Debbie Croft: Mariposa connections, Part 1

Most of the world knows of the friendly and historic charm of California’s most glittering small-town jewels: Monterey and Carmel. But according to some Golden State visitors and residents, lesser-known Mariposa has these same qualities, too.

Nearby Sonora also boasts charm, as do the communities of Grass Valley, Nevada City, Truckee, Murphys, Healdsburg and Sonoma County’s New England village look-alike – Occidental. All are California small-town destinations and “worth the drive.”

But small towns can be traffic nightmares. Especially in rural communities with steep terrain, narrow streets, congested business areas, limited parking (including the challenge of parallel parking in tight spaces) and minimal capacity for pedestrians and bicyclists.

Traffic in these communities gets backed up at certain times of the day, especially during holidays and weekends. Or when there’s a big court case and 100 prospective jurors are being interviewed.

Tuolumne County Transit purchased a comfortable, air-conditioned trolley, which runs regularly between downtown Sonora and beyond, to Jamestown and Columbia. And Placerville solved its problem by constructing a three-story parking garage.

Other mountain towns, such as Oakhurst, leading to Yosemite’s south entrance and the Big Trees, don’t have traffic or parking problems.

It’s no reflection on the Madera County town, but Mariposans don’t want their community to turn into another Oakhurst. Too sprawled out, with lots of history but short on charm – even though its park is lush and spacious and a great place for families, picnics and annual festivals. The town also has a large visitors center, art galleries, unique shopping and dining, a couple of interesting museums, plus a few modern attractions including a movie theater.

But Oakhurst has traffic lights – an object symbolizing certain doom to Mariposa’s travel and destination appeal.

Yet, if Mariposa continues promoting itself as a travel destination, there remains the issue of parking.

In 2014 Mariposa County received over $100,000 from a Caltrans Transit Planning for Rural Communities grant program. This grant provides an opportunity to begin improving local transit/transportation facilities.

Earlier this year, a proposal was made to conduct a “Town of Mariposa Transit Center Feasibility Study.” A citizens advisory committee and a technical advisory committee were formed, each with knowledgeable members having various skills and interests that would prove beneficial in the decision-making process.

Brian Foucht, deputy director with Mariposa Planning Department, explained: “A resolution was passed establishing the citizens advisory committee … (and) sets forth the purpose of the committee and membership.”

Committee members include five individuals from the general public and six who are affiliated with local organizations.

“The technical advisory committee was not established by official action,” Foucht said. “It is a volunteer staff technical support group consisting of Planning, Public Works, Social Services (County Transit), Human Services, YARTS and NPS transportation planning. The purpose of the technical advisory committee is to ensure … our consultant (KPFF) and the citizens advisory committee have up-to-date technical information.”

The Mariposa County Board of Supervisors serves as the county’s Local Transportation Commission.

On Aug. 19, approximately 50 Mariposa residents, committee members and concerned individuals met for over an hour with county and state officials at the Government Center. This was the first of several Town Hall meetings addressing this issue of transportation improvements and future economic development.

Kevin Cann, Mariposa County supervisor for District IV, opened the meeting by welcoming everyone, and then introduced the project.

“The plan is to get you, the community, involved in the process – so we’re not still discussing this in 20 years.”

Architects and engineers will admit: Some of the best plans sit in a pile collecting dust. This is mostly due to either a lack of funding or lack of interest to mobilize people and implement necessary action for moving forward toward completion.

A couple of out-of-town guests also attended: Matt Boyer of Roseville is project manager with KPFF Consulting Engineers and project manager for the consulting team; John Clerici, owner of Clerici Consulting in Placerville, is the subconsultant.

In an email earlier this week, Boyer said: “The meeting … was a huge success. It is rare to have such a tremendous attendance at a kick-off meeting. (This) will help make this project a great success for the community.”

This story was originally published August 28, 2015 at 2:52 PM with the headline "Debbie Croft: Mariposa connections, Part 1."