Mendocino merchants shocked by county’s sidewalk barrier

Change does not come quickly or easily to the picture-perfect village of Mendocino, where any architectural alteration normally must pass muster with a review board, a sometimes-arduous process aimed at maintaining the town’s historical feel.

So downtown business owners and residents were stunned and rankled when, near the crack of dawn two weeks ago, county workers - with no public notice or input - dismantled a decades-old concrete ramp that provided a straight route from one end of Main Street to the other.

Then, to prevent people from falling off the edge of the tall sidewalk - which is about 30 inches higher than the street at Main and Kasten - they built a fence on the corner, forcing pedestrians to either take a turn to the nearest crosswalk, climb around the barrier and jaywalk, or turn back.

“We were shocked when it went up. Absolutely shocked,” said Marilyn Rose, co-owner of Out of this World, a downtown store specializing in educational and science-related toys, games and equipment.

County Transportation Director Howard Dashiell contends he had the authority to remove the nonconforming ramp without any say by the town’s review board, according to Mendocino County Supervisor Dan Hamburg. Dashiell reportedly told shop owners the walkway was too tall to be a sidewalk and dubbed it a patio.

No one liked the ramp that had been there. It was steeper than the usual disabled-access ramps and lacked railings. A number of people have fallen, and at least one of them has sued the county as a result - the apparent trigger for its removal.

But removing the ramp and putting up a barrier to foot traffic is not the answer, town residents say.

“The whole situation immediately became much more hazardous,” said Christie Olson-Day, owner of Gallery Bookshop, located on the corner where the fence was erected.

At least one person fell after skirting the new barrier and jumping to the street below.

Many more jaywalked to get around the barrier, store owners and clerks reported.

“It was actually creating an extremely unsafe situation,” Rose said.

For the first week, it also stopped many would-be customers in their tracks and reduced business for those west of the barrier, said Rose, whose store is across the street from the fenced sidewalk. Detour signs and a temporary ramp constructed a short distance away since have reduced the problem somewhat, Rose said.

Angry townsfolk were quick to respond to the surprise alteration and a meeting was held last week to discuss the issue. Hamburg said about 50 mostly angry people attended.

He said the county, the owner of the bookstore property and the historic review board will be meeting next week about how to proceed and who will pay for changes to the corner. He expects the fix will include stairs at the corner and a ramp to the side.

County officials initially said the owners of the adjacent building are responsible for the costs. The owners - the Jarvis-Nichols Building Partnership - believe it should be the county.

“The county built the ramp,” and then removed it, said Barry Cusick, a partner in the group.

But the county has no record of the ramp being built, he said. A ramp of some type has been there for well over half a century. Actor James Dean was photographed at a wooden version while filming the 1955 movie, “East of Eden.”

Hamburg said he expects the county and the property owner will end up sharing the costs, with the county bearing most of the burden.

Mendocino townsfolk are glad something will be done to fix the problem, but they’re still shaking their heads over what happened.

“What were they thinking? Rose asked.

You can reach Staff Writer Glenda Anderson at 462-6473 or glenda.anderson@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @MendoReporter.