American Canyon has long touted its wetlands hiking area as a regional showcase and doesn’t want a field near the trailhead parking lot to be an afterthought.

The city wants to transform this corner of Eucalyptus Drive and Wetlands Edge Road. This is where a popular trail network begins that runs for miles along marshes and mudflats.

American Canyon plans to add features that people could enjoy without going far from the parking lot:

• A short nature trail of decomposed granite. Interpretive signs will inform hikers about native plants, migration patterns, wildlife and wetlands conservation.

• An outdoor classroom with a shaded seating area for about 40 people.

• Demonstration gardens with California wild rose, black sage, red flowering currant, California honeysuckle, wild lilac, sticky monkey-flower and other plants. The garden will highlight native plants and pollinators.

• Restrooms.

The result, a city report said, will be “an inclusive space for outdoor learning and family gatherings.”

On Tuesday, the American Canyon City Council awarded a $679,000 construction contract to Marina Landscape Inc. That brings the total Wetlands Edge project cost, including design and contingency, to $950,000.

“I’m looking forward to seeing it get started and mature in probably 10 years, when it’s really going to shine,” City Councilmember David Oro said.

The American Canyon Community Parks Foundation holds wetlands educational programs that serve about 4,000 students and families annually. One program has students collecting plankton samples and searching for riffle beetles.

The foundation’s executive director, Janelle Sellick, said the group “eagerly supports” the Wetlands Edge project.

“This project will increase opportunities for environmental education and recreation, showcasing the natural amenities of the city’s shoreline along the Napa River,” she wrote to the city.

With the Wetlands Edge project, the city is taking a small step toward realizing the vision described in its Clarke Ranch Master Plan.

The Clarke Ranch covers 24 acres owned by the city at Eucalyptus Drive and Wetlands Edge Road. In 2017, the City Council approved a master plan calling for a community hub with a large gathering area, bicycle course, dog park, farm, equestrian area and array of other features.

Included in the master plan is the 5-acre wetlands viewing area to the south of Clarke Ranch that is the site of the Wetlands Edge project.

The estimated price tag as of 2017 for the entire Clarke Ranch project was at least $20 million, and few public improvements have been made. The city and parks foundation in 2020 added an outdoor fitness center in the wetlands viewing area.

Also on Tuesday, the City Council extended Giovannoni Logistic Center approvals for a year.

Giovannoni Logistic Center would include up to 2.4 million square feet of warehouse space on 208 acres in the Green Island industrial area.

The council approved the tentative parcel map and design permit on March 21, 2023, with the developer having to take certain steps within two years or have the approvals expire.

But Phase 1 construction has been delayed by a lawsuit by Vallejo over water.

In another twist, Ernie Nodel of Orchard Partners appeared before the City Council on Feb. 4 to describe a dispute over sewer upgrade costs. He said the Giovannoni project owes more money under a cost-sharing agreement than the city is requiring.

Orchard Partners developed Napa Logistics Park with IKEA, the Amazon.com distribution center and the Pacific Gas Electric Co. regional center. It fronted $8.8 million in sewer upgrades, with adjacent properties to reimburse their fair shares as development takes place, Knodel said.

The dispute is whether Giovannoni developer Buzz Oates owes $805,000 in fair share costs or $2.1 million. Giovannoni officials said they are willing to pay their true fair share, if it can be proven more money is owed.