June 13, 2006. Downtown beautification and civic pride was the topic of luncheon speaker Tom Allen, owner of Jaunt
and Pearl, a pair of Main Street businesses. As a member of the Downtown Merchants Committee of the St. Helena Chamber of Commerce, Allen has taken a lead role in promoting awareness of the need to raise
funds for the beautification of downtown St. Helena. "We need to take our rightful place as the heart of the Napa Valley," Allen told
Rotarians.Allen's presentation defined the downtown area as including Main Street, Money Lane, Hunt Avenue, Adams Street and Railroad Avenue. The idea of tying together those areas and making the
downtown area more pedestrian friendly is supported by many individuals and organizations, including the St. Helena Beautification Foundation, the Tree Committee, the city of St. Helena and the Chamber of
Commerce. He said support is growing because there is a general consensus that economic development of the downtown area is being hindered by the lack of improvements. Tom made the point that virtually
nothing has been done to spruce up downtown for the past 10 years. Sidewalks pose pedestrian hazards because they are dirty and uneven. The city has little money to maintain or replace the sidewalks, so
Allen's mission is to generate support for fund raising. He said another public restroom is needed, and he proposed using two city-owned parking spaces on Money Lane to make room for a public restroom. Allen
also focused on cleaning up tree-surrounds underneath street trees, installing new benches, replacing trash cans and news racks, and improving signage. He said the city's approval process for allowing such
improvements is "onerous," and he warned that Caltrans may have something to say about such improvements along a state highway. Other communities that have done a good job improving their downtown landscape,
such as Healdsburg, Petaluma and Santa Barbara, have wider sidewalks, more foliage and better directional signs. Raising funds to stage a community workshop will require a $5,000 contribution from the city
and the chamber, Allen said. The city council authorized its share on June 13. Other funding sources include the St. Helena Beautification Foundation, which Allen said raised $60,000 for the Tunnel of the
Elms, volunteer contributions from Chamber members and city sales tax set-asides. Allen said the best idea might be the creation of a Downtown Business Improvement District in which merchants assess
themselves. Allen estimated that $500,000 to $750,000 will be needed for the beautification effort.
WINTER BALL CHECK TO RIANDA HOUSE: Rotary Winter Ball proceeds totaling $68,000 was earmarked for the Rianda House senior
center, and a check in that amount was presented at the meeting to the Rianda House board of directors. |
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Board members Greta Ericson, Jay Greene, Gene Armstead and Joice Beatty
were on hand to receive the generous contribution, raised during a special auction at the ball. "This is so wonderful," said Ericson. "It comes from the community to something for the community." "This is a marvelous gift," said Greene. "It is one more indication of the good job Rotary does in town."
GUESTS:
- Leslie Moreland, wife of David Moreland, introduced by David Moreland, husband of Leslie. The Morelands celebrated 33 years of marriage on June 16.
- Don Fraser, introduced by Suzan Rada as a fitness fellowship mentor and past president of the American Running Association.
- Anthony, son of Doug Thompson, introduced by Doug Thompson, father of Anthony.
- Barbara Hudson of St. Helena Hospital, introduced by Bob Graham.
- Jay Greene and Greta Ericson, introduced by Joice Beatty.
- Bob Navens, a St. Helena resident and owner of a Calistoga business, Silverado Pharmacy.
ANNOUNCEMENTS: New board members for the coming year
were announced by President Bill Word and unanimously accepted by the members present. They include John Sales, president, Chuck Meibeyer, Treasurer, Gene Armstead, Sergeant-at-arms,
Alan Fowler, past president Bill Word, membership chair Lisa Marie Anderson, public relations chair Donn Black, club administration chair Steve Yost
, community services chair Jim Haslip, international chair Jake Scheidemann, Rotary Foundation liaison Kelly Crane, and Winter Ball chair not filled yet.Doug Ernst
announced that the St. Helena Star has been notified by the California Newspaper Publishers Association that the newspaper won six awards for work published in 2005. The awards, either first of second place, will be given at a July convention in Universal City.
Doug also encouraged fellow Rotarians to call him at 967-6800 if they would like to write a guest column about St. Helena or if they would like to taste wine for the Star's wine-tasting
column, "Uncorked." Mark your 2007 calendars: Jim Haslip
noted that the Napa Valley Heritage Foundation, formed to support local artists, will stage the first annual jazz festival, featuring Craig Bond and several Northern California choirs, on March 17. Ima Holcomb announced that the Napa Valley Youth Symphony is raising funds to finance a trip to Carnegie Hall in the fall Hendrik Smeding
introduced his guest, Rotary exchange student Jason Micheli, who spent 10 months in Argentina and enjoyed the good food there. |
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