Town Council discusses greening of Yountville, public broadband
The environment and greening of Yountville were the overriding topics discussed at the Yountville Town Council special workshop, which was followed by a regular meeting on Tuesday, April 1.
The Green Study Session focused on the reduction of single-use plastics and food containers, direction for Regional Climate Action and Adaptation Plan participation and the status of the Town of Yountville Tree Ordinance.
Yountville Town Manager Brad Raulston explained three initiatives and the matters and topics within their purview. Yountville Green is related to the environment; Yountville Blue is related to health and Yountville Ready relates to emergencies and disaster preparedness.
Raulston explained later by telephone that Yountville Green has an ad hoc committee composed of councilmembers Pam Reeves and Hillery Trippe, which focuses upon single-use plastics and food containers. Reeves and Trippe were also appointed by the town council to serve on Yountville’s Climate Action Committee (CAC). While they do not have the power to make decisions alone, they report findings and recommendations to all town councilmembers.
He said the intent of a study session is to have a community conversation, not to make decisions, adding that the town will work with businesses to make sure that the recycling ordinance will be phased in, in a way that is feasible.
At the April 1 workshop, Raulston said, “There are two words I have been using a lot, what are things we want to enforce versus what we want to encourage. How do you enforce? How do you encourage?” Decisions, he added, are made at three levels, local, county and state.
Beginning the public comments, Yountville Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Whitney Diver McEvoy summarized concerns around the feasibility of the implementing the draft town ordinance which calls for reduction of plastic in the waste stream.
Diver McEvoy asked about the process: how long will businesses have to phase in a program? One, three or six years? On the question of banning single-use plastic bottles, she asked about the impact on customers and affordable options in town for farmworkers and members of the community at businesses such as Ranch Market. “Glass and aluminum are significantly more expensive than plastic. What does it look like for the other businesses in our town, such as hotels?” she asked.
Arik Housley of Ranch Market Too said that, as a local business “we do feel heard in the process…we are still trying to make things the most feasible possible, but also not running up the costs anymore to our customers and ourselves.”
“We are all in the room because we believe that this is the right thing to do,” Housley said, “I don’t want an exception for Ranch Market. We need something for the community.”
The discussion included the price differences between plastics and more expensive options such as glass and aluminum, labor costs for both businesses and the town to sort and manage recyclables and non-recyclable additions to compostable items such as stickers and bow.
Upper Valley Disposal and Recycling (UVDR) and difficulties that Yountville businesses have in working with the local waste management company came up several times.
The discussion also touched on confusion generated by multiple trash bins and signage designating trash, recycling and compost.
Mayor Mohler said education is a key to implementation of greening programs. “We will have to do more demonstrations, have more quizzes. We are doing such a great job already” but the contamination piece seems to be a big problem, she said. “There is a lot less going into the landfill on a tonnage basis than just a few years ago.”
According to the discussion, the Upper Valley Disposal Services can only accept plastic recyclables marked 1 and 2, primarily because those can be sold at a profit; anything other than these are difficult to recycle and mostly go into the landfill. Contamination of recyclables is another issue; rinsing is necessary to remove large food particles.
“We all want to do the right thing,” Alain Negueloua of Hotel Bardessono said, explaining that Bardessono converted to aluminum water bottles this year at a significant cost.
David O’Malley of Grupo Chiarello and Bottega said restaurants always want to be on the forefront “yet need the guidelines, “Give us a timeline. We are members of this community. We want to do the right thing”
“Where is Upper Valley (UVDR) on this?” he asked. “What are they going to do as the partner in waste management? We all pay a significant amount of money. What actions are they going to take to support his very worthwhile initiative?”
Alex Laos of the Thomas Keller Restaurant group suggested a liaison, “In an office setting, where we can bring examples,” stating that he understood that costs are a huge factor, especially before a business redesigns menus or packaging.
Mayor Mohler, who was a member of the Environmental Quality Committee for the California League of cities for 14 years, advised that state law is clear that issues in regard to recycling and single use plastics are difficult to resolve for many of the reasons that Housley brought up.
