No More Taxes No More Consultants More TOT, Culture & Civic Repairs
The Initiative: City Council of St. Helena should not sell the old City Hall property to a Hotel Developer. Instead, remove the old City Hall buildings so that the residents can visualize a grand Lyman Park.
Merge both Lyman Park & old City Hall property into a grand Cultural Park Complex. Build a Community Pavilion for a new modern Library, Cultural Events and to fascilitate amenities in the Arts, Music, Recreation, Health, and Entertainment.
Develop Adams parcel into hospitality and housing. Apply the significant revenue, from a vetted luxury Resort, towards City's liabilities, operational deficits and development of grand Lyman Park.

The following three videos tells the story of the Lyman Park Initiative. It's a cinematic narrative that reveals the alignment of mutual interest between the Community, City’s Treasury, the Downtown, local Business and essential Visitors.
The first video begins with Lyman Park, and how its expansion and development into a cultural destination, becomes also the catalyst in solving our City's dire financial predicament and insuring the long term vitality of the Downtown.
1. Save and Expand Lyman Park
7:09 min
City Council of St. Helena should not sell the old City Hall property to a Hotel developer but instead, remove the abandoned old City Hall buildings so that the residents can visualize a grand Lyman Park. An adjacent three story Hotel would have major impacts on Lyman Park.
2. City Finance, Hotels, TOT and Your Pocketbook
5:08 min
The City is on a trajectory to run out of its saving in a few years. Its expenses and unfunded liabilities exceed current revenue. it's not sustainable without new significant taxes on the citizens or new hotel revenue.

3. Explore Lyman Park Pavilion
coming soon
The original vision for a Cultural Center on Adams in 2009 was not financially feasible as the only funds available would come from the sale of the property in the same location. An expanded Lyman Park with Pavilion fulfills the Community dream.
Please join the growing list of community members who support the pursuit of the Lyman Park Initiative. Your support helps secure a brigher future for our wonderful town of St. Helena.
Please tell your friends and neighbors about lymanpark.com

FAQ
Why a Cultural Center?
The Downtown needs solutions to ensure long term viability and not be overly dependent on the changing wine industry and passive retail traffic. A Cultural Center, offering desirable events and amenities, would draw more locals and essential visitors as the anchor tenant on Main Street. It's the perfect synergistic mix.
What is the best use of the City's assets to enhance vitality of St. Helena while addressing our long-term fiscal viability?
City should develop an overall strategic vision for all its properties, not sell one or two off in the absence of a comprehensive plan. A short-term remedy could foreclose a long-term vision that could recapture St. Helena as the cultural heart of the Napa Valley.
What happened to the 2009 Adams Vision and why is Lyman Park a better location for Community Development?
The Citizens of St. Helena have wanted and still need a Cultural Center, with unlimited cultural experiences that would enhance the quality of life for all. The original vision for a Cultural Center on Adams in 2009 was not financially feasible as the only funds available would come from the sale of the property in the same location. Fortunately, the Adams vision was not realized as it would have been out of scale, a major financial burden, disconnected from the Downtown and in a remote location not visible to essential visitor's support. Location of a Cultural Center is critical for optimum usage and sustainability. The most highly visible location, with optimum pedestrian connectivity with the Downtown, is at the old City Hall site on Main Street next to Lyman Park. There is no better location that is both free and available in any other place in town. If you don't build in this location there most likely will never be a viable Cultural Center for future generations!
What if the City wants to sell both the old City Hall and Adams properties?
The Community would probably only support the sale of just one property and leave the other available for community development. Thus, the City should realize that the optimum revenue potential would only come from the development of the Adams parcel and not the old City Hall parcel.
What is the financial condition of the City?
According to published City financials, the City needs an additional $9,500,000 a year to sustain quality services. This could translate into an additional $4,130 a year tax levy on each household. There are also substantial unfunded liabilities and the pension plan is getting out of control. In a few years, with the City’s expenses exceeding revenue, the Reserve will soon be depleted. The only remedies in resolving the City's dire crises is with some combination of more taxes on the residents, more hotel development and/or cuts to City services. However, cutting City services alone will not resolve the fundamental problems. The town is too deep operating the in the red. The citizens are resistant to new taxes and thus the solution is with more substantial TOT.
Why is a Luxury Resort on Adams a better idea than a Hotel on Main (old City Hall property)?
Another 4 star hotel on Main Street would diminish Lyman Park, eliminate any future Cultural Center and would not bring enough substantial revenue to validate its entitled location. It would result in a zero sum TOT (transit occupancy tax) predicament as it would cannibalize revenue from other City hotel partners in same class. It's best to avoid unnecessary internal market competition and stratify hotel classes for optimum tax revenue. Thus, any new hotel should compete only with luxury 5 star hotels, not found within the City but outside in the County. Our current 3 & 4 star hotels also don't have premium suites at high rates which limits potential revenue. A 5+ star luxury resort on Adams with high rack rates and expensive suites would provide substantial taxes and be the only real solution to secure the future of the City's treasury. Since there are limited and competing resources of labor available for any new hotel, it would be most logical to allocate such labor to a larger luxury hotel that generates greater tax revenue for the City. The Community of St. Helena would be very excited to have a stunning, landmark Cultural Center on Main Street and perhaps support the sale of Adams as an acceptable trade and a replacement of one assets for another. Most likely there would be no community support to sell to hotel developers, the Main Street parcel first and then Adams parcel later. If a hotel goes on Main Street, then community would put pressure to realize the equivalent Cultural Center back on Adams . . . which was proven financially and logistically impractical. The City needs ever increasing, substantial revenue in perpetuity but should not always rely on increasing taxes and utility rates. The sale of the Adams parcel can both facilitate the development of a Cultural Center and keep St. Helena solvent . . . with enough long term hotel tax revenue to finally fix its infrastructure and meets its other liabilities. The City needs about $9.5 million per year now, for the next twenty years, to sustain operations, meet liabilities and maintain essential assets.