City of Marina Government News Digest

In its April 16 meeting, the Marina City Council approved funding for improvements to beach and ocean access to the Fort Ord Dunes State Park.

The Imjin Parkway Widening and Roundabout Project has progressed, with tree and brush removal and temporary erosion control installed in preparation for construction work.

Marina City Council members voted for Jennifer McAdams to fill the vacant seat which was held by former council member Cristina Medina Dirksen who resigned in January to take a job with Kaiser Permanente.

The Marina City Council has approved a timeline and process to fill Cristina Medina Dirksen’s seat, but there is a wrinkle concerning where the appointee must reside.

The new Marina Police Department Chief of Police is a law enforcement veteran with more than 30 years in service.l Randy Hopkins started work this week and will be sworn in next week.

Elected officials, funders and members of the veterans community will come together to raise the first wall in the project that will provide homeless veterans a place to live in perpetuity with no transitional requirements.

The stakeholder meeting for Marina’s Fort Ord Resource Management Plan will be held Sept. 12 at the Marina Branch of the Monterey County Library Community Room.

Marina Mayor Bruce Delgado says he’s interested in getting another card room in the city partly because the tax income would cover the cost of adding a police officer.

Monterey Peninsula Unified School District unveiled a design for Marina High School’s new multi-use sports field. District Superintendent PK Diffenbaugh called it “the final piece of the puzzle” in providing “amenities that any other school in the county has.”

A Marina Police Department commander has accused Police Chief Tina Nieto of unfair treatment and violating payroll rules. Cmdr. Donna White filed the complaint with the EEOC, which will decide whether to conduct a formal investigation.

The city of Marina will consider two actions at its next city council meeting to find the source of a smell that has long eluded detection.

After a contentious meeting, the Marina City Council voted 3-2 to approve a concessionaire agreement with Chaparral Country Corp. of Woodside to provide recreation facilities and public programs at the Marina Equestrian Center Park.

Construction started recently on an affordable housing project in The Dunes area of southern Marina that will add 140 apartments to the region as soon as 2024.

The Marina City Council has approved a $4.2 million contract to remove old Fort Ord buildings near Marina High School. The council voted 5-0 on a bid from Unlimited Environmental Inc. of Long Beach. The buildings are a frequent target of arson.

Planning on Hilltop Park in Marina is underway as the Marina City Council has heard recommendations from its ad-hoc committee and given direction for the final design on the city park, to be located within The Dunes on Monterey Bay development.

Shea Homes, developer of The Dunes, has submitted design plans to the city of Marina for the Promenade—a mixed-used street with both restaurants, retail and apartments and condos—and plans to break ground early next year.

Marina City Council chose Chaparral Country Corporation Inc. to operate the Marina Equestrian Center for the next 20 years—a switch from the all-volunteer Marina Equestrian Association.

Multiple proposals for a new hotel at the Monterey Bay Dunes Complex were heard by the Marina City Council on Aug. 17. City Manager Layne Long said, “This can define our city not only in aesthetics but also financially in the revenue it will bring.”

Shea Homes is building Phase 2 of the Dunes, where 45 housing units were priced for workforce buyers. Instead, on the advice of city staff, the Marina City Council instead will collect an in-lieu fee from the developer. The $1.8 million will go toward a low-income homebuyer program.

Construction is still under way on the Dunes in Marina, but there are already thousands of prospective buyers. Winners will be determined by a lottery system—and those who live or work in Marina get an extra ball with their name on it.

Less than two years after the city of Marina adopted its first campaign finance ordinance, the city council voted to repeal it on June 2. The ordinance excluded businesses and organizations from donating.