Page 37 - Sonoma County Gazette Oct. 2019

There’s been a CHANGE of the Sebastopol City Council meeting
Greetings Graton
Well that went quick! Summer leaves and fall begins to fall. I am struggling getting up in the pitch dark again; so tempting to lay back down “just for
a few more minutes”. Our little village has been busy with new housing,
road work and our fair share of tourists. With all the company it is real easy for downtown to show the brunt of it as we do not have a garbage or street cleaning service. I know its not fun to clean up after people but if you see something and don’t grab it likely no one will. Remember to let me know of anything you would like to see covered in this article. Next Month I will be covering updates on:
for October - now meeting on on 15 and 29, NOT on 1 and 15. Citizens, please mark your calendars for a change of routine during the
month of October. The Council usually meets on the first and third Tuesdays of each month. But October is an unusual month this year.
Please note that the the start time for October 15 will be one hour earlier, at 5 PM, to hopefully accommodate an earlier end time to let Council Members travel to the annual conference of the League of California Cities.
The next meeting, will be the regular meeting on November 5, only one week late, one year in advance of Election Day 2020. Please check the official schedules closer to the proposed dates to confirm the Council calendar.
Graton Community Club’s Fall Flower Show
VERY IMPORTANT Council Meeting on October 15!
Mark your calendars for October 11th and 12th Friday and Saturday 8896 Graton Road in Downtown Graton | 707-829-5314 www.gratoncommuniityclub.org
Sebastopol will receive up to $1.5 million in flood relief to cover the flood damage and to better prepare for our future in the flood plain.
This is a wonderful long-standing tradition in Graton. Admission is always free. This Fall’s Flower Show floral displays will feature the back roads and
How this big pot of money gets distributed is the subject of the Council meeting on October 15.
small towns of Sonoma County. A huge plant sale includes, among others, succulents, perennials, habitat friendly and drought tolerant plants all ready for fall planting. Also available are beautiful handmade novelties, recycled treasures, a raffle, and garden art. A $10 lunch is served both days from 11-2 with coffee, tea and homemade desserts all day. Live local music.
Each Council Member was asked to submit his/her idea to the Budget Sub- Committee (Mayor Hinton and Council Member Glass) who will recommend to the full public body how to allocate the funds.
The October 15th Council meeting will be the first public discussion about how to allocate this money. I am hopeful that the Council’s complete list will be included in the Staff Report, meaning the comprehensive record of what each Council Member proposes, all together in one place. It will be interesting to note any similarities and differences, and the Budget Sub-Committee recommendations.
This event benefits a scholarship program for JC students and a building fund for the restoration of our historic club house.
Here’s what I submitted as my “first pass” list for recovery projects on public land. I focused on the SCCC, Laguna Preserve, and Park Village: 1. Non-reimbursed flood-related improvement projects for the
2. Commercial community kitchen for the SCCC
Yoga with Denise: Monday 8:45am and Erin-Thursday 8:45am Judo with Lance Lameyse: Tuesday & Thursday 4:30-8:30pm INFO: lameyse@hotmail.com.
3. Cafe and terrace for the SCCC, with inside and outside service from a commercial kitchen
Don’t forget this is children AND adults. I ran into Amber and she has been taking Lance’s class and said that both her and her Peyton son go. She loves it!
4. SCCC building renovations, such as a big indoor-outdoor roll-up door, an attractive acoustic ceiling, public bathrooms with showers
Three benches made by local artists have been installed in the Graton Green. Each is really different and a work of art. The bench by Thomas Kolonuzs-
5. Evacuation route across the connector Bike Trail, between Grav. Station and Park Village through the Dan Davis property, to provide escape during flooding for Park Village evacuees and Dan Davis Project evacuees
Partee is totally covered in nickels. It sits under the old water tower.
6. Connecting trail from the Dan Davis Property across Park Village to Tomodachi Park to provide escape
Another is a beautiful bench by Chris Cheek as a memorial to his wife, Ellen Kaplan Cheek. Ellen was a member of
the Graton Green Group Board of Directors and our treasurer. We miss her daily.
7. Park “furniture” for lower Tomodachi Park that can withstand flooding 8. New signage for Tomodachi Park
9. Clearing, maintenance, and upgrades to the seasonal trail that connects
Tomodachi Park to the Rodota Trail
10. Riparian planting in the flood area, for instance: at the SCCC property; on
the easterly facing slope of DPW
11. Connector trail joining the Laguna Preserve interior circular “Bluebird”
Ongoing at the Graton Community Club are:
Graton Green Continues To Bloom
trail to the Pedestrian-only trail
12. Benches along the City’s portion of the Laguna Trail and the Bluebird Trail 13. Permanent bridge across the Laguna from the SCCC to the Preserve
14. 1Observation tower and deck to view the Laguna wetlands
15. Purchase of the easterly portion of the “cement plant” property, for public
Enjoying the nickel bench by Thomas Kolonuzs-Partee are Kevin Garcia, Karl Raledae, and Adrian Flores.
The third bench, by Cricket Seagull, is a work of beauty all in ceramic pieces. The Miwok and Pomo Indians are honored as well as the local area which was called, “Batiklechawi,” which means “The Land of The Elderberries.”
access to the Laguna, an observation tower, and a kiosk/building for the
Laguna Foundation
16. Connector trail from Rodota Trail to Eleanor Avenue to provide an escape/
alternate route during flooding.
There has been a groundswell of public sentiment in favor of the
“Community Center we deserve,” indicated in many postcards and emails —not just to repair what was damaged but also to make the facility more functional and pleasant to all who use it.
Our Community Center and MORE could be MORE In addition to the Community Center, Sebastopol has a Senior Center, Library, and public pool at Ives Park providing exceptional services to a community much bigger than our City limits. Each one could use a grander building. It’s time the West County users of these facilities considered donating to their grander future.
Ceramic bench by Cricket Seagull
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