BRIGHT IDEA The pedestrian walkway connecting L.K. Wood Boulevard with G Street over U.S. Highway 101 is now much brighter at night, thanks to an upgrade of the lighting there. The lights were converted to high-intensity, energy efficient LED lamps at a cost of $33,700. Humboldt State contributed $18,000 to the project; Measure Z covered…
Arcata Main Street annual luncheon brings update on city issues
Kevin L. Hoover Mad River Union ARCATA – Local businessfolk enjoyed wild mushroom lasagna, salad and a summary of current events by Arcata leaders at the annual Arcata Main Street (AMS) luncheon in the Plaza View Room last Thursday afternoon. Dan Tangney, tireless AMS volunteer (and as of last week, chair of Arcata’s Planning Commission),…
Public Safety Task Force issues final report
Kevin L. Hoover Mad River Union ARCATA – Arcata’s Public Safety Task Force (PSTF) met 12 times over 12 months, attempting to identify crime problems and solutions in Arcata. Recognizing the problems was the easy part; finding solutions, not so much. Unresolved crime-busting business led the council to embrace in principle a suggestion by…
Arcata Public Safety Task Force Final Report
Mad River Union ARCATA – Arcata’s Public Safety Task Force is presenting its final report to the City Council tonight. This is the fruit of its 2017 labors. Here’s the whole thing.
Union Editorial: Beyond butcher paper activism
Arcatans are full of … ideas. Lots of them. Good ones, too. Unfortunately, none of them has improved conditions on the Plaza, at least not yet. Many, many, many meetings focused on the Plaza have taken place over the years. We’ve had them at City Hall, the D Street Neighborhood Center, the Community Center, the…
Another meeting melts down over Lawson case
Kevin L. Hoover Mad River Union ARCATA – A wall was lined with butcher paper filled with previously brainstormed student safety and social justice initiatives, and several tables were stocked with blank sheets and marking pens to receive fresh suggestions. But all of that went unused as an Arcata City Council study session intended as…
Transportation activists introduce new vision for a human-centered ‘living Plaza’ with fewer cars
Kevin L. Hoover Mad River Union ARCATA – Re-imagining the Plaza has never been more popular, with ideas flying at near-weekly scoping sessions in and out of government. The frequency of the solution-seeking is exceeded only by the daily incidents of drunks, drugs, fights, smoking and other offenses continuing to take place out on the…
Many Hands sculpture rises in Cahill Park (updated with story from print edition)
Kevin L. Hoover Mad River Union AARCATA – Just over a year ago, a child walking to Arcata Elementary School was assaulted in Cahill Park. Among the consequences were creation of the Public Safety Task Force and renewed interest in making the park safe. Foliage was trimmed back to improve viewing, and a…
CPP holds city-wide solution session
Andrew George Butler Mad River Union ARCATA – The Arcata-based non-profit and Facebook collective known as CommUnity Pride and Peace (CPP) formed several action committees Oct. 11 to tackle some of the issues facing the city. CPP group administrators Stephen Geider, Ken Hamik and Sasha Miksis facilitated the meeting at the D Street Neighborhood Center.…
So-Called Thoughts: A short history of alt-Arcata’s public safety revolution
The transformation of Arcata didn’t happen overnight, and there was nothing mystical about it – even though it’s almost like a magic wand has been waved over Arcata. It began in November 2016, when the City Council acted with urgency, wasting no time in forming the Public Safety Task Force. Interviews for membership took place…