Dixon City Council is naming a local park after Vacaville Police Officer Matthew Bowen, who lived near the park with his family. Photo from Dixon City Council meeting recording

DIXON, CA (MPG) - At the June 17 meeting, the Dixon City Council began with a closed session regarding a threat to public services or facilities. 

During closed session, the city attorney reported, City Council authorized $449,448 “to address access control and physical security issues for public facilities.” The city attorney added that a full report will be presented after the project is completed, because “when there [are] threats to public facilities that are being addressed, it’s not in the best interest of the city nor required by law to disclose exactly what those threats are before they’re addressed.”

City Engineer/Director of Utilities Christopher Fong then updated council about traffic calming measures on Brians Way, where speeding has been an ongoing issue. The city installed speed feedback signs to alert drivers to their speed, as well as raised pavement markers, which are small plastic bumps designed to help drivers stay in their lanes. However, Fong said, the pavement markers had to be removed a few months ago as they did not perform well, were breaking down quickly and when driven over made a loud noise that disturbed nearby residents. 

Fong said other possible options include vertical delineators ($41 each) and edge-line striping (estimated at $20,000 total), which would visually narrow the lanes to encourage slower speeds. Speedhumps would be a more expensive option, at approximately $50,000 each. 

This was an informational update and no action was required by the council at this time. 

The council then discussed a request by Mayor Steven Bird to name the neighborhood park at Pitt School Road and Sunflower Way after Dixon resident and Vacaville Police Officer Matthew Bowen, who lost his life in the line of duty on July 11, 2024. 

The four-acre park, which does not yet have an official name, is in Officer Bowen’s neighborhood, just a few streets down from where he lived with his wife and two children. 

Vacaville Police Chief Chris Polen said Officer Bowen’s wife, Liz, often takes their children to that park.

“It would be a nice tribute for those kids to see their father’s name on this park,” Polen said.

Mayor Bird said that losing first responders and police officers “cuts very deep.” 

The council voted unanimously to approve the official name and staff members are working with local nonprofit organizations to finance a memorial sign and bench for Officer Matthew Bowen Memorial Park.

The council then discussed an item brought forward by Vice-Mayor Thom Bogue regarding the potential installation of a left turn pocket lane along West A Street. 

Recent road improvements as part of the Homestead development project included a raised median along West A Street, which was intended to improve traffic safety by limiting turning locations across traffic.

However, Bogue said the median is causing problems in the area near the intersection of Whispering Way. He said drivers coming from the freeway are now forced to drive all the way down to Pitt School Road to make a U-turn if they want to access businesses at and around 2500 West A. St. He added that deliveries have also been impacted because large trucks can’t navigate the U-turn. Bogue said he is concerned that businesses are being impacted by this poor design. 

Fong said that the newly constructed median was installed by the Homestead developer as part of their required improvements and official city acceptance of the improvements will be followed by a one-year warranty period. Fong said that installing a turn lane into the median would require a feasibility study, project design and bid process, in addition to securing a funding source for the project.

Councilmember Don Hendershot agreed that it’s “ridiculous” to expect people to go all the down to Pitt School Road and make a U-turn.  

“This is such a mess,” said Councilmember Kevin Johnson. “I’m completely in favor of doing something. But what I don’t want to do is to fix it and then have to fix it again and then have to fix it again.” 

Johnson said whatever solution they pursue needs to account for future retail development in the area. He said a left turn lane at that location won’t solve the larger issue, so he suggested much of the roadway could be a shared center turn lane with strategic median placement, which would offer “the most flexibility possible for what it is now and what it will eventually be.”

Bogue said the city should have requested a change to the Homestead design requirements before construction of the median was completed, since now it will be a more complicated issue and end up costing more. 

During public comment, a Dixon resident said, “This is why people say the City of Dixon is not business friendly. Because they could have done a change order on this.” 

Mayor Bird said depending on the dimensions of the roadway at that location, a roundabout could also be a potential solution. 

Despite initially suggesting the left turn pocket lane, Bogue said he would prefer either the roundabout or a shared center lane, since both options would make the area more accessible and “save us a lot of headaches down the road” with future development.  

The council consensus was for staff to explore both options and bring back a report. 

Mayor Bird recommended Jack Caldwell and Bill Allard continue serving on the Dixon Planning Commission and the council voted unanimously to approve the appointments. 

During public comment, a resident wanted to address the “national political violence” in the country, specifically the political assignations that occurred in Minnesota: “There is no place in America for this kind of violence or any violence. Ever. Period. No exception. We can’t allow this violence to be normalized.” 

The next Dixon City Council meeting is scheduled for July 1.