Do You Care About Sonora?

Advisory /Steering Committee Meeting

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Sonora, CA -- Community Visioning Week, a four day Caltrans information gathering project  began today. The goal is to determine what to do for downtown Sonora and the highway 108 and 49 corridors that lead into Sonora. Walking tours and a community meeting attracted 11 community members and over 20 public and community representatives.

Sonora City Council Member Bill Canning opened the meeting with RBF Consulting outlining the scope of the information they are collecting for the project. Advisory and Steering committee members were present including Sonora City Administrator Tim Miller, Tuolumne County Transportation Council Executive Director Darin Grossi, Sonora City Councilman Ron Stearn, Executive Director for the Tuolumne County Visitors Bureau Nancy Sikes and City of Sonora Development Director, Rachelle Kellogg.

Discussed at the meeting today was a survey that will be conducted on the streets and in downtown Sonora businesses. Issues that may be addressed over the four days include public transit facilities, lack of parking spaces, uneven sidewalks, burned and abandoned buildings, traffic congestion and historic preservation.

A Sonora Chamber Mixer will be held at the Opera Hall from 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm tonight.
The Sonora Chamber of Commerce will host and the community is invited to come and mingle with Chamber members and the project team.

A Community Workshop Thursday night from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm, also at the Opera Hall, will present a brief overview of the Vision Sonora project and a variety of interactive exercises that will help identify the many assets and opportunities of Downtown and Sonora's commercial corridors.

Two Trolley Talks on Friday at 9:00 am and 4:00pm will allow participants to scout out potential locations for improvements along Sonora's commercial corridors. To RSVP and for further information view the full schedule posted here.

There will also be a Historic Preservation discussion at 10:30 am on Friday at the Opera Hall followed by an Open house lunch and more community discussions of various aspects of the project thru 4pm.

Saturday is the final Community Workshop from 9:00 am to noon at the Opera Hall. Participants will be involved in hands-on activities to draw and write more refined concepts for the Vision Sonora plan, and to provide feedback on priorities and further considerations. Activities and a movie will be provided for children so that parents can attend.

The project is funded by a $225,000 Caltrans grant, the City is working with the Tuolumne County Transportation Council.

Written by Sabrina Ambler

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