Council Approves Creation of Beautification Task Force

The Pacifica City Council approved the creation of a Beautification Task Force Monday night that would oversee and coordinate efforts by local groups to maintain and improve city-owned property.

The idea for the task force came to Mayor and Councilwoman Mary Ann Nihart after she was inspired by the of community members leading up to last month’s visit by a Rand McNally team, she said.

The team had come to judge whether Pacifica lived up to the title of “Most Beautiful” it had been , and although Pacifica did not win the competition, community members rallied and organized to tidy Pacifica up before the Rand McNally team arrived.

Essentially, Nihart hopes to institutionalize those coordinated efforts.

The objectives of the task force, as outlined by a staff report, are to identify and map city-owned parcels of land, with an emphasis on thoroughfares, for planting and improvement, establish themes and plants to be used by community groups in these parcels, emphasizing native plants and water saving plants, and to identify methods, outreach and funding sources for ongoing beautification and maintenance.

“It seemed like a logical time to bring this forward,” Nihart said, referring to the recent preparations for Rand McNally. “[The Task Force] has a job. It is to identify, throughout town, those areas that makes sense through participation and maintenance [to beautify]. It’s not meant to be a long-term commitment.” 

The task force will be made up of nine community members to be appointed by the council, preferably residents with backgrounds in gardening, landscaping and past organizational involvement in beautifying Pacifica.

The city estimates that the only cost it will incur from forming the task force will be the staff time it will take to aid it. 

Councilman Len Stone said he wanted to make sure Pacifica businesses benefited from the task force’s work. He asked staff to include language in their proclamation ensuring it.

“If [the cost] is to include staff time, we should include language that it should have some emphasis on two things,” Stone said. “First off, it does say something about thoroughfares, and [it should include language about] increasing the reputation of the city to visitors to help local businesses. The whole point is to, I think, benefit us financially as well, not just so we can enjoy the city looking better.”

Linda Mar resident Tod Schlesinger wasn’t sold, however.

“This is not a good use of staff time,” he said. “City owned properties should not be at the behest of staff to determine if they should be beautified or not. They should be determined in an inventory analysis for highest and best use.” 

Councilwoman Nihart explained that it wasn’t part of the plan to select whole city parcels to be beautified, but rather to select snippets and triangles that were already being used for plants or that were unused parts of larger parcels. 

The next step in the task force’s creation is for staff to write up an official proclamation and for the council to approve it at its next meeting.

“I always like to see participation by volunteers,” said Councilman Pete DeJarnatt. This actually would take a lot less time, a few hours every month or so. It doesn’t’ cost us any more money, add more to do for a staff member. Pretty much, you’ve got the volunteers already out there in groups.”

If you’re interested in being a part of the Beautification Task Force, contact city council members here.