The Struggle to Restore the Petaluma Trestle

A Timeline of the Many and Varied Attempts to

Restore the Petaluma Trestle

Since 2002, Chris Stevick has spearheaded Petaluma's movement to preserve the historic railroad trestle that faces the turning basin of the Petaluma River between Western and D Streets, not used by locomotives since 1992. Unmaintained for decades, the top layers of the wooden structure rotting and unsafe, it has been fenced off from pedestrian use.

Slide show of Trestle Components

is provided as a reference to explain terms used in some of the following entries

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Tresle Components Illustration by Robert Dougherty

Date	3/11/03	Image or PDF
1992	Final freight delivery crosses trestle: two 80 ton diesel engines and a 40 ton hopper = 200 ton train
1996	State Coastal Conservancy grant allows Petaluma to produce the River Plan. It also recommends making a Downtown Specific Plan which deals with the Historic Downtown District
7/25/97	Article in July 25, 1997 Argus-Courier pointing out the need to do something about the deteriorating surface of the Railroad Trestle. “The dilapidated railroad tracks and trestle and the concrete retaining wall next to it that run from Water Street to the Petaluma Yacht Club, while safe today, both need major repairs to preserve the Great Petaluma Mill and to keep the turning basin a viable part of the Petaluma River community.”
1999	Last “River Festival” held in Petaluma. 20,000 attendees enjoyed live music, food and drink on the deck of the Trestle and Water Street. After this event the deck was considered too hazardous and was eventually fenced off.
1/2/02	Chris Stevick’s letter to City Council members listing advantages of a restored Trestle: The Trestle would put people in touch with the River by: Adding 10,000 sq feet of historic public access to the river Reveal and celebrate Petaluma's historic link to, and dependence on, its River Stimulate river recreation, cruises, visits, and tours, serving as a balcony to all river events. Trestle Restoration would: Preserve the only remaining, and most important of river docks which once lined our River Save Petaluma's most identifiable landmark and linking it to River management. Move waterfront from historic extinction to sustainable development.
1/28/02	Letter from Cassandra Chattan of Archaeological Resource Service re: Historic significance of Trestle “Being between Petaluma Boulevard and the River, the railroad trestle is within the boundaries of the Historic District."..."One of the justifications for relevance of the historic district was the commercial importance, of which the railroad was an integral part. The height of the Petaluma and Santa Rosa Railroad's use of the trestle fits into the relevant time frame for the district's importance (1854 to 1945) established by Doctor Napoli (1996).” “The trestle is a visual part of the downtown riverfront. it is also a reminder of the obsolete transportation network and of Petaluma's historic connection to the outside world. Additionally, it has been here for over 80 years.” “It …embodies the distinct period when Petaluma relied upon railroads and maritime shipping, before the age of auto transportation. Together with the surrounding historic buildings, the trestle contributes to the historic feel of downtown Petaluma.”
1/29/02	The Redevelopment department of the City of Petaluma commissions CSW/Stuber-Stroeh Engineering Group (referred to as CSW[St]² in entries after this) to do a Trestle Report with cost estimate.
2003	Petaluma Specific Plan says save tracks on “ West Branch” which is Water Street, Trestle and First St tracks The City of Petaluma designates redevelopment funds – $500,000 – towards resolving the problem of the deteriorating Railroad Trestle. Editor's Note: As Chris Stevick found out later, the Redevelopment Department under Paul Marangella is already determined to demolish the Trestle. Over the next several years Marangella will seek Chris Stevick's approval (as he was President of Heritage Homes at the time) for this plan, to create the illusion of community support. To Chris, it looks like they want him to overlook the historical significance of the trestle, since they are ignoring local opposition and keep insisting that demolition is the only option.
3/11/03	Archaeological Resource Service - Hired by CSW[St]2 to provide a Preliminary Evaluation for Cultural Resources for inclusion in their HSR (Historic Structure Report) for Petaluma Redevelopment From page 14: "The trestle is a major visual contributor to the historic feel of the riverfront. Pictures of its position along the river with the Great Mil behind are used in post cards, advertising, and tourist brochures. Since the trestle is an important part of the visual of the turning basin, its removal would be of immense negative impact to the historic riverfront. In addition, the structure appears to be eligible for the National Register as a contributor to the downtown historic district based on Criteria A and C. It would not be advisable to remove the structure. Prior to any alterations to the structure, a full evaluation of the structure should be conducted, including its potential contributions to the historic downtown and a determination of its role as part of the historic setting. If due to structural problems, the trestle would need to be removed or repaired, it should be replaced or repaired according to the Secretary of the Interior's guidelines for historic structures."
3/11/03	Archaeological Resource Service Preliminary Evaluation for Cultural Resources submitted to CSW[St]² From pg 26 "APPENDIX C - SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR'S STANDARDS FOR RESTORATION 5. Distinctive materials, features, finishes, construction techniques or examples of craftsmanship that characterize the restoration period will be preserved. 6. Deteriorated features from the restoration period will be repaired rather than replaced. Where the severity of deterioration requires replacement of a distinctive feature, the new feature will match the old in design, color, texture, and, where possible, materials."
3/21/03	Archaeological Resource Service - "AN EVALUATION OF CULTURAL RESOURCES ALONG THE PROPOSED PETALUMA TROLLEY MASTER PLAN PROJECT" Page 1 Introduction "The project passes within the boundaries of the Petaluma Historic Commercial District, which is listed to the National Register of Historic Places."
3/21/03	Archaeological Resource Service - "AN EVALUATION OF CULTURAL RESOURCES ALONG THE PROPOSED PETALUMA TROLLEY MASTER PLAN PROJECT" From Pg 17 “The tracks continue southward on a wooden trestle adjacent to the river. The railroad trestle, a wooden platform built to support the Petaluma and Santa Rosa Railroad tracks, was originally constructed around 1922. The trestle runs for approximately 500 feet from the end of Water Street to the Petaluma Yacht Club, and carried the trains over the water from Water Street to First Street. The structure underwent structural repairs in 1942 and 1972. The trestle is not listed to the National Register, but with repairs the trestle could become eligible as a contributor to the Petaluma Historic Commercial District based on Criteria A and C. It is a visual contributor to the historic feel of the riverfront. While there are sheets of plywood placed on the surface of the trestle that are not in keeping with the historic integrity, the overall look of the structure as viewed from the far side of the river or from the water, retains the historic feel. The trestle is currently in poor structural condition and will likely be impacted by the proposed trolley. Mitigation measures, such as recording the structure on a DPR523 form will be necessary.”

