Mayor: City is swell

The city is doing just dandy, according to Mayor Jane Egly

Egly gave an upbeat report Tuesday to a sparse but appreciative audience at the annual Chamber of Commerce State of the City Luncheon. Egly listed the city’s accomplishments in the last year, backed by reports from department heads and Assistant City Manager John Pietig that drew applause from the audience.

“We are in the ninth month of our fiscal year and we are still on budget,” Egly said.

Other cheery news included the addition of 164 parking spaces in the downtown, always a topic of interest to the business community and the easing, if not the eradiation, of parking woes by the increased use of summer trolleys.

Also on the mayor’s hit parade:

 Cutting the ribbon that ended the 2 ½-year nightmare of the Bluebird Canyon restoration and the Design Review Board approval last week of the first house to be rebuilt in the stricken area.

 Police deployment at intersections to herd pedestrians across the street without undue delay of vehicle traffic — “Remember to Bunch” is the mayor’s new slogan.

“Wait, introduce yourself and cross together,” Egly said.

 Renovation of Heisler Park, for which the city obtained a $1.8 million grant — which the audience found gratifying.

  “Really, really good news” — the project at Nyes Place will be completed this month, easing the “blankety-blank traffic jam” that has plagued business owners, as well as drivers.

 Adoption of a sister city in France.

Public Works Director Steve May expanded on Egly’s account of trolley ridership and what it meant.

“On summer weekdays, we had 5,000 riders,” May said. “On weekend days we had 8,500 riders. That’s 2,500 to 4,000 vehicles a day not on the streets.”

Furthermore, May said, those streets are in better condition, although the project is taking longer than projected.

To be completed this year: the city’s 10-year resurfacing plan.

“It took 15 years,” May said. “But we had a couple of landslides.”

The city will begin work on the final phase this month, starting with Frontage Road, Woodland and Arroyo, then Mystic Hills, Skyline Drive, Park Avenue from Wendt Terrace to Thurston Middle School and Bluebird Canyon from Temple Hills Drive to the ocean, between Calliope and Thalia streets.

“Bluebird streets got pretty beaten up by the restoration effort,” May said.

Marine Safety Chief Mark Klosterman took up the recital of accomplishments.

“We are reaching about 3 million beachgoers a year,” Klosterman said. “We made over 150,000 contacts with the public last year and 3,800 rescues on guarded beaches.”

Klosterman is looking forward to the proposed new Lifeguard Headquarters on Main Beach, designed to improve public safety and to the installation of enclosed towers, designed to improve conditions for the lifeguards.

“And as a little jab at the gentlemen to my left, we do all this on 4% of the general fund,” Klosterman said.

Fire Chief Mike Macey, who sat next to Klosterman’s, wasted no time in taking a friendly poke back.

“It’s only 4% because the other 40% is backing him up,” Macey said with a grin.

The largest single chunk of city funds goes for public safety. That includes the purchase of new equipment such as the recent acquisition of a fire engine that cost $360,000.

“We get 2,500 calls a year, approximately 75% of the calls are for medical assistance.”

Police Chief Mike Sellers spoke next.

And he had good news. Crime was down 13% in 2007, compared to 2006, Sellers said.

“But one of the most significant things we focused on is quality of life, such as the homeless population downtown,” Sellers said.

“Jason Farris has been appointed to deal with this. He is a good people person and he is bilingual.”

The department also is on the cusp of hiring new personnel, including at least one woman who grew up in town.

“And, Mike Macey forgot to remind everyone that we are going on Daylight Savings Time — time to change batteries in smoke detectors,” said Sellers, getting in his own jab.

Major projects still in the works:

Heisler Park renovation will be two-thirds to three-quarters completed when the park reopens in June. Money is being sought to finish the job.

And last, but not least, the Community/Senior Center on Third Street could be open by December, Pietig said, or certainly by early January.