Call to Order and Approval of Minutes of 2-9-22.
We need to adopt findings every 30 days to allow virtual meetings provided conditions continue to exist due to Covid-19, to ensure the public has access to safely observe and participate in MAC meetings (Brown Act Sect. 54950-63). We will ask Zoom participants to identify themselves to avoid being hacked. Present: Jini Reynold, Dolly Riley, Jason Caudillo, Sheilah Rogers, Sheriff Matt Kendall, Travis Killmer PRRM, Chris Boyd, Katrina Frey, Karen Heart, Adam Gaska, Katrina, Marybeth Kelly, Gizmo Henderson, Pien Ris-Yarbrough, Redwood Valley Grange President Jeff Box, Lieshi Galandil, Bree Klotter, Brentt Blazer, Granville Poole. Chair Dolly Riley called the meeting to order at 5:00 pm. Roll call vote to continue to meet via Zoom; Jini, Katrina, Chris, Adam, agreed. Chris motioned to adopt the minutes; Katrina seconded. Jini found some sentences were hard to understand, shorter sentences should be adopted. Jini, Katrina, Chris, Pien, Adam, and Dolly voted yes to approve minutes.
Public Comments
Gizmo- Regarding the bridge project at Highway 20, he wants to meet with the CHP captain. He’s concerned about Highway 20 bridge access for emergency personnel. Gizmo has contacted the CHP safety coordinator for district 1 and again the status has changed for his Caltrans contact. Concern is that we want contractors who come here to be able to operate safely in a high fire hazard environment. At Dolly’s suggestion, Gizmo will work on inviting a CHP guest speaker. On another matter, the pallets at the Pellet Plant have moved; hopefully for fire safety.
Report from County and Agencies on Current Events Redwood Valley School update Dolly- We invited a speaker, Gary Breen, a potential buyer of the old Redwood Valley school property on School Way. He is not available to speak. We don't expect to see anything back regarding the tennis court. Gary has not yet contacted us back. Adam commented that this is going to be a slow process because it's a trade, not a sale. Several questions/comments re. value of the property, with one comment that it may be worth only half a million because of asbestos, which needs to be abated. Dolly will get in touch with Ms. Kuben (School District) about the tennis courts. There are two parcels involved here, and comments that the lower parcel, at least, could be turned into a community park. Mary Beth remains MAC contact in charge of researching the Ukiah School Board minutes. They supposedly agreed to the upkeep of the property, and a commenter mentioned she can can email the link to request the county document of the minutes. PG&E Clearcuting—See prior minutes for RVMAC’s position regarding the excessive clearcutting by PGE around RV, especially near Road A etc. KZYX Jukebox is an online site to replay KZYX interview of 2-22-22, with Chair Dolly Riley on our position. Supervisor McGourty commented that the County and other county officials (Sonoma, etc.) are all working together to hold PGE accountable to follow the regulations and best practices for clearing brush and trees under power lines. Redwood Valley water updates- Dolly- Mike McGuire said had reported some funds going to the Redwood Valley water district, and some reports were that it will be used to drill a new well. Tom Schoeneman, President of the RV County Water District, amended those reports somewhat: RVCWD did get $1.8 million, but this money is going to be spread out to various essential projects. Some will be going towards pump controls at the lake. There will be about $1.2 left towards drilling a well for domestic use. There is a long road for getting funding to actually drilling a well: permits, geologic studies, etc. There was a State project last August on School Way to assess groundwater, but results still haven't come in. The pond which stores emergency water for fire fighting has been topped off, but is only for emergencies. Dolly reminded everyone about a NASA visual that the Ukiah Valley aquifer extends almost all the way to the Grange.. Dolly asked about the reported $7 million from Mike McGuire, and Tom said he will be meeting with him in near future and can ask. Former RVCWD member Granville Poole reported that previous wells drilled by the Millview Water District have been duds. Tom reported that the test wells at School Way had gone to 220 feet; they got into gravel and that looked hopeful. Dolly reported on a meeting in Sonoma County about keeping water in Lake Mendocino that she will be attending. Katrina- PG&E now has a mandate to keep operating, so it’s possible more water will be flowing into lake Mendocino next year. The cost to repair the turbines at the Potter Valley Dam could be as much as $20 million. RV Grange updates Marybeth reports Grange is prepared to go forward with the kitchen planning and ADA upgrades out front. There's a seed and scion exchange this weekend from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM and it will be the last one in the county. Several people will be speaking about water saving. There will be lots of free seeds and soil and children's programs. The little library is still going. Adopt a road cleanup is on March 19th we still need someone to step up and take control of that. Jini reports the day before Easter will be having a bake sale at the Grange, with children's buckets available. Dolly noted that the Grange completed an election.
