The agenda for the February 7 City Council meeting includes the 2016 Street Tree Master Plan update, a traffic enforcement report, a citizen satisfaction survey, and changes to both the transportation and the parks and recreation commissions.
Street Tree Master Plan update: The most significant change to the six year old plan is to actively work to increase in the number and diversity of the trees that line the streets of Coronado.
There are now over eight thousand trees in Coronado’s tree inventory. Nearly half are either peppers or palms. A number of peppers are in decline, primarily because of age. At its January 17th meeting, council approved a 20-year plan to cull and replace the pepper trees in decline.
To prevent this kind of imbalance from happening again, the city will no longer plant a species that exceed 10% of the city’s inventory. Greater diversity limits the spread of disease or invasive pests on specific species.
Besides culling declining trees, City Services will plant 20 to 30 new trees every year.
Efforts will also be made to educate the public on the value of trees and the role in caring for them. Parkways are on community property — the city is responsible for trimming, removing and planting, homeowners are responsible for watering.
Police Traffic Enforcement: Police Chief Jon Froomin will give a traffic enforcement report. It will feature information on the CPD’s enforcement in general, and its efforts to increase it along Highway 75 (Orange Avenue) and Route 282 (Third and Fourth Streets.) The report will also touch on traffic safety and present an overview of crime statistics.
Mayor Richard Bailey mentioned this agenda item at his February 1 Town Hall meeting. He urged residents to come and participate in the discussion. People living along Route 282 have long complained about vehicles speeding through the corridor and have asked the council to take corrective measures. Over the past few years there have been two serious accidents and one death in the stretch between the bridge and Orange Avenue.
Citizen Satisfaction Survey: The council is being asked to spend $25,000 to find out how people in Coronado feel about their community. If approved, the scientifically valid questionnaire will be administered by the National Research Center using the International City/County Management Association National Citizen (ICMA) Survey Program.
ICMA’s surveys are intended to “improve service delivery, strengthen communications with community stakeholders, and help leaders identify clear priorities for use in strategic planning and budget setting.”
Transportation Commission The council may appoint two new members to the commission, and it will also consider eliminating the requirement that three members of the commission represent the Village (the area north of the Pomona and Orange intersection)
Parks and Recreation Commission: The council may appoint a new member for a three-year term.
