Hank Sims asks Scott Bauer, Thavisak 'Lucky' Syphanthong…
What Does the Fourth Ward Need?
Leaving aside city-wide issues for a moment: What do you see as the biggest needs for your ward, in particular? What do people want to see happen in the neighborhoods you wish to represent? How would you help them on the council?
— Hank Sims
Responses
Thavisak 'Lucky' Syphanthong
I have spoken with many of my neighbors and I have attended a meeting with the Bridge District Neighborhood watch group in Ward 4 (the Bridge District is that neighborhood between Target to the north and the Samoa Bridges). Overall there are a lot of concerns with safety, homelessness, drug use and drug trafficking in my Ward 4. For my immediate neighbors near Myrtle Avenue and McFarland Street, as part of the Bay to Zoo Trail, the City is planning to install a roundabout at this intersection, which is the “new trail crossing” location. Then they will install approximately two miles of Class 1 bike trail, culminating at the Sequoia Park and Zoo. I am excited about the new trail being installed, providing outdoor activity for our citizens, however, my neighbors have some real concerns regarding safety, especially with the trail going behind their homes and throughout the neighborhood on its way to Sequoia Park and Zoo. The City needs to address these safety concerns when installing the new trail, maybe install new light posts and have a non-uniform safety officer or City staff regularly patrol the trail. There are concerns about garbage and new homeless camp sites along the trail too. I believe with consistent monitoring by the City, this will prevent any new homeless sites from forming. I will be sure to walk the new trail myself when it is installed and bring any new concerns to the City Council and for the City to address.
The Bridge District also had concerns regarding the homeless and drug use and drug trafficking. Most have businesses in the immediate neighborhood and do not feel safe with all the drug and homeless activity happening daily. Fortunately these neighbors look out for each other and will call the police if needed, but the City of Eureka needs to step up its patrol and cleanup of homeless camp sites in this area, especially under the Samoa bridges near the new boat launch, and the neighborhood around the Ke-Mey-Ek’ Place housing units managed by the Arcata House Partnership.
If I were elected to represent Ward 4 on the Eureka City Council, I will bring the concerns of the citizens in Ward 4, including those of my immediate neighbors on Myrtle Ave and McFarlan Street, and the safety concerns of the citizens and business owners in the Bridge District to the Council and make sure these very important concerns are addressed by the City. Safety is a huge concern for the people in my Ward and I will fight to have these concerns heard and addressed by the City.
Scott Bauer
The 4th Ward needs focused attention on improving our transportation system, increasing the supply of all income levels of housing, enhancing public safety, and rehabilitating our parks and open spaces. In the transportation realm, residents have expressed a strong desire for pothole-free roads, more public transit options, and safer bicycle routes and pedestrian crossings. This city and the council have been working hard to improve our transportation system that has suffered a lack of funding and focus over the decades. We are paving our roads the Fourth Ward (on a regular schedule based on road condition) thanks to Measure H funds. Public transportation options are expanding due to a regional effort (HCAOG) laser focused on making busing more accessible, greener, and always affordable.
Our Ward has many residents that desire to recreate and commute on their bicycles. Through our Complete Streets Policy, we do our utmost to incorporate bike lanes where none previously existed and make existing ones safer. Pedestrians need to feel safe in our city and Ward Four, and I frequently hear about aggressive drivers not yielding to those on foot. We are incorporating flashing beacons and other safety measures at crosswalks throughout the city, but I’m the first to admit that much more needs to be done to make our streets safer. This will require stepped-up enforcement to get some of our citizens to slow down and learn that the road belongs to all travelers.
Lack of housing for all income levels is an issue not unique to the Fourth Ward. California ranks near the top in the nation for a lack of affordable housing. In my walks in the Ward these past few weeks, I’ve met many newer residents in our city. People come here for a variety of reasons, but why they’ve come really isn’t the issue. The issue is people want to live here and we need to build more houses of all types to support our existing citizens, our homeless community members, and those coming to live in this desirable city. We have approved 100’s of units of affordable housing within the city, one of these multi-unit projects within the Ward. We are very close to seeing these developments break ground. The state and the City have made the building of Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU’s) greatly simplified, and I believe we will see many people take advantage of the streamlined permit process once construction materials come down in price and loan rates improve. I’ve always supported housing and will continue to do what I can to make sure the residents of the Fourth Ward have access to affordable housing.
Public safety always weighs on the minds of our residents. We want to feel safe in our neighborhoods, walk our streets carefree day or night, and believe our homes will be secure 24 hours a day. Knowing our police will be there in times of need is something we all value. In my four years on City Council, I’ve always supported our law enforcement personnel. I voted to improve their pay to increase morale and retention. I have voted to maintain their overall budget and we are now close to full staffing of this critical department. I sided with the entire city council to support the Community Safety Engagement Team (CSET) and Crisis Alternative Response Eureka (CARE), two programs that take a novel and more compassionate approach to law enforcement. I will always support our hard-working law enforcement personnel, and work towards making the Fourth Ward and greater Eureka a safe place to live.
Parks bring people together and enhance the quality of life for us all. The residents of the Fourth Ward love their parks and gulches. Groups like the Ivy League are a testament to the community’s commitment to improving these city assets. Unfortunately for our parks, most of them have decades old play structures and amenities. I’ve supported city efforts to improve these community gathering places. Through grants and city funds we are improving these facilities citywide, but we need to focus more of our efforts on Sequoia and Cooper parks. We’ve tried to obtain grant funding for their improvement over the past several years to no avail. Over the next four years, I pledge to work hard at getting the funding to make Sequoia and Cooper parks modern facilities that everyone can enjoy.
By prioritizing these issues and working collaboratively with community members, I aim to ensure that the 4th Ward thrives as a vibrant, safe, and well-connected part of Eureka.
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