_{Thumbnail photo courtesy of Andrew Goff}

Among the items discussed at Monday’s Crescent City Council meeting.

Swimming Pool Score Board:

Recreation Director Kelly Feola looked to Medford’s Rogue X aqua center to show Crescent City Councilors what the new LED display will look like at the Fred Endert Municipal Pool.

With the Crescent City Swim Club spearheading the purchase, the new Colorado Timing System and digital score board will enable them to hold professional meets, Feola said. She also envisioned using the display for movie nights and, potentially, a Del Norte High School swim club. 

“We are going to accept an MOU for that donation of the equipment to the city,” Feola told the City Council. “The city would be responsible for installing and maintaining that scoreboard. Both parties will collaborate on advertising and sponsorship revenue that can be used for future maintenance and replacement costs. I hope to sit down with the Swim Team fairly quickly to put together a plan for advertising revenue that I believe could be anywhere from $60,000 to $120,000 per year.”

Some of those potential advertising dollars would also support the swim team, Feola said. She said she would bring the advertising plan back to the City Council.

The Crescent City Swim Team received a $51,000 grant from the Del Norte Healthcare District and an additional $15,000 donation from Healthcare District Director Dr. Kevin Caldwell to purchase the scoreboard and timing system. 

The cost to install the system will be about $17,000, Feola said. The committee overseeing the use of Measure S sales tax revenue recommended using unspent funding from the pool’s roof replacement project, which came in under budget, she said.

Though she wasn’t able to attend Monday’s meeting, Swim Club President Kristen Jansen gave Feola a message to read to the City Council thanking them for their support.

“The team is thriving and making an impact for so many of the youth in our community,” Jansen said. “Through obtaining this equipment, (the Swim Club) will be able to provide more opportunities to hold local meets and it will greatly support so many of our swimmers and families who cannot travel for out-of-town meets.”

According to a report of the Measure S Oversight Committee on fiscal year 2024-25, $578,595 was spent on the swimming pool. Expenditures included staffing, utilities, the online reservation system and other operational costs as well as equipment, parts and repairs. Measure S funding was also used for the pool’s HVAC, locker room and deck upgrades, according to the report.

The city received about $2.3 million in Measure S revenue during the 2024-25 fiscal year, according to the report. It was reimbursed $226,416 from the Crescent Fire Protection District, which shares expenses with the city.

Downtown Revitalization Phase 2: 

With $186,000 in U.S. Development Administration grant dollars expected to land in Crescent City next month, City Manager Eric Wier and his staff are looking to the next phase in their downtown revitalization efforts.

But he asked Councilors to rectify a budget error that has $8,000 of those EDA grant funds allocated toward Lighthouse Cove RV Park. Councilors unanimously approved an amendment to the city’s contract with consultants Crandall Arambula making that correction.

“The full $186,000 will go just toward the downtown (plan),” Wier said.

According to Wier, the next phase of the Downtown Specific Plan will focus on its core as well as L and M streets along U.S. 101. The city manager described that area as hard to navigate.

The second phase will also look at retail parking, Mason Mall and Tsunami Plaza as well as the overall streetscape.

“We’ll be working with the Planning Commission a lot on this and this will all come back to the Council,” Wier said. “Architectural standards, signage, zoning — all of those things will be that next piece.”

Urban designer Don Arambula will also focus on integrating the city’s RV park with its revitalized downtown, Wier said. But that will be part of 2025-26 fiscal year budget discussions, he said.

Planning for the downtown revitalization’s second phase will take place from June through October with Planning Commission and Council approval coming toward the end of the year, Wier said. The City Council recently completed the first phase of the Downtown Specific Masterplan, which can be viewed here.

Prohousing Incentive: 

Crescent City Councilors authorized the city manager to pursue an additional $650,000 in state Prohousing Incentive Program dollars.

Managed through the state Department of Housing and Community Development, Prohousing Incentive Program aims to alleviate California’s housing crisis. With multiple housing developments underway, Crescent City received a Prohousing designation in 2024 along with $650,000 in PIP dollars.

In December, the City Council loaned that $650,000, along with $344,198 in Permanent Local Housing Allocation dollars to Community System Solutions, which is spearheading the development of The Redwood Downtown. Under the terms of that loan, CSS is required to build four affordable housing units by 2030.

If the city receives an additional $650,000 in PIP dollars, the number of affordable housing units CSS would need to build would increase to eight.

The Redwood Downtown will replace the former Daly’s department store building at 3rd and J streets and would include 36 residential units as well as ground-floor commercial space. Wier calls it the catalyst to the city’s efforts to revitalize its downtown area.

Planning Commission appointment:

Councilors appointed Paul Martinez to fill the Planning Commission position Steve Shamblin left behind when he assumed his City Council seat.

Martinez, who retired after working at Pelican Bay State Prison from 1992 through 2016, will serve through May 2029, according to the city’s staff report. Planning Commission Vice Chair Kris DeCossio and Crescent City Mayor interviewed Martinez for the position as did City Manager Eric Wier and Contract Community Development Director Bob Brown.

Planning Commissioners receive $75 every three months for their service, according to the staff report.

Mural Restoration: 

Elk Valley Artisans got the support letter they were seeking for a $50,000 T Mobile grant to restore a mural on the First Service Plumbing Building at 4th and G streets.

Jill Munger, the organization’s co-founder, told Councilors that the building’s owner is making improvements that were going to damage the mural and had asked Elk Valley Artisans to help restore it. They’re hoping to leave the integrity of that mural intact as much as possible.