Russian River Rattina

Rattina returns from the dead to scold Dennis Judd

2011-09-11T22:07:00.000-07:00

Dennis Judd:

I moved away four months ago & never expected to post anything to this blog ever again ... until I heard a well-substantiated rumor about your submitting yet another hackneyed proposal to the Russian River Redevelopment Oversight Committee (RRROC) requesting funds for developing the Rio Nido Lodge as a home for veterans with PTSD.

Although this cause is laudable, it is not appropriate for a struggling residential neighborhood. Why must you -- Dennis Judd -- keep scrounging at the government/tax payers' trough instead of seeking investments -- or spending your own money -- towards developing the Rio Nido Lodge as the vacation destination it once was. This would provide a sustainable local business, and offer jobs to local residents.

Dennis, please get a clue, and develop a viable business plan that doesn't involve turning Rio Nido into a ghetto. The people living in our community need jobs & prosperity -- not projects that will make Rio Nido more downscale. I supported you back when you bought the Rio Nido Lodge a few years ago, because I thought that fixing it up would provide jobs for local residents.

I withdraw my support, because you have not invested anything into the property, nor have you made any investments into the community towards increasing the value of the property. Quite honestly, I'm sick of people like you getting something for nothing.

Rattina bids a fond farewell & takes a few parthian ... I mean parting ... shots

2011-07-08T23:00:00.000-07:00

Greetings, friends, neighbors, & readers:

My family and I have enjoyed our six years of living in the enchanted forest of Rio Nido, but finally made the difficult decision to relocate closer to my husband's high-tech job in Silicon Valley. I've felt privileged to work with so many caring, competent, and talented neighbors towards creating positive change in our community, through the Rio Nido Task Force (now called Friends of Rio Nido). I also loved volunteering at Guerneville Elementary School, leading my daughter's Brownies/Daisies (now Juniors/Brownies) girl scout troop, teaching Sunday School at the Guerneville Community Church, helping launch the Rio Nido Community Garden, volunteering at the Monte Rio Preschool (now STARS), doing face painting for various fundraisers, and being a member of the Rio Nido Home Owners Association.

I'll also miss covering news and issues in this blog, my "West County Buzz" column for the (now defunct) Russian River Monthly, and the "Rockin' Rio Nido" column I co-wrote for the Sonoma County Gazette with my local BFF & partner in crime, Elena Chronis. She and Kim Link have taken over the Rio Nido column and are doing a fabulous job. I hope Elena will also take over my blog, but we're still trying to hash that out.

In the meantime, I'll leave you with the following random comments & observations:

Go Rio Nido!: I'm excited & amazed by how much we've accomplished over the past couple of years! Our once neglected & overlooked little backwater River hamlet is finally getting some well-deserved attention & wherewithal to attain the potential this friendly, intimate, verdantly beautiful, redwood-shaded village deserves. The Rio Nido Task Force has evolved into Friends of Rio Nido (FRN)-- an organization with bylaws, an elected board, & strong direction -- which already operates informally as a positively influential force & which also seeks legal, non-profit status. FRN's Board members & various committees have already obtained $18K in RRROC funds for July's successful clean-up (thank you Jennifer Ostrom), plus lots of County help with street & directional signs (thank you Matt Malick). Kim Holliday from the Russian River Redevelopment Oversight Committee (RRROC) & John Uniack (retired RRROC member) have also worked behind the scenes to obtain funding for immensely helpful projects in the works, including the purchase of land for nearby public beach access.
Go Rio Nido Roadhouse!: Against all odds, Brad Metzger has managed to maintain former owners, Dee & Midge's long-standing & beloved summer community traditions, while bringing it into the 21st century and serving the year-round community. The Roadhouse is now a successful year-round business, restaurant, bar, and music venue, and also informally functions as a community center with a pool, summer water aerobics, and site for local meetings and benefits. Thank you Brad, and Kim Link (the manager).
Why does Justin Lacey from RRROC hate Rio Nido?: He consistently rants & votes against everything we -- and RRROC member Kim Holliday -- propose for Rio Nido at the RRROC meetings. I, and many others, have found this to be highly offensive. Lacey says he's mad because Holliday's facts & statistics (regarding redevelopment expenditures for towns in the redevelopment area) are inaccurate & that Rio Nido has had more than its share -- even though it definitely HASN'T. Lacey obviously can't stand working with Holliday, which others who've worked with her may understand ... BUT ... the reason why Holliday's agendas so frequently prevail is because she's smart & well-prepared; her facts are always impeccably presented & thorough; plus, her engineering background & technical consulting experience (formerly for Accenture, now as a freelancer for various companies) has enabled her to decipher arcane County processes & work with others towards getting things done. Go Kim!

I sure hope that Lacey has calmed down since the last time I spoke with him back in June. When I asked him about his hostile reaction to projects advocated by Rio Nido residents & stakeholders, he started frothing at the mouth & expressing resentment about how people from Rio Nido come to meetings as a bloc to "make demands." But wasn't RRROC established specifically in order to ensure that communities have a voice in the County's redevelopment processes? Rio Nido-ans have finally learned from other River communities -- most notably Monte Rio & Villa Grande -- & have become more organized. That's a good thing, & I hope more neighborhoods do the same.

Folks from Guerneville, Monte Rio, and Rio Nido need to work together -- not against each other -- if they want the business climate, economics, and quality of life on the River to improve. Nobody should be scorned for getting neighbors organized to seek funds and resources for their immediate communities. Instead, these communities should serve as inspiration to other neighborhoods on the River. Spiteful bickering has no place in an environment where services are being ruthlessly cut and so many folks have exhausted their unemployment benefits and still can't find work.

If Lacey's still ranting, somebody PLEASE tell him to get a GRIP!
Summer business is booming -- keep it up!: I feel sad about all the recession casualties and will miss Vine Life, River Mist, Mosaic, and others. But I'm thrilled that 2011 finally brings a well-deserved prosperous summer for locals. Boon Spa & Restaurant, the Monte Rio Theater/Cafe, the Rio Nido Roadhouse, the Village Inn, the Guerneville 5 & 10, & others seem to be thriving now. I've also noticed some new restaurants and storefronts -- including Big Bottom Deli, Sharon's Emporium, Trio, etc. -- who seem to be kicking butt. I also visited Johnson's Beach this summer and was happy to see it bustling with activity. I'm also delighted that the new owners of the historic Guerneville Theater & also Monte Rio's Pink Elephant have made so much progress. Keep up the good work!
Re-Launch FOGS, for pete's sake: I don't know what happened with the Friends of Guerneville School (FOGS). During my daughter's last year there, FOGS appeared to be moribund. Yet my fellow parents frequently approached me to ask when the next non-existent meeting was happening, and how they could get involved. Alas, I was similarly clueless concerning the status of FOGS. I hope someone can get FOGS going again, because the Guerneville School really needs the money. It's scary that the only recent fundraisers for enrichment activities have been conducted by the group of parents who organized two successive annual Spaghetti Cook-Offs at the Rio Nido Roadhouse -- with no support from FOGS -- & managed to raise over $7000.

The principal and teachers are doing a great job with the school-- last year, our students' test scores earned us a "California Distinguished School Award" -- but I don't know how long they can keep getting these great results with so little money. Guerneville Elementary/Middle School needs classroom volunteers, money for extracurricular programs, and also classroom supplies. Recent cuts in educational funding have been brutal, and too many parents are too impoverished to make up the difference. They may want to talk to the folks from Monte Rio Elementary/Middle School -- which seems to have a lot of parent involvement and funding. Their test scores aren't as high, but they're still decent, and they're gaining a strong reputation for their art, music, and performing arts programs.

Th-th-th-that's all folks! Farewell, and good luck to all of you on the River, and thank you all for your support. Since "San Jose Rattina" simply doesn't sound right, this is my last post for this blog.

Rockin' Rio Nido, May, 2011

2011-05-30T18:47:00.000-07:00

Rockin’ Rio Nido -- a monthly column for the Sonoma County Gazette
By Elisabeth Parker and Elena Chronis.

RNHOA Memorial Day BBQ kicks off summer season

We love the Rio Nido Home Owners Association (RNHOA)’s summer events in their picnic area. The Memorial Day BBQ on Sunday, May 29^th from 4-9 p.m. offers fun to kids and grown-ups alike. Enjoy a delicious chicken dinner, adult & kids’ beverages, bake sale desserts, kids’ talent show, mini-golf, music, dancing, marshmallow roast, and more! Also, look for the July 4^th & Labor Day BBQs, pancake breakfasts, and Art Festival!

Friends of Rio Nido (FRN) elects bored members.

Oops, we meant to say BOARD members. Neighbors elected Kim Holliday, John Uniack, Jennifer Ostrom, Matt Malik, and Marsee Henon for FRN’s board of directors. Congratulations! No mud-slinging occurred because only five neighbors ran for the five available openings, which greatly reduced this election’s entertainment value.

Support the RNHOA’s Proposal for Rio Nido’s Canyon 2 Entrance!

Following Rio Nido’s flat rejection of Dennis Judd’s development plans for “downtown Rio Nido,” the RNHOA and local business owners presented an alternative proposal at the Russian River Redevelopment Oversight Committee (RRROC) meeting on April 21^st. It requests funds for landscaping, public recreation areas, walkways, pocket parks, parking space, and legal protection from development,

Help jazz up our dingy fire hydrants!

The Friends of Rio Nido (FRN) Beautification Committee needs volunteers to paint our fire hydrants and stanchions (boundary poles) to enhance their appearance and visibility. If you’d like to help, drop by the Rio Nido Roadhouse’s parking lot on Saturday, May 21^st at 9:00 a.m. with sloppy clothes and a paintbrush. First-comers get to wear those fabulous day-glow yellow and orange safety vests (until supplies run out)! Special thanks to Matt Malik for organizing, and Sweetwater Springs for supplying the paint.

Pet of the month.

Elena created this new monthly feature, because she KNOWS how we Rio Nidans totally LOVE our dogs, cats, and other critters. Please contact us about YOUR pet. For now, here’s Jesse James, Elena’s adorable, playful, and rambunctious rottweiller pup. LOVES: Nice people, play-mates, bones, rolls of toilet paper. HATES: Mean people and cages.

Rumor has it …

A filmmaker has contacted Kim Link and Brad Metzger about shooting scenes for a movie at the Roadhouse. Celebrity chef, “slow food”movement pioneer, and advocate for ecologically sustainable gardening and culinary education plans a visit to the Guerneville School in honor of its innovative garden, environmental education, and nutrition curriculum.

Elisabeth Parker Bids Rio Nido a fond farewell.

After six-and-a-half years in this magically beautiful enclave beneath the redwoods and whimsical gaze of the RNHOA Pee Wee Minigolf’s “Winky Moon,” Elisabeth and her family are packing up for San Jose, where her husband now works. Alas, paying a 2004 mortgage in a 2011 economy, and only seeing her husband on weekends, makes no sense. She has enjoyed working with her neighbors to improve this already wonderful community, and is proud of the progress we’ve made together. If you’re interested in running her Russian River Rattina blog and the Rio Nido Neighbors community email list, please email her before she leaves on June 1^st.

Living on the Russian River

2011-05-05T20:29:00.000-07:00

What I love about this community:

Folks are friendly and care about our communities & local issues. We support our schools even when we don't have children in our schools through fund raising and tax dollars; We help the hungry & homeless who live here; we care about local issues and attend meetings when we can; and when the chips are down, we come together and help one another.
Our schools totally kick butt: Despite drastic budget cuts, local parents can make good choices for their kids thanks to strong principals & administrators; experienced & committed teachers; a handful of devoted parents; & smart, dedicated students. The Guerneville School has earned the only California Distinguished School award in Sonoma County, due to its rigorous academics, & high STAR test scores. The Monte Rio School also enjoys strong test scores, but devotes more resources to the arts & holistic learning approaches for students. Either way, parents & kids win.
It's beautiful, so beautiful: When I drive home down River Road from my job in Rohnert Park, I breathe in the Eucalyptus groves with delight, & then sigh with immense pleasure upon being enfolded by our protective redwood groves.
It's laid-back: You don't have to pretend to be anything you're not here, you can just be who you are.

What I find hard about this community:

The HUGE gap between "friendliness" & genuine warmth: Folks are friendly here, but not necessarily warm. Being on friendly terms with neighbors is one thing. Feeling connected & having friendships with your neighbors is another thing all together. Folks who relocate here need to be fiercely independent.
High cost of living vs. lack of jobs: Why are the basic costs of living -- housing, food, property taxes, & energy -- so high around here, when local workers' earnings are so low? The costs of living here in Sonoma County are almost as high as those in the SF Bay area, yet employers pay half as much. If you relocate here, you need to be prepared for that.

But ... don't let what I said stop you. Pretty much all similarly desirable communities here in California will present you with the same obstacles if you wish to live here. Visiting is another thing altogether.

Rockin' Rio Nido, April, 2011

2011-05-05T20:25:00.000-07:00

Rockin’ Rio Nido -- a monthly column for the Sonoma County Gazette
By Elisabeth Parker and Elena Chronis

April showers bring … lack of power.

As spring draws closer, Rio Nido bustles with all sorts of activity – some legal, some not. With all this jogging to get in swimsuit shape, while detouring around logging crews and storm-tossed redwood debris, who has time for reveling in the lush greenery and keeping an ear out for the chirping of baby birds? Especially since we’re still catching our breath from a mid-March storm and two-day power outage! Yet we definitely see signs of spring, as neighbors launch into spring cleaning mode. Seneca Rising and the rest of the organic veggie garden gang came out in full force for the annual Community Garden kick-off meeting on March 20^th.

Champagne fountain grand opening

During the March 26th Friends of Rio Nido (FRN) meeting, Rio Nido Lodge owner Dennis Judd announced his plans to pay $1 million to Sweet Water Springs for installing a pipeline from Korbel to Rio Nido’s entrance for a champagne fountain. "We're excited about the restoration of this historic structure," exclaimed Sweet Water Springs General Manager Steve Mack. Not to be outdone, the Rio Nido HomeOwner's Association proclaimed their plans to build a chihuahua race track and giant redwood bungee jumping tower in the picnic area. "I look forward to taking the first jump!" RNHOA President Doug Misner exclaimed. The grand opening will be held when pigs fly … Happy April Fools Day, everyone!

St. Patrick’s Day shenanigans

Around 30 infuriated Rio Nidans – including home owners from hte city – attended the March 17^th RRROC meeting at the Guerneville Veteran’s Hall to protest Dennis Judd’s proposed large-scale development in the front lot of Rio Nido. Not only did neighbors fear it would be big and ugly – we also worried about the lack of parking for the Roadhouse! Dennis withdrew the proposal via email shortly before the meeting.

The Twins are back … at Tavern McHughs

Les Jumelles recently closed, but we’ll soon see more of the eponymous twins, thanks to their mom and step dad’s new venture at the same location. Rio Nido residents Ben & Sherell McHugh are busily preparing for opening day at Tavern McHughs. El Molino High School students Amythist and Brianna (also from Rio Nido) will be pitching in to help. “We look forward to offering great quality food with fresh ingredients in a family atmosphere,” Ben enthuses.

In addition to lunch, dinner, and an amazing river view, the restaurant will offer a charming, old-fashioned ice cream parlour and video games for the kids. If all goes as planned, Tavern McHughs will open in April. Since Ben and Sherell claim to actually enjoy working with the County’s Permit Management and Resources Department, this may actually happen.

Featured personality: Erin Handy.

On March 9^th, Erin – an up-beat, doe-eyed, late twenties-ish brunette with a pixie cut – and her quiet, pragmatic, and sandy-haired partner Suzy welcomed neighbors to their home for the Handy Harvest Club and Coop’s open house. While sipping wine and nibbling local artisanal cheeses, breads, and Erin’s signature pickled tomatoes, Erin and Suzy explained their upcoming projects. The co-op will start out as an informal, outdoor gathering of neighbors looking to trade fruits, vegetables, and home-made foods. The Harvest Club will operate more formally as a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), offering weekly or monthly subscriptions to local produce selected from local growers. Keep an eye out for

Rio Nido Roadhouse hosts 3^rd annual Easter Egg Hunt

Held on April 24^th at 1:00 p.m., the hunt is open to kids of all ages, and will be followed by a marshmallow roast and Hot Chocolate. There will also be a Peep's diorama contest (to be judged at 2:30 p.m.). To enter, sign up at the Roadhouse. For more information call 707 869-0821.

Rockin' Rio Nido, March, 2011

2011-05-05T20:13:00.000-07:00

Rockin' Rio Nido, Elena Chronis & Elisabeth Parker's monthly column for the Sonoma County Gazette.'s March 2011 issue.

Although it appears spring has sprung, Jack Frost has been doing a lotof nipping on our noses! Mother Nature has decided to play a little hooky wit hus. The rains have returned, but the cherry blossoms are in full bloom …go figure.

Pre-spring cleaning

Speaking of winter rain … instead of raining cats and dogs, it often rains shabby furniture and other junk herein Rio Nido. Neighbors took up a collection so Fred Beeler could haul the mildewed mattresses and other items piled along the back of Rio Nido Road to the dump. Beautification Committee members also contacted the Roads Department, which promptly removed the collections of soggy sofas and old tires from the ravine at the base of Canyon Four. Once again, we can enjoy our sylvan scenery.

