10-24-24

10 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY october 24-30, 2024 www.montereycountynow.com long-empty train tracks west of Highway 1 offer a spectacular view of the dunes and the Monterey Bay. Since 2021, people who signed up for handcar rides have enjoyed it while feeling the breeze. Museum Handcar Technology, known as Handcar Tours, began operations in 2021 on 3.5 miles of train track in Marina, stretching from Del Monte Boulevard to Fort Ord Dunes State Park. The future of this attraction is in jeopardy since it runs on the route of the SURF! busway project, approved in September by the California Coastal Commission. The Transportation Agency for Monterey County leases the track to the City of Marina, which subleases it to the handcar operator. That twoyear lease is set to end on Oct. 31 and TAMC plans not to renew it. “The terms of the lease agreement from its inception have been conditional due to the construction of the SURF! project,” TAMC spokesperson Theresa Wright says. Since the lease is set to expire, Marina officials gave Handcar Tours 30 days to vacate. But Marina City Manager Layne Long is asking TAMC for month-to-month extensions. “This little handcar has brought thousands of tourists to our city as well as the Monterey region,” Long wrote in an Oct. 9 letter to TAMC. He added the lease generates revenue for TAMC— more than $170,000 since 2022. On Wednesday, Oct. 23 (after the Weekly’s deadline), the TAMC board of directors was set to discuss the lease agreement in closed session. Todd and Mason Clark, owners of Handcar Tours, are working on alternatives with Marina and TAMC officials to relocate operations and move the route 2.3 miles north. (Wright says TAMC is open to moving the route to another segment of track.) If a month-to-month lease is approved, handcar tours would continue to operate at its existing site for now while working on the alternative route, rather than closing down. Marina Mayor Bruce Delgado notes the SURF! project is complex and it still requires permits before breaking ground. While that settles, “We could be having something beautiful happening in Marina,” he says. “They could be making enough money to hopefully move north.” Delgado says preparing the new handcar route could cost up to $1 million. The proposed new route would require permitting from various agencies, improving the tracks and installing railroad lights. Flock Safety, a manufacturer and operator of various types of surveillance systems, has been used across the country as a way to help identify stolen vehicles and missing people. However, concerns around privacy, aesthetics, and the number and location of the cameras prompted a group to discuss their use and benefits in Carmel-by-the-Sea. With the contract with Flock set to renew in March, the main questions an ad hoc committee aims to answer before the next City Council meeting are: How many cameras are needed, and where should they be placed? The committee will host its final meeting to address questions and concerns surrounding the use of Flock cameras in the onesquare-mile city on Oct. 24. “We are a target here. We have high-end shops, we’re in an affluent community,” said Carmel Police Chief Paul Tomasi during a meeting in June. “These cameras are a tool for us. It makes our jobs a little bit easier to keep you safe.” In 2018, the Carmel City Council authorized the installation of six license plate reader cameras at the city’s entrances and exits. In April 2023, community members raised concerns about the approval of a two-year contract with Flock Safety to install an additional 24 cameras and new software systems, ultimately halting the program’s implementation. Residents were particularly concerned about the number of proposed cameras, which would exceed those in larger nearby communities like Pacific Grove (with 12 cameras), and Hollister, with 15 cameras and a population of 42,000. Others believe the additional cameras could strengthen the regional defense system, ease the monitoring burden on local police, and send a message to thieves that they won’t get away with stealing. The upcoming meeting will be held both virtually and in person at Carmel City Hall at 1pm on Thursday, Oct. 24. “We’d like to come back to you with answers, and then we want to propose a plan moving forward,” Tomasi said. “What do we want to do?” Track Time Handcar tours in Marina will end, unless the city inks a new lease for train tracks. By Celia Jiménez news Road Work Caltrans hosts a public meeting on the Highway 101 South of Salinas project, which would relocate two interchanges at Highway 101 at Grant and Main streets in Chualar and at Abbott Street. Left-turn maneuvers along the highway would also be removed. 5-7pm Thursday, Oct. 24. Chualar Elementary School Gymnasium, 24285 Lincoln St., Chualar. Free. bit.ly/ 101southofsalinas. Tri-County Update Monterey County Supervisor Glenn Church joins San Benito County Supervisor Kollin Kosmicki and Santa Cruz County Supervisor Felipe Hernandez for a tri-county town hall meeting. 5:30-7pm Thursday, Oct. 24. Aromas Grange, 400 Rose Ave., Aromas. Free. 755-5022, district2@countyofmonterey. gov. Roundabout Review County of Monterey officials host a meeting to present information on the proposed Carmel Valley Road and Laureles Grade roundabout project. 5:30-6:30pm Thursday, Oct. 24. Carmel Valley Community Youth Center, 25 Ford Road, Carmel Valley, and via Zoom at bit.ly/3YngmqM (password: 899653). Free. 796-3009, sanchezj9@ countyofmonterey.gov. From Harm to Hope Social service providers, advocates, therapists, law enforcement and attorneys speak about the intersection of gun violence, mass shootings and domestic violence. The conference is presented by the Domestic Violence Coordinating Council of Monterey County. 8:30am-4pm Friday, Oct. 25. Sherwood Hall, 940 North Main St., Salinas. $60. bit.ly/48bXIWc, 385-8364. Helping Hands Volunteers are invited to take part in seven projects at Fort Ord National Monument to celebrate Make a Difference Day. Projects include controlling invasive weeds, hardening a trail and more. Free lunch is provided. 9-11:30am Saturday, Oct. 26. Various locations, Fort Ord National Monument. Free. 582-2212, signup.com/go/ THnzKRV. Health Boost The City of Salinas accepts applications for Prevention and Wellness grants. A total of $300,000, with a maximum award of $60,000, is available to projects that focus on health and safety. Applications due Oct. 28 by 5pm. Submit proposals to vickys@ci.salinas. ca.us. Ad Hoc Flock A committee meets to discuss final questions surrounding Flock cameras in Carmel. By Katie Rodriguez Before opening for visitors in 2021, Museum Handcar Technology enlisted volunteers to clean up a 3.5-mile stretch of train tracks. They’ve now been asked to vacate by Oct. 31. e-mail: toolbox@montereycountynow.com TOOLBOX “This little handcar has brought thousands of tourists.” Daniel Dreifuss

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