Redding talks bikes, massage parlors, city manager search - Redding Record Searchlight

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Redding City Council(Photo: Record Searchlight)


Days after City Manager Kurt Starman announced he is stepping down from his job, Redding leaders will be choosing a firm to begin their search for his replacement.

The City Council on Tuesday will look to hire William Avery & Associates for up to $24,300 to recruit candidates for the position.

The council also at its meeting will consider relaxing some of its rules on massage parlors and hear from trail users regarding plans for a mountain bike challenge that launches on Wednesday and a bike park inside Caldwell Park.

Avery & Associates is the same firm the council retained about two years ago in its search for a city attorney. The job ultimately stayed in house and went to Barry DeWalt, who was promoted in 2015 from assistant city manager.

Mayor Brent Weaver has said he wants the search to be comprehensive, looking internally and across the country for qualified candidates who have a real understanding of finances and the budgetary pressures California cities will face over the next decade.

Business leaders last week suggested this is the city’s chance to maybe find an administrator from the outside with a fresh vision for the city.

Starman, who was hired in 1991 as a budget services officer, has been the city manager since 2006. At 52, Starman will take early retirement to travel, be with his family and pursue a law degree starting in the fall. His last day on the job is May 19, capping a 28-year career in public administration.

Bike and trail enthusiasts will be out in force Tuesday night to support Weaver’s idea for a mountain bike challenge.

Then downtown builder Jamie Lynn and members of the Redding Trail Alliance will present a plan to create a bike park between North Market Street and the Redding Aquatic Center.

Lynn set his sights on Caldwell because of its nearness to the downtown, which consumes his time and attention. Weaver had chatted with him about wanting to see that part of town fixed up. “I wanted to see what we can do to make that area safer,” Weaver said he told Lynn.

The concept, which Lynn drew out and has been kicking around for a few years, is similar to the one Ride Redding presented in August 2015 for a vacant lot in the area of Lake Boulevard and Panorama Drive. But Panorama Pump Park, a pump track mountain biking course, did not materialize because of neighborhood opposition.

“It’s the same model that most cities have used. You can use it for outdoor cycling, crossfit, running. It’s kind of a hub to host events. It’s family oriented and can be used for more competitive events,” Lynn said.

The city’s parks and public works departments have endorsed the new effort, which is being privately funded.

It will require cutting back thick brush in the area, installing brighter lights for night use and cleaning the restrooms. Volunteers, who have been working behind the scenes with the McConnell Foundation, will build a mile-long dirt loop.

The next phase will be to haul in dirt to build jump trails.

“This is a perfect location because when you are driving by on North Market Street, you can see it all,” an upbeat Lynn said on Friday.

He wants to see the loop go in by the end of spring and the dirt trail jumps before the end of the year, with the idea of driving out aggressive people who drive other people away and making the area more inviting for people with young children.

“I’m sticking to our downtown area. I’m putting all my efforts here and hopefully we’ll keep improving it,” he said.

If you go

What: Redding City Council meeting

When: 6 p.m., Tuesday

Where: Redding City Hall, 777 Cypress Ave.

About the meeting: The council considers a bike park inside Caldwell Park, a report on public relations services, a name change for Library Park, more rules regulating massage parlors and the search for a new city manager.

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