Help keep Rio Nido beautiful!•

Schedule a FREE bulky waste pick-up. Northbay Corporation customers can have large items removed up to four times a year, free of charge. Call Jill at 585-5263.• To report random trash, call(877) 565-DUMP and the Roads Department at 565-5101.• To report illegal dumping in progress, call the Sheriff at 869-0202or 565-2121.• To remove old vehicles from your property – free of charge and the usual DMV paper work, contact Dale Hawley at 565-2153.• To report abandoned vehicles on public property and roadways, cal lCalifornia Highway Patrol (CHP) at 588-1400.

Friends of Rio Nido (FRN—formerly known as the Task Force)

Bright new road signs keep appearing, courtesy of the County, so folks no longer get lost in our canyons. Matt Malik reports that the folks at Sweetwater Springs have agreed to power wash our fire hydrants and provide paint, so volunteers can paint them a cheery school bus yellow.

Jennifer Ostrom and Doug Misner are working with Mike Lockwood from Northbay Corporation to plan our annual spring clean-up for late April or early May. Due to major funding cuts, we’ll need volunteers more than ever. Our slow-but-sure efforts towards creating a 501 c(3) non-profit continue. Candidates for FRN’s Board submitted their applications, and wewill soon take a vote. Find out more at our next meeting on March 26th, 11 am at the Roadhouse.

Featured personality

Where can you go for the latest local gossip, a cup of cappuccino, your complete astrological chart, and perhaps even to pick up your mail? The Rio Nido Post Office, of course. Our friendly and multi-talented postmistress, Patty Roland James, has seen many positive changes in Rio Nido since she started in 1987 – including redevelopment-funded construction of the new Post Office and Fire Station.

Patty also organizes our annual summer Arts Festival with BeverlyMisner. She enthuses, “Rio Nido has a lot of special and interesting people and a close community.”

Patty writes engaging occult novels set in the area, including Something Wicked in theLand of Picatrix and Raven: The Praying Bird, and also has a collection of shorts tories, Weird River Tales, underway. Visit her Web site at, Aquila Ink, at www.aquilaink.com.

Winter comfort food

Seems that every restaurant we’ve dined at is serving Mac ‘n’ Cheese …the ultimate comfort food for these chilly winter days and nights! Ourfavorite recipe is guaranteed to put asmile on your face:

Ingredients: 1 can condensed cheddar cheese soup; 3/4 c. milk; 1 tsp. mustard; 1/8 tsp. pepper;6 oz. (1 1/2c.) elbow macaroni cooked and drained; 2 c. shreddedcheese; (cheddar, monterey jack oramerican);1 c. french fried onions orcrushed potato chips

Instructions: In 1 1/2 quart casserole, combine soup, milk, mustard and pepper. Stir in macaroni and 1 1/2cup cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes until bubbly and stir. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and top with either french fried onions or crushed chips. Bake 5 minutes or until cheese melts. Yields 6 servings. Kids love this recipe!

Rockin' Rio Nido, February, 2011

2011-05-05T20:01:00.000-07:00

By Elena Chronis & Elisabeth Parker. This column appears in the Sonoma County Gazette on a monthly basis.

New beginnings

With the new year underway andl onger, sunnier days approaching, wefeel the stirrings of spring fever and new beginnings. Our Task Force has renamed itself Friends of Rio Nido, and meets on Feb. 5, 11:00 a.m. at the Roadhouse. For those who don’tcelebrate Valentine’s Day, February also marks the beginning of Girl Scout Cookie Season! Our local Girl Scout Troop #10480 is taking orders. To get your cookies, contact Elisabeth or visit their booth at Safeway on weekend afternoons at the end of February through the end of March.

Balalaika Guest Homes,the ultimate ‘Stay-cation’

You’ve probably noticed these eye-catching vacation homes on Canyon Seven Road across the street from our Pee Wee Mini Golf. If you need roomy and affordable accommodations for friends and family from out of town, these townhouses fit the bill. With three bedrooms, two bathrooms, well-equipped kitchen, living room, and charming decks overlooking our bucolic enclave, Balalaika Guest Homes are also ideal for entertaining.

Our friends recently rented one of these town homes, and found it to be chock full of modern amenities, including: WiFi, granite counters in the kitchen, dishwasher, designer furnishings, a large flat screen TV, and two luxurious bathrooms. One of the tubs even has two shower heads – ideal for couples on Valentine’s weekend!

Our favorite feature, however, was the giant redwood growing straight through a specially-designed hole in the deck! It’s never too early to start planning for summer – or even President’s Day weekend! Prices start at $99 per night. For more information, call 707-318-3175 or visit the Web site at www.balalaikaguesthomes.com. Or read the rave reviews from happytravelers on www.TripAdvisor.com.

O’Connell Properties

After staying at Balaika, your guests may never want to leave Rio Nido … in which case, you can send them to realtors Mary O’Connell, David Shalar, David Clary, and Tony and Misty Humphreys at O’Connell Properties (707-887-2884or www.russianriverrealestate.com).

With all the planned improvements for Rio Nido and real estate prices lower than ever, this is a great time to buy here.

Have you checked out their darling little real estate office at the entrance to Rio Nido off of River Road? It looks like little elves live there. Rumor has it, the charming cottage was built around 1920. San Francisco expatriate Mike Shalar originally purchased the building as a billboard, recognizing the value of the location alone.

He meets people from all over the Bay Area who recognize this unique landmark.

O’Connell Properties specializes in properties all over the Bay Area. Back in the day, this property belonged to a man named Fred Froelich, and functioned as a weighing station for passing truck drivers. The house was also an easy walk to the railroad which ran along River Road and transported summer tourists back in Rio Nido’s glory days.

Laura Mueller, Rio Nido’s radio personality

Speaking of local history, fellow Rio Nidan Laura Mueller has been hosting a weekly radio talk show for the past three years. Titled, “Anecdotal Evidence,” Laura’s show features interviews, personal stories from as early as the1930’s, and fascinating tidbits aboutthe Russian River’s colorful and entertaining history. Tune in Saturdays at 11:00 am. to 95.1 KGGV FM, our local radio station. If you can’t get a signal, www.KGGVFM.org provides live audio-streaming.

RRROC-ing Rio Nido

Rio Nido resident and community organizer Kim Holliday officially began her term as a member of the Russian River Redevelopment Oversight Committee (RRROC) at the Jan.20 meeting held at the Guerneville Veterans Hall. Following a meeting with Redevelopment Manager John Haig and members of the Rio Nido Redevelopment Task Group, Kim shared that priorities for Rio Nido are: Safe crossing to the bus stop on River Road; securing public beach access; and; basic infrastructure and beautification improvements.

Support Kim and participate in the process! RRROC meetings are held on the third Thursday of each month at 6:00 p.m. and alternate between the Veterans Hall and the Monte Rio Community Center.

Rockin' Rio Nido, January 2011

2011-05-05T19:22:00.000-07:00

Rockin’ Rio Nido

By Elisabeth Parker & Elena Chronis
For the Sonoma County Gazette’s January, 2011 Issue

‘Tis the season... still

The winter days may be cold, dark and dreary, but the festive holiday lights make us feel warm and cheery.We’re glad so many of our neighbors choose to generously maintain their seasonal displays well past the New Year.

Rio Nido’s street signs also look shiny and bright, thanks to Matt Malik,Jennifer Ostrom, Ingrid Emming, Fred Beeler, and Larry Tocmakidis. We came along for the ride, and enjoyed whizzing about Rio Nido on the back of Fred’s pick-up truck with our scrub brushes, Simple Green, and day-glow orange safety vests.

Raves from The Bohemian

An unexpected holiday gift came toRio Nido’s neighbors and many fans, when we opened up the Dec. 1 2010 issue of the North Bay Bohemian and read David Templeton’s heartening article, “Russian River Revival.”

The article recounts people’s fond memories from the ’40s and discusses many of the positive things happening in our community. We only wish that Mr. Templeton had asked us for a more recent photo of the Rio Nido Lodge than the one he ran with the article. As you can see from the photo your columnists have so thoughtfully inserted above, the Lodge looks much better now that Dennis Judd has reinstalled some of the windows and made some other repairs. Boarded-up windows are so-o-o 2009.

Okay, well, it still doesn’t look so great, but it’s still a huge improvement over what it looked like before. If you havent read the article, visit http://www.bohemian.com/bohemian/12.01.10/arts-1048.html.

Centennial Celebration

On Sunday Dec. 19, neighbors gathered at the Rio Nido Roadhouse to celebrate Rio Nido’s 100th birthday. Despite the winter rains, everyone enjoyed tasty burgers, hot dogs,and delicious potluck dishes, while the kids roasted marshmallows. At 4:00pm, folks headed over to the Rio Nido Lodge for dessert, a ginger brea dhouse contest, and a special visit from Santa Claus.

Thank you Dennis Judd, Brad Metzger, Kim Link, Marsee Henon, Clare Harris, Efren Carrillo, the Russian River Historical Society, Pegasus Theater, 95.1 KGGV FM(especially Laura Mueller’s historical radio show “Anecdotal Evidence” which airs on Saturdays at 12:00pm), the Guerneville 5&10, and others for making this event a big success.

Got news? Email Elisabeth Parker atRussianRiverRattina@gmail.com andElena Chronis at elenachronis@yahoo.com.

Rockin' Rio Nido: December Column

2010-12-10T10:18:00.000-08:00

Below, please find the column my neighbor Elena Chronis and I wrote for the Sonoma County Gazette's December issue.

Rockin’ Rio Nido

by Elena Chronis and Elisabeth Parker

Where does the time go?

November flew by like a gust of autumn wind, and suddenly winter is upon us! The scents of fresh rain, tannic redwoods, and toasty smoke from neighbors’ (EPA-compliant) fireplaces fill the air, as we cozy up at home and prepare for the upcoming festivities.

It’s a “Wonderful Life”

Holiday cheer is alive and well in Rio Nido, as Pegasus Theater brings the beloved classic “It’s a Wonderful Life” to the Rio Nido Lodge. Harking back to the glory days of radio – and the Russian River’s heyday – Pegasus’ production adds authentic details from the 1940’s Big Band era and (rumor has it) Rio Nido’s colorful historical past. Come young and old, and ring in the Christmas (or Chanukah, Kwanza, or Winter Solstice) spirit. The performance runs from Dec. 3^rd – Dec. 19^th. Fridays are “pay what you can.” For more information, visit http://www.pegasustheater.com/.

Happy 100^th Birthday, Rio Nido!

November marked Rio Nido’s 100^thanniversary, according to the Russian River Historical Society (at http://russianriverhistory.org/) . The Eagles Nest Lodge purchased the land comprising our town back in 1908, set up a post office, and named the town “Eagle’s Nest.” They divided the land into smaller lots for its members, and later renamed the town “Rio Nido” (Spanish for “River’s Nest”) in 1910.

[UPDATE] Since this column was published, the Rio Nido Task Force, Home Owners Association, Roadhouse and Lodge have organized a special Centennial Celebration! Join Neighbors on Sunday, December 19th at 3:00pm at the Roadhouse and Rio Nido Lodge for a Potluck. Bring your favorite dishes for dinner at the Roadhouse, followed by dessert at the Rio Nido Lodge. There will also be a collection of non-perishable foods for the Redwood Empire Food Bank. A gingerbread contest and marshmallow roast will be held for the kids, and Santa Claus will visit the Rio Nido Lodge at 4:00pm. All neighbors, including folks from neighboring communities are welcome!

RRROC the vote

The Russian River Redevelopment Oversight Committee elected Rio Nido resident and community leader Kim Holliday to their vacant Residential Property Owner seat. Members gathered feedback from our communities and voted during the Nov. 18^th meeting at the Guerneville Veterans Hall. RRROC has had no direct representation from Rio Nido since founding member John Uniack resigned last year. RRROC was created in July, 2000 to ensure that Russian River residents have a say in the redevelopment process.

Rio Nido Roadhouse

Once again the THUGZ rocked a full house on Nov. 20^th, and a great time was had by all. If you want to stay local on New Year’s Eve, the RNR plans a swingin’ bash. $25.00 buys you appetizers, midnight dinner, champagne toast, and dancing all night with the Poyntlyss Sistars. If you can’t make it, check out the Roadhouse’s brand spankin’ new menu and daily specials. We recently enjoyed a fantastically delectable and fattening special of Southern fried chicken and waffles. Special thanks to the RNR staff for rolling us home in a wheelbarrow.

Task Force meeting

15 neighbors gathered at the RNR on Nov. 14^th to discuss future projects for Rio Nido. Also present were Redevelopment Manager John Haig and Rio Nido Lodge owner Dennis Judd. The Infrastructure, Beautification, Safety and Security, and Business/Economic Viability Committees reported on their accomplishments. We then discussed the County’s project priority analysis and re-branding efforts for the Russian River. The consultants’ recommended slogan, “where the mind and spirit rejuvenate,” met with a positive response.

Signs of change

Has anyone noticed the new Neighborhood Watch signs? Richard Grace from the Safety & Security Committee has purchased and strategically placed four of them in visible areas around the neighborhood. More signs are on the way, thanks to Dennis Judd, Fred Beeler, Marsee Henon, Adam Flaherty, Matt Malik, J. Mullineaux, Larry Tocmakidis, and your two faithful columnists.

This spring may also bring new Yield signs and other improvements, thanks to last month’s meeting with the Infrastructure Committee and the Department of Public Works. After a productive walking tour and discussion of traffic-calming measures, signage, culverts, and drainage, the folks from the DPW agreed to make recommendations to the Board of Supervisors.

Speaking of signs …

The Beautification Committee plans a volunteer work day on Saturday Dec. 4^th to clean up our dingy street signs. If you want to help, come to the RNR at 10:00 am with a bucket of soapy water, scrub brush, towel, and truck (if you have one). We also applaud the County for re-funding the Graffiti Abatement program. Now our beauty vigilantes can take a break. If you see any graffiti, call 565-7397.

For up-to-date information about Rio Nido, visit the Web site at http://www.rionido.net/.

Some fond memories of winter holidays on the River

2010-12-09T14:02:00.000-08:00

I can’t believe we’ve been living here long enough to reminisce about holidays on the River. It’s easy to do since we have so many wonderful community traditions, including the ones below (I’ve been so crazy-busy, I didn’t have time to write things up in advance this year -- though my neighbors and I did list them on the Rio Nido Web site at http://www.rionido.net/. Information is also available from the Russian River Chamber of Commerce at http://www.russianriver.com/ ).

Annual Pasta Dinner/Fundraiser: The flurry of festivities kicks off on the first Wednesday of December with the Gonnella family’s annual pasta dinner/fundraiser for Bob Burke’s Kids at the Union Hotel in Occidental. This year, my daughter’s choir group, the Russian River Choir, and other groups performed holiday music while the adults enjoyed a hearty dinner of pasta, assorted sauces, salad, garlic bread, and dessert. It’s free to attend, but this event gathers enough in donations to help fund Burke’s numerous gatherings and recreational activities for children with cancer and their families. Although the eponymous and much-loved Bob Burke passed away this year, his family keeps the traditions and foundation alive. This year’s event was well-attended, as hundreds of people gathered together to celebrate and show their support. We saw folks we haven’t seen in ages!
Annual Tree-Trimming Downtown Guerneville: Not even the winter rains and recession Grinch can keep the holiday spirit away. Every year, on the first Thursday of December, our merchants decorate their storefronts and the street with lavish holiday lights and the Russian River Chamber of Commerce gathers folks together in our little town square to light the festively decorated Christmas tree. Okay, well, this year, the tree was a tad smaller than usual … but as I always say to my petite daughter who sometimes complains about being one of the littlest kids in her class … “good things come in small packages.” About 14 girls showed up from our wonderful Russian River Children’s Choir with Sonia and Ashley to sing Christmas carols and Chanukah songs. Since things were running a bit late, Sonia and Ashley took the girls around to go caroling throughout downtown, and in the Fire Station, and were rewarded with way too many cookies!
Holiday Parade of Lights in Downtown Guerneville: On the first Saturday in December, Guerneville closes off Main Street and everyone on the River converges for our celebratory Annual Holiday Parade of Lights, in which local businesses and other organizations display their creative talents and strut their stuff with a magical assortment of elaborately-decorated floats. Alas, the Triple R’s float was sorely missed, but the 5&10, Russian River Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, and a host of others kept everyone happy and entertained. This year’s theme was “World Dance Celebration” and folks definitely seemed ready to celebrate!
More to come: Check out Pegasus Theater’s new production of “It’s a Wonderful Life” at the Rio Nido Lodge, local New Years Celebrations at the Rio Nido Roadhouse, Village Inn (in Monte Rio), and other venues, and more.

I also wanted to share the following personal holiday memories from a few years back. It always amazes me how quirky, eccentric, and kind people can be out here on the River … especially to children.

From the trunks of babes ...

Seven holiday seasons ago, we were still living in Berkeley, my husband got a bonus at work & we decided to take a mini-vacation from our total wreck/fixer of a house & booked a little cabin at River Lane here in Guerneville for a couple of days. On top of other stresses, our daughter was in massive exploratory toddler & potty-training mode, & the remodel for our rotting, mildew-ridden, antiquated bathroom was NOT going well (probably because we had no money & had to re-do the entire thing ourselves ASAP before the floor caved in).

River Lane was a tad shabby (it has since been refurbished), but affordable & possessed of a cozy, rustic charm … plus it had a lovely deck with a view of the river. We noticed a tall, striking-looking woman in high-heeled patent leather red pumps and a sparkly, red feather boa with her daughter (approximately aged 8) struggling in the parking area with a battered old car which refused to start, & my husband chivalrously offered to give her a jump-start. Meanwhile, my daughter played with the older girl & they got along famously.

