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Residents press council on Barnes Park progress; council to revisit vending ordinance for mobile vendors
Summary
Public commenters raised concerns about slow progress and site conditions at Barnes Park and about enforcement against a permitted catering/taco truck; staff said construction is on schedule with weather-related pauses and the council asked staff to return with ordinance changes for truck vending rules.
Multiple public commenters at the March 19 Baldwin Park council meeting urged the city to accelerate improvements at Barnes Park and to enforce vendor rules for a catering/taco truck operating near restaurants.
Resident John Rios said portions of Barnes Park looked neglected, reported a broken fence and concerns about homeless encampments and tree removal, and asked when the city would finish the purchased lot and park improvements. Greg Tuttle, a local business owner, complimented some police enforcement but said code enforcement was not consistently enforcing rules for a catering truck that he said parks near restaurants and disadvantages brick-and-mortar businesses.
Public Works’ acting director Romani responded that the Barnes Park project is on schedule overall but that weather-related delays had pushed some work back by roughly 10–12 days. He said the contractor has an inspector on site and that much of the work occurs underground (utilities and storm drains) and therefore may not appear visible to residents. Romani reiterated the project timeline discussed at prior meetings, saying the target completion is toward the end of November (reference to the previously discussed schedule). He also said contractors sometimes must reschedule subcontractors (for example, concrete crews) when weather or sequencing interferes.
Councilmembers said staff should follow up with public-works and code-enforcement teams. Councilmembers asked staff to report back to a council meeting if contractors notify the city of longer delays so residents are informed. Separately, council asked staff to bring back an item to review the vending ordinance: the current rule requires a permitted truck to move every 10 minutes, which council members and staff agreed may be impractical and could be amended to balance brick-and-mortar businesses and permitted mobile vendors.
No formal action was taken at the meeting on Barnes Park beyond staff comments and a direction to follow up; the council requested updates be presented at a future meeting if the contractor reports additional schedule impacts.