Date	Event or Document	Image or PDF
3/21/03	Archaeological Resource Service - "AN EVALUATION OF CULTURAL RESOURCES ALONG THE PROPOSED PETALUMA TROLLEY MASTER PLAN PROJECT" Page 24 "If significant impacts such as removal of or alteration to the railroad tracks or associated structures, including the network of spur tracts, bridges, and track routes, are contemplated, these features should be thoroughly documented on DPR 523 forms prior to such impacts. Proposed impacts to structures that are of historical significance would need to be evaluated by a historian." One significant historic structure, ... the trestle is to be retrofitted for stability and repaired to look as it did prior to 1960. The trestle appears to be eligible as a contributor to the existing Downtown Petaluma Historic District... The trestle is a major contributor to the historic feel of the downtown riverfront... All work should be conducted to the Secretary of the Interior's Standards to ensure the historic visual integrity of the railroad trestle after repairs.
3/21/03	The 3 pages above were extracted from the full document reproduced here: “An Evaluation of Cultural Resources Along the Proposed Petaluma Trolley Master Plan Project, Petaluma, Sonoma County Submitted for Lauren Williams, President, Petaluma Trolley” by Cassandra Chattan, Archaeological Resource Service
5/20/03	Update on revised 2003 CPSP (Central Petaluma Specific Plan) to members of Heritage Homes, From Chris Stevick, President of Heritage Homes Alerting members to push City Council to add 3 changes to the Central Petaluma Specific Plan before approval at the Council's next meeting: Height limit of 3 stories on new structures next to historic structure Give SPARC full powers of review Create an Inventory of Historic Structures
2000-2005	Paul Marangella, hired by the City of Petaluma to be Director of Economic Development and Redevelopment, held control of redevelopment funds and had his own ideas about the Railroad Trestle. He wanted to start by completely removing the original Trestle and then building a modern concrete and steel platform to replace it. He had no interest in restoring the trestle as an historic structure.
2004	The engineering firm known as CSW[St]2 was hired to assess the structural integrity of the trestle and develop design solutions for making it safe.
3/9/04	CSW[St]2 sends a letter to Paul Marangella that they have revised their proposal in accordance with his request (this letter dated 3/9/04 came to light months later). It can be inferred that CSW[St]2 had previously explored the possibility of restoring the existing structure, but this letter indicates that they will only pursue options that comply with Marangella's request to take restoration off the table entirely. "Pursuant of your request, we have modified our proposal to provide professional consulting services on the Trestle Area Renovation"…"The project scope will include preparing plans for the removal of the existing Trestle"
	Editor's comment: This makes it clear that Marangella decided early on to only consider plans beginning with the demolition of the Trestle. CSW[St]2 will now take demolition as a starting point and focus on designing a completely new replacement structure. Marangella had his mind set on this demolition-based solution despite the rather obvious observation that demolition would cost at least as much as restoration plus the additional cost of a new structure built from scratch. In his own presentation to Heritage Homes later on 2/9/05 he stated that the design phase had run to $107K and demolition would take another $400K. So the plan and the demolition by itself would consume the $500,000 provided by the City of Petaluma from redevelopment funds for the Trestle problem, leaving nothing for the new construction. Was he expecting Petaluma to come up with another $500,000 over the original budget? He seems to have no concern for expanding the city's expenses as long as he can achieve his personal vision. This would be consistent with the later revelation of his having allowed redevelopment expenses to "go over budget" by 4.8 million dollars while creating infrastructure for the Theater District project. The discovery of these unpaid bills, which the city was obligated to pay, led to Marangella's forced resignation (see entry 10/12/05 below), and effectively consumed the city's surplus fund. We have no way of knowing what he was really thinking or what information he may have had, but maybe there was more money in the pipeline that could be accessed after successful completion of the first parts of the project. If true, that same money could just as easily been used for restoration, estimated at the time to take between $500,00 to $1,000,000 (depending on how many pilings would need replacement). But if $500,000 was a hard limit, Trestle advocates could have (and were willing to) run a capital campaign to raise the rest of the funds necessary to complete the restoration.

Trestle History Page 1