The woman & her daughter seemed nice, intelligent, & stylishly dressed. I was also struck by the warmth and affection with which they treated each other and our daughter. But it soon became apparent that they were homeless & had been taking a brief respite from car camping, courtesy of the low, off-season hotel rates. This horrified & saddened us, because my husband & I have gone through rough times & still often struggle financially despite our making a good income. There but for the grace of G*d go I … We teeter precariously on the crumbling precipice of middle-class respectability & it seems frighteningly easy to lose footing & tumble over the edge & into the yawning abyss.

We invited them to have dinner with us, but they said they needed to move on because they visiting with friends “up north” that evening & were supposed to be there already. My daughter’s erstwhile playmate then reached into an over-stuffed garbage bag in the trunk of her car, retrieved a small, plush Simba toy (the Lion King was all the rage back then) & handed it to my daughter, saying “I want you to have this.” My daughter’s eyes widened with delight as she grinned from ear-to-ear, danced a happy little caper, & launched herself into the older girl’s open arms, crying, “I don’t want you to go!”

We don’t know what became of them, but Simba remains one of daughter’s prized possessions & we will never forget this act of spontaneously generosity from this slender, pretty girl with the fluffy ponytails & large, sparkling eyes framed by enormous eye-glasses. We still wonder what became of them and wish them well.

First Christmas home on the River ...

We bought our house & moved in during the following holiday season. Flush with cash from the sale of our previous adventure in sweat equity & an overly-frothy housing market (sigh, how we miss those days now that our current home is WAY underwater), we set about doing our little part to support local businesses and decided to do all of our holiday shopping in downtown Guerneville.

After purchasing some unique and attractive gifts from Etcetera, Wayne Skala’s funky jewelry shop, and Jennifer Neeley’s wonderfully eclectic Memories that Linger (we still miss the latter two stores), we wandered into Hemp and Chocolate. I indulged myself with a couple of new, fabulous outfits (the owner designed them herself – she’s quite talented), and my daughter and I picked out a couple of soft, plushy, gauzy fairy-dolls for her friends. Since she was only two at the time, she threw a fit when she realized that she couldn’t keep them. Of course I had discretely set aside one for her, but how could she know that?

Suddenly, the door opened, and my daughter stopped in mid-tantrum and exclaimed, “Santa Claus!” Then she joyfully ran up to hug the handsome, portly, older gentleman who had just walked in. Sure enough, he sported a red flannel shirt, silver spectacles, rosy cheeks, and full silvery white beard! I apologized profusely, but he cheerfully waved me off and asked what my daughter wanted for Christmas.

While paying for our purchases, this lovely man smiled, handed my daughter the fairy doll, and said, “Merry Christmas!”

… And our first flood

There’s nothing like moving in during a flood year to initiate you into the ways of the River awfully danged fast! It rained and rained over the following weeks through Christmas and New Years. My daughter and I enjoyed all the fabulous recreational puddle-stomping available, until one morning, we woke up to the amazing sight of neighbors kayaking down our street! Apparently, this was one of the legendary floods we had heard so much about. The floodwaters had stopped just short of our property by our town’s little Post Office. We were perched high and dry above the flood line, but we couldn’t get out for several days. Luckily, we had plenty of food, a full propane tank, and had somehow avoided losing our electricity.

Since my parents had sent us two boxes of luscious pears from Harry & David, and my aunt and uncle had sent us a crepe pan with crepe mix, we invited our neighbors (who were all gathered at the Post Office) over for brunch. This proved a lovely way to get acquainted.

I was impressed with how everyone helped each other. Neighbors with electricity stored food in their refrigerators for those who had lost their electricity. Volunteers checked up on elderly, sick, and disabled neighbors to make sure they were okay and to see if they needed to be evacuated (in some sort of huge, amphibious vehicle parked in front of our Fire Station). And afterwards, everyone pitched in for all the big Spring Clean Ups in Rio Nido, Guerneville, and Monte Rio.

Guerneville School launches new Web site

2010-12-09T08:35:00.001-08:00

For those of you who've looked for information about the Guerneville School and not found any on the rarely-updated and now-defunct former Web site, you're in luck. The new Guerneville School Web site at http://guernevillesd.org/index.html has everything a parent or prospective parent could wish for, including an attractive and easily navigable layout; lunch menus; contact information; schedules; forms; and more.

Thank you Faith Omenique-Affonso -- Sequoia and Phoenix's mom -- for taking on this immense task! To help with the school's Web site or with anything else, contact the school principal, Elaine Carlson, at 869-2864. The Guerneville School is always in need of classroom volunteers and all sorts of experience and expertise.

NIMBY goes BANANAs in Western Sonoma County

2010-12-03T12:09:00.000-08:00

Has anyone noticed that here in Western Sonoma County, people are constantly objecting to having things near them? Seriously, this place is NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) gone totally BANANAs (Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anything)!

The following things come immediately to mind:

Fire station sirens: Neighbors in Graton keep suing their own Fire Department because the siren is too noisy. Never mind that the loud siren is the only way to effectively summon their volunteer fire fighters in that far-flung, rural community.
Homeless shelters: Yikes! Let’s not go there.
Skateboard parks: Our fear of sullen, pimply-faced teen-agers hanging around smoking dope ensures that they’ll continue using abandoned homes and secluded riverbanks for these nefarious purposes. The same goes for youth centers and additional neighborhood “pocket parks.”
Cigarette smokers: Sorry, but the smoking area is located in Nevada. Pot smoke’s okay, though.
Electro magnetic fields: Cell phones, cell phone towers, and Smart Meters cause cancer! Pot smoke’s okay, though.
Wineries and vineyards: Um … but we don’t we live in the wine country? Medical marijuana farms are okay, though.
Vacation homes: We definitely need to place restrictions on the more egregious activities that go on in some of these places, but we also need to remember that our economy depends on tourism.
Convenience stores: The new owners of Guerneville Food & Gas (formerly known as Russian River Gas) want to install a delicatessen and sell beer and wine. Many of us folks in Rio Nido and along Old River and Riverside Roads would love to have a full-service gas station and convenience store within walking or biking distance. Unfortunately, the County will not give them a license to sell beer and wine due to objections from just ONE OLD LADY who doesn’t even live here year-round. Despite GF&G’s location on River Road and the proximity of hotels and vacation homes, the area is zoned as “residential” and hence liquor sales can be prevented by a single resident or property owner. The previous owner spoke with this lady personally, promised to install a security camera, prevent people from drinking on-site, and install a fence to screen the noise … but alas, no go.
Music venues: Despite Rio Nido’s long and fabled history as a music Mecca, some neighbors have caused hassles for the Rio Nido Roadhouse with the County. Most of us folks here in Rio Nido absolutely love the Roadhouse as a music hall, restaurant, summer-pool hangout, and general gathering spot. The RNR also serves as our unofficial community center, hosting numerous meetings and fundraisers benefitting important programs and services. Besides – unlike many of the wild parties held in River vacation homes – the RNR’s music ends at 10:00pm at the latest.
Multi-unit housing: Despite our chronic housing shortage, lack of year-round customers to support our local businesses, and the desirability of walk-able neighborhoods and better public transportation (which require high-density housing in order to be viable), nobody wants these large structures blocking their sunlight and views. But … where will our children live when they grow up?
Gravel quarries and asphalt plants: I agree with people on that, but could change my mind if these businesses created enough well-paying jobs to make the visual and environmental impacts more palatable, and if the people driving those ugly, obnoxious slow-moving gravel trucks would (a) paint their trucks to look nicer; and (b) let motorists pass them when passing is safe & legal, instead of deliberately changing lanes to prevent us from passing.
Tattoo parlors that sell sex toys: I wrote about the neighbors protesting in front of Red Spaghetti last year, but after receiving comments and talking with nearby residents, have concluded that we should "live and let live." In general, they're a positive presence in the Hacienda neighborhood, plus their coffee is AMAZING!.

Can you think of anything else you don’t want near you? If so, please feel free to add your comments below.

The intractability of homelessness here on the River

2010-12-02T13:54:00.000-08:00

It amuses me to discover that local homeless advocate Jan De Wald supports housing projects for mentally ill, homeless people in downtown Guerneville, yet opposes a housing project for mentally ill, homeless veterans on Merry Lane off of Drake Road. Coincidentally, De Wald happens to live two doors down from the proposed site. Heh heh. The proposed "Veterans Village" project is sponsored by the Patrick McCaffrey foundation, a non-profit founded by bereaved parents, and dedicated to creating nurturing, transitional housing for recovering veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). They also seek to build similar facilities in such far-flung locations as Humbolt, CA; Charlotte, NC; and Oak Ridge, MN.

As some may recall, De Wald and her colleagues from formerly the Russian River Interfaith Coalition (RRIC) attempted to use the Rio Nido Fire Station as an emergency homeless shelter in 2008 (see my blog postings, “An emergency homeless shelter in the Rio Nido Fire Station?”, “Rio Nido residents clash over proposed homeless shelter during contentious meeting” and “Homeless update” from November and December, 2008). Shortly after enraged neighbors held a public meeting (and DeWald narrowly avoided being pelted by rotten fruits and vegetables by having the good fortune of not being informed of the meeting), RRRIC changed its name to Community Housing Opportunities West (CHOW).

To be fair to DeWald, she and her cohorts, the folks at CHOW seek to create transitional and permanent housing facilities built to code, with appropriate staffing, supervision, and access to treatment and social services (through Russian River Health Centers, West County Services, County agencies, and other reputable organizations) for vulnerable people who already live here on the River. The proposed Veterans Village facility, on the other hand, is a hulking monstrosity that violates numerous zoning and coding laws, to which neighbors objected long before Veterans Village came into the picture (See Andrew Eckers’ and Mike Dick’s letters to the editor on pages 7 and 8 of the November 2010 issue of the Sonoma County Gazette).

The neighbors have reportedly received no assurances that the Veterans Village facility will be appropriately staffed and tied in with available community services. It is also unclear as to whether this organization would provide housing to local veterans with PTSD, or move them in from elsewhere.

Nonetheless, I find it highly ironic that most people – including myself – support housing for mentally ill, homeless people. We just don’t want them living anywhere near US! No matter how many studies come out in support of main-streaming mentally ill, homeless people and housing them within our communities (see the National Coalition for the Homeless Web site), the majority of us remain skeptical.

It makes me wonder how we can ever solve the seemingly intractable problems associated with homelessness on the River.

The sad thing is that mentally ill people can come across as difficult and even scary at times. The majority of them are odd, possibly tormented, but generally harmless. I also must say that personally, I’ve had friends and acquaintances with severe mental illnesses who make many positive contributions to their communities (they often seem to be artists, writers, and musicians) and who largely succeed in their daily struggle to get help and lead productive lives.

Then again, the dangerous ones often wind up in the news for crimes we wouldn’t want perpetrated on us, our neighbors, or our loved ones. When you hear that crazy lady meandering down the street loudly spewing curses upon some unseen entity (unfortunately, I've never heard anyone wandering about loudly spewing praise and delight) , how can we tell which category she falls into? Most of us won’t take any chances.

My following two personal experiences explain why:

A woman who moved down the street from me seemed a bit off-kilter but okay at first ... even kind of sweet. Then, she stopped taking her medications and tormented my entire neighborhood for months of sleepless nights as she engaged in loud arguments (sometimes with her boyfriend sometimes with apparently no one); ran around in the street screaming curses and chasing after her poor little Chihuahua who was obviously desperate to escape; engaging in high-speed car chases in her dreaded maroon Saturn up and down the canyons with some guy in a green truck; and hanging out in front of her apartment building accosting passers by. It took forever for her poor elderly landlords to evict her because they were terrified of her; we kept our kids on lock-down; kept calling the sheriffs (who couldn’t book her because she hadn’t committed any obvious crime); and had no peace until she was finally arrested for smacking a 14-year-old kid across the face who was only returning her escaped dog to her (though I’m amazed that the poor dog didn’t bite him for doing that).

I also used to provide In Home Support Services to a nice lady with rheumatoid arthritis who lived in a nice, well-managed Section 8 complex in Santa Rosa. When her increasingly unstable neighbor caused disruptions by playing loud, Christian heavy metal music at all hours of the day and nights, yelling insults and threats that could be clearly heard through their shared wall, and began stalking her (he actually knocked on the door when I was there and said he was the maintenance guy), it took the complex’s management several weeks to resolve the issue. We don’t even know how it was resolved … was he evicted, or did his social worker put him back on his meds?

Of course, the above paragraphs are merely anecdotal and have no statistical validity. Nonetheless, I’m sure some of my readers have similar stories to tell. After all, we do live in an place where -- at a recent community meeting -- a neighbor complained about the Sheriff's slow response to complaints by telephone, and another neighbor brightly responded, "when machetes and propane are involved, the Sheriffs come right away!" Ummmm ... okay.

A big part of the problem is that … As far as I can tell, the law makes no distinction between mental and physical disabilities for individuals protected from housing discrimination by the American Disabilities Act (ADA). Providers of social services staunchly (and correctly) believe that most mental illnesses – even severe ones – can be successfully treated as long as the individual continues treatment and keeps taking their medications. Unfortunately, patients often discontinue their treatment and medications due to lack of access and/or intolerably severe side effects. Google "mentally ill, medications" and you'll get pages of results featuring the word "non-compliance."

A 1997 study published on Psychology Online estimates that 50% of patients with schizophrenia do not take their prescribed medications. After placing a group of 77 homeless people with schizophrenia in an “assertive treatment program” (i.e. the sort of compassionate, highly supervised type of program our social service providers can no longer afford in today’s economy -- after all, this was back in the halcyon days of 1997), the compliance rate only increased to 57%! Yikes!

No wonder residents and business owners howl whenever anyone attempts to set up a homeless shelter, treatment facility, or transitional/permanent housing complex in their neighborhood. Advocates for the homeless and mentally ill need to understand: We fear for our safety, the survival of our already fragile businesses, and our general quality of life. Alas, homeless advocates cannot provide us with satisfactory answers ... or persuade us to actually hear any.

I also believe that our lack of affordable Section 8 housing results from these fears. The twin specters of wraith-like tweekers and crazy people prevent us from providing affordable homes for single moms, low-wage working individuals and families, and people with debilitating illnesses and physical disabilities who struggle daily with chronic housing insecurity. The County prioritizes the most vulnerable (if you're a "Liberal") or most desperate (if you're a "Conservative") cases for Section 8 ... but if more Section 8 housing were available, many more of us would qualify for assistance. After all, we live in Sonoma County, a magical place where the median income is supposedly $70K for a family of four and STILL most of us seem barely able to make ends meet.

Rockin' Rio Nido: October happenings

2010-11-29T09:02:00.000-08:00

Below, please find the column my neighbor Elena Chronis and I wrote for the Sonoma County Gazette's October issue.

Rockin' Rio Nido
by Elena Chronis and Elisabeth Parker

Fall is Falling

As Halloween approaches, the warm days of Indian summer give way to a brisk chill in the air and soft autumn rains, while leaves on the local trees and grapevines display their bright, fall colors. Most of our summertime residents have returned home, but some continue visiting on weekends to enjoy this lovely time of year.

Fun-Raising at the Rio Nido Roadhouse

The RNR hosted two entertaining and successful fundraisers last month for the Russian River Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence and the Guerneville School. They’ve also launched a new and improved menu, and hosted a fun “Halloween Howl” party with the Poyntless Sistars on Oct. 30^th.

The Sisters threw their fabulous Celebrity Pie Throw on Oct. 2. This afternoon of fun and frivolity featured Sister Savior Applause and Sister Sarah Femme as the MC’s, and local notables – including Valerie Munthe, Dax Berg, Vicki Herman, Jennifer Neeley, Katrina Thurman, and Rio Nido’s Doug Misner and Brad Metzger – as the “pie faces.” As usual, the Sisters’ glitzy dresses and elaborate makeup were colorful, beauteous works of art. Proceeds went to the Sisters’ Grant Fund, which donates money to worthy local organizations.

Guerneville School parents Lori Babcock, Kristin Boland, Jaime Wilson, and Jenny Zapp organized a fun-filled 2^nd Annual Spaghetti Cook-Off on Oct. 17^th, featuring an assortment of exciting raffle prizes, savory sauces from 20 contestants, and a hearty dinner. Despite the cool, drizzly weather, the event drew approximately 160 people and raised over $3000 for school programs. Once again, Walt Perkins took first prize with his “Mama Nona’s” hearty Sicilian sauce.

Rio Nido Lodge Seeks Business Tenants

If you've always dreamed of having your own store-front, coffee shop, gallery, studio, mini-mart, laundromat, wine tasting room, B&B, or other business, join Pegasus Theater and rent space at the historical, centrally-located Lodge for as little as $1.00-$3.00 per square foot. The Lodge offers ample parking; easy access from River Road, and; strong year-round and summer demand for products and services.

Dennis Judd from Cipora Properties reports that updates and repairs will be completed within the next few months, and that move-in bonuses are available to those renting larger spaces (depending on the use and proposed improvements). Cipora Properties also has an option to purchase the acre adjoining the lodge and the front parcel at the entrance of Rio Nido. For more information, visit http://ciporaproperties.com/rionidolodge.html or call (707) 824-9313.

Where’s Mama Tina?

In case you've missed Tina Eliason from the Roadhouse, we want you to know that her home-made ravioli venture has proven so wildly successful that she no longer has time for serving and bartending. Look for “Mama Tina’s” assortments of flavorful, pillowy delights at Speer’s Market, local farmer's markets, and fine eateries throughout Sonoma County.

