Signal Hill residents may soon have a go-to spot for trying different assortments of alcohol after the city council at its meeting on July 12 approved a permit for a brewery and tasting room.
Approving the item allows the applicant, Daniel Sundstrom, to operate a brewery at 1136 E. Willow St. and to manufacture alcohol. The 3,227-square-foot space would also include entertainment and a food truck, and no outside seating or activity would be allowed.
“We hope everybody is as excited about it as we are,” said Jesse Sundstrom, Daniel’s son, during the meeting. “We hope people will see what this will bring to the city. It will make it a destination and bring outside revenue and allow people to discover more of what Signal Hill has to offer, because there is a lot more to offer than people in the surrounding area give it credit for.”
The proposed hours of operation are: Wednesdays and Thursdays, 4pm to 9pm; Fridays, 3pm to 11pm; Saturdays, noon to 11pm; and Sundays, 1pm to 8pm.
While the maximum occupancy has not been confirmed, Daniel said the projected total occupancy would be 60 people.
Signal Hill Mayor Lori Woods suggested that those in charge of the brewing company return within six months with any adjustments or changes that may occur during the process of opening up.
Jesse said over-serving alcoholic beverages is a matter he “takes very seriously.” He said the protocol of identifying individuals who may be at risk of over-drinking would include observing a suspected person’s body language and demeanor.
“Are they exhibiting the classic behaviors of intoxication?” Jesse exemplified. “Are they slurring their words? Are they swaying around? It’s going to be a highly observational time for us and the people that are going to be working for us as well.”
Presentations
Mayor Woods presented a Sustainability Award in the category of “water efficient landscapes” to Mark McGuire, the owner of the commercial building located at 1140 E. Willow St.— the same local as the potential brewery.
Mayor Woods noted that McGuire did a good job in improving the sustainability of the landscaping on the property— such as replacing turf in the parking lot with mulch and plants.
Woods also presented her seventh-week display on the Red Cross’s 21 Weeks to Prepare program, aimed at assisting individuals and families in the event of an emergency.
She has focused on introducing new items the public may purchase as part of their personalized emergency kits for the program. The intent is for individuals to have a complete kit by the end of the 21 weeks.
The items she presented for this week’s council meeting included a thermometer, sunscreen and allergy and pain relievers.
Auto Center
The council adopted Zoning Ordinance No. 2016-06-1487, which revises Title 20 of the Signal Hill Municipal Code to permit and conditionally permit accessory uses associated with the Signal Hill Auto Center in the commercial industrial, light industrial and general industrial zoning districts.
Councilmember stipends
Ordinance No. 2016-06-1488 was also approved. The ordinance adjusts compensation for Signal Hill councilmembers and goes into effect after the March 2017 election.
City Clerk and Treasurer stipends
An ordinance that would increase the compensation for the city clerk and city treasurer positions from $300 a month to $405 a month was introduced during the council meeting as well and goes into effect after the March 2017 election along with the councilmember stipend.
City Treasurer Larry Blunden requested the city council postpone approving the ordinance until August in order to present an “alternative proposal” with City Clerk Robert Copeland.
Copeland was not present during the meeting.
Blunden argued that both the city treasurer and city clerk positions have consistently been excluded from council increases and other benefits.
“I think the increases being proposed is out of proportion,” Blunden said. “The city clerk and city treasurer also had certain benefits that were available to council and other staff, and those were removed from our package… It’s been 28 years since we’ve had any consideration at all from the council or from the staff to approve anything… I don’t know why we’ve been excluded for 28 years. I’ve asked around and nobody really has a firm answer here, but we were excluded from any negotiations, and I’m not sure if that’s completely legal to be excluded from any group for that amount of time.”
Blunden said he did have an idea for a proposal for the council, but added that he would prefer to disclose the information at a later date.
Vice Mayor Tina Hansen responded to Blunden’s comments by saying that it’s the responsibility of the city clerk and city treasurer to speak up. She added that councilmembers received increased compensation and benefits in the past because they “advocated for themselves.”
“I guess I don’t appreciate the council being called to task for this, because we’ve had other city clerks, other city treasurers through the years, and they have a right, just as we do, to advocate for themselves,” she said. “If you look at the history, we haven’t done it automatically every year either. We’ve waited for some years because of the recession, we’ve waited other years because things are currently volatile… I guess I have a problem because previous city clerks and city treasurers didn’t ask for that consideration in the past.”
Councilmember Edward Wilson said the staff who prepared the ordinance had a consensus as to What the increased stipend should be. Wilson added that, if Blunden chose to bring up the issue in the future, it shouldn’t be a problem. Wilson also said, however, that he didn’t see a point in delaying approval of the ordinance.
The council approved the agenda item unanimously.
Maintenance
The council approved a resolution ordering the levy and collection of assessments for Landscape and Lighting Maintenance District No. 1 for Fiscal-Year 2016-17.
Travis Brooks, public works management analyst, said the collection of assessments in districts takes place annually.
Staff proposed a 0.907-percent increase in the assessment.
Councilmember Wilson abstained from the agenda item due to a conflict of interest.
Water
The council approved an ordinance to declare a Level 1 water supply shortage, rescinding its declaration of a Level 2 water supply shortage.
The declarations come from the water conservation program adopted in 2009, according to Brooks.
He said conservation efforts would continue. In 2015, he said the city achieved a 20-percent reduction in water usage as a result of declaring a Level 2 water shortage.
This year is at about the same level in water-usage reduction, Brooks added. Although conservation methods would change, going to Level 1 would still achieve the same level of consumption as Level 2.
The next Signal Hill City Council meeting will be held at 2175 Cherry Ave. on Tuesday, July 26 at 7pm in the council chamber.
