Page 44 - Sonoma County Gazette - January 2018

The year in review. It’s over!
Between the devastating res and the rst year under the Trump administration it wasn’t easy. On the bright side people got engaged and worked together for change. With recent successes in the national elections, including Alabama, I’m optimistic the mid-term elections this year will further turn things around.
The world is changing and so is America. We need leadership and progress we can be proud of. We should be moving the world forward, not backwards. I recently traveled to a poor communist island country, aka Cuba, and my government attempted to limit my freedoms while on the island. When I
saw lower crime, total gun control, higher literacy rates, healthcare for all, nationwide non-discrimination laws for all, a government free from religion, and no people living on the streets, something is clearly wrong here at home.
We can do better. We can learn from each other and share best practices. I highly recommend visiting Cuba. The history, the architecture, the music, the people, the beaches, and of course the cars. You will be blown away. Havana will be celebrating its 500 year anniversary two years from now. See where our New World civilization began.
We do have good government locally. I am proud of our hardworking Supervisor Lynda Hopkins, as well as the other Supervisors. I’m proud and encouraged by the transformation that has taken place this past year in our River communities. This change has been realized through hard work on the part of many engaged volunteers.
CHANGES. It is actually two things: in many people's mind it is a building or series of buildings on a piece of property on Armstrong Woods Road. In the nearly 123 years that the congregation has been in Guerneville, it is at least the second location, the other remembered by our older members was on First Street. That building still stands, but it is no longer the Guerneville Community Church.
Some changes are in store for Monte Rio Rec and Park District. Cutty Muggs owner Leah is unfortunately relocating out of the area, so the café will have a new operator. A lease hasn’t been signed as of yet, but it appears that we will have a successful, well respected, local operator taking over the location soon.
The second thing? The Guerneville Community Church is a band of disciples, believers, and seekers who share a love and concern for people in all our diversity, for the environment, and for the most vulnerable among us. We have members that have been attending the church over 75 years and have seen generations of Guerneville families and hundreds of individuals and couples become part of the church and then separate from the church.
In other local news it seems the River will not have the Pride festival this year as it will be held in Rohnert Park. Locals were able to at least keep the parade here and our resorts will provide entertainment for the weekend.
2018, time to chill out with recreational pot, celebrate New Year’s Eve at the Highland Dell, enjoy dinner, music, and friends at the rst Mondays Monte Rio Supper Club.
Special thanks to Robert Gray of Cuts on the Green for providing holiday lights on the bridge and to our re department for installing them.
Happy New Year Monte Rio!
Vacation Wonderland. We just keep getting better.
At this phase of the church's existence, serving mostly elderly, disabled, poor and homeless folks, we are looking for a new home in Guerneville. We do not have the human or financial resources to maintain and manage the Armstrong Woods Road property and we have been unable to resolve the repair/ replacement of the bridge. We are simply unequipped to deal with it.
We are not closing the church or the radio station but we hope
to sell the property. Ideally we'd love to see an investor buy the property
to develop the undeveloped portion of the property for low cost housing something like Fife Commons, or a homeless services center/shelter, while allowing the church, radio station, Empowerment Center, Food Pantry, C-Chap, AA, and performing musicians to continue to rent from the new owner.
We are still also working on obtaining a public EV charging station at the district. This will be Monte Rio’s rst and is certainly needed for our residents and tourists. Like Steve Baxman told me recently (with a witness present), he is now on board as an “agent of change” for the greater good. Change doesn’t come easy but with persistence anything is possible. My hero Steve!
Perhaps such an agency would have an easier time with the county and the bridge and have more financial support. The school is building a new fence between the properties, which should ease neighborhood tensions about public services being provided there.
Bridge Fund: Letters are going out in the mail today to people who donated to the Bridge Fund to offer a refund or the option to redirect their donation to the church or the radio station. Many thoughts, prayers, meetings, and tears have gone into this decision.
Yours, Kit Mariah
44 - www.sonomacountygazette.com - 1/18