Page 15 - Sonoma County Gazette September 2019

PIER cont’d from page 14
Caroline Judy, Director, General Services Agency County of Sonoma responded that the Board of Supervisors was meeting in March to “identify and discuss strategies to mitigate the most critical deferred maintenance needs, including this one, on County owned properties.”
She also stated, “The building was boarded up to prevent access. We will have one of our FacOPS staff visit the site again to evaluate how best to secure
the property.” Even she was misinformed.
Supervisor Hopkins came to Bodega Bay and surveyed the sight end of July. Here’s an email from her email to me after the visit-
“I am aware of the deteriorated building, and was actually out at the site today. I looked at the
building both from land and from the water (via kayak) in order to view the status of the full structure, including the piers. Additional security measures are needed to prevent human access to the structure and I have asked General Services to address this concern.”
Then on August 2, 2019, Supervisor Hopkins communicated- “I have worked with General Services staff to bring this item before the full Board of Supervisors on September 10. I’d urge you to attend the board meeting on September 10 to advocate for funding with the full Board of Supervisors present — that will be a more productive use of your time.”
I also exchanged messages with California Coastal Commissioner
Sara Aminzadeh about this story and her response was, “Unfortunately commissioners are advised not to comment on projects that could come before us.” However, she did forward a request to the commission to look into it.
Here’s what we know:
• Sonoma County owns the building.
• An article in the Bodega Bay Navigator on Sunday, April 4, 2004 states the
county condemned the building in February of that year and that there
were plans to demolish it.
• The county claims the building
is secure and cannot be accessed however; people still have access from all sides of the building. There is fresh graffiti painted on the inside of the building, visible from the Sonoma Coast Visitors Center.
Passionate about oaks? Are you interested in planting native oak trees at your property,
• As recent as March 2019 (15 years
after being condemned), Sonoma
County Board of Supervisors
declined to allocate funds to demolish the building.
or know someone that might be? Do you have a good site to collect acorns this fall? We are working to identify sites in the Petaluma River, Russian River, and Sonoma Creek watersheds to plant oak woodland plants. Of greatest interest are locations that lost oaks
• The building is a hazardous waste site. Why else would it cost $2.6M to demolish it?
• Every time it rains or is windy (most days in Bodega Bay), poisonous pieces are falling into our waters.
in the fires of 2017 or see historical oak woodland habitat diminishing.
We are evaluating
UPDATE: from Lynda Hokins
On September 10, the Board of Supervisors will receive a presentation
from General Services with input from Regional Parks regarding deferred maintenance of all county-owned properties. The needs of Bodega Bay will be highlighted, including the Tidelands Lease, Spud Point Marina, and General Servicesheld properties including Meredith Wharf/Cannery Building and the Yacht Club building. The most recent
sites of various sizes to accommodate plantings: from a few trees to larger properties that could home more than a hundred trees!
estimate I have for the decommissioning of the Wharf (without pier removal, just decommissioning the building and decking) is $1.1M. In advance of the meeting, I have asked General Services to look into whether the pier pilings
of Meredith Wharf are sound, and whether they could be used for a new structure that could provide some community benefit, since I have received inquiries regarding possible preservation/ renovation of the structure.
Please email Keith Abeles at kabeles@ sonomarcd.org or call 707- 569-1448 xtn 112 to let us know about potential sites or discuss the program.
September 10, 2019 Time: TBA
Sonoma County Board of Supervisors - (707) 565-2241 575 Administration Drive, Hearing Room Santa Rosa
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