Finally … a CONVENIENT Convenience Store!

Vijay Sharma and Johit Kumar recently purchased the gas station/mini-mart on River Rd. and renamed it Guerneville Food and Gas. They’ve already begun remodeling and plan to install a deli and – eventually – sell beer and wine. It may take a while (this is Sonoma County, after all …). In the meantime, enjoy their coffee and yummy breakfast burritos. We look forward to having a high-quality convenience store in walking distance.

Winter Holiday Happenings

Don’t miss the Merchant Open House and Tree-Trimming Ceremony on Dec. 3^rd in downtown Guerneville for a festive evening of great shopping, refreshments, and caroling. We can’t wait to enter another Rio Nido Float in Guerneville’s upcoming annual Holiday Parade of Lights on Dec. 4^th! This year’s theme is “World Dance Celebration.” If you want to participate, please contact us. If you’re looking for inexpensive, edible holiday gifts, grab some gourmet nuts and candies from our local Girl Scout troop – they’ll have a booth in front of Safeway during the first three weekends of November.

Got news? Email Elisabeth Parker at RussianRiverRattina@gmail.com and Elena Chronis at elenachronis@yahoo.com.

Rio Nido on the Web

2010-10-13T21:34:00.001-07:00

I recently googled "Rio Nido" and was amazed by how many links come up for such a tiny little enclave. According to the last Census (conducted in 2000), Rio Nido's population consisted of a mere 296 souls (though the more recent 2010 U.S. Census will probably show a significant increase in population when the data finally comes out).

The "Official" pages: The Rio Nido Task Force's "Rio Nido" page at http://rionido.net/ provides events listings and other information for residents and visitors. The entry in Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rio_Nido,_California/ is substantial, but could use some updating and additional historical information. If you know a LOT about Rio Nido, please add more information!
Facebook: Facebook has not one, but TWO fan pages devoted to our community -- which provide interesting little slices of life and snippets of news, along with current and historical photos posted by thoughtful friends: The Rio Nido page (at http://www.facebook.com/RioNido/) has 446 fans, and the Friends of Rio Nido page (at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=wall&gid=30510799031) has 159 members & perhaps could get even more with a simpler URL. ;^)
Rio Nido Roadhouse: The Rio Nido Roadhouse carries on our town's long-standing history as a hot music venue, and provides great food and drinks, a community gathering place, and public swimming pool (summers only) to boot. In addition to the Rio Nido Roadhouse's official Web site at http://rionidoroadhouse.blogspot.com/, the Roadhouse has fan pages on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/RioNidoRoadhouse/) and MySpace (http://www.myspace.com/rionidoroadhouse/).
Memorabilia: A surprising number of folks have written about Rio Nido: "The Old California" -- an interesting and thought-provoking article by local resident and writer Justin Raimondo -- prominently features Rio Nido in Taki's Magazine at http://takimag.com/article/the_old_california/; According to the authoritative Grateful Dead Listening Guide at http://www.deadlistening.com/2008/04/1967-september-3-rio-nido-ca.html, the Grateful Dead played one of their best concerts EVER here; Clane Hayward wrote a memoir about growing up with her hippie parents, which features a family photo during their time as Rio Nido residents (for more information, visit: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/12/10/163616/71/). In addition, the Russian River Historical Society's Web site displays some amazing historical photos at: http://www.russianriverhistory.org/photos/gallery/main.php?cmd=album&var1=Rio+Nido/.

All of this makes me wonder ... is Rio Nido up-and-coming, or come-and-gone?

Rockin' Rio Nido: September Happenings

2010-10-13T21:14:00.000-07:00

Below, please find the column my neighbor Elena Chronis and I wrote for the Sonoma County Gazette's October issue.

Rockin' Rio Nido
by Elena Chronis and Elisabeth Parker

Labor Day Barbecue Marks End of Summer
As the kids head back to school, we’re getting into the swing of fall. We’re savoring the splendor of West County’s bountiful and colorful harvest season, and Labor Day seems so long ago! Over 200 people gathered for the Rio Nido Home Owners Association’s final barbecue, making it this year’s busiest event. Everyone enjoyed the food (we want that chili recipe!), live music and games. Thanks, RNHOA for this summer’s events!

RNR Puts the “Rock” in “Rockin’ Rio Nido”
The Rio Nido Roadhouse launched into September with its usual fun and eclectic musical line-up. The Poyntlyss Sistas performed on Sept 10th, followed by Dgiin on Sept. 12th. The Thugs rocked the house on Sept. 18th, and Jake Richmond and Friends played for the Pegasus Theater benefit on Sept 19th. NOTE: If you can stop in for lunch, the BLT sandwich with fries can't be beat!

Rio Nido Task Force Considers Bylaws
On Sept. 18th, our Task Force met at the RNR to discuss writing bylaws, electing officers, and pursuing non-profit status. Over 20 neighbors attended this productive meeting. Kim Holliday and John Uniack from the Infrastructure Committee will write the bylaws; Richard Grace from the Safety and Security Committee is helping organize our Neighborhood Watch; Jennifer Ostrom and Matt Malik from the Beautification Committee are spearheading a campaign to clean up our street signs; and Marsee Henon from the Business/Economic Viability Committee encouraged neighbors to visit and contribute to our Web site at http://rionido.net/.

People also applauded Nate Lester for graciously building some stairs so we can access Rio Nido beach. We also thank all members for their forward-thinking ideas for bringing our little enclave into the 21st century. The next Task Force Meeting will be held on Oct. 3oth, 11:00am at the RNR.

Quick Clarification
People keep asking us about the Task Force and whether it’s part of our Home Owners Association. The Task Force is a new grass-roots organization seeking to improve our community. The 48-year old Home Owners Association consists mainly of older summer residents who put together the annual barbecues we all enjoy.

Spaghetti Cook-off Fundraiser at the RNR
The RNR will host the Second Annual Spaghetti Cook-off fundraiser for the Guerneville School on Oct. 17th, 3:00pm-6:00pm. Prepare for some great tunes, good eats, and friendly competition amongst local pasta chefs! The event includes the spaghetti sauce tasting, dinner, raffle and spaghetti sauce winner announcements, art contest for middle-schoolers; and live music from Gamma Rhythm. Prizes include fine wines, one night get-aways at local resorts, gift certificates, and more!

The Spaghetti Cook Off costs $10 to enter a sauce recipe; $20 per adult (includes dinner and two raffle tickets); $10 per child (ages 5-12, includes dinner and one raffle ticket); and a special rate for a family of five ($50 includes dinner and five raffle tickets). Children under five can attend free. To enter the contest or sponsor this event, contact Lori at 869-8384, Kristen at 869-9412, or gfundraiser@yahoo.com by Oct. 11th.

Rusky Rika Dachas Rehabilitation
Has anyone had a chance to see the newly refurbished and remodeled Rusky Rika Dachas property on River Road? The new homes and landscaping look so much better, and reflect positively on our community. We also applaud Dennis Judd for his ongoing renovations to the Rio Nido Lodge.

A Convenience Store That’s Actually Convenient!
Vijay Sharma and Johit Kumar recently purchased the gas station/mini-mart on River Rd. and renamed it Guerneville Food and Gas. Plans are underway for a deli and selling beer and wine. We look forward to finally having a high-quality convenience store in walking distance.

Pegasus Performs to Full House
We laughed and cried at Pegasus Theater’s Sept. production of The Oldest Profession by Paula Voegel at the Rio Nido Lodge, as five engaging (and still-hot!) elderly prostitutes reminisced about their New Orleans bordello days and contrived to keep their flagging venture in Manhattan afloat. Alas, the clients keep dying off! Lead actresses Diana Grogg, Jana Molina, Lois Pearlman, Noel Yates, and Michelle Randall delivered spicy performances and belted out smoking torch songs. Nancy Hastings ably directed and Kit Mariah provided musical direction. We can’t wait for Pegasus’ next performance.

Visit the Rio Nido Web site at http://rionido.net/
Got news? Email Elisabeth Parker at RussianRiverRattina @ gmail . com and Elena Chronis at elenachronis @ yahoo . com.

Rockin' Rio Nido: August Happenings

2010-10-13T21:01:00.000-07:00

Below, please find the column my neighbor Elena Chronis and I wrote for the Sonoma County Gazette's September issue.

Rockin’ Rio Nido
By Elena Chronis & Elisabeth Parker

Summer Daze
As summer winds down, we’re enjoying beautiful, sunny, hot days (finally!) here in our little enclave. Colorful flowers bloom in our Community Garden; dogs frisk about in the Dog Park; children frolic on the playground; and the joggers are out in full force. Meanwhile, children splash around in the Rio Nido Roadhouse’s pool, play on the grass, and wolf down hot dogs and Popsicles, while adults relax in comfy Adirondack chairs sipping chilled margaritas.

Wish You Were Here
Here in Rio Nido, we’ve been too busy to write about this summer’s exciting events for the past two issues of the Gazette! We’ve been cleaning up, building a Web site, re-launching our Neighborhood Watch, having community meetings, and attending all the fun and wonderful happenings. As Labor Day approaches and the kids return to school, we savor the last days of our summer bliss.

Spring Cleaning
Despite budget cuts, we successfully pulled off our Annual Spring Clean Up (um … in July!), thanks to local activist Jennifer Ostrom (for organizing); Rio Nido Lodge owner Dennis Judd (for the site); North Bay Corporation executive Pam Davis (for dumpsters and logistics); Roadhouse owner Brad Metzger (for coffee and donuts); and an energetic crew of volunteers, including Johnny Ethridge and Fred Beehler. You wouldn’t believe what people hauled out of our creeks!

“Beautification Vigilantes” on the Loose!
We’ve also had an epidemic of individuals performing random acts of kindness and beauty. Carolyn Thompson coaxed the scraggly rose bushes by the neglected fountain at our entrance to bloom beautifully all summer long. Others regularly paint over graffiti, and contribute time, labor, and materials towards sprucing up our Pee Wee Mini Golf (open Fridays and Saturdays during summer from 6:00-9:00pm for 50 cents per game!).

National Night Out
On August 3rd, neighbors gathered at the Rio Nido Roadhouse for National Night Out – a celebration promoted as “America’s Night Out Against Crime.” Sponsored by Rio Nido Home Owners Association and the Roadhouse, the event featured a delicious assortment of potluck dishes from neighbors, along with free hamburgers, hot dogs, and iced-tea. Big thanks to Brad Metzger and Doug Misner for organizing this event.

Rio Nido Task Force Meeting
On August 7th our Task Force met with the Community Development Commission’s Kathleen Kane to discuss how we’d like to see Rio Nido prosper, and obtaining redevelopment funds. Also present were new Redevelopment Manager John Haig, Russian River Redevelopment Oversight Committee members Justin Lacey and Amber Twitchell; Dennis Judd; and about 25 neighbors. The Task Force formed in December 2009 to improve the quality of life in Rio Nido. NEXT MEETING: August 18th, 11:00am at the Roadhouse.

Please, Can I Have S’More?
That evening, around 20 children and parents met in the picnic area to roast marshmallows, make s’mores, and play mini golf. The Marshmallow Roast was followed by a kids’ movie on the big screen. The children seemed to love those “Pink Panther” cartoons as much as we did! Thank you, Domenic and Suzanne Farnocchia (for hosting); Susie Markell (for operating the mini golf), and the RNHOA (for sponsoring).

Pancakes and Art
On August 8th, the RNHOA hosted a delicious Pancake Breakfast, which was enjoyed by over 100 neighbors and visitors … especially those who sampled the mimosas. Long-time Rio Nidan John Colonico sure can mix those drinks! Afterwards, we showcased local talent at the Rio Nido Arts Festival, including: Edward Garcia, Vincenza Gregori, Bruce Fossum, Don Wilson, Patty Byrd, Matt Bedford, Tom Azevedo, Beverly Bird, Rebecca Lichau, Seneca Rising, and Moire Martin.

Barbecue Hoedown at the Roadhouse
Cowboys and cowgals had a rip-snortin’ good time at the Roadhouse’s 1st Annual BBQ Hoedown on Saturday August 21st. The Roadhouse outdid itself in providing great grub and drinks, country music from Rockabilly Mac, plus a straw maze, sack races, watermelon eating contest and piñata smash for the kids. We love the Roadhouse!

Is It Labor Day Already?
We can’t wait for the RNHOA’s Barbecue on Sunday September 5th with delectable chicken, tasty chili and myriad of sweet and scrumptious desserts prepared by the Technology High School to tempt our taste buds. Food served 4:00-8:00pm ($8.00 adult, $5.00 child); Music, dancing mini golf, and children’s talent contest 5:00-9:00pm.

• Visit Rio Nido’s Web site at: http://rionido.net.
• For photos of recent events, see: http://www.flickr.com/photos/russianriverrattina/
• Please send comments, news, and gossipy tidbits to: RussianRiverRattina @ gmail . com.

Tom Lynch resigns from RRROC, what's the world coming to?

2010-09-16T23:06:00.000-07:00

Good grief, Russian River Redevelopment Oversight Committee members seem to be fleeing in droves! Could the long hours and no pay have something to do with it? After losing three members in less than a year (John Uniack, Chris Auzston, and Elio "Buck" Sierra), Tom Lynch tendered his formal resignation this evening. RRROC now has one vacancy each for the residential tenants and residential home owners categories.

During tonight's monthly RRROC meeting at the Guerneville Veterans Hall, Lynch explained that he wanted to avoid possible "conflicts of interest" due to his construction company's future projects (ooh! ooh! What are they?). His fellow RRROC members said they would miss him, and so will I. His jovial presence has calmed many contentious meetings. Dan Fein stated that "Tom is the longest-serving member of RRROC -- 25 years."

Lynch also currently serves on the Zoning Board. He first appeared on the local political scene as "Manure Man" in 1985, when he protested Santa Rosa's "accidentally" discharging 750 gallons of "effluent" into the Russian River by covering four entire city blocks around Santa Rosa's City Hall with manure. He almost made it to the City Hall steps before running out of you-know-what.

Oddly enough, Lynch was not pulled over by law enforcement, despite the fact that he was driving a tractor and broadcast manure spreader around Santa Rosa at three in the morning. Our very own aggressive, ticket-mongering CHP officer -- who currently rules River Road with an iron fist -- probably still wore diapers back in those halcyon days.

On a positive note, RRROC voted to FINALLY approve the Design Guidelines document for the Russian River Corridor, provisional on a few "insubstantial" changes, plus further discussion on recommended architectural styles (based on ones which have historically existed in the area), as suggested by RRROC member Catherine Young. She was concerned that the lovely, Beaux-Arts style of the "Bank Building" in Guerneville would be disallowed for future projects because it wasn't specifically included on the list (for some interesting insights about why the "Bank Building" was abandoned over 20 years ago, read local author Stephen Pizzo's book Inside Job: The Looting of America's Savings and Loans).

Gee, the Design Guidelines only took 9 years to complete. But it was definitely worth the wait. I should know, because Yolanda Solano from the Permit and Resources Management Department read all 56 pages aloud to us during the meeting. I now understand why my 8-year-old daughter needs me to read her to sleep. Yet many folks expressed appreciation for the vastly-improved, simpler, more accessible, and better organized document Solano presented. She responded graciously by giving credit to the Design Guidelines Task Group* for their extensive reviews and recommendations.

RRROC also formally approved the list of individuals appointed to the Brand Working Task Group by Kathleen Kane from the Community Development Commission (CDC) . The newly-created task group will work with the County's consultant, Great Destination Strategies (GDS) and the CDC towards providing advice and feedback towards developing, branding, and facilitating our local tourism industry. For some reason, this makes me cringe, even though I know that tourism is our economic life-blood.

The Brand Working Task group will include some of the most dynamic business people in our community, including Margaret Kennett, Jan Russel, Peter Hacket, Lynette McClean, Justin Lacy, Kim Holliday, Robin Johnson, Phillip Hampton, Camille La Grande, and Lynn Crescione.

Speaking of Lynn Crescione, she totally kicks butt as the new RRROC chairperson. Meetings used to drone on and on for as long as four hours. Nowadays, decisions are quickly made, and meetings last two hours maximum. This may have something to do with the fact that budget cuts have tightened funding guidelines. Nonetheless, Crescione deserves major high-fives for achieving briefer, more tightly-focused meetings.

In addition, Jennifer Howse from the CDC reported on the following projects:

$4 million in redevelopment funds are available for non-housing projects and $800K for housing-related projects this year.
Sweet Water Springs' improvements are moving along.
the Guerneville River Park's clean-up is completed.
the RiverKeeper's park is connected to a new and more reliable water supply.
24 businesses have applied for commercial rehabilitation loans and seven have been approved for design grants.
Two housing rehabilitation projects are in the development stage. No new loans have been approved.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the Graffiti Abatement Program will be presented to the Board of Supervisors in October. If approved, the program will receive funding.
The Fife Creek Commons (formerly known as the 5th & Mill Affordable Housing Project) has begun. The mediation, final report, relocation of the Marshall House, and grading permit paperwork have been completed. Financing is expected to close by early October.
Improvements to the Rusky Rika Dacha apartment complex on River Rd. have been completed.
Great Destinations Strategies (GDS) will hold a public meeting on November 3rd to discuss brand concepts.

________________________________________
* The following individuals have served on the Design Guidelines Task Group: Jon DeSalvio, Lynn Crescione, Catherine Young, George Zastrow, Carl Combs, Mitch Gordon, and Gillian Hayes.

Rockin' Rio Nido ...

