20 foot outbuilding on library grounds to accommodate the Friends of the Library operations and free up space within the main building for other library functions was approved, as was the appointment of Paton Center Coordinator Jonathan Lutz and The Nature Conservancy’s Martin Lawrence to the Flood and Flow Committee.
The council advised the Santa Cruz Foundation for the Performing Arts to apply for a use permit to use the former office for an “artist-in-residence,” and decided to check with the chairman of the inactive Cemetery Committee before deciding how to handle a request by Murphy Musick to reactivate the committee.
Town Manager David Teel announced a work session to draft the FY 2017-18 budget will be held March 1 at 6 p.m. Regular council meetings will be held March 8 and 22.