The state decided, she said, that the plastic manufacturers need to solve this, “It is going to take some time, but they are trying to reevaluate, but that is coming. Eventually we won’t need as much enforcement, as the bad plastics won’t be coming into California.”
It was discussed that the town passed a climate action plan in the past that called for discouraging the use of plastic, and while some time has passed strides have been made.
“We hear on a weekly basis how expensive Yountville is,” Laos of TKRG added, “Everyone who comes here feels some sort of sticker shock” he said.
Daniel Sarao of Velo Deli and Pizzeria said that they are on board to use compostable products, but are aware of rising costs. “For a business like mine… a $17 sandwich is out of bounds, and we are already pushing that. I would also like to echo that Upper Valley needs to be on board.”
“We need to hold Upper Valley accountable,” Housley concluded referencing the types of plastics required to package and market foods and beverages. “It’s not our problem, our problem is how can we make this better for our community and our world.”
Raulston summarized the first part of the green workshop, as how will Yountville deal with the transition, cost and timing of a recycling program. “Cost is a huge issue, as well as quality. Whatever product you have, is at the Yountville level.
“Is it the town’s job to coordinate with Upper Valley Waste? You get into a lot of complicated questions, when you get into doing the work. I don’t want to bring an ordinance back that we cannot enforce… Yountville is very green minded. We are starting with a high bar. We are already up there.
“I encourage everyone to do what they think is right. Then we can look at what the state is trying to do, now that they are back at the drawing board. There are vast conversations going on at the state level. In 2016 we made an aspirational claim to discontinue the use of plastics. We all aspire to that, but the transition is different.”
The next step is for the town to get a modified version of the ordinance vetted through the chamber of commerce for the town council to review.
The second item addressed was the town council’s work at the county level for the Regional Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (RCAAP).
The regional meeting for all Napa County jurisdictions is April 25, and town staff will attend.
Regional participation, Raulston said the cost to participate would be $35,000, weighed against the importance of Yountville’s seat at the regional table.
“I really believe in regional groups,” Mohler said. “If they really are the goalpost for our regional climate action plans, they could be an overarching agency.” She added that Yountville needs additional information and another discussion in council.
Councilmember Reeves said, “It worries me that we would use the cost of $35,000 as a reason to not participate. In our CAP (Climate Action Plan) we said we would participate regionally, what has come before has directed us toward becoming part of the CAC (Climate Action Committee). I worry that we won’t be on board for a relatively small amount of money because we are not sure we are going to use it. But we are.”
“For me it’s not about the money. For me it’s way more about the time and the need,” Raulston said, “I do think there is a hybrid solution. Maybe it’s a combination of these things. My sensitivity is more about the time and what we are getting for our time and money.”
Town staff participate in regional meetings and come back in May.
Finally, Yountville’s tree ordinance was discussed with reference to the July 2023 study session. The tree ordinance is intended to foster a vibrant healthy urban forest.
Town arborist Tony Walcott spoke about the vision for a model tree ordinance. “I could write the whole ordinance, but we need input from council members as well as people in the town.”
The final item presented by Yountville’s Information Systems Administrator Jason Bernard, included a guest presentation of the LATA Grant Project, Broadband Engineering Feasibility Study conducted by CBG Communications, of Malvern, Pennsylvania.
CBG President & CEO Tom Robinson and Senior Engineer Dick Nielsen participated via Zoom. Robinson began the discussion with former Town Manager Steve Rogers in September 2022, regarding concerns that significant portions of Yountville such as the mobile home parks and the Veterans Home, were without broadband service.
They discovered that the town was “pretty well served.”
CBG offered three phases to accomplish a public access network throughout town at estimated expenditure levels ranging from $133,075 (phase 1), to $222,075 (phase 2), to $145,500 (phase 3) totaling $500,650.
All options included tapping into the existing broadband of the Napa County Library Yountville branch at the Yountville Community Center.
After discussion, the recommendation is that the council first continue the discussion with the Napa County Library, to tap into their public serving WIFI to provide access to the Yountville Commons which could be at no cost, and then potentially pursue phase one of the feasibility study in the next three months.
With the next regularly scheduled Town Council meeting canceled, the meeting was adjourned to the April 29, the Yountville goal setting meeting.