2010-09-16T22:46:00.000-07:00

I apologize to both of my readers for neglecting my blog this summer. Sorry, blog, I've been two-timing you ... three-timing, actually. With a house full o' kids, working on Rio Nido's new Web site (http://rionido.net/) with neighbors, and writing a new "Rockin' Rio Nido" column for the Sonoma County Gazette with my friend and neighbor Elena Chronis (catch up on Rio Nido's summer happenings in the September issue -- formatted as a PDF), there hasn't been a spare minute. Plus, the distractions of Johnson's Beach, the Rio Nido Roadhouse's offerings, and lively Homeowners Association events have proven WAY too distracting. Now that school has started, I can get back to work ...

Major happenings in Rio Nido this week ...

2010-07-31T00:03:00.000-07:00

Mark your calendars — we’ve got an exciting, jam-packed week coming up! Upcoming events within the next 10 days include: (1) Wrapping up the Pee Wee Mini Golf revamp; (2) Rio Nido’s “National Night Out” celebration; (3) Super-Important Rio Nido Task Force Meeting; (4) RNHOA Golf Tournament; (5) Marshmallow Roast; (6) Pancake Breakfast; and (7) Art Show

For details, please read below:

Sunday August 1^st, 10:00am-3:00pm, volunteer day at Pee Wee Mini Golf (you know where): Grab a paint brush and come on down to Pee Wee Mini Golf so we can finish painting in time for the upcoming big weekend on August 7^th and 8th! It already looks pretty danged fabulous, thanks to last week’s painting crew (Kim Holliday, Matt Malik, J. Mullineaux, Randie Watson, Kathy DeBrito, Richard Grace, Gigi Grace, and myself), along with lovely paints and tub full of cold bottled water. from Doug Misner and Susie Merkel from the RNHOA. For those of you who’ve said you’d love to help but couldn’t make it last week, now’s your chance! Thank you.
Tuesday August 3^rd, 6:30pm, Rio Nido’s “National Night Out” (Rio Nido Roadhouse): Join your neighbors, the Sheriff Dept. and the Fire Dept. for a fun and festive celebration of our community at “National Night Out — America’s night out against crime.” FREE hamburgers, hot dogs, lemonade, and ice water will be served. Please bring a potluck dish and/or some marshmallows for roasting. Sponsored by the Rio Nido Road House and the Rio Nido Home Owners Association. National Night Out is designed to strengthen neighborhood spirit and encourage crime prevention. If you’d like to spread the word, please download our National Night Out flier (formatted as a PDF), print it out, & pass it along to your friends & neighbors.
Saturday August 7^th, SUPER-IMPORTANT Rio Nido Task Force Meeting, 11:00am (Rio Nido Roadhouse): If you care about our community’s future and have ideas about improving the quality of life here in Rio Nido, we NEED you to come to this meeting! Large amounts of Redevelopment funds are available, and representatives from the County Development Commission and the Russian River Redevelopment Oversight Committee will be present to hear our ideas and make presentations. Existing proposals from the County-appointed Rio Nido Improvements Task Group (created as a liaison between the CDC and the RNTF) will also be discussed. Please note that Redevelopment funds for the Russian River Project Area are set aside from the property taxes we ALL pay – either directly as property owners, or indirectly as tenants.
Saturday August 7^th, RNHOA Golf Tournament, 10:00am-2:00pm (Northwood Golf Course): 10AM Continuous start. 2-Person Scramble Format. $90 per player. Includes: 18 holes, golf cart, tee prizes and a BBQ at Rio Nido Roadhouse. HOLE SPONSORS are still needed for $50 each, at the 1st and $25 2nd-9th holes.
Saturday August 7^th, Marshmallow Roast and Outdoor Movie, 6:30pm-9:30pm (Rio Nido Home Owners Association Picnic Area): Domenic and Suzanne Farnocchia will be hosting yet another one of these events which have proven so popular over the years. While waiting for the sun to set, we’ll gather around a campfire to roast marshmallows and make s’mores. As dusk approaches, we’ll bundle up and watch a fun, family-friendly movie on the big projector, which the kids will love. Marshmallows, skewers, graham crackers, and chocolate provided. Please bring water & beverages for yourselves and the kids, along with another layer since it does get chilly at night.
Sunday August 8^th, Pancake Breakfast (9:00am-12:00pm), Art Show (12:00pm-3:00pm) (RNHOA Picnic Area): Start the day right with a generous helping of delicious pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausage, orange juice, and coffee (along with refreshing mimosas, bloody marys, ramos fizzes, and other brunch-y libations for those who wish to buy them), followed by an impressive display of talent from our local artists and artisans, along with face-painting for the kids. This is the perfect finish for a fun-filled weekend.

For more information & to stay up to date, visit our fledgling Rio Nido Web site at http://rionido.net/.

RIP, dear, beloved tire swing ...

2010-07-30T23:47:00.000-07:00

This afternoon, my daughter, her friends, and I gazed in mute horror as workers from Russian River Parks & Recreation sawed off the branch of the flimsy tree from which neighbors had hung our short-lived, but much-loved tire swing. Actually, our horror wasn't entirely mute, because my 8-year-old daughter dismounted from her bicycle, strode up to the workers, and politely in a shrill voice, "Excuse me please, but WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH OUR TIRE SWING?!?"
Alas, the workers explained, the tree from which the tire swing swung is not stable, and the branch -- or perhaps the entire tree -- could collapse at any time, and they don't want anyone to get hurt.

I applaud the Russian River Parks & Recreation Department for their concern about our childrens' safety -- not to mention their own legal liability. But I also want us to figure out how to install a viable replacement which would be safe, but which would also provide the sort of spontaneous recreation opportunities for older children, teenagers, & adults which were provided by this wonderful tire swing.

The latest in Rio Nido ... for what it's worth

2010-07-14T22:21:00.000-07:00

Below, please find the latest jumble of Rio Nido news:

Rio Nido Task Force Meeting, THIS Saturday, June 17^th, 11am, location to be announced: We can’t hold the meeting at the Rio Nido Lodge as originally planned, because the folks from Pegasus Theater are building sets for their next production. Kim Holliday is exploring options for an alternate location and we’ll keep you posted.
Marshmallow roast & pancake breakfast this weekend!: Come one, come all. Our traditional Marshmallow Roast will be held this Saturday, July 17^th, 6:30pm, at the Rio Nido Picnic Area (between the Pee Wee Mini Golf Course and the Post Office/Fire Station), followed by a fun, family-0riented, G/PG-rated movie on our big screen. Please bring warm clothing and an endless appetite for marshmallows.

On Sunday, July 18^th, folks can gather for our fabulous pancake breakfast – featuring pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, coffee, and orange juice – at the Rio Nido picnic area from 10am-12pm. Adults $6.00, kids #3.00.
Three cheers for our Rio Nido Clean-Up crew: Let’s give a huge round of applause to the Beautification Committee’s reigning beauty, Jennifer Ostrom, for organizing last week’s clean-up! In addition, our many volunteers deserve combat medals for their hard work and courage in picking up all sorts of junk without the benefit of gas masks and haz-mat suits. Alas, I don’t have everyone’s names yet, but I personally witnessed Johnny Ethridge, Fred Beeler, and Matt Malik bringing back load after load of rebar, cement blocks, moldy furniture, and heavy, splintered lumber in their trucks; and saw Vicky Cunningham and Ann Thomas hauling construction debris and really scary trash out of our creek-beds. Special thanks also to Dennis Judd from Cipora Properties for hosting us at the Rio Nido Lodge; Brad Metzger from the Rio Nido Roadhouse for providing fuel in the form of coffee and donuts; and to Pamela Davis from North Bay Corporation – our waste management company – for going to bat for us and securing the dumpsters, trucks, and labor required for hauling all this stuff away.
Envisioning the future of Rio Nido: Last week, the Sonoma County Community Development Commission met with the recently-created Rio Nido Improvements Task Group, exchanged ideas, and received proposals for funding local redevelopment projects. Proposed projects include major road repair (including underlying water pipes and culverts); stop signs and cross walks; construction of pedestrian walkways to integrate the main areas of Rio Nido (from the entrance by the Rio Nido Road House & Rio Nido Lodge to the Rio Nido Home Owners Association commons, to the Post Office/Fire Station, to the Community Garden./Tennis Courts/Dog Park/Playground); Restoration of waterfront/beach access; Mixed-use construction of housing and retail space by the Canyon 2 entrance to Rio Nido; Construction of a Community Center in the Rio Nido Home Owners Association picnic area; Converting the “Stardust Property” for recreational use; Building observation decks and towers in the redwoods for visitors and environmental education; converting the Pee Wee Golf area into a youth center (and possibly moving Pee Wee Golf to the vacant & flood-free Parks and Recreation-owned land behind the Rio Nido Post Office/Fire Station).

The Rio Nido Improvements Task Group consists of myself, Doug Misner, John Uniak, and Dennis Judd. I’ve worked hard to include all of your wonderful ideas into the proposals I’ve submitted, and can email them to you as PDF files – along with Dennis’ proposal for the integrated pedestrian walkways, and the list of ideas gathered at the meeting – and would be happy to send them along to you at your request. Please email me at RussianRiverRattina@gmail.com.
Pee Wee Mini Golf rehabilitation project: Whew! We have FINALLY finished with the yucky cleaning and power washing. Brad from the Rio Nido Road House even sent his bright, competent, and extremely polite teen-aged helper Ershel over with mortar and equipment to patch up most of the crumbling curbs.

Now, we can move on to the FUN stuff, and start painting, landscaping, and decorating. Doug Misner, president of the Rio Nido Home Owners Association, has offered to provide supplies (for the painting, we need 1 gallon of white, 1 gallon of black, 2 gallons of primary red, 2 gallons of primary blue, 2 gallons of primary yellow; plus 1 set of 4-inch, 2-inch, and 1-inch paint-brushes per hole; for the landscaping, we need soil for 15 planting areas/half wine barrels 2 feet wide & 2 feet deep, along with some appropriately native, perennial, drought-resistant plants as mentioned in my proposal).

We’re also looking for people to “adopt a hole” – meaning people who are willing to build displays around each hole and then store them for the winter. ALSO, some miscellaneous maintenance tasks need to be performed: (1) The broken leg of the picnic tables needs to be fixed; (2) The detached windmill fixture needs to be repainted and re-installed above one of the golf course holes; (3) The detached “roller” fixture (I don’t know how else to describe this thing – it looks like a baby’s rolling rattle) needs to be repainted and re-installed on one of the golf-course holes; (4) Heavy-duty staples need to be removed from the side of the club house; (5) The club house SERIOUSLY needs some patching up – the exterior moldings have been detached, gaps in the siding need to be filled in to prevent rodent infestation.
Random acts of kindness and beauty: In the midst of all these above-mentioned projects, random acts of kindness and beauty are committed on a regular basis by our increasingly numerous “beauty vigilantes”. These folks don’t hash things out in meetings or apply for grants. They don’t even say who they are, or what they’re doing. They just take whatever skills and equipment they have and get jiggy with it. Thanks to our “beauty vigilantes”, the graffiti on our underpass (AKA the “Rio Nido Subway”) gets cleaned up on a regular basis; the rose bushes by the derelict fountain are pruned and revived; a tire swing has been installed across the creek from the Rio Nido playground; and various neighbors are doing things to improve our neighborhood.

Th-th-that’s all folks … at least for now.

New tire swing in Rio Nido!

2010-06-28T01:14:00.001-07:00

While enjoying an evening barbecue with our neighbors – whose deck overlooks the Rio Nido Playground, Dog Park, and Community Garden – we noticed that our daughter, her friend, and other neighborhood kids were gleefully gathered around the park’s newest feature. A fabulous new tire swing had suddenly appeared out of nowhere!

In the dappled, golden sunlight of this warm summer evening alongside the grassy banks of the dry seasonal creek, the kids took turns on the swing – sometimes in pairs – while the others pushed. Their laughter echoed through the canyons as their toes brushed over soft, green grass, purple irises, and then pointed towards the canopy of redwood branches lacing over the pale, blue summer evening sky.

My neighbor, Karyn, stood amongst the children (including her slender, pretty tween-aged daughter and her twin three-year-old sons) with an air of immense satisfaction, because she had been planning the installation of this new tire swing for some time. She obtained the tire and rolled it over from her home on the other side of Rio Nido, while her husband pushed the stroller with the twins. Then, she tied a rock to a length of rope and threw it over the tree branch, and looped it through. They somehow managed to tie the tire securely, and … voila! Instant fun!

The playground is mainly set up for younger children, and “I wanted there to be something for the older kids,” Karyn explained. Sure enough, after the younger crowd had dispersed, a group of teenagers passed by, instantly gravitated to the swing, and enjoyed an hour of good, clean, fun.

Times like these are what make me love living in Rio Nido.

Dog days coming soon to a park near you …

2010-06-28T00:40:00.000-07:00

The Dog Park in Rio Nido has proven so successful that the folks at Russian River Parks and Recreation have decided to build another one on currently vacant Parks and Rec-owned land in Guernewood Park. Although the proposed dog park has generally been well-received, some Guernewood Park neighbors have expressed concern about the lack of adequate parking nearby to accommodate the potential influx of local dog lovers and their furry companions.

The new Dog Park may improve – or possibly exacerbate – a recent, ongoing problem for Guernewood Park residents. During a chance conversation with a Guernewood Park denizen at Safeway – our local social hub where the elite meet and greet – she mentioned that ever since the “No Parking” signs were erected in the Hacienda neighborhood of Forestville, increasing numbers of teenagers and young adults now gather around the site of future Dog Park in Guernewood Park and wreak all sorts of havoc at the nearby beach.

This is confirmed by other reports from recent visitors to this beach who – looking somewhat shell-shocked – vowed never to return. Their descriptions evoked visions of Daytona Beach during Spring Break, but with more mullets and generic beer in those kegs.. At first, I assumed that zealous neighbors had staged these shenanigans (folks do tend to get a tad protective of their neighborhood “secret beaches” around here), but on closer inspection, this formerly lovely stretch of river frontage does appear a tad shabbier these days.

The new Dog Park definitely has potential for providing a nice, shared community space to this already-charming neighborhood. Here in Rio Nido, the Dog Park has helped neighbors get to know each other better. Some now get together for regular play dates for their doggies the way doting parents do for their young children, and it appears that a new romance or two have blossomed as a result. I do hope that the folks in Guernewood Park – who have a Home Owners Association and generally seem to be cohesive and well-organized – can get together and incorporate their vision for the future of their neighborhood into the new Dog Park.

Things that totally tick me off: Like PAYING FOR FLUORIDE!!!

2010-06-18T19:37:00.000-07:00

Here in Sonoma County, a lot of folks believe that if stuff has chemicals in it, then it can't possibly be any good. That's why just about every other County puts fluoride in their water, except for Sonoma County. No wonder so many folks have crappy teeth around here.

That's why -- now that my husband has been out of work for a year & neither of us have been able to get jobs that pay health insurance -- we have to drive way the heck out to Costco every month & pay $10 per month -- so our daughter can have freaking FLUORIDE TABLETS so her teeth don't rot & so she can have the appropriate amount of fluoride which most children receive WITHOUT having to fulfill & pay for prescriptions.

I'm thoroughly disgusted. What in Sam Hill do we pay for our property taxes ANYway?

Go with the (Low) Flow ...

2010-06-18T17:46:00.000-07:00

Your intrepid reporter seeks to find out whether or not our part of the Russian River provides good clean fun for ourselves & our children for the summer of 2010 & gives it a rock-solid go-ahead!

Q: What do you do when your Kayak capsizes on the Russian River during a low-flow summer?
A: Get out & walk.

As both of my readers know, I'm NOT a huge fan of the current "Low Flow" water management policy for the Lower Russian River. When folks talk about "Low Flow" around here, it refers to a Federally-mandated policy designed to limit water flows for the Lower Russian River to 70-90 cubic square feet per minute (CFM, which also means "Come F*** Me", believe me, I know, I've worn those kind of shoes in days gone by), so the estuary at the foot of our River doesn't break through to the Pacific Ocean & thereby allows baby salmons to hatch & grow in an ideal habitat. I agree with this in principal, but find the policy to be flawed in multitudes of ways which could cause permanent economic damage to our home-spun tourist industry.

Last summer's "Low Flow" policy -- imposed by drought in addition to habitat preservation -- proved a disaster. Locals & tourists alike found the shallow swimming holes & billowing algae blooms to be utterly loathsome. Even the briefest excursions for my friends & I who have young children resulted with our children contracting ear-aches, stomach-aches, pink-eye, and other ailments.

This summer's different. For starters, we've had abundant rainfall. As a community, we've also demanded that we approach "Low Flow" & habitat preservation in a new way.

In our second "Low Flow" year, in the wake of heavy rainfall, I decided to test the proverbial waters with my 8-year-old daughter starting with Johnson's Beach in downtown Guerneville. My daughter ADORES paddle boats for their rock-solid stability, loathes canoes for their "tippi-ness" & feels neutral about Kayaks because she has never ridden on one.

Thanks to "Low Flow", my preferred option of renting a kayak at Johnson's Beach was the only option available to us. We plunk down our $10 for a generous hour, life-jackets, paddles for both of us, & a swift push-off & off we go. We push off from Johnson's Beach, paddle under the Bridge, and -- voila! -- FREEDOM! My eight-year old daughter gets the rhythm & pushes her paddle away from shore. The River runs clear & cool & we watch the rocks skidding by beneath us. Eventually, we need to stop & drag our kayak along as we drift into the shallows, but we could have avoided this by staying in the channel.

The River runs clear, fast, & smoothly ... we lose our paddle, lunge for it, & grab for it ... OOPS, I've screwed up -- then off we go, in deep, clear green water, paddling past Mallard ducks with their ducklings trailing behind, tiny swallows swooping about, tiny humming birds alighting upon the enchanting foliage on shore, & huge Blue Herons taking off into the sky.

All along we pass by these beautiful vacation homes with people who feel as excited as we do about all the beautiful creatures who cross their line of vision. We paddle by, & the River flows by swift & sure & clean. Most of the time, we can see to the bottom.

Perhaps this can work for all of us, I danged well hope so.

If not, I'll always feel grateful for the spectacularly beautiful day we had.

Russian River Chamber of Commerce activities

2010-06-13T20:49:00.000-07:00

In an attempt to staunch the flow of local business closings, our Chamber of Commerce arranged for John DeGaetano of the Small Business Advisory Program to host a May 24th Marketing workshop for local business owners. Unfortunately, a scant five people participated, due to the 3:30pm-5:30pm meeting time. Which genius scheduled that one? DeGaetano, an advisor to the Russian River Chamber of Commerce, also hosted two seminars back in March, entitled, “Marketing your Business in the Community and in this Economy.” With all ironic smirks aside, I wish I could have attended one of these programs, they sound interesting.

Actually, our Chamber of Commerce has been quite busy lately with the lovely hanging baskets which decorate downtown Guerneville; the Give Back Tuesday fundraisers at the Rainbow Cattle Company; the Stumptown Daze parade; and the June 3rd "Chamberee" schmooze-fest during which members from eight Chambers of Commerce throughout the County gathered at the Pacific Coast Air Museum to share ideas and services.

In their June 2010 newsletter, the Chamber of Commerce announced that funding is available to landlords or businesses who wish to improve the appearance of their storefronts. DeGaetano will also provide local businesses with free advice by appointment. If you're interested, please stop by the Chamber or call them at 707.869.9000.

Local businesses report suckiest summer EVER

2010-06-12T23:55:00.000-07:00

Egads, I thought our chronically sucky economy was FINALLY starting to turn around. Alas, this recession is the gift that keeps on sucking. Downtown Guerneville looks lively, yet some retailers say this has been "the worst summer ever." Visitors come in to look, but don't buy anything. The folks from Vine Life -- a downtown wine shop which also sells art and novelty items -- have reportedly sold their shop to an investor who plans to move the operation to Discovery Bay, of all places. This will be a sad loss to our community ... and yet another empty store front.

Speaking of empty store fronts, I'm wondering when the landlords plan on getting a $#@%! clue & lowering their rents to realistic amounts that retailers and other small businesses can afford. They shouldn't be allowed to make downtown Guerneville look like cr@p.

Local philanthropist Bob Burke passes away.

2010-06-12T16:36:00.000-07:00

I returned home from giving garden tours at the Applewood for the Resorts in Bloom fundraiser, logged into facebook and received the sad news from Hayley Yount Severe's post:

"I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work the more I live." -- George Bernard Shaw. DEDICATED TO BOB BURKE ... REST IN PEACE GENTLE SOUL.

Mr. Burke owned the local landmark Burke's Canoe Trips and campground, but is best known for Bob Burke's Kids, a non-profit dedicated to providing terminally ill children and their families with fun and enriching outdoor activities, holiday parties, and other events. The Disability Services and Legal Center was to present Mr. Burke with its 2010 Independent Living Legacy award on June 30th.

It's sad to lose a wonderful old-timer like him. Part of me hopes it's a "Mark Twain" scenario in which reports of his death were "greatly exaggerated".

PLEASE bring back Lalita's tamale cart!

2010-06-12T16:16:00.000-07:00

Does anyone know where Lalita & her tamale cart have gone? I desperately crave those tasty, savory morsels. She usually dishes them out in front of Dennis Judd's Rusky Rika Dachas affordable housing project (formerly known as "that crappy-looking housing complex") on River Road every day, starting around lunch time until they sell out. Alas, I haven't seen Ms. Lala since February when Mr. Judd began improving the property, which he purchased in Fall 2009.

Did he kick her out? Or did Ms. Lala flee because the ridiculously named "Rusky Rika Dachas" made it impossible for her to serve tamales with a straight face. Actually, she's been visiting her grand children in Southern California a lot & maybe she's moved down there permanently. Sigh. Lalita, PLEASE COME BACK!

June 2010 post-election haikus ...

2010-06-09T23:00:00.001-07:00

Alas, I did not post my recommendations in time for the June 8, 2010 elections. I hope my negligence didn't leave both of my readers mentally paralyzed & unable to vote, thereby skewing the results of this sparsely-attended election.

Hopefully, the unique and valuable perspectives so briefly & concisely stated in my post-election haiku poems will at least partially make up for the damage caused by my brief inattention.

MEASURE F:
Voters increase funding for
Russian River Fire Protection District

Measure F, F-Yes!
So Fire Dept. can save our homes
(which are STILL worthless).

PROPOSITION 16:
Voters reject PG&E's thinly veiled attempt
to prevent communities from establishing public utilities.

You can "offer" us
the "right to vote," but you can't
make us vote your way.

DISTRICT ATTORNEY:
Jill Ravitch ejects incumbent Stephan Passalacqua

Too few convictions,
Too many injustices,
un-spellable name.

4th DISTRICT SUPERVISOR:
How Mike McGuire crushed Debra Fudge

Pound lots of pavement;
Make thousands of facebook friends;
Add lots of money.

If you like these, please feel free to forward them or re-post them with a link!

Rio Nido Web site's up!

2010-06-09T22:51:00.000-07:00

Woo hoo! Rio Nido has a real Web site now. Check it out for news, events, announcements, and other useful information for residents & visitors. The site is still a work in progress & we welcome any comments & feedback you may have (please email them to websters @ rionido . net). The site was created by the Rio Nido Task Force's Business and Economic Viability Committee. The Rio Nido Task Force is a grass-roots community group seeking to create positive change. The Business & Economic Viability Committee is lead by local resident & O'Reilly Press online community guru Marsee Henon, and its members are Adam Flaherty, Kim Holliday, Domenic Farnocchia, and yours truly.

My no Low-Flow letter

2010-05-03T17:11:00.000-07:00

Greetings, readers:

Below, please find the letter I wrote to accompany the Low Flow Protest form I've filled out & sent to the State Water Resrouces Control Board, Sonoma County Water Agency, & Russian River Watershed Protection Committee. The deadline has been extended to MAY 13th, which means you'll need to mail your Low Flow Protest form by TUESDAY MAY 11th for them to arrive in time.

PLEASE take a little time, printer's ink, paper & stamp money to fill out & mail this. The idea of low water levels along the Russian River every summer for the rest of our lives is simply too dreary & depressing to contemplate. Writing a letter to send with the form can also help get the message across. Feel free to use mine to help you get started.

Thanks, everyone!

May 3, 2010

State Water Resources Control Board

Division of Water Rights

PO Box #2000

Sacramento, CA 95812-2000

To Whom It May Concern:

As an environmentalist, property owner, concerned citizen, and mother, I strongly oppose the proposed modification for lowering Russian River summer flows on a permanent basis for the following reasons:

Negative impact on water quality: Last summer’s low water flows – necessitated by drought conditions – resulted in stagnant pools, algae blooms, and poor water quality. In addition, my daughter (and other children in the area) have contracted stomach viruses and/or ear infections within hours of swimming in the River last summer. We don’t need to conduct expensive scientific studies with voluminous page counts – like the one you hired Entrix (a non-local company based in Dearborn, MI) to do – to know that these conditions cannot possibly benefit any species of fish, endangered or otherwise.
Negative impact on our economy: The towns of Forestville, Rio Nido, Guerneville, Monte Rio, Cazadero, Duncans Mills and Jenner rely heavily on tourism for financial survival even in the best of times. In today’s precarious economy, Low Flow would destroy our tourist industry and serve the death blow to our local businesses, real estate values, tax base, and already beleaguered public infrastructure.
Negative impact on our quality of life: Many of us have chosen to live on the Russian River because of the area’s unique natural beauty and recreational opportunities. Low Flow would permanently damage our natural resources and our communities.

This is also to point out that our part of the Russian River (Rio Nido, Guerneville and Monte Rio) has been designated as a Redevelopment Area due to its economic and environmental vulnerability. Over a decade’s worth of our communities’ tax dollars – plus time and labor from Russian River Redevelopment Oversight Committee members and countless others – have been invested in promoting ecologically sustainable economic growth and opportunities here on the River.

To destroy everything our citizens, business owners, and other stakeholders have loved and worked for over the years by implementing permanent Low Flow conditions would be unconscionable. I don’t understand how such an irrational and potentially destructive proposal backed by such limited and flimsy scientific justification could possibly merit serious consideration. The higher levels of water flow that Russian River residents and visitors have enjoyed since at least the late 1800’s didn’t kill the fish. Over-fishing and pollution from agricultural run-off and sewage from Santa Rosa killed the fish.

Sincerely,

Elisabeth A. Parker

Cc: (1) Sonoma County Water Agency C/O Grant Davis, General Manager, P.O. Box 11628, Santa Rosa, CA 95406; (2) Russian River Watershed Protection Committee P.O. Box 501, Guerneville, CA 95446

Encl: SWRCB Protest form

Another day, another redevelopment manager ....

2010-05-02T00:39:00.000-07:00

Yikes! The Community Development Commission (CDC) has managed to lose yet ANOTHER redevelopment manager. Cas Ellena's departure at the end of April 2010 marks the third in less than five years. Ms. Ellena was appointed in February 2009 to replace the outgoing Boris Sztorch, who in turn served three years after replacing Brent Smith.

What gives? Apparently, Redevelopment Manager may NOT be the career of choice for those seeking stable employment.

The low-down on Low-Flow

2010-04-18T22:58:00.000-07:00

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Low-Flow issues on the Russian River, here are some links:

Russian River Low Flow protest: Brenda Adelman's article from the West County Gazette provides an overview of the Low Flow issue.
On the Russian River -- Oh no, it's Low Flow ... again!: Don McEnhill's article on how low water levels lead to algae blooms, poor water quality, and pre-dawn suffocation for fish.
Russian River low flow proposal -- Bad science!: Russian River Dogs explain the flawed reasoning behind permanently lowering our summer water levels.
Russian River Sisters say "Low Flow" means "No Cash Flow": The Russian River Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence's press release from 2004 still holds true today.
Russian River Instream Flow Restoration page: Sonoma County Water Agency's attempt to explain the rationale behind their recommendation for permanent Low Flow on the Russian River. For those of you willing to slog through it, here's a link to Entrix's Biological Assessment. Entrix is an environmental consulting firm located in Michigan. Gee, couldn't SCWA at least hire LOCAL people to recommend ruining our river and totally wrecking our economy?

See, I'm trying to be balanced and provide links to pro-Low Flow as well as no-Low Flow pages. Alas, my Google searches have failed to turn up any other pro-Low Flow sites because Low Flow totally SUCKS.

Low Flow protest deadline pushed up to May 13th

2010-04-16T08:55:00.000-07:00

Good news for slackers like me who missed the recent Low Flow protest deadline (April 12th) ... The State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) has extended the public comment period to MAY 13th 2010. For more information about Low Flow, please read Brenda Adelman's article in the West County Gazette.

For folks with no time to read, here's the long and short of it ... unless you WANT the Russian River to be shallow, algae-clogged, and totally GROSS (like last summer) every single summer for the rest of our lives, regardless of rainfall levels, PLEASE help stop low flow by doing the following:

Download the Low Flow protest form from the West County Gazette
Fill it out (it's really short)
Write a heart-felt letter about summers on the river or how your business depends on tourism, etc.
Make two photocopies, &
Mail the three documents by MAY 10th (to allow for mail delivery time) to the following addresses:

STATE WATER RESOURCES CONTROL BOARD
DIVISION OF WATER RIGHTS
P.O. BOX 2000
SACRAMENTO, CA 95812-2000

Sonoma County Water Agency
C/O Grant Davis, General Manager
P.O. Box 11628, Santa Rosa, CA 95406,

AND ...

Russian River Watershed Protection Committee
P.O. Box 501
Guerneville, CA 95446.

Please note that you MUST mail these things by May 10th because the Water Agencies have NOT joined the 21st century & do NOT provide email addresses or Web forms. Actually, since they also don't provide a FAX number, they haven't even joined the 20th century!

Spring has sprung!

2010-03-26T00:03:00.000-07:00

“Life is like a rainbow. You need both the sun and the rain to make its colors appear.”

-- Anonymous proverb

Rainbows … Today’s crazy weather – blue skies and warm sunshine one moment, glowering gray clouds and torrential monsoons the next – brought rainbows galore! This evening, students and staff from the Guerneville After School program paused from the evening rush to gawk at the vibrantly-hued rainbow arching over the misty, redwood-forested hills – with a second, fainter rainbow echoing above it – and take snapshots with their cell phones and digital cameras. Five minutes later, my daughter and I pulled into the Safeway parking lot to find folks marveling over the same twin rainbows. I hope they bring us some luck, better times, and maybe even the proverbial Leprechaun’s Pot O’ Gold!

Spring has sprung in Rio Nido: Neighbors have been enjoying the warm weather, sunshine, and the pungent aroma of freshly-mown onion grass. Yep, we’ve got lots of onion grass here in Rio Nido. And if you’ve been walking by the Post Office and Fire Station on warm evenings, you may have noticed Kelsey practicing with her flaming hula hoop. The Rio Nido Community Garden continues to flourish, and several new members signed up at the annual spring meeting on March 13^th. The local canines are getting frisky at the adjacent Dog Park, and they’re not the only ones … Love is in the air. At least two new romantic couples have formed amongst our neighbors since our last Rio Nido Home Owners Association event!

Speaking of interesting new couples … Dennis Judd and Vince Walsh were reportedly seen having a late-evening tête-á-tête at the Rio Nido Road House. Oh-la-la! And who exactly are Dennis Judd and Vince Walsh, you may ask? Mr. Judd is a local developer who purchased the decrepit remains of the historic Rio Nido Lodge last November. Mr. Walsh is the owner of various trashy, derelict eyesores … oops, I meant to say “vacant, buildable lots” … adjacent to the Lodge. Sigh … [cue: mooney eyes and tiny bubble hearts floating around in the air] … sounds like a match made in heaven.

Alas, not all relationships last … newly-elected RRROC members abruptly resign: Elio “Buck” Sierra and Chris AuZsten resigned from the Russian River Redevelopment Oversight Committee (RRROC) only two months into their four-year elected terms. In an email to his constituents, Mr. AuZsten cited “health reasons” causing some of us to surmise that carrying out his RRROC duties placed him in mortal danger of being bored to death. This is a danged shame, as both Mr. Sierra and Mr. AuZsten have lots of energy, experience, and interesting ideas.

PSSST! In case you’ve been noticing the sudden epidemic of stylin’ manicures … the ladies are getting them at Fulton Nails on 2550 Guerneville Road, Santa Rosa. Which employs a new “nail gel” technology which costs $35, takes less than an hour, and lasts for 4-6 weeks! Woo hoo! No more ratty fingernails for the Rattina!

Miscellaneous newsy tidbits

2010-03-10T13:57:00.000-08:00

In the nick of time … Budget cuts and stricter funding guidelines for various public agencies have put many existing and proposed programs and projects at risk. Fortunately, a couple of worthy causes near-and-dear to some of our hearts have received funding in the nick of time. The Russian River Charter School narrowly escaped shutting its doors this month – three months before graduation – via a settlement with the California Department of Education. However, renewal of their charter for next year remains in doubt due to a dispute concerning funds received for average daily attendance.

Despite mutterings about how ambulances do not technically count as “infrastructure,” the Board of Supervisors gave the go-ahead to the Russian River Redevelopment Oversight Committee’s recommendation for $242K towards the funding of a badly-needed, new ambulance for the Russian River Fire Protection District. Fire Chief Sean Grinnell's and 5th District Supervisor Efren Carrillo's strong support overcame objections from Valerie Brown (chairwoman and supervisor for the less-downtrodden 1st district) concerning possible legal challenges from the State.

Girl Scouts, anyone?: Local moms, a few dads, & their girls met last Tuesday at the Sebastopol Library for an orientation on joining or starting Girl Scout troops here in West Sonoma County. Fledgling troops include a combination Daisies (K-1)/Brownies (2-3) troop in Guerneville, and a Daisies troop in Occidental/Salmon Creek. For more information, please email Sandy Pete, the coordinator for West County, at stp @ sonic.net (spaces inserted to prevent spamming). You can also look up local troops on the Girl Scouts’ Web site at www.girlscoutsnorcal.org. If you live in or around Guerneville & crave those delicious Girl Scout cookies, come by Safeway & pick up a few boxes (Saturday from 12:30-3:30pm & Sunday from 1:00-3:00pm) from troop #10480.

Anecdotal Evidence: KGGV FM DJ Laura Mueller hosts a fascinating show about history on the Russian River, including interviews of our older residents. Tune in on Saturdays at 11:00am by turning your dial to 95.1 FM or clicking on the streaming audio link at www.kggvfm.org. If you’ve got a story to tell, contact her at laura @ kggvfm.org (spaces added so Laura doesn’t get SPAM from the email link).

Neighborhood Watch: A number of communities here on the River are forming neighborhood watch groups, including Monte Rio, Guernewood Park, and Rio Nido to address safety and security issues like emergency planning, crime, and substance abuse. For updates, information, and resources, visit Microbulletin Board’s new Neighborhood Watch page. Monte Rio residents, business owners and stakeholders can contact MonteRioWatch @ gmail.com (I’ve added spaces so they don’t get spam from the email link). Folks from Rio Nido are invited to attend the upcoming Neighborhood Watch meeting on Saturday April 3^rd, 11am, at the Rio Nido Roadhouse. If anyone out there has information on the one in Guernewood Park, please let me know.

County creates task group for “revitalizing” Rio Nido: Seriously, it’s on page 5 of the latest Russian River Redevelopment newsletter! And how will task group members be chosen? According to Redevelopment Associate, Al Lerma, applicants’ names will be added to “to the list I am compiling for our Executive Director Kathleen Kane who will make the final selection for the task groups …” How considerate of Ms. Kane to save applicants the trouble of filling out applications, by handpicking all the task group members herself. Apparently, nobody has bothered to inform her and her associate that Rio Nido ALREADY has a task group. They’ve been meeting for the past five months and have set up committees to address Rio Nido Residents’ top priorities: Beautification, Infrastructure, Safety & Security, and Business/Economic Development (which is also in the process of setting up a Rio Nido Web site).

SPEAKING of the Rio Nido Task Force ... The REAL Rio Nido Task force will be meeting on Saturday March 13th at 10:00am at the Rio Nido Road House. We'll get to meet & greet our neighbors over coffee & hear reports from our newly-created committees (Beautification, Safety & Security, Infrastructure, & Business/Economic Development) which have been meeting over the past few weeks.

A page from the affordable housing developer’s playbook: A friend of mine from Guernewood Park recently sent me the link to a fascinating document from the CA.gov Department of Housing and Development’s Web site, entitled “The Fair Housing Toolkit”. This 80-page document serves as a training manual for developers of affordable housing and provides detailed instructions on defusing and overcoming opposition to affordable housing. Since several affordable housing projects here on the Russian River are in various stages of planning and development, many of us may find the strategies explained on pages 53-55 to seem eerily familiar: http://www.cacities.org/resource_files/24068.fairhousingtoolkit.pdf .

Please note that while I DO support construction of affordable housing, I ALSO hope that any developers and County officials involved in these projects to make genuine and meaningful efforts to actively seek and incorporate input from affected communities.

The Rio Nido Road House thanks you!: As per my previous post, they've received over 100 letters of support from us. Efren Carrillo and others from the County are working with the owner, Brad Metzger, to help resolve these issues.

Rio Nido Roadhouse requests letters of support -- please help!

2010-02-25T18:38:00.001-08:00

I received the following letter (shown below) from Brad Metzger, owner of the Rio Nido Roadhouse. He NEEDS LETTERS OF SUPPORT from all of us who love the place. In addition to providing a live music venue, swimming pool, delicious food, & a fun place to hang out, the Rio Nido Roadhouse also supports our community in myriad ways. They've hosted fundraisers for our local schools, a community Easter Egg Hunt, neighborhood meetings, children's swimming lessons with instructors from the Santa Rosa YMCA, morning aquatic aerobics classes, & more.

PLEASE help them out by sending letters of support to 5th District Supervisor Efren Carrillo (ecarrillo@sonoma-county.org) & also send a copy (cc it) to Brad (bk_metzger@yahoo.com) so he can feel the love. If you're up for sending snail mail, mail it to: Rio Nido Roadhouse, Letter of Support, PO BOX 425, Guerneville, CA 95446.

Dear friends of the Rio Nido Roadhouse and Pool:

Recently, an unidentified person has started a campaign to stop live music at the Roadhouse. This person complained to the county, and in return, the County of Sonoma sent me two notices. The first demands that the outdoor stage be permitted or removed in thirty days. The stage was built in the late 1980's, without a recorded permit. Due to ADA and flood zone building requirements, a permit will not be issued as it is, and a permit will not be issued for a new one.

The second notice demands a cease and desist on our live music activities. That's a real shame considering the history of music in Rio nido. I have retained the services of a professional to help me navigate the county, and I have some legal help as well. I feel the the issues are not insurmountable.

This is where you come in. Very soon, I will find myself down at the county offices, in front of the planning commission and our supervisor Efren Carrillo, pleading my case for not tearing down the stage and for the continuance of music.

I would like to ask that you take ten minutes to write a letter to Supervisor Carriillo on behalf of the Rio Nido Roadhouse. Your letter should include any thoughts, feelings, and stories that involve you and your family's experiences at the Roadhouse and its previous incarnation, Rio Nido Bar & Pool. If you enjoy our music events or joined us for our Easter Egg hunt, Lu'au's, Family Hoe-down BBQ, Avon Walk for Life Breast Cancer Benefit, Chili Cook-off for Paco's glaucoma surgery, Spaghetti and Chili Cook-offs for the Monte Rio and Guerneville After School Programs, Family Marshmallow Roasts, memorial service for "PG+E Mike", weddings, for Dave and Debbie or Mark and Nancy, please make reference to those events. Any copies of photos that you could include would certainly go a long way to drive your points home.

I request your help as soon as possible due to the hard, simple fact that the Roadhouse and swimming pool business model are not sustainable without live music several nights a week,all year long. Remember, your families have known and loved this place for quite some time.

Please Mail your letters to:

Rio Nido Roadhouse, PO BOX 425, Guerneville, CA 95446

or Email Supervisor Carrillo directly at: ecarrillo@sonoma-county.org On emailed correspondence to Supervisor Carrillo, please copy me at bk_metzger@yahoo.com.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions or comments you may have at 707.869.0821.

On behalf of myself and the entire Roadhouse staff, Thank you very much.

Brad Metzger

River Rattina supports RRFPD's proposed fire tax, despite vigorous protests from beleaguered wallet

2010-02-11T21:17:00.000-08:00

Braving the vigorous attacks of her shrieking, snarling, snapping, cavernous void of an empty wallet, Russian River Rattina publicly announces her support for the Russian River Fire Protection District's proposed annual $140 per parcel tax hike.

At a disturbingly violent press conference consisting of River Rattina and her enraged wallet, the online journalist declared, "I know times are tough for all of us economically -- OUCH! -- but it's the right thing to do -- DANG! There goes another FINGER for gawd's sake!"

River Rattina's support was cemented when RRFPD personnel broke down the door of her home to rescue her from the physical attacks inflicted by her angry wallet, & whisked her off to the hospital in their ancient, dilapidated ambulance -- which the County refuses to replace, despite repeated requests for funding, because ambulances do not meet Sonoma County's required zoning standards for affordable housing.

But seriously ... how do I explain my change of heart after opposing Measure G and perpetually fuming about how this is NOT a good time for tax increases? I've gone back and forth with RRFPD's supporters in person, on this blog, and on the West Sonoma County Bulletin Board (WACCOBB) -- plus I've read their statements in various local newspapers. Their intelligent, courteous, and well-thought out responses have convinced me we really do need this tax.

Of course, I still feel that California's tax system is unfairly regressive; that our 30% redevelopment set-asides are starving our special districts (schools, emergency services, law enforcement, etc.) of revenue while providing few economic and community benefits per tax dollar spent; and that RRFPD and others in need of money should seek it from people who actually HAVE money these days (i.e. banking executives, terrorists, and white collar criminals).

But, when push comes to shove, we cannot afford -- as a community -- to cut back any further on our emergency protection. I say "emergency protection" rather than "fire protection" because the folks at RRFPD help us with a lot of things besides firefighting. They provide our ambulances and paramedics when we call 911; help with logistics and evacuations during floods and other emergencies; and they do proactive stuff like memorable and well-received safety presentations for schools and various other organizations. The elementary school kids absolutely adore them.

It isn't Fire Chief Sean Grinnell's fault that our crappy economy, Proposition 13, Russian River Redevelopment's 30% set-asides from our Special Districts, and the gaping maw of financial mismanagement from the County, State, Feds, and evil banking firms have somehow managed to suck away all of our financial wherewithal to an undisclosed location. The ill-fated Measure G may have been more fair overall, but it was obtuse, complicated, and we therefore voted against it. RRFPD has worked hard to address these issues with the current tax proposal -- which comes up for a vote in June. It's clear, simple, fair, and relatively affordable.

RRFPD needs the money, or they'll have to lay off key personnel and cut services. The money flat-out isn't there. So it's up to us to ensure that it is, for the sake of our ourselves, our families, our neighbors, our businesses, and our visitors. It basically amounts to $15 per month. I know that's a lot for many of us, including me. But if you think of it as a form of insurance (which it basically is), we have little choice but to bite the bullet and pay.

PS -- RRFPD really DOES need to replace their ambulance. They approached RRROC for funding -- from the tax revenues which have been diverted from them, for pete's sake -- with a strong and well-supported proposal. County officials responded that funding would be unlikely because -- apparently -- a replaced or refurbished ambulance does not meet requirements for redevelopment funding. This is blatantly untrue. Apparently the County only funds what it wants to fund. Like ... um ... affordable housing?

BIG Rio Nido Meeting: Judd not lest ye be judded, part 2

2010-02-08T22:26:00.000-08:00

Actually, the subtitle should be "Judd not lest ye be judded, part 4" because our fourth meeting in as many months is coming up (see previous post). However, River Rattina has been too busy avoiding phone calls from bill collectors while sitting on her porch with a shotgun "jes' in case them danged bankers come round agin" to write up the last two meetings.

The second meeting was held on December 12th 2pm inside the Rio Nido Lodge. And Lo and Behold! The first sight which greeted us as we approached the former hotel lobby was the huge gleaming edifice of a relic from glory days past ... the beautiful, antique, redwood bar which had been stolen from the Rio Nido Lodgea few weeks before! And was found and reported to the Sheriff by an observant neighbor -- in some crankster's pickup truck hack-sawed into three jagged pieces. This was a supreme vindication for Brad Metzger, owner of the Rio Nido Roadhouse, who had been implicated by some bizarre rumor.

The bar had been carefully restored by skillful hands and stood stolidly as though it had never been removed. As JRR Tolkein's hero, Aragorn, declared about the once-broken sword of Isildur, "It has been remade." More brownie points for new Rio Nido Lodge owner Dennis Judd, who now looks like the judicious custodian of this precious artifact from Rio Nido's history. Which basically comes down to ... a bar? Um, let's not go there. *Hic*

Chaired by newly elected RRROC member and long-time Rio Nido resident, Chris Auszten, the meeting was attended by over 50 people, including Mr. Metzger from the Rio Nido Roadhouse (which currently serves as our beloved neighborhood hangout, restaurant, bar, music venue, community center, pool, etc.), Mr. Judd, his representative Steve Radjelic, Doug Meisner and others from the Rio Nido Home Owners' Association, 5th District Supervisor Efren Carillo, Mark Krug from the County Development Commission, Tom Lynch from RRROC & the Zoning Board, Sergeant Kevin Young from the Sheriff's Department, Vesta Copestakes from the West County Gazette, Amber Twitchell RRROC member elect and Economic Recovery Director for California Human Services, Karen Kopp from the Guerneville 5&10, Joe Feladjic from GoLocal Coop, local blogger Steve Gladfelter, and many others.

Rio Nido resident Rebecca Ford kept things on track with her calm, professional demeanor, along with a timer to keep things moving at a reasonable pace so we could leave before midnight. Elena Chronis was kept busy furiously jotting down the minutes. Local resident and writer Justin Raimondo and others served as the obligatory anti-development hecklers until others urged them to pipe down and listen to what The-Powers-That-Be have to say. Domenic Farnocchia, the unofficial but de-facto Mayor of Rio Nido was, alas, nowhwere to be found.

Mr. Raimondo squeezed in one last expression of his suspicions regarding Mr. Judd's motivations, only to have Mr. Auszton lose his temper and thunder out, "THIS IS NOT A DEMOCRACY!" Dang! So much for any political prospects he may have enjoyed beyond RRROC. Such a shame, he ran such a good campaign. Thankfully, the One Who Has Innumerable Political Prospects, Efren Carrillo, later gently chided, "Actually, this IS a democracy."

Mr. Judd once again reiterated that he has no specific plans for the Rio Nido Lodge property (affordable housing -- Sonoma County Department of Subliminal Advertising), wants to hear what we folks from the community have to say (affordable housing -- Sonoma County Department of Subliminal Advertising), believes we should unite as a community (affordable housing -- Sonoma County Department of Subliminal Advertising), and wants to work with us towards common goals (affordable housing -- Sonoma County Department of Subliminal Advertising).

As you may have guessed, I do believe that Mr. Judd sincerely wants to work with us towards creating something totally fabulous in keeping with our fabled history, but I also believe that the County's objectives combined with our arcane zoning codes and permit requirements/procedures will make it absolutely impossible for any property owner to make money -- or just break even -- unless they build "affordable housing". Personally, I would love to see more affordable housing in combination with mixed commercial use so we can also have a grocery store, laundromat, coffee shop, theater, the restoration of our once fabulous beach, a dock for boats, a bait & tackle shop, & other amenities. Orrin Theissen ... where ARE you?!

Numerous ideas were exchanged. The energy was amazing. Representatives from our distinguished theater group, Pegasus, expressed hope in finding a new home here. Ms. Twitchell energetically stated the need to use available funds towards creating jobs so people can afford to live here and urged us to "Please think beyond this moment towards what's sustainable." Mr. Feladjic from GoLocal offered "a helping hand" to local businesses ... which currently consists of the Rio Nido Road House & whatever Mr. Judd winds up doing. Rio Nido resident Jennifer Ostrom distributed a handout on potential uses for the space and things we can do towards the beautification of Rio Nido. Mr. Meisner said that running the Rio Nido Homeowners' Association is "like herding cats."

In the end, a sign-up sheet was passed around for those interested in forming a Rio Nido Task Force, and a meeting was set up for January at the Rio Nido Fire Station.

JANUARY 9, 2010 MEETING -- Apparently, Rio Nido was QUITE the happening place back in December. The following meeting on January 9 was well-attended with about 25 neighbors present, but not nearly as crowded and contentious and vibrant as the previous one. Mr. Auszten was facilitating the meeting until ... suddenly, he didn't want to any more. I don't get it ... we ornery, obnoxious, & digressive Rio Nido folks seemed to be on our best behavior that day. Dang, we DO seem to chew through so many of those poor meeting facilitators. Luckily, local resident and business consultant Kim Holliday stepped in and orchestrated some key agreements on what we should focus on: Safety/security, beautification, infrastructure, business development, and internal stuff (how we're organized, how we make decisions, how we work together).

So now these five major items are slated for the upcoming meeting agenda. The meeting is scheduled for Saturday February 13th, 10am, at the Rio Nido Road House. With all the opening and closing stuff, we have 12 agenda items. That means 5 minutes per agenda item. That means we'll need to split off into committees so we can have more detailed discussions & start accomplishing things. Please come, and please also WISH US LUCK!

Rio Nido Meeting, Sat. Feb. 13th, 10am-11am, Rio Nido Road House

2010-02-08T22:04:00.000-08:00

RIO NIDO TASK FORCE MEETING
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 13th, 10am-11am
AT THE RIO NIDO ROAD HOUSE

Flavorful, eye-opening coffee will be served. This meeting is open to the public. All who care about Rio Nido and its future are welcome. Thank you Brad Metzger & the Rio Nido Road House crew for hosting this meeting.

We've made amazing progress since we all first gathered together in early December 2009. Over 50 neighbors have attended the past two monthly meetings, discussed what we love about Rio Nido, & established priorities for issues we want to address moving forward. These priorities include:

Safety & security concerns, including speeding (both kinds);

Infrastructure issues, including roads & emergency preparedness;

Neighborhood beautification, including community clean-ups; and,
Economic viability -- what businesses we'd like to see in Rio Nido & how we can support & enable local businesses to succeed.

The Rio Nido Task Force is an informal group of local residents, business owners, and other stake holders who wish to improve the quality of life in Rio Nido.

BIG Rio Nido meeting! Judd not, lest ye be judded ...

2009-12-09T13:29:00.001-08:00

BIG RIO NIDO MEETING,
Saturday December 12th at 2:00pm
Rio Nido Lodge

Dennis Judd and the Rio Nido Home Owners Association have organized a town meeting to discuss plans and ideas for the Rio Nido Lodge property (recently purchased by Mr. Judd). The meeting will be facilitated by Rio Nido's unofficial mayor, Domenic Farnocchia. Panelists will include major local players, such as Mark Krug, community development manager of the Community Development Commission; 5th District Supervisor Efren Carrillo, RNHOA board member Doug Meisner, Planning Commission member Tom Lynch, local resident, Russian River Redevelopment Oversight Committee (RRROC) candidate Chris Auzten, and others.

Guess what? Some folks out here in Rio Nido -- including yours truly -- have tentatively decided to drink the Dennis Judd Koolaid. As improbable as it may seem, big things may be in the works for our poor, beautiful, eclectic and neglected little town. An unidentified source of mine believes that Mr. Judd is serious about building his healing retreat for cancer sufferers on the Rio Nido Inn property, and gotten the above-listed big kahunas' attention. There even appears to be some consideration being given to yours truly's fantasy about sprucing up the drab parking lot at Rio Nido's entrance and restoring "boulder beach" (which was destroyed years back during the landslides). Though that sounds like a major undertaking.

So it seems that many of us have made unfair assumptions about Mr. Judd's intentions, and we need to start being constructive, giving him the benefit of the doubt and working with him. We're danged lucky that this venerable but recently distressed property has been purchased by someone who actually cares about our community and what we think of him. Because, when push comes to shove, Mr. Judd's the 500-pound gorilla who can do whatever he wants.

New Rio Nido Lodge owner meets with neighbors

2009-12-08T19:25:00.000-08:00

November 7 2009, Rio Nido -- 25 Rio Nido residents gathered on the site of the former Rio Nido Lodge (also known as the Rio Nido Inn) at 11:30am to meet with the new property owner, Dennis Judd. After a series of informal conversations with board members from RNHOA, the Sebastopol-based developer and owner of Cipora Properties invited everyone to a meeting so he could introduce himself and address concerns about his plans for the site.

This was definitely a good move on Mr. Judd's part, considering recent problems with the Rio Nido Lodge property itself; ongoing drug, crime and quality of life issues associated with other multi-unit dwellings in the area; and the fact that Mr. Judd's company specializes in affordable housing and recently obtained Russian River Redevelopment Oversight Committee (RRROC) approval for redevelopment funds for a nearby complex on River Road. For indeed, some neighbors did come with metaphorical torches and pitchforks in hand.

As people arrived, Mr. Judd and Stephen Radeljik (also from Cipora Properties) passed out fliers with an endorsement from local activist and West County Gazette publisher Vesta Copestakes vouching for Mr. Judd's care for the communities in which he builds on one side and yours truly's Top 10 possible uses for the Rio Nido Inn on the other side. (Flattery will get you everywhere!)

Mr. Judd described how he has worked with communities towards "transforming properties" and has been brainstorming with the Community Development Commission about possible uses. Many Rio Nido residents assumed that Mr. Judd intends to build another low-income housing complex. Instead, Mr. Judd stated that he really doesn't know "where to go with this property," and that he wants to work with us on "not just this property, but the whole community." He pointed out that since purchasing the property -- which has caused major problems due to neglect by the previous owner -- things have already gotten better. Mr. Judd also mentioned that the squatters are gone and "now it's cleaned up." He added that "this sends a message that we're a beautiful community & we're not going to put up with this crap any more."

With apparent sincerity, Mr. Judd restated that he hasn't made a decision on what do do with the Rio Nido Lodge and is open to suggestions. He even mentioned that his first choice would be to build a "healing retreat" for people suffering from cancer. Mr. Judd mentioned that he has also discussed the possibility of a specialty grocery store with the owner of a small, local chain. Amazingly enough, it appears that even real estate developers are capable of idealistic dreams.

Ironically, previous Rio Nido Inn owner Jim Friedman had also purchased the now-notorious Faerie Ring Campground in Guerneville back in 2001 with the intention of transforming it into "a healing retreat." Matthew Hagan wrote a flattering article, "Lord of the Faerie Ring", in the December 2004 issue of the North Bay Bohemian. Quel ironie. Then again, Mr. Friedman is a prison psychologist at San Quentin who rented out his various local properties to people just getting out of prison and recovering (or NOT recovering) methamphetamine addicts. So what would you expect?

Following Mr. Judd's presentation, a heated discussion followed. Rio Nido resident and writer Justin Raimondo (whose vituperative response to a conciliatory piece Mr. Judd wrote for the the West County Gazette will appear in next week's issue) adamantly warned Mr. Judd that "We WILL oppose affordable housing." (Not River Rattina -- the way things are going, she might actually need one of those units soon!) Others expressed similar levels of skepticism.

"I don't think you know what we're going through. We have three section eight houses which are drug houses," exclaimed second-generation resident Amy Merkel Rose. A discussion of problem properties throughout Rio Nido ensued, with one neighbor adding, "When the roach motel closed, the roaches scattered but they didn't go away." and another chiming in, "Some of them live next door to me." Dennis Judd responded, "You're fighting an issue that isn't real. I'm not saying we're going to do low income housing. We're still investigating." Justin Raimondo shot back, "You mean you bought a building for $250K without knowing what you'd do with it?" Another neighbor agreed, "That seems suspect."

Sonoma County Planning Commission member, Tom Lynch came to Mr. Judd's defense, explaining that the previous two owners did not have sufficient resources to maintain the Rio Nido Inn. "Dennis Judd has resources to wrok with the community. He fixes up and cleans up neighborhoods. You can't stereotype the tenants ... Can't we get some more positive energy to move forward?" Tom Lynch is also a local resident, member of RRROC, and the owner of a construction company. He is also a long-time friend of Mr. Judd who has worked on projects for him.

Domenic Farnocchia, RNHOA board member, Russian River Parks & Recreation board member, and unofficial Mayor of Rio Nido, inquired of Mr. Judd, "Are you willing to be part of this neighborhood and do a neighborhood watch with us?" The meeting wound down as local resident Randie Johnson asked, "How can we -- as your neighbors -- help you to come to a decision?" Tom Lynch stated that the next steps would be to hav a larger neighborhood meeting with more advance notice and someone from the Community Development Commission present. A tour of the vandalized and gutted -- but now clean -- interior followed.

The next meeting will be held Saturday December 12 2009, 2:00pm at the Rio Nido Lodge and facilitated by Mr. Farnocchia. Panelists are to include: Mark Krug, executive director of the Community Development Commission; 5th District Supervisor Efren Carrillo, RNHOA board member Doug Meisner, local resident and RRROC candidate Chris Auzten, and others.

Rio Nido residents enter float in annual holiday Parade of Lights

2009-11-26T17:36:00.000-08:00

Rock with Rio Nido in the Parade of Lights.
JOIN THE FUN ON OUR 1st RIO NIDO FLOAT!
Saturday, December 5th, 6:00-8:00pm, downtown Guerneville

All folks who live, work, or play in Rio Nido are invited to ring in the holidays & participate in our first-ever Rio Nido float at Guerneville's annual Parade of Lights. All ideas, help, etc. are welcome. If you are interested in participating, please email me & I'll get you in touch with the organizers.

Theme: Rockin' Rio Nido (in keeping with the parade's overall "A Rockin' Holiday" theme)
What: 2 cars festooned with holiday decorations -- including Rio Nido's signature Winking Moon face -- accompanied by the world-famous Rio Nido Kazoo Ensemble's rendition of "Jingle Bell Rock". (um, that's us)
Bring: Kazoos (available at the 5&10) & good cheer. We welcome edibles, libations, & dogs dressed in cute little outfits.
Wear: Santa hats, reindeer antlers, &/or WARM festive holiday attire (it does get cold).

Next meeting:
Sunday November 29th 1:00pm, Post Office parking lot

If you want to participate, please join us to exchange ideas, hash out details, rehearse, &/or coordinate logistics. If the weather's bad, we'll move to an indoor location & notify you by email. We look forward to seeing you there.
Oh, yeah ... the entry fee: We'll also be collecting contributions towards the $35 entry fee , but we know times are tough & won't be keeping tabs on anyone. Please help if you can & don't worry if you can't.

Car Decorating:
Saturday December 5th, 10:00am, location to be announced

We'll need to start decorating the cars on the morning of the parade. If you're interested in decorating the cars for the evening's festivities, we'd love to have your ideas, input, & help. Please email me & I'll tell you where we're meeting as soon as we figure it out.

Meet up for the Parade:
Saturday December 5th, 5:00pm, Post Office parking lot

We'll all get together & then head over en masse to the parade. We need to get there a bit early because of the logistics, signing in, etc. The floats all line up on 3rd street & everyone promenades & admires each others' floats. We then inch along until we turn the corner onto Main Street. When the float passes before the judges, we pause & strut our stuff. Um ... whatever stuff we've got.

If you want to help, have ideas, &/or want to participate, please email me. All ideas, fun holiday decor, funky hood ornaments, etc. are welcome! Also, we're still looking for someone to dress like Santa & pass out packages of crystal meth ... oops, I mean CANDY ... to the kids along the parade route.

New Rio Nido Lodge owner hosts community meeting

2009-11-06T19:28:00.000-08:00

Attention, Rio Nido residents! Dennis Judd, the new owner of the Rio Nido Lodge, will be at the Rio Lodge on Saturday Nov 7 at 11:30 am (that's tomorrow -- or by the time some of you read this, TODAY!). He welcomes everyone to attend, hear his plans for the property, & welcomes any ideas & feedback we may wish to express.

I sincerely hope -- for Mr. Judd's sake -- that Rio Nido Residents find his plans to be agreeable. Not such a tall order, given that we're open to pretty much anything as long as it isn't a multi-unit low-income housing complex. Oh wait ... didn't Mr. Judd recently get approved by RRROC for receiving a $400K loan to develop a low-income housing complex on River Road? Uh-oh.

RRROC approves $400K loan for affordable housing complex in Rio Nido

2009-11-04T18:27:00.000-08:00

The man who recently purchased the Rio Nido Inn for $250K recently received approval for a $400K loan from RRROC to develop a previously purchased Rio Nido property as an affordable rental housing complex. According to Frank Robertson's October 28 article in the Sonoma West Times & News, RRROC's approval of this loan to Sebastopol developer Dennis Judd "raised some eyebrows."

Although the Board of Supervisors hasn't written any checks yet, the County rarely -- if ever -- denies funding for an RRROC-recommended project.

Folks here in Rio Nido have already started grumbling about the "Ruska Rika Dacha rental housing compound" on River Road and Mr. Judd's intentions for the Rio Nido Inn. But I'm still on the fence. After all, if the job market doesn't improve soon, some of us might need to live there. (Psst, Tom Lynch ... can you please send me an application?)

SO ... gee, now that we know the identity of the developer formerly known as "Mr. X", I wonder what Mr. Judd wants to do with the Rio Nido Inn?

I'm still crossing my fingers & hoping we can persuade Mr. Judd, RRROC, & other People With Money to restore the Inn & turn it into some fabulous, historic high-end hotel. They could even buy the enormous & adjacent parking lot fronting River Road (also for sale), restore the old fountain, & landscape a lush garden like the one at the Coronado Hotel in San Diego.

Didn't I once hear something about Mike Reilly and others floating around the possibility of a luxury resort at the entrance to Rio Nido? This would have the advantage of providing jobs within walking distance to all those folks living down the street.

Rio Nido Inn's new owner wants your ideas!

2009-10-19T19:18:00.002-07:00

It's a pretty good zoo, said young Gerald McGrew,
and the fellow who runs it seems proud of it, too.
But if I ran the zoo, said young Gerald McGrew,
I'd make a few changes, that's just what I'd do ....
-- If I Ran the Zoo by Dr. Seuss.

But seriously, what would you do if you owned the zoo? Or, the Rio Nido Inn? After the requisite fumigation, exorcism, & burning of sage, the possibilities of this charming, historic site are endless. The new owner -- whom we can henceforth refer to as "Mr. X" in order to add a dash of mystery & excitement to our dull lives while saving me the inconvenience of typing extra letters -- wants to hear our ideas.

Mr. X (of whom we know nothing other than his Sebastopudlian ties) recently approached Doug Meisner of the Rio Nido Home Owners Association to help gather input & ideas for developing the property. His envoys proclaim that he is willing to consider anything as long as it is agreeable to the community & has the potential to be reasonably successful from a business standpoint. Perhaps Mr. X is amongst the new breed of entrepreneurs seeking to do good while doing well. Perhaps he less ambitiously hopes to avoid previous owner Jim Friedman's unfortunate fate, which has included bankruptcy, jail time, & bad juju in Rio Nido.

Regardless, we should take Mr. X up on his kind offer, think about what to do with the Rio Nido Inn, & ALSO start thinking B-I-G with a capital B. What do we want for the future of Rio Nido? Right now, the sky's the limit. Redevelopment funds are still available for the unlikely combination of property owners & community organizations who work together & share a vision.

Please post your thoughts & ideas as comments below, or, email them to the RNHOA/Doug Meisner at dmc @ rionido . org (sorry, I can't make this email address a link, or they'll get tons of SPAM -- please just delete the spaces after copying & pasting). Actually, I'd prefer that you simply post them below as comments so we can all enjoy reading them, but it's your choice!

There will soon be a public meeting.

Top 10 possible uses for the Rio Nido Inn

2009-10-13T21:30:00.000-07:00

Now that the Rio Nido Inn has been shut down & boarded up, & the sales price is dropping daily, we can start speculating on all the exciting possibilities for this unique & historic site:

Rio Nido House of Horrors: A year-round roadside attraction
Ecologically sustainable termite farm
Utopian experiment in communal living for drug addicts & ex-convicts (oh, wait, that's been done)
Future site of the world-famous Methamphetamine Museum
Rio Nido Home Owners Association Country Club with spa, fine dining, & valet parking
RRROC-funded Rio Nido Community Grow-Op/Friendly Neighborhood Dispensary
Sanctuary for feral cats and off-leash pit bulls
Tattoo/"Massage" parlor (oh wait, we already have one by the Hacienda Bridge)
Coffee shop (we'll need stimulants now that we've lost our biggest meth lab)
Skateboard park

But seriously, what would YOU propose for the site of the Rio Nido Inn now that it's going, going, gone! Please use the COMMENTS link to post your suggestions! You're also welcome to post suggestions for my previous top-10 list, see You know you're a river rat when ...

I look forward to hearing from you!

Rio Nido Inn listed for $499

2009-10-11T20:09:00.001-07:00

FYI, the Rio Nido Inn is now listed for $499K. http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/reb/1412407493.html ... and ... it's STILL a total rip-off.

Local daycare offers evening & weekend hours

2009-06-29T19:18:00.000-07:00

Spread the word! Teri Foster's Loving & Learning Center (childcare & preschool for ages 0-5) here in Guerneville now offers evening & weekend hours by appointment for local residents, visitors, & folks hosting parties & special events who need childcare arrangements for the little ones. The Loving & Learning Center is a fully-licensed facility & is normally open from 7:30am-5:30pm weekdays. Sliding scale & other funding are available for low-to-middle-income families. Ask Ms. Foster &/or the folks at River to Coast Childcare Services for details. I hope this helps the many parents I know who work evenings &/or weekends. I also hope that the availability of evening & weekend childcare helps draw more events & visitors to the restaurants, hotels, & other venues around here. For more information, see my previous post, New preschool & daycare center launched.

Interesting article on redevelopment

2009-06-29T09:40:00.000-07:00

The Press Democrat has run an interesting article on Redevelopment:

Future of Russian River area redevelopment becomes clearer at:

Though it still doesn't seem terribly clear to me. Actually, our future seems rather murky, considering that the Russian River will be clogged with algae once low-flow starts in earnest after the July 4th weekend.

As my Klingon friends would say, "GA-A-A-GGHHH!"

Save Sonoma County Jobs! Stop the $40,000,000 County Raise!

2009-06-16T08:35:00.000-07:00

Good grief! The County plans to lay off 150 workers & provide $10K per year raises for the remaining workers which will total $40 million! Just what we need here in Sonoma County -- 150 MORE unemployed people competing for even FEWER jobs! Not to mention all of the businesses who provide products and services to these workers, whose owners and employees will suffer.

Below, please find a letter that Tom Lynch (from the Sonoma County Planning Commission and the Russian River Redevelopment Oversight Committee) posted to the West County Bulletin Board (http://www.Waccobb.net) & sent to the editors at the Press Democrat, with an introduction. Thank you for all of this information, Tom.

I join Mr. Lynch in strongly urging EVERYONE to call the Board of Supervisors' office at 565-2241.

Dear Friends...

The County is about to layoff 150 workers to fund raises for those that remain. Everyone I know at the County is opposed to this.

Thought I would share with you the below oped piece that I'm hoping will appear in the Press Democrat tomorrow or Tuesday in the Opinion section. Please call the Board of Supervisors office (565-2241) and ask to speak to Valerie Brown, Mike Kerns, Shirlee Zane or staff...it's ok to ask them to "Stop The $40,000,000 County RAISE!!!".

Pass this on to your e-mail list as well...
Tom Lynch

p.s. I've also created a Google Site with lots of info if you are so inclined at http://sites.google.com/site/savesonomajobs [NOTE from Russian River Rattina: Tom's new Web site is an informative collection of statistics and links about what the County's retirement system is costing us]

Dear Editor, Press Democrat:

While State employees face 15% salary reductions, and local City Governments bear loss of wages, jobs and services; the Sonoma County Association of Retired Employees state that County administrators are giving all 4000 County staff $10,000 annual raises in salaries and benefits. A $40,000,000 raise, that saves $20,000,000 the first year, through Draconian cuts in employee health care. The additional $20,000,000 is funded from attrition of those retiring without rehiring, numerous cuts throughout many departments as well as to nonprofit and volunteer organizations, and layoffs of 150 County staff. For the eighth year in a row; a continuing diminishment from that of the previous year, of essential services Sonoma County taxpayers used to rely upon the County to perform with their hard earned tax dollars.

This $40,000,000 is from a $28,000,000 “cash allowance” of $600 per month; plus $12,000,000 toward the County’s 40-50% match on wages funding retirement benefits of all employees and elected representatives. For every dollar in salary, there is an additional 7.5% going toward the unfunded retiree medical obligation, another 8% for payments on $275,000,000 of Pension Obligation Bonds, an additional 16% to the Sonoma County Employee Retirement Association’s (SCERA) retirement fund, plus 7.65% in Social Security and Medicare, and 4-11% for management and elected officials 401(a)s. On the horizon a recent Segal actuarial sturdy projected County contributions to the retirement fund will double over the next 5 years.

The “cash allowance” raises are causing major cuts throughout the County with profound social consequences. The $28,000,000 raise increases the unfunded portion of the County pension portfolio by 40% as well. Why are we going through all these machinations in order to fund the additional $20,000,000 needed for this raise? Wouldn’t we all be better off simply freezing the health benefit as it is and negotiating some higher deductibles and generic medicine