MARYSVILLE, CA (MPG) - The December 5, 2023 City Council meeting, the last council meeting of the year, was a swift one, concluding at 6:36 pm.

City Manager Jim Schaad reported that he and Councilmember Dominique Belza met with the parents of the child and the child who lost her front tooth at Gavin Park. They seem to have come to an amenable resolution to “retrofitting” the problems that led to the injury, it was reported. Schaad said the City is looking at the projects for the park and how to add features.

Vice Mayor Bruce Buttacavoli announced his approval of the recent Tree Lighting ceremony and parade, saying he was surprised at the number of semis participating. Mayor Chris Branscum commented on the problem the semis had in finding space to make a turn at the end of the route, but a plan will be in place to accommodate them better next year, he said.

The Mayor reported the competition between schools in the Tree Lighting event resulted in each school winning a pizza for their participants.

Mayor Branscum also noted that in both the Veterans Day and Tree Lighting parades there were problems for the walkers in matching the speed of the police car in the lead, which car eventually had driven a block ahead of them. He said he would like to see a marching band included at the front, or children carrying a banner, leading the parade in the future to set the pace for those behind. He also assured that for any police car participating, there would be space provided for it to pull out if it received a call from dispatch.

The city manager reported he has met with Sapphire Marketing Group and preparations are already underway for next year’s Fourth of July celebration.

The city manager announced that 20 Christmas meals will be delivered to local families this year.

As to business development, Schaad said that the D Street developers have submitted their plans to the city for review, and that staff and consultants are working on them. Schaad reported the Cigar Box has been shuttered by the Alcohol Control Board but a Mexican cantina operation may be taking over the space. As well, Trading Zone’s new location is shaping up and may be opening in one to two months.

The Glacier Ice property has been cleaned up from the fire, with only one more cleanup on the part of the city’s property to be done there. The Nakagawa Building closed escrow.

Dan Flores, Community Development Director, is watching the Marysville Hotel and related properties development, Schaad reported. The City is reassessing striping on 22nd Street and considering future projects on 14th Street and D Street.

After only a few months the sewer system project to Linda has returned $16,000, with the City expecting at least $100,000 from that. There are also funded projects ready to replace three storm drains

Schaad reported that recommendations for efficiency upgrades will be brought to the Council in the spring. But, he said, “the big task now is to implement.”

It was announced that City Hall holiday closings include December 26th as well as January 1st 2024.  The next City of Marysville City Council meeting will be January 16, 2024. This city council meeting can be streamed at https://marysvilleca.granicus.com/player/event/200?view_id=1&redirect=true. The meetings can be accessed for live streaming at https://marysvilleca.granicus.com from the City website home screen at the time of the meeting.