‘Heart of our heart’: Petaluma’s trestle gains priority, celebrates 100 years

It’s early Tuesday evening in downtown Petaluma – the sun is still shining, people are strolling. And in a pocket behind the popular Italian restaurant Cucina Paradiso, on the Water Street corridor, sits local piano man John Maher on a stool behind his Baldwin, taking in the atmosphere as he knocks out a cheerful tune.

Near Maher, who is also widely known as “Petaluma Pete,” is the historic railroad trestle, which opened 100 years ago as a main hub for the Petaluma and Santa Rosa Railway hauling thousands of loads of products, produce and passengers as a bulwark for Petaluma’s booming economy.

Now fenced off and surrounded by “caution” signs, the trestle has been closed to freight locomotives since 1994. The thoroughfare has become warped and dangerous, even for pedestrians.

As the years have rolled on, calls have grown to restore and repurpose the structure near Petaluma’s downtown core. Maher joined the effort, started by fellow local Christopher Stevick, to raise awareness to what he calls Petaluma’s heart and “front porch.”

“It’s the first impression (of the town). That’s what the trestle is,” Maher said in a Tuesday interview. “But if the front porch looks as bad as the trestle does, people won’t even get out of the car.”

That’s set to turn around after the City Council on Monday agreed to prioritize the trestle’s restoration over the next two years. Even prior to the six-hour city priority discussion, council member Dave King was one who remained confident the trestle restoration would be at the top of the list for the next two fiscal years.

“It’s always been significant, (but) it’s largely been a question of money,” King said in a phone interview. “Prior to Measure U, the City was strapped pretty badly, the budget was pretty tight all the way around. But as time has progressed, the trestle isn’t getting any better and something has to be done with it.”

After Stevick helped jumpstart the “Save the Trestle” movement, which led to a grant of nearly $500,000 from the California Coastal Conservancy, a recommendation was presented to the City Council in 2010 to use that grant to work with SMART to conduct environmental and structural analysis, and lock down permits and an environmental design to restore the trestle. While that process was completed, the trestle has sat idle for a decade awaiting additional funding for the construction itself, which Stevik said could amount to as much as $10 million today.

“I think we can work this out and make it happen,” Stevick said in a phone interview Wednesday.

Initially, advocates called for the trestle to be restored for a local trolley service, but with the north end of the former train track area already repaved, future uses include a multi-use riverfront pathway for locals and tourists to enjoy, also leaving the possibility of festivals and new opportunities for merchants and nearby businesses.

Until then, Maher said he will keep on playing his music while bringing light to the long-awaited project. As he hits the keys, his piano faces the road side displaying a large, “Time to Save the Trestle” banner.

Maher, a retired communications director for Fender instruments from Illinois, moved to Petaluma in 2007, after he was previously drawn in by the historic downtown district during a meeting with a client.

“And the first thing that came to mind was to buy a piano and start playing it because (my sound) just fit so well with the downtown area,” Maher said.

Alongside Stevick and their team, Maher used his communications skills to bring about awareness, by producing fun-filled videos directed for children’s education on the Petaluma River Promenade. In his latest video, published May 3, Maher is heard singing “Heart of Our Heart,” a reimagined rendition of a 1920s classic, with Maher’s lyrics inspired by the trestle’s history and significance.

He said the videos have also attracted the attention of high-end local businesses that Maher said have become committed to helping in the cause. And now more than ever, especially with City Council priorities becoming clearer this week, Maher is determined to see what’s to come for the future of the trestle and the future of Petaluma.

“Finally the right people at the right time are at the right place and now all we have to do is get the right amount of funding and get the thing shovel ready,” Maher said.

Amelia Parreira is a staff writer for the Argus-Courier. She can be reached at amelia.parreira@arguscourier.com or 707-521-5208.