Cannabis Policy Standing Subcommittee: Patricia, Sattie Sheriff Matt Kendall- 77 officers on staff now and recruitment continues; also have some support of the California National Guard. With prices skyrocketing, concerns about fuel thefts. Bigger problems with overdoses in Mendocino County; call 911 before you jump in because you can dose yourself by physical contact. Jason- We are preparing for a serious fire season. Brentt Blazer (County OES) encourages fire and drought preparedness. If you have any questions don't hesitate to reach out to the County Office of Emergency Services. Pien reports that she and Ellen Drell have been looking at the rescinded Cannabis ordinance to propose carrying forward some of the better elements. They convene Friday mornings at 9:30 if anyone wants to join. Several documents are ready that will be sent to Glenn McGourty, before they are sent to the Board of Supervisors. Issues include water hauling, public notice, and renewable energy use such as solar. Senator Mike Maguire said Assemblyman Jim Wood is introducing a bill for cleanup and removal of cultivation, and taxation will be eliminated for smaller grows. On March 15, 2022, the Board of Supervisors will decide new rules including: anyone selling water could be required to have a county-wide permit and a hydrology study, a tracking log, an environmental health review, restrictions on hauling hours.
Development Review Standing Subcommittee: Marybeth, Jini, Patricia Marybeth- A minor subdivision of 4.3 a parcel, the owners are soliciting our input. It is zoned as residential so we can assume to add housing., which would impact the water usage of other residents. There already are two homes on the parcel; this might be a concern for fire access and hydrological study. Suggested recommendations: recommend fire access, hydrological study, purpose of the project. Roll call vote to let the subcommittee word this as appropriate to get the comments back to PBS (3/9/22 due date): Jini, Katrina, Chris, Marybeth, Pien, and Adam voted in favor of the committee to move this forward. Update regarding Lee Burgess/Cerro Pacific Lumber East Road storage unit facility landscaping. Dolly spoke with Lee Burgess and he said he was a partial owner of the storage facility on School and East Rd. Building and Planning reported they did not require landscaping, but they did require bio-soil. (Some MAC members disputed that claim, having seen drawings before the facility was build) He’s open to volunteer work to install landscaping but his main concern is water use. Jini reported that Ryan Rose said a tree plan was not for the storage units. Mr. Burgess did put in the permeable soil and pavers and believes he has met all the building and planning requirements. Zoe offered to send an email in regard to Mendocino College for a xeriscape volunteer project. Katrina offered to be a part of that committee. The bio-soil is a material used to prevent erosion it allows water to slowly sink into the soil. Dolly sees two issues here: permission for landscape space and water.
CAP: Interim Community Action Plan and Design Review: Chris, Sattie
Officers and Members Reports and Announcements Dolly- Should we be meeting in person in April, could we be at the grange from 5:00 to 7:00? Marybeth- I believe we have kept those dates open for the MAC. Adam- I think we should have a hybrid model because it is much more convenient, especially with the cost of fuel. The more we can encourage people to not drive the better. Dolly- We would still need to adopt findings to continue on zoom. Marybeth- The Grange actually has a laptop that we would be able to use. Technologically it's doable. Granville- I think many of us being able to meet like this is so much better. Dolly stated we would need someone there to sponsor each person to be able to participate in the meeting, but after discussion realized one person could host the zoom attendees. Marybeth- We could have a zoom host to monitor the zoom meeting. Adam- Legally and functionally I think hybrid will be the new norm, as long as someone is designated to regulate the online portion. Jini- I just received a message from the rental manager approving the meeting as long as it's left prepared for the memorial service. Cathy added she talked to the clerk of the board today and he said that the board of supervisors is going to be talking about it tomorrow but hybrid was authorized by the Governor's executive order but I think hybrid is the way to go. Dolly- Jini will you be able to be the zoom host at the in-person meeting? Jini- Yes. April 13th will be a hybrid meeting.
InterMAC Engagement Standing Subcommittee: Sattie, Adam, Jini
No activity this month.
Adjournment. Next meeting 4-13-22.