HomeMy WebLinkAboutSupplemental Questions from Robert Goldberg1
Gloria Harper
From:Robert Goldberg <rgoldberg@live.com>
Sent:Sunday, June 07, 2020 4:57 PM
To:Thomas Moore; Schelly Sustarsic; Mike Varipapa; Sandra Massa-Lavitt; Joe Kalmick
Cc:Jill Ingram; Gloria Harper; Steve Myrter; Kelly Telford; Phil Gonshak; Charles M. Kelly;
Jeannette Andruss
Subject:External Email : Questions and Comments for Tuesday's Open Meeting
Attachments:6.08.20 Questions.doc
Dear Council and Staff,
Please see the attached comments and questions for Monday's open session.
Thank you for your consideration and service,
Robert Goldberg
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Questions & Comments for 6/08/20 from Robert Goldberg
Item A: COVID Business Support for Main St
Staff is to be commended for their rapid and thorough work on this issue. Excellent job!
I would agree with their recommendation to move forward ASAP with a temporary outdoor
dining permit program with fees waived by Council.
On the other hand, I am not enthusiastic about establishing Main St shared dining areas on
public property. It is quite expensive at $11,000/week, and will only benefit the small number
of nearby restaurants. I wonder whether the additional dining space will even generate $11,000
in weekly net profits to these select restaurants. If not, it would be easier for the City and better
for the restaurants to just give each several thousand dollars per week. This of course sounds a
bit bizarre, as it raises the issue of equity and fairness- why should a sub-set of restaurants be
subsidized by tax-payers just because of their proximity to our Electric Ave parking lot or
Eisenhower Park? Yet, that is what the proposed shared dining on public property would in
effect be doing. Additionally, why would we want to start a City reserve-financed subsidy
program when we have just received $563,000 in CARES money (Item N) to assist our local
COVID-impacted businesses, including (presumably) the same restaurants?
I am also skeptical about spending $30,000 on marketing. What evidence do we have that this
expenditure will make a difference, and again, result in more than $30,000 in profits to Main St
businesses?
Personally, I think would there are two less costly options that the Council can do that would be
more likely to immediately increase foot traffic on Main:
1) Remove the 50% parking restrictions in the two pier-adjacent lots. The beach lots in
Huntington have allowed 100% capacity for several weeks.
2) Reopen the pier with one-way walking. This could be accomplished by placing a
center dividing row of plastic K-rail the length of the pier with directional arrows or
signage on the decking. Creating one-way loops has been a method used to promote
social distancing on popular hiking trails. It could work on the pier as well. Placement
and leasing of K-rail would be costly, but I would think much less than $30,000.
Implementing these two options could be followed b y a grand reopening of the pier with
invitations to the press and TV news. That will announce far and wide that we want tourists to
return. With parking and an open pier, they will be flocking back.
Item G: Pier Close-out
The staff report states that the JPIA has agreed to reimburse the City a total of $4.4 million,
most of which will go into the General Fund reserves. With our projected FY 20-21 year-end
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undesignated reserves at only $136,000, it is critical to know how much we have already
received from the JPIA.
How much have we received in total reimbursement to date from the JPIA?
What is the agreed upon amount of reimbursement for the delayed project components
related to a future restaurant (sewer pump station and a portion of the electrical
cabling)?
Does the $4.4 M figure include the delayed project components, or are these in addition
to the $4.4 M?