Would loss of truck traffic help downtown?

Calistoga, a town synonymous with bottled water, could be losing one of its longtime mineral water companies.

Crystal Geyser Water Co. is considering leaving town after more than 30 years to build a larger plant in Glenn County, 100 miles north of Sacramento.

?We?ve outgrown this facility here. We are looking to expand our capacity,? said Richard Weklych, vice-president of manufacturing for Crystal Geyser. ?We?ve searched all over. We?re focusing now on a site in Orland, on Highway 5.?

If Crystal Geyser leaves, it would be another blow to the small Napa Valley town?s employment base and follow an earlier downsizing of its most prominent water bottling company, Calistoga Beverage, founded in 1924.

In November, Calistoga Beverage, the town?s largest employer, laid off 74 full-time workers ? three-quarters of its work force ? citing sluggish sales of bottled water and a decision to shift production to plants in Southern California.

While locals bemoan the loss of the 50 to 60 jobs Crystal Geyser provides, they won?t miss the truck traffic it generates through downtown Calistoga.

The reason for the traffic: Crystal Geyser no longer uses its Calistoga well as its source. Instead, it hauls in water from places like Rohnert Park and Livermore, carbonates and bottles it at the Calistoga plant, then ships the cases to a warehouse in American Canyon.

The trucks, about 25 to 35 per day, according to Weklych, travel along Lincoln Avenue, the heart of Calistoga?s picturesque, touristy downtown, before turning on Washington Street. They continue on a two-lane street through a business and residential district to the Crystal Geyser plant at the end of the road.

?Sometimes, I hear them at 3:30 or 4:30 in the morning. The first day we moved here, we thought it was an earthquake,? said Lynn Otero, 25, a mother of two young children who lives in a small ground-floor apartment facing the street.

She said the trucks concern her, because her 2-year-old son sometimes runs toward the street. ?It worries me because of the kids,? she said.

Dave Shaw, owner of nearby Shaw?s Plumbing, also said he won?t miss the trucks. ?They?re a thorn in everybody?s side,? he said.

But along the same street are people who will be disappointed if Crystal Geyser departs.

?I hope they stay. It will be good for this business,? said Neal Fernandez, owner of Mitchell?s Market. He sells snacks to some of the drivers and other employees at Crystal Geyser and hopes to expand his menu to hot foods.

Weklych notes that Crystal Geyser has been on Washington Street for three decades, while Shaw Plumbing and some of the residents are relatively new.

?We?ve been here a long time. It was a known quantity for those people,? he said of the truck traffic.

Even Chamber of Commerce officials admit to mixed feelings. ?Anytime you lose business, the chamber is not going to be ecstatic,? said Rex Albright, director of the Calistoga chamber.

But Albright, who also heads the Calistoga Visitor Center, said getting rid of the tanker trucks would benefit tourism.

?That will improve the aesthetics of the community from a visitor standpoint,? he said.

Calistoga City Manager Jim McCann said the water bottling companies provide diversity to the resort town?s tourism base.

Visitors flock to Calistoga for its mineral waters and spas, to take mud baths and sample Napa Valley wines, restaurants and inns. But officials say Calistoga, like everywhere else, is struggling with the economy. Hotel bed taxes were down about 7 percent at the end of the budget year that ended in June, compared to the previous year, according to Albright.

Tourists are not buying as much in local shops, he said. ?People who were buying a case of wine, buy four or five bottles now,? Albright said. ?Everyone?s scaled back a little bit.?

Mark Navone, a lifelong Napa Valley resident who owns the Calistoga Depot and a 13-unit apartment complex on Washington Street, near the Crystal Geyser plant, said that ?losing 50 or 60 jobs in this economy is not a good thing.?

He said business is hurting, as evidenced by more vacancies than before in his 1868 railroad station and the train cars converted to shops and offices.

?I have several vacancies within that building. At its height there 15 to 16 tenants. I?m down to half that. And rents are reasonable,? he said.

?Calistoga seems to be taking more steps backward than forward,? he said, but also acknowledged ?Calistoga has a lot going for it.?

While the privately owned Crystal Geyser wants to build a larger bottling plant in Orland, Weklych said no decision has been made on whether the Calistoga facility will close. ?We don?t know what we will do with this place. It?s real preliminary,? he said.

Its single product in Calistoga is sparkling water. Crystal Geyser has a second bottling plant in Bakersfield that produces Juice Squeeze and Tejava tea.

It has a licensing agreement that allows another company, CG Roxane, to produce non-carbonated, Alpine spring water under the Crystal Geyser brand.

Crystal Geyser officials said they are awaiting test results of Orland wells ? which would serve as the source for the sparkling water ? to see if the move is feasible. It would take at least a year to transfer operations if tests show sufficient water there to meet demand.

?It?s a long way down the line and may not come to fruition,? Weklych said.

You can reach Staff Writer Clark Mason at 521-5214 or clark.mason@pressdemocrat.com