Animal-drawn vehicles and bike racks approved for Plaza by CSEC

Animal-drawn vehicles around the Plaza, which recently won approval from the Sonoma City Council, now have the Plaza horseshoe for passenger drop off. The carriages shuttle people from the Plaza to Sebastiani winery and, while approved by the Community Services and Environment Commission (CSEC), will be subject to the same horseshoe closings as automotive vehicles. A review period of one year from the date of operation was put into affect and differentiation made between the animal-drawn “shuttles” versus privately used animal-drawn vehicles for events such as weddings was also established.
Also around the Plaza, bike racks will be installed by public works in the coming weeks. A $15,000 grant from the state has been applied for to help pay for the racks with no word yet on its approval. Another much larger grant for $135,000 was approved for Class 3 bicycle lanes. A plan is in the works to change the southern portion of Fifth Street West from Class 3 to Class 2 bicycle lanes with plans being developed and grants worked on to complete this work. The Cultural and Fine Arts Commission is developing a contest for a local artist to create a public art piece in the Plaza that would also function as a bicycle rack.
The CSEC discussed a recycling policy for Plaza events that would closely mirror a county-wide policy already in place as well as a proposed city-wide template on energy use for lighting that could be used to monitor the success of reducing carbon dioxide emissions. This would be an expansion from monitoring the use by city government versus the entire city.
The widely discussed community pool came up and the potential of working with Sonoma Splash to build something that is creek-friendly.
Events on the CSEC agenda included Mexican Independence Day, Vintage Festival and the Kathmandu Festival with guidelines and protocols for recycling, event cleanliness, safety and more. Each event was approved but a request to rope off the area for the Kathmandu Festival was denied.
With regards to events in and around the Plaza, the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Subcommittee recommended a review of events to which residents of Sonoma could walk or bike. A question arose as to whether local bike events would prove more of an asset to the city than out-of-town event participation. Action item – staff will come back with guidelines for the CSEC in terms of recommended events in which the City might be active.
In closing comments, it was noted there has been significant improvement with the community during events in the willingness to participate in recycling plans such as Green Mary and other earth-friendly companies. For uninitiated, Green Mary is the recycling company that can be hired for events, offering an eco-friendly service that sets up recycling and sorts “garbage” into that which can be recycled, composted, etc.
The CSEC also encouraged the public to check out the city’s new Web site: sonomaconserves.com, centered around water use.