Continuing his community Town Hall meeting series, Mayor Bailey hosted another meeting on September 5, in the Winn Room at the Library, with approximately 65 residents in attendance. He emphasized that he relishes the opportunity to hear directly from community members and wants to keep the community informed about what is going on in the city. He said, “Tonight is all about you,” and gave an update on the following key areas:
The financial success of the city is strong as indicated by the AAA bond rating. He highlighted that the city budget has an annual surplus of $400,000 with $68 million in the general reserves fund. “The city has a history of fiscal security focusing on its core competencies of infrastructure, public safety and parks and recreation.”
Working on the sewage from Mexico issue continues to be a priority for the city. Coronado has taken a diplomatic approach working with federal and local governments to bring the right players to the table to find a solution for this issue. They are also providing some funding to Imperial Beach who brought a lawsuit against the IBWC. A recent development is a private enterprise from Israel who is proposing taking the wastewater from Tijuana and recycling it and then using it to water vineyards in Baja California.
The Coronado Bridge has the second highest suicide rate in the country, which raises both traffic and mental health concerns. Caltrans has completed a study looking at 11 alternatives ranging in costs up to more than $100 million. An interim solution of installing bird spikes, which will extend the barriers four to eight inches, should be installed during the first quarter 2019 and cost about $150,000-$200,000. “It’s a start, and studies show that this will make a difference,“ commented Mayor Bailey.
The first comprehensive plan for undergrounding utilities for the entire city has been developed with Harris & Associates. It would cost approximately $175 million to complete the whole project and since this is not economically feasible, a priority list has been developed based on a variety of criterion including aesthetics and traffic patterns. The city will begin hosting community meetings to determine the finalized priority list and if citizens would be willing to foot part of the costs.
“The much conversed about dog park has gotten more attention on social media than just about any other city issue of late,” the Mayor joked. He explained that the school board approached the city and asked to consider amending the current Facilities Use Agreement to include paying additional money to utilize he property on Sixth Street, next to the preschool and kindergarten. The City Council voted to “hit the pause button” to go back to the school board, talk to community members and look at all the issues.
“The entrance to Coronado doesn’t do our majestic city justice,” commented the Mayor as he outlined a beautification plan that will see vegetation cleaned up and construction areas concealed, hopefully in the next three to six months. Since this area is under Caltrans’ jurisdiction, this has been on ongoing discussion for the past six years, but he promised that improvements are forthcoming.
The Hotel Del Master Plan was approved more than 10 years ago, but stalled with the change of ownership and management through the years. The projects should begin moving forward in the next several months. There will be a lot of traffic disruptions during the construction, which is slated to be completed in 2021, but significant improvements will be made.
The mayor opened up the floor for questions and more than a dozen people spoke with questions on topics such as Lime Bikes and scooters, the Gateway Project, the 3rd and 4th Street corridor, dog park issues, new commercial block owner on Orange Avenue, the stoplight at Alameda and 4th, and other traffic and parking issues. To close the meeting, the mayor volunteered to stay around and talk with people, and offered his personal email and cell phone for anyone with questions after the meeting.
