Page 43 - Sonoma County Gazette September 2019

Update—September Bus Buddies
Summer’s not over!
Consider trying out public transit in Sebastopol. Bus Buddies will be available in September and October to help you learn to ride the Local Shuttle # 24. Sebastopol’s electric bus circles town in a 45-minute loop, stopping at or near the important spots.
That’s right. Summer is not over as I write this in 90-degree weather. And it will still be summer by the time you read it. We have a way to go for summertime fun so let’s make the most of it all September long.
Buddy Volunteers for September and October ride on a new day this Fall: on Thursday. They meet at a new time: 9:15 AM at the same location, the Hub/Rialto stop, eastbound on Laguna Parkway across from the Police Station, departing at 9:21 AM.
For example, the Farmers Market has great fruit and veggies, and
you can’t get any more local than up Hidden Lake Drive with produce
from Mary Rand. She reminds farmers if you want to set up a booth go
to forestvillefarmersmarket.com. Amber Gray from the Hacienda area volunteered her time to help update that site. She loves the Market and hopes to get more happening there.
The September line-up presents the opportunity for conversations with Council Members:
September 5—Sarah Gurney with Michele Linfante from Burbank Heights September 12—Mayor Neysa Hinton
Speaking of fruits and veggies, the Forestville Wellness Center is partnering with the Ceres Community Project once again to bring a new seven-week series starting Tuesday, September 10th. It is called Friends and Family—Cooking with your Clinic! Prepare and eat dinner together and learn more about traditional healthy foods. Bring your kids! You must be
September 19—Una Glass
September 26—Vice Mayor Patrick Slayter
a West County Health Center patient to register. Call 887-0290 to sign up. Spanish speaking welcome. The group will be run by a bilingual nutritionist and a doctor. Sounds like fun.
In response to rider requests, the # 24 now starts earlier. “We introduced a new schedule, effective August 12, that added a weekday morning trip to allow commutes to the Sebastopol Independent Charter School. In the past, there was only an afternoon return trip serving the school. The school and parents have been very supportive and hopefully this will generate new interest and riders over the next few months,” explains Bryan Albee, the Transit Systems Manager for Sonoma County Transit.
Another fun event on the golfing side is the Annual Outhouse Golf Tournament at Windsor Golf Course Friday, September 6. This tournament started as a fundraiser to put in bathrooms at the Youth Park years ago, hence its name! Go to the Youth Park website to register. There is still room for you. Don’t have a foursome? They will find you a group. Let’s support them. You can go to the dinner without playing golf by the way. I’ve done that a time
At its new campus, the Charter School is located immediately north of the O’Reilly complex and the West County Trail, at Hwy.116 and Mill Station Road, across from the bus stop. There is safe access to the school and the trail using the crosswalks at the signalized intersection.
or two. Until such time they allow you to pick up your golf ball and throw it I’ll stick to watching, I found that’s the only way I can make progress on the green. Golf doesn’t even give you three strikes!
Bus riders, not going to school, can enjoy a 15-minute walk to Andy’s Market, for coffee, eats, and shopping.
Soul Café is back in session. They kick off with a rocking good band “Solid Air” Sunday, September 22 from 5 to 6:30 pm right at the Methodist Church downtown. Soup, salad and bread is the usual $10 for adults, $5
for kids and this month will be run by the Sebastopol Lions Club. Expect every sound from jug band to Cajun to classic rock and more. The Friday night movie at 7 pm on September 20th is Cinderella. Bring the kids; it’s free. Cartoons start at 6:45.
I’m happy to report that our local teachers are back in school, up in front of their classrooms where they want to be. The two day strike you may have noticed mid-August was all about parity. I will never stop advocating for better pay for teachers, and not just because my husband is one either! Ok, my mom , dad and brother were teachers too. I have a great admiration for teachers. I’ve seen firsthand the work they put in behind the scenes to be sure the next generation has a chance of achieving their dreams.
“There are now six local Fare-Free routes,” Bryan continues. “On August 1, we added the Cloverdale Shuttle.” Sebastopol’s bold move more than a year ago inspired Windsor, Healdsburg, Sonoma, the Russian River Shuttle, and now Cloverdale to go Fare-Free. Each of these local routes is a fun way to tour another city without the hassle of driving a car.
Reminder—Ride The GREEN Bike Lanes on Sept. 21, 9 AM to 11 AM Remember there’s an opportunity to learn how to ride the green bike lanes
and practice with other cyclists. The Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition and the City of Sebastopol will host the event named SebastoPedal GREEN on September 21, 2019, from 9 AM to 11 AM. Local bike mechanics will offer a quick bike-check. Helmets and taillights will also be available. There will be an orientation for participants prior to entering the green lanes. Check the SCBC and City websites for more information.
With two-thirds of Sonoma County’s greenhouse gas emissions coming from car exhaust—that’s above the statewide average—riding bikes for errands or commutes is one way to respond to climate change. “Park once and walk” is another strategy. Some local citizens have formed the Sebastopol Climate Action group to propose other ways to address the climate crisis. Look for news about their recommendations.
Summer means continuing warm weather. That means our forests continue to get dry and you know (or do I have to tell you?) what that means. FIRE DANGER. My neighbors up Champs deElysees continue to meet and help each other get our properties and homes “hardened.” “That makes all the difference” says Caerleon Safford from Fire Safe Sonoma.
Fall Gardening—Want to Adopt a Landscape?
For neighborhoods like Mirabel Heights and Argonne Way, where are you? I’ve always thought of those two areas as ideal “neighbor hoody” spots where folks know each other and interact. We are still waiting for you to join us!
It’s easy. Just contact your neighbors and start a program by having the Fire Department come present. Champs is seeing lots of progress. Emergency Preparedness is one of Lynda Hopkins primary goals. Since she is a local, we could step up and make her proud by what we are able to accomplish.
The City seeks individuals, businesses, organizations, and community groups to help maintain Sebastopol’s green spaces. Volunteers give time, talent, and/or money to assist our Department of Public Works to keep the City looking its best.
There are about 35 small areas on the Adopt-a-Landscape list in need of special attention. About 25 are available to be claimed by folks with a sense of pride and ownership of our town. Tasks range from the complete makeover of an area to routine weeding and pruning of established plants. Depending on the volunteers and their resources, the work takes an average of 4-6 days per year. Some areas are stand-alone while others are matching pairs, for instance the bulb-outs at the smart crosswalks.
JOIN US 8am - Noon, Sept 7 for Fire-Safe Forestville CleanUp!
DPW makes sure the irrigation system works, provides free mulch, and also recognizes adopters with a sign on site. Costs for new or replacement plants are negotiable, depending on the circumstances.
Bring your tools, pick-up trucks, and energy to make our downtown FIRE SAFE! There’s lots of dry grass, dead branches...debris that can catch fire and spread embers through town. If you see something that needs cleaning up... just do it. At Noon we’ll take a break for lunch together in our Downtown Park. Bring your lunch and everything you need. We’ll have Map Your Neighborhood workbooks and information from CAL FIRE on how to hardscape your homes. (also see this issue’s Fire-Safe article & previous issues.
9/19 - www.sonomacountygazette.com - 43
Visit the City’s website for more information, including safety tips and recommended plants. Contact Dante Del Prete, Public Works Superintendent, at 707.823.5331 (ext. 201) to develop an adoption plan.