Mount Shasta council to resume in-person meetings in July, announce departure of city planner

The Mount Shasta City Council will begin hosting in-person meetings again on July 26, it decided Tuesday in an unanimous vote. The council was also informed that City Planner Juliana Lucchesi resigned from her position. Her last day, according to Mayor John Redmond, is July 9.

The city's planning commission, beautification committee and other Brown Act committees will also have the option to resume meetings in person.

Deputy City Clerk Kathy Joyce said the tentative plan is to continue broadcasting meetings on Zoom to allow participants to speak either online or in person. 

More:Coming soon to Mount Shasta's Parker Plaza: a water bottle refilling station and fountain

More:Crystal Geyser pulls out of Mount Shasta water bottling plant

Joyce expressed concerns about the amount of work involved in running two meeting platforms, but she hopes to have trial runs before the July 26 meeting to work out any potential issues.

She noted that during the pandemic, participation increased at city meetings because it is easier for people to attend from their homes. This is especially convenient for people who work late, or don't have child care, for example.

"It is vital that we continue the momentum that we have with regards to public participation," said resident Johanna Altorfor.

Councilor John Stackfleth made the motion to resume in-person meetings and he was seconded by Tim Stearns. Redmond, Tessa Montgomery and Jeffrey Collings all voted yes.

Mt. Shasta City Park security discussed

To help resolve various issues related to the Mt. Shasta City Park – which is immensely popular with tourists and travelers – an ad-hoc committee has been created.

Mount Shasta's interim Police Chief Robert Gibson and Shannon Shaw, Director of the Parks and Recreation District hope to partner to solve issues that pop up at the park, which is "near and dear to a lot of us," Shaw noted.

Gibson noted that closing the park at night has helped and noted it would be easy for an officer to include the area in a patrol to lock a gate to deter overnight stays.

A camera system that could potentially be fed into the police monitors could also aid with patrol, Gibson suggested. 

The addition of fencing near the Headwaters area was also suggested to keep people from entering the water and creek, causing damage to the natural structure.

Montgomery and Stackfleth offered to join the ad-hoc committee.

.