Pending plans, campaign support, bright lights and a new town manager highlight Yountville Town Council meeting
The Oct. 20 Yountville Town Council meeting began with Interim Town Manager John Ferons introducing Yountville’s new Town Manager Heather Abrams.
Although Abrams had been on the job for only two days, she said she was “delighted to be here in beautiful Yountville. It is indeed the heart of the Napa Valley.” She added that she had been impressed by everyone she had met so far and that “the future looks very bright.”
Public Comment
Resident Jim McDonald read a statement raising concerns about a local business owner’s financial support for four Town Council candidates. McDonald suggested that if any of those candidates are elected, they should recuse themselves from deliberations involving the interests of the person who supported their campaigns.
McDonald noted that plans for revisions to V Marketplace are currently with the Planning Department. Although he did not identify the property owner by name during his comments, V Marketplace is owned by Gary Jabara who owns The Estate Yountville and the Yountville Sun. The proposed project is covered in a separate article in this issue of the Yountville Sun.
Town Council candidate Jill Turner responded, “I have funded my campaign completely by myself. Mr. Jabara had provided something from his political action committee, and I am very, very grateful.”
Candidate Jessi Bugden also responded to McDonald’s comments, saying, “I know Jim said that he is not insinuating that we are being bought off in any way, but it is hard not to say that the insinuation is received that way.”
Bugden said she had funded her campaign herself and paid for her own signs. She added that the only signs Jabara had contributed were placed on his own property. “I appreciate his support, but it has nothing to do with any of his projects.” She said Jabara had supported her work speaking out about what she considers the financial irresponsibility of the Yountville Commons project.
Sheriff and Cal Fire Reports
Napa County Sheriff James Baumgartner presented the Sheriff’s Office quarterly report, noting modest increases across several categories, including calls for service, traffic stops, citations, reports and arrests. He said the numbers remained within the normal range when compared with the past several years.
While Baumgartner came to deliver his report, he also shared more personal news: He plans to retire at the end of December.
“This job has been in my family for 60 years,” Baumgartner said, becoming emotional as he reflected on his family’s long history in law enforcement. Council members thanked him for his years of service and for his work supporting the Yountville community.
Council Member Robin McKee asked about bicycles being ridden on sidewalks, saying she was surprised to learn that the town does not have an ordinance prohibiting the practice.
Baumgartner agreed that sidewalk cycling can be a problem but explained that creating an ordinance would be the responsibility of the Town Council and staff. He said he would prefer that deputies stop cyclists when violations are observed and use those encounters as opportunities to educate the public.
He also noted that the Sheriff’s Office plans to focus more attention on the golf carts in town, as many are reportedly unregistered or not being operated according to the rules of the road.
Cal Fire also presented its quarterly report. The department explained that funding for the county fire station is divided equally among Napa County, the town of Yountville and the Veterans Home, with each contributing one-third. The presentation showed that calls are generally distributed among those three entities in similar proportions. Medical calls account for 71% of the station’s responses.
Town Lighting
The meeting’s main discussion focused on Yountville’s year-round decorative lighting, with a presentation by Parks and Recreation Director Samantha Holland.
Last year, the town purchased the lighting displayed throughout the community, along with an annual maintenance contract. That contract expires at the end of this year, and Holland asked council members whether they wanted to renew it and continue lighting the town throughout the year.
Holland explained that the lighting system is complex, but it offers numerous options for colors and scheduling. Lights are installed on many of the small trees lining Washington Street, several large oak trees, Town Hall, Schmitt Hall, the walkway along Bardessono’s street frontage and two bridges along Washington Street.
Currently, the lights are programmed to turn on at dusk and off at midnight. They come back on an hour and a half before dawn and turn off when daylight arrives.
Holland described the system’s programming possibilities as offering “infinite and overwhelming choices of colors, and scheduling options.”
After an extended discussion, council members concluded that most residents and visitors prefer having the lights displayed year-round rather than only during certain seasons. Council
members McKee and Hillery Trippe, however, raised concerns about the potential effects of lighting late into the night on migrating bird populations.
The council ultimately decided to keep the lights on throughout the year while considering a reduction in the hours they are illuminated overnight.
Ferons noted that the lights are connected to the town’s power grid and that their operation has not resulted in a noticeable increase in electricity bills.
Community Notes
McKee reminded residents that the food donation barrel at the Community Center is running low. The Food Bank is particularly seeking donations of dry cereal.
Trippe reported on a recent Upper Valley Disposal meeting, where she discussed the pilot program for collecting flexible plastics. Residents received yellow buckets for the six-month trial period, but only 18% of households put their buckets out for collection during the first week.
Trippe also shared findings from a recently completed waste characterization study in Yountville. According to the report, 60% of the material placed in landfill bins should instead have gone into either the green yard-waste and composting bin or the blue recycling bin. The findings suggest there is room for improvement in how residents sort their waste.
Finally, the town’s second annual Halloween Party will take place Saturday, Oct. 31, from 5 to 11 p.m. The event will be held on the north end of Washington Street, which will be closed to traffic for the celebration.
