There are few sights more beautiful than traveling along the Highway 12 corridor during the fall when the hills and vineyards burst into flames of color and the quality of light sharpens. We are truly blessed to witness the changing of the seasons in Sonoma Valley. The only thing missing is a heavy season of rain – better yet, many heavy seasons of rain. It appears the drought is here to stay for at least a few years and we all have to do our part to conserve and protect this resource.
One good piece of news is the Sonoma Valley Ground Water Management Program (SVGWMP) is offering a water efficiency rebate program available to well users in Sonoma Valley. According to Sonoma County Water Agency’s Marcus Trotta, “We have been able to leverage underutilized funding from a Bay Area Integrated Regional Water Management Plan (IRWMP) Round 1 grant to offer rebates on new water efficient fixtures and appliances for Sonoma Valley well users. Please note that the amount of funding is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis between November 1, 2014 and March 31, 2015.” Please call 707.547.1918 or visit www.sonomacountywater.org/rebates for more information.
Pools, bikes, parks!
One of the best parts of being a Supervisor is witnessing positive changes taking place in deserving communities. It is exciting when long-time planning efforts converge and result in positive impacts on residents. The Sonoma Community Pool, Central Sonoma Valley Trail, and the update to the Master Plan for Maxwell Farms Regional Park are moving forward together in the Springs and El Verano. Each of these projects on its own has significance, but together? The potential is nothing less than incredible.
Imagine the day when a mother in the Springs can safely send her child to the community pool for swimming lessons via a Class I (off road) bike path? After the lessons are complete, that same child can cross the street to attend the Boys and Girls Club and/or participate in one of the future uses for the park.
The Sonoma Community Pool has been a dream for many since the high school pool disappeared a decade ago. The absence of a community pool left hundreds of students without access to water safety skills. Sonoma Valley Health and Recreation Association (SVHRA) and Sonoma Splash reached major milestones in 2014 that made the vision of a community swimming pool accessible to all residents of Sonoma Valley closer to a reality than ever before.
Now, thanks to the dedication and perseverance of public and private citizens, the pool is slated to be built in the next three years at the former Paul’s Resort site. The six-acre property is at the geographic population center of Sonoma Valley, making it easily accessed by all.
I have enjoyed working closely with this group since my first days as a Supervisor and commend everyone involved on providing an excellent example of what public/private partnerships can accomplish. Sonoma Splash has closed escrow on the site, but fundraising efforts will continue to finance construction of the swim complex. For more information or to join the Sonoma Splash newsletter mailing list, visit SonomaSplash.com. We wish them luck!
Adding to the excitement of the community pool is the work being done to make the Central Sonoma Valley Trail a reality. The trail is an integral part of the changing landscape for the Springs and El Verano areas. This trail will create a 2.76-mile safe route for pedestrians and bicyclists that will run parallel to Highway 12. Two trail segments 1) Flowery School Trail and 2) Verano Avenue Trail are the current focus of Regional Parks as they complete the environmental work and engage in a public listening process to address the concerns raised by parents and officials at Flowery School. To view this project and others, please visit http://parks.sonomacounty.ca.gov/About_Us/Planning_Updates.aspx.
Additionally, Sonoma County Regional Parks will be hosting a community workshop to gather input for updating the Maxwell Farms Regional Park Master Plan, originally adopted in 1986. The January workshop is the first step toward “re-visioning” the park based on the current and future needs of the community, and will provide an opportunity to consider the development of various facility and programming proposals. In advance of the workshop, an on-line community survey will be released to help inform the process. This will be a vibrant and important series of discussions.
Happenings and highlights
Recently, I was honored to join the painting crew for the El Verano School Driveway Mural. The completion of the beautiful mural celebrating the El Verano School community is a testament to the imagination and perseverance of EV School Principal Maite Itturi. Last June, Maite emailed my office with ideas for street art across the entire community. In August, a group of us convened to discuss the idea of creating street art murals in the Springs and El Verano area. Tom O’Kane and Jason Nutt, Deputy Directors Transportation and Public Works, Norine Dougherty from Safe Routes to School, and Kelly Elder from Healthy Communities, and, of course, Maite, attended the meeting. Maite expeditiously decided to focus on the driveway of the school, and Thena Trygstad created the beautiful design, focusing on safe driving and protecting our children walking to school. It was wonderful day, and I encourage you to drive by and view the mural. Congratulations to Maite and the El Verano School Community! Do you have ideas for street murals? Send them along because we want to do more to encourage drivers to slow down and pay attention.
On November 1, I attended the opening of the Montini Preserve and marveled at the power of the collaborative process to make great things happen for a community. It took the better part of a decade and no less than seven organizations to make this beautiful trail a reality for the people of Sonoma.
On Halloween day, I had the pleasure of cheering for La Luz Center, which I nominated for the North Bay Leadership Council’s Leadership Awards. La Luz received the “Empowering the Latino Community – Excellence within the Latino Community” Award. Board President Anna Pier and Executive Director Juan Hernandez were there to accept the award. Notably, this award is just one exciting element of Juan’s life these days. On August 29, his wife Veronica gave birth to their first child, a girl named Emanelli. Juan has that tired, but happy look we all know so well. Congratulations!
On November 5 the Sonoma County Transportation Authority (SCTA) and Caltrans hosted an open house meeting at Schell-Vista Fire Station on operational improvements for the Arnold Drive/Bonneau Road – State Route 116/121 intersection. The Parsons Group is developing feasible alternatives for this intersection, including traffic signals, additional lanes, and a roundabout. Although the funding has not been identified for this project, the estimated costs range from $15-$25 million. I will be strongly advocating for this project as well as the widening and elevating of Highway 37; both projects are top priorities for Sonoma Valley.
For more information on this project, please visit: http://www.sctainfo.org/measure_m_intersection.htm or call 707-565-5373. You can submit comments online at http://www.sctainfo.org/feedback.asp?ID=48 or by mail to Seana Gause, Sonoma County Transportation Authority, 490 Mendocino Avenue, Santa Rosa, CA 95401.
Sonoma Springs housing update
As we are all aware, affordable housing for residents in the Valley is in high demand with low inventory. I am looking forward to seeing the Sonoma Springs Housing Development break ground, as it will mitigate some of the housing shortage and very importantly, provide Senior Housing. This week, staff from MidPen’s Resident Services Corp will conduct a series of targeted small-group focus meetings with key Sonoma Valley-based service agencies in the Springs. The meetings are organized around three areas: Seniors, Community Health, and Family/After School. My office will participate in these meetings.
Shout outs
I am pleased to announce the appointment of Laura Van Waardenburg to the Commission on the Status of Women. I am grateful for incredible work done by departing commissioner Linda Hale during her tenure. Congratulations and thank you for serving!
Congratulations to Gary Edwards, Madolyn Agrimonti and Rachel Hundley for their successful elections to the Sonoma City Council. I look forward to working with all of you in the coming years! I also want to extend a big thank you to Ken Brown for his 16 years of service to the community.
First District team
Supervisor Susan Gorin: Susan.Gorin@sonoma-county.org
District Director, Pat Gilardi: Pat.Gilardi@sonoma-county.org
District Aide, Jennifer Gray: Jennifer.Gray@sonoma-county.org
Office: 707-565-2241
Website: http://sonomacounty.ca.gov/Board-of-Supervisors/Supervisor-Susan-Gorin-First-District/
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