Call to Order
The meeting was called to order at 5:00 pm by Chair Dolly Riley.
1. Roll Call
  
  Present: Chair Dolly Riley, Vice-Chair Jini Reynolds, Treasurer Katrina Frey, Member Chris Boyd, Member Sattie Clark, Alternate Member Marybeth Kelly, Member Patricia Ris-Yarbrough
2. We will record the names of those present except for those who state they wish to remain anonymous.
  Present: Janet Pauli, Carre Brown, Beth Salomone, Gizmo Henderson, Glenn McGourty, Sheilah Rogers, Cathy Monroe, Alex Chehada.
Vice-Chair Jini Reynolds motioned to approve. Treasurer Katrina Frey seconded the motion.

The motion passed with the following vote:
All In Favor Opposed
Abstained Absent Recused
Public Comments
Christine Boyd stated she had a report from the Redwood Valley Fire Dept. that a new fire siren is being tested, and that a fee increase per parcel is pending. She added that in September there was a fire at the Mendocino Redwood Company pellet plant on a loader. Chris stated the Mendocino County Fire Safe Council created a safety plan draft and comments on that are due by the 26th of October. Sattie asked if that was on the website. Chris said she would forward everyone the email. Dolly asked for any last public comments and mentioned that Jon Kennedy set up an online method for the public to comment at the RVMAC website, and no comments had yet been posted.
Report from County and Agencies on Current Events Guest speaker Janet Pauli of the Mendocino County Inland Water and Power Commission spoke about issues that affect Redwood Valley, and advocated for Redwood Valley Water District board member recruitment. Water is provided to Potter Valley residents then to lake Mendocino, and then as far as Alexander Valley via the Russian River. The project consists of Cape Horn Dam and Arsdale reservoir, completed in 1908, and a tunnel which diverts water to a water house. Scotts Dam was built in 1922 to store excess rainfall because the river runs dry in certain times of the year. Janet Pauli stated: Pacific Gas & Electric withdrew the contract managing the project since 1932, and declined renewal in 2019. PG&E will not re-license the project but will continue to operate on the project until another entity takes it over. The license will be transferred or decommissioned. A consortium of agencies stepped forward to take on the project. The consortium has had to file a feasibility report in which they proposed a project and funding plan as well as their intended goals of maintaining the water supply and fishery restoration. The proposed project included the removal of Scotts Dam. A license application still needs to be filed as part of the process. The discussion about removing Scotts Dam included a restoration of access to spawning fish. Owning and maintaining Scotts Dam is quite the task and to build an artificial fish path would be expensive. The fish access would revert with the removal of Scotts Dam. This would impact animals, their habitats, and the people living around Lake Pillsbury. Another concern is the mass of sediment which would be released into the Eel River. The management and stabilization on the sediment as well as the flow of the river would no longer be artificial. The Federal Energy Commission (FERC) provides an environmentalist acts statement, as well as a full description of the project. Most of the studies were never concluded because PG&E backed away from the licensing. Further studies were added to the proposal to remove Scotts Dam on September 29th, 2020 at a study report meeting in which many questions were answered, and this was included in a report filed earlier today. FERC is accepting written comments. By the middle of January 2021, the new report will be released assuming they acquire funding and the license is approved. A public notice will then be released. Project cost will be somewhere between 8-9 million dollars. It has become clear that the project was no longer producing hydropower revenue, while the water has become a valuable resource. A significant amount of money will need to come from the people who depend on this water. Dolly clarified that this project would affect Redwood Valley, as our local water district pumps water from Lake Mendocino. Janet continued, stating: If the project cannot be re-licensed it will be decommissioned, meaning the water supply will be left to PG&E and FERC, which could potentially take decades and could be unfavorable for everyone especially those who are concerned about water sustainability. She urged everyone to read the documents. Chris asked where this money is proposed to come from. Janet mentioned that PG&E would pay as it would be cheaper than decommissions. Some state funding would be available however it looks like no other funding would be sourced from the government, but they are searching. Janet stated that everything north of Healdsburg is dependent on Lake Mendocino. Gizmo Henderson asked if the yearly cost of 4-5 million cost included Scotts Dam. Janet replied that the 4-5 million cost was their estimate of what PG&E spends on Scotts dam every year. Gizmo inquired about the functionality on the dam and mentioned that last he had heard there was a lot of work that needed to be done to fix the dam if they wanted to maintain it. Janet said that the dam is inspected every year by the division of safety of dams. The dam would have been drained if there was a safety concern. Sattie Clark asked about the operation costs to which Janet replied that the shortfall of 4-5 mil was the money not made up from the sale of the power it creates. Janet said that a substantial number of people in surrounding communities who use the water supply should be accountable for paying their share. The suggestion to maintain a summer water supply was to either pump water back from lake Mendocino or to build a large dam at the entrance to Potter Valley. Finding a cost effective way to get water back to Potter Valley is very much a challenge. Janet said that with the removal of Scott Dam, Lake Mendocino would fill in the wintertime. The Army Corp of Engineers has agreed to manage Lake Mendocino and they would need to adjust how they manage that. For example if it doesn't rain this winter Lake Mendocino will be dry next year. Gizmo mentioned that a large portion of the water is sold anyway. Beth Salomone reiterated that everyone in Potter Valley is dependent on surface water. Redwood Valley has exhausted its other sources of water because they come from surplus. Dolly thanked Janet and moved on. Jini Reynolds gave an update on the success of Adopt-A-Road trash pick up in September. In fire prevention, Gizmo stated he had gone to a few recreational vehicle parks to talk about safety in towing, and how to avoid fires from dragging chains. Carrie briefly spoke about the ordinance to remove dead trees which are a fire hazard. In a discussion of the cannabis issue, Sattie Clark stated that someone had been threatened by a man with a gun when he had pulled over to make a phone call on the side of the road. She asked if the MAC wanted be more inclusive of cannabis concerns. She added that this item was not meant to be on this agenda however she would love for a guest speaker to be invited to speak on this issue. Dolly agreed that the weapon was uncalled for, likely illegal, and asked if the Sheriff was called. Patricia said that some of the concerns over cannabis had been expressed in the Community Action Plan (CAP). Chris Boyd stated that the biggest issue other than the fire has been cannabis. Sheilah Rogers said that this is not a new challenge but an ongoing challenge which is why it is important that this is included in the action plan. Sattie asked if the CAP Ad Hoc committee is supposed to be meeting outside the regular MAC meetings. Dolly Riley stated yes.
