Page 28 - Sonoma County Gazette 11-19

High Alert!
Number One In The Springs – “Pave my street!”
From the Fruit Basket to the Charter School and up and down canyon lanes, residents ask, “When is the County going to pave our streets and fix the pot- holes?” There are no answers to this question. However, there is some progress.
It pays to have a park at the end of your street! The people who
Probably enough has been said around town about the two day PSPS initiated by PG&E on October 9 and 10th that shut down schools and most local businesses, and irritated so many residents.
But strangely enough, even though we had plenty of notice, which would not be the case in a real emergency, many of us were unprepared.
live along DeChene Avenue are fortunate to have Larson Park at the end of the block. This month the DeChene folks had their street paved! The adjacent approaches to De Chene, Lichtenberg and Greger Streets, were fortunate also to have a “No. 1” asphalt paving job completed, including rolling approaches to driveways.
I found myself at a total loss for how I could make myself ready for The Event and finally decided to pack my Go-Pack with which I had been gifted by the Fire Department at a preparedness event held at Vintage House more than a year ago.
But of course the Go-Pack was not what I needed.
It’s funny that I should have difficulty with a power outage. When I lived in the West County we had so many days without power. Once we were out for five whole days! But in Occidental, I had two wood-burning stoves and a propane range, as well as half a dozen oil lamps and a battery powered light.
I also had children to entertain and be entertained by, which made a power outage kind of a special family occasion. No TV, no video games, and no one hiding in his or her room. There was nothing to do there, so we gathered.
I actually enjoyed power outages then, the only real stressor being the powerless well pump. But I expected that, and filled up gallons of water bottles as soon
as the lights went out and even the bathtub for flushing the toilet. No Big Deal, although my housemate at the time was so stressed for lack of a daily shower that she rented a motel room in town. Many people did that, and shared the facility, which had generators of course.
Want to learn about the County’s current and future plans for road work? Attend a County “Road Show” at Hanna Boyes Center Auditorium on Wednesday, November 6, at 6 p.m.
Where were the generators in Sonoma last month? Don’t businesses have generators? Of course the hospital does, and they were making coffee over there for anyone who dropped in.
But this time I found the power-outage very disorienting. Maybe it’s my age,
but I simply did not know how to cope. The main obstacle was the lack of a gas stove. No morning cup of tea!
I had hastened to order a one-burner butane burner but of course it didn’t arrive until the power went on.
I must have given away my last oil lamp, so, dreading the darkness at night,
I went to Petaluma, which had power, and tried to buy one. Good luck! The hardware store clerk pointed to an empty shelf. They had had three, he explained, and they were sold out. He suggested a sporting goods store.
By the second day, I had adjusted somewhat, but even then found it too dark in my apartment to read.
At night, unable to get my hands on the flashlight I had carefully set next to my pillow, I stumbled on the way to the bathroom, always a rush these days.
But for all the inconvenience, and the mystery of the predicted high winds, which even the National Weather Service had predicted, in retrospect I think the PSPS was a learning experience.
Now I recall that I can purchase a wind-up solar radio and a LED light, both offered, along with a filtration straw, by KPFA as a “gift” during its fall fund drive. They also featured hours of reminders about the consequences of an earthquake.
An earthquake! Yipes. For other people, the PSPS was more than
an inconvenience. A man fell while on his way to his garage in Oakmont, sustained significant injuries and was hospitalized. But that could have happened, of course, in a real emergency, and hospital services would not have been as accessible.
The beepers on the Assisted Living Floor weren’t working, so staff had to check on all the residents at regular intervals.
But despite the anxiety-driven rage against PG&E, even these more serious consequences can be seen as a warning to address deficits in our preparedness. Do we know the people in our neighborhoods who may need assistance during an emergency? Does everyone have a radio and a landline? What about gas cookers of one sort or another, to say nothing of food?
With climate change already reaching its tentacles in our direction, the PSPS can be seen as a needed warning. Will we take heed?
28 - www.sonomacountygazette.com - 11/19
Last spring Sonoma County initiated a MAC (Municipal Advisory Council) for the Springs. There have been eight (8) meetings to date held at the Springs Community Hall, 18627 Highway 12. To this writer’s knowledge there have been few if any advance public notices of meetings and agendas.
If water delivery is interrupted as is likely in an earthquake, do we have water – enough for seven days or more? Wow, where would I even store that?
Lower Sonoma Creek needs study and rehabilitation too. Steelhead can’t migrate to the ocean through the lower creek today! As a frequent walker through Maxwell Park and along a portion of Sonoma Creek it is disheartening to find trash, clothing, camping gear, cans, and bottles strewn about. While
This meeting was recently announced by Supervisor Susan Gorin. She says there are answers as to why road improvements take so long. While the answers may not be pleasant, it’s important for us to know why road improvements take a long time.
Bring your questions and concerns to the County Road Show on November 6 at Hanna Boys Center. County repair plans for East Thompson to be paved in 2021. See: sonomacounty.ca.gov/TPW/Roads/Projects/Current-Road-Work.
Hey! What about Calle Del Monte? Mountain Avenue?
Springs Municipal Advisory Council (MAC) Meetings
As things stand now it seems the only location interested citizens may obtain agendas and meeting dates is on the County website.
A calendar including future meetings and agendas may be found on line at
sonomacounty.ca.gov/Springs-Municipal-Advisory-Council/Calendar.
In addition, this website contains the minutes and meeting videos from prior meetings. It is important that local residents follow the actions of the Springs MAC. MAC actions and recommendations directly affect the lives of all Springs residents! Recent meetings have addressed the following topics, among others, the Boyes Bridge Reconstruction, Mid-Pen Housing plans on Verano, the Plaza, earthquake preparation, improved bike lanes, and paving.
Agendas are announced three days before meetings! Timely
agendas need publication earlier than three days before the meeting! Residents need to prepare to attend and participate as needed in the discussion of community issues.
Next meetings: October 22 and November 26 at 6:30 p.m.
What about lower Sonoma Creek? Sonoma Ecology Center Receives Grant For Rehab Of Upper Sonoma Creek The SEC received a project grant from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to create a restoration plan for upper Sonoma Creek from Madrone Road through Adobe Canyon. The plan is to create a booklet and recommendations for landowners and vineyards on how to reclaim and restore the upper creek. Among the goals is to develop, once again, steelhead trout spawning areas.
The program addresses several concerns of landowners along the creek The results of a landowner survey indicated concerns in the following order of importance, bank erosion, steelhead habitat, flooding, summer flows, debris and litter, and mosquitoes. It is significant that landowners have been enthusiastic about the project.
the 2018-19 rain year was healthy the water levels today are terribly low. If the SEC workers and supporters ever hope to see steelhead migrate to the ocean a major cleanup of lower Sonoma Creek is also in order.
Study the SEC plan and proposals by visiting their website at sonomaecologycenter.org/creeksurvey.