Council to Review Point San Pedro Median Irrigation

The dry, brown medians of Point San Pedro Road could be lush with grass and flowers by August, the Marin Independent Journal reports.

After two public meetings in February, city staff will present the landscaping and irrigation designs to the City Council on Monday.

Last summer, 61 percent of Point San Pedro neighbors voted in favor of a new tax to fund the beautification of their medians. The tax costs single family units $75 annually for 30 years, with a maximum hike of 3 percent per year.

There are 27 medians along Point San Pedro Road. In 1976, the city turned off the water to irrigate the medians for three years because of a drought. By the time they turned the water back on, the irrigation system had deteriorated. Medians in the city were then watered by trucks, but in the 1990s the city cut all median maintenance.

The Point San Pedro Medians Committee formed in 2008, and developed a plan to add landscaping to the now dry and dusty medians. They raised almost $70,000 from 215 local donors to cover the cost of initiating an assessment district.

The Marin IJ reports that the construction costs are estimated at $1.7 million. City staff hope to upgrade the irrigation system in July and start planting in August.

Although the majority of the mail-in ballots were in favor, challengers argued that the tax would be an unnecessary expense.

“If my taxes are going to go up, I want it to be for schools, or the police, or the fire department,” .

Siegel is a senior citizen on a fixed budget who lives in the tax assessment district.

“My lawn doesn’t look good, should I get some friends to sign a ballot and get you to clean it?” she asked. “No. That sounds ridiculous, and so does this.”

The meeting will be held on March 19 at City Hall at 1400 Fifth Ave.