The City of Morgan Hill will spend up to $200,000 for a protective combination of fencing, mesh or other kind of enclosure to prevent people from climbing too close to the ledge on the top floor of the downtown garage.
Exact details of the design and material to be used for the project will be determined in the coming week, according to Morgan Hill Community Services Director Chris Ghione. The exact cost of the safety measures will also be determined in the same timeframe.
The council unanimously approved the expenditure at the Sept. 6 meeting. City staff recommended the protective measures due to what they have identified as the growing occurrence of unsafe, unauthorized activities atop the three-story structure, which sits between East Third and Fourth streets.
While such activities also include children skateboarding through the garage, the expenditure approved by the council will only address the issue of people—also mostly youth—climbing on the roof and ledges of the top of the structure, according to city staff.
Specifically, Ghione said the southern edge of the garage’s top floor and some of the “gaps” between the top two floors are points of concern where some of the unsafe uses have been observed.
“Our parking structure is safe—we built this to every code and every standard that is required for a parking structure,” Ghione clarified. “(But) the fact it’s not at capacity drives some of the improper uses of the top floor.”
The top floor of the 270-space garage is rarely fully occupied by vehicles, but city planners anticipate its intended use by motorists will increase, eventually discouraging loitering, skating or other unsafe behaviors.
Until the new fencing or enclosures are installed, 46 parking spaces occupying the top of the structure will be closed off to all public access. A temporary construction fence currently blocks off vehicle and pedestrian access to that area.
Ghione added that the project will aim to “maintain the aesthetics” of the structure.
The council’s Sept. 6 vote also directed city staff to draft a city ordinance allowing Morgan Hill Police to enforce municipal codes within the structure. This will include signs throughout the building notifying users that illegal activities will be prosecuted.
City Councilman Rene Spring said Sept. 6 that he is eager to see additional efforts to prevent skateboarding in the downtown garage. Ghione indicated this could eventually include physical additions to the driving surface throughout the garage designed to “slow people down.”
“I hate to be a party pooper, but it’s just the wrong location for skateboarding, and I want something in place to prevent something from happening,” Spring said.
MHPD Capt. Shane Palsgrove said last week that police have responded to “a couple near misses” involving vehicles and skaters. He added that officers have increased their patrols throughout the garage to crack down on some of the unauthorized uses.
The top-floor closure that started Sept. 1 is part of a “three-pronged approach” to addressing the city’s concerns. In addition to the physical enhancements, that approach also includes enforcement and education, according to city staff.
“City staff are proposing an approach that other communities have utilized and that incorporates engineering, education, and enforcement with the goal of enhanced community safety,” reads the city staff report for the Sept. 6 meeting. “It is believed this combination will be the most appropriate to reduce the risk of accidents due to inappropriate use of the structure.”
The downtown garage opened in March 2016. It cost about $9 million, and was funded mostly by leftover Redevelopment Agency proceeds.
