What 2016 holds for Paso Robles — a talk with Mayor Steve Martin

of water per year. Two of the projects are complete, and the third is expected to be done in 2018.

“The city has put its money where its mouth is,” Martin said. “I think we have done a really good job of diversifying our water quantity and improving quality while keeping the costs in check.”

Other major city efforts in 2016 include a $1.45 million rehabilitation of City Park, improving homeless services, continuing road repairs and expanding the local economy while keeping the city’s tourism industry strong.

“Our tourism is doing very well,” Martin said. “We want to diversify the job base outside of tourism.”

With water remaining the top priority, the city is moving ahead with a new recycled water plant, which is scheduled for completion in 2018. The facility will use filters and ultraviolet light disinfection to treat wastewater to tertiary levels, freeing it up for non-potable uses. Currently, the city discharges 2.5 million gallons of partially treated wastewater into the Salinas River each day.

The city is also stressing water conservation. In 2014, the city missed a state-mandated water conservation goal and considered passing an ordinance that would punish residents who did not adequately conserve.

However, the city opted not to do that and, instead, increased water conservation incentives, such as turf removal.

“The city has exceeded its 28 percent conservation mandate, and the residents deserve a lot of credit,” Martin said.

Finally, Martin supports the formation of a water management district for the Paso Robles groundwater basin. The city would not be part of the district but will need to cooperate with other agencies in the basin to develop a sustainable groundwater management plan for the basin by 2020 as required by state law.

Martin said the district is needed to maintain local control of the basin and prevent intervention by state water officials, which could be costly.

The city has seen some turnover in top management in recent months because of retirements. Community Development Director Warren Frace, Public Works Director Dick McKinley and City Manager Thomas Frutchey are all new to the city.

Parks are an integral part of Paso Robles’ quality of life. In January, the city broke ground on a rehabilitation and repair project for City Park in downtown.

Work includes installation of a new playground, a new entry plaza and repairs to pathways to meet Americans with Disabilities Act regulations. The gazebo and barbecue area will be repaired as well as the irrigation and electrical systems. Work is expected to be finished by the end of June.

Paso Robles just made homeless services one of its top priorities for 2016. On Feb. 16, the City Council declared a homeless shelter crisis, acknowledging that there are not enough shelters for the homeless during cold and inclement weather.

In October, the city held a free mobile homeless services event at the Paso Robles Event Center. The county will be doing five similar events, and Martin wants one of those to be held in Paso Robles. A free lunch was provided, and 22 various service providers were on hand to share information about everything from drug and alcohol counseling to issuance of identification cards.

“It has become obvious that a lot of people who are homeless are far away from the services they need,” Martin said. “The council is clear that we hope to work cooperatively with other public agencies and private groups to determine how to best leverage resources and supplement existing successful programs to resolve this potential threat to human health and safety.”

The city is also continuing its multiyear effort to upgrade its roads. In 2012, voters approved a half-cent sales tax that can be used only for road repairs. It generates from $3.4 million to $4 million a year.

“Our roads were falling apart,” Martin said. “We are doing a lot of deferred maintenance.”

Another top priority for 2016 will be economic development. For a long time, tourism has been a mainstay of the city’s economic vitality and that continues. A new high-end resort, Allegretto Vineyard Resort, opened recently.

But Martin wants to broaden economic development beyond tourism. Expanding housing will be a crucial component in that.

The city’s development plan calls for 1,200 new housing units by 2045. To make that happen, the council plans to look at housing constraints and specific area plans.

“We want to attract new jobs, but we need to make sure that capital improvements are done along with the jobs,” Martin said. “That is going to be a big, big thing this year.”

The city also has plans to expand the Paso Robles Municipal Airport. Land at the airport has been set aside for new construction and development. The goal is to bring not only new aviation to the facility, but also other kinds of businesses.

“I want Paso Robles to be known as the source of the next big thing and have the city be a source of innovation,” he said.

Martin and his wife, Jennifer, have lived in Paso Robles for four decades. He owns an advertising and marketing business. He was on the City Council from 1987 to 1996 with a stint as mayor during that time. He was elected to the council again three years ago and was elected mayor a year ago.

He is one of three candidates running in the June 7 primary for the 1st District county supervisor seat.

This story was originally published February 22, 2016 at 12:29 PM with the headline "What 2016 holds for Paso Robles — a talk with Mayor Steve Martin."