Benicia Finance Committee will continue a discussion Thursday about the city water and wastewater funds’ 10-year forecast. That conversation began Tuesday during a joint meeting with the City Council. The two enterprise funds are expected to operate as businesses, with revenues covering expenses. However, the Finance Committee and Council heard Tuesday that no matter which […]
Von Pfister general store placed on National Register
One of city’s first buildings earns long-sought designation For decades, those interested in Benicia history have told the story of how Charles Bennett stopped at Edward Von Pfister’s general store in 1848 and announced that gold had been found at the mill site of his employer, John Sutter. The announcement touched off what became known […]
Another go-round: Valero crude-by-rail report due
Public to have 45 days to comment after Aug. 31 release of review of controversial project A revised version of the Valero Crude-by-Rail Draft Environmental Impact Report is due to be released Monday, Principal Planner Amy Million said. The revision is the latest step in a series of actions that began in early 2013, when […]
Fixing broken sidewalks—who is responsible?
If a sidewalk in Benicia is cracked and uneven, who is responsible? The topic comes up periodically during City Council and advisory panel meetings, and in most cases, the owner of the property where the sidewalk is situated. “Like many cities, the city has adopted a sidewalk ordinance regarding maintenance and repair to clarify the […]
Panels examine enterprise funds in today’s session
Benicians have been cutting back their water consumption since requested by the City Council and later as mandated by the state, Finance Director Karin Schnaider said. But those cutbacks are affecting water-related revenues. The City Council and the Benicia Finance Committee will hear three options today in a 10-year forecast of two of the city’s […]
Benicia’s ‘meat shower’ mystery endures
19th-century event remains unexplained, but not forgotten In an occurrence that sounds like a Biblical plague story, meat — what seemed to be rancid, boneless beef — rained down on five acres of the Benicia Arsenal 164 years ago. How it happened is still the subject of speculation. Benicia Historical Museum curator Beverly Phelan believes it […]
Council approves sustainability grants
Vice Chairman Mark Hughes sought assurances that the Community Sustainability Commission’s funding recommendations met the spirit and letter of the letter of the Valero-Good Neighbor Steering Committee settlement agreement, but joined the rest of the Council in approving grants to several nonprofit organizations’ projects. His sticking point Tuesday night was the agreement’s emphasis on water […]
Council OKs CAP contractor work plan
Benicia City Council has affirmed a $150,000 one-year contract with Michael Baker International and a revised work program for Alex Porteshawver for Climate Action Plan coordinator services. Porteshawver has been the city’s CAP coordinator since 2012, under the original contract with Sonoma State University. As that contract wound down, she was hired by PMC, an […]
Pedrotti pledges $100K for CAC
Ace Hardware owner abandons plan to turn trailer park into lot Gene Pedrotti, who bought a mobile home park so he eventually could move with his Ace Hardware store out of Southampton Shopping Center, has changed his mind. During public comment at Tuesday’s Benicia City Council meeting, he withdrew his application to close the mobile […]
Council OKs study of wastewater use at Valero refinery
Benicia City Council agreed Tuesday to fund a feasibility study of a project that ultimately could purify the city’s wastewater so it could be piped to Valero Benicia Refinery for use in its cooling towers. But Council members also asked staff to examine some of the issues raised by the public and return with information […]