Development Review Ad Hoc Subcommittee: Marybeth, Jini, Patricia, Gizmo Local business owner Alex Chehada spoke about how paying taxes on an empty lot is not necessarily good for the long term. His partners and himself decided the best use of the property would be to build an apartment complex and wanted to get the Council's thoughts. Gizmo applauded Alex for reinvesting the money into Redwood Valley and mentioned that he would be willing to work with him. Sattie said she was also proud of Alex for investing in housing. Chris mentioned that this is exactly how the Ad Hoc was designed to work. She then asked how the property was zoned and recommended that he look at the CAP plan. Dolly mentioned that he should check the water supply for such a project. Supervisor Carre Brown said that Mendocino County has placed housing as high priority so the zoning is flexible. She also spoke about how he might want to look into drilling a well. Dolly summed everything up and recommended that Alex look into zoning and water. Glenn McGourty congratulated Alex and said that affordable apartments are in high demand. Jini also expressed her support for Alex. Carre Brown stated she did not have any updates on Phase 3 of the cannabis ordinance. Gizmo said that he had been reading the cannabis ordinances for Mendocino County and expressed that he has learned cannabis around school is unacceptable everywhere, and that water trucks were a high concern. Patricia interjected with more about water trucks. Gizmo said that water trucks aren't necessarily sustainable because they cause severe damage to the roadways. Patricia said that she would look closer and make sure all concerns were heard. Sattie wanted to say that letters by her neighbors had stated they were concerned about the increased traffic and she said that this should be moved to the next meeting. The West Road Accommodation Zone discussion lacked information and will continue to be on the Agenda.
CAP: Interim Community Action Plan and Design Review: Chris, Sattie, Alex, Sheilah The Community Action Plan was approved by the MAC on 7-15-20, and sent to Planning and Building for their review. A capable volunteer to assist in editing of the Design Guidelines is still needed. Chris Boyd stated she has not heard from Planning and Building and will get in touch with Director Brent Schultz, but she is prepared to wait some time. Chris stated she would request that Clifford Paulin assist to edit the community action plan. Katrina discussed hiring someone to edit this document and suggested Clifford. Gizmo said he is available for assistance.
Officers and Members Reports and Announcements Dolly asked members to think about who might be interested in the Chair in January 2021. She also mentioned that there are openings for Member and Alternate Member. Carre Brown said that a seat is also available for the water district. Jini mentioned that a couple of women were interested in filling those seats however during the pandemic it is especially hard. Katrina mentioned Estelle Palley as a candidate for the MAC. Carre asked permission to call and interview. Dolly mentioned that Estelle has a college degree and has been interested in community planning in the past. Gizmo mentioned that he has also been trying to engage other citizens. Jini Reynolds announced a Halloween event for children as an alternative to traditional means. Redwood Valley Grange members will conduct Trunk or Treat in which candy will carefully be distributed from cars, with costumes and full Covid prevention protocol. There will be a carved pumpkin contest and the committee has been asking for donations to give out candy and a prize for the event. The posters are ready to go and the Grange will be decorated soon. She asked for volunteers. Carre Brown offered to sponsor the prize for the carved pumpkin contest. Jini said that on the 8th of November, Live at the Grange would present a fundraiser featuring Paula Samonte. This fundraiser would provide funding for more equipment to have more virtual events and meetings. She said that she is also working with County officials to do a crafts fair, maybe 12 vendors, will some guests and video as well as live outdoor music. She also spoke about how she is having trouble finding a cloud service that is cheaper so that she can upload the video recordings. Carre mentioned that she had bought a recorder for the previous secretary. Chris mentioned that she was in possession of the recorder and would be willing to share. Katrina said that the committee certainly had enough money to find that service. Sattie also mentioned that there are many free options.
Adjournment. Next meeting November 11, 2020. Dolly asked for comments and with no objections the next meeting is set for November 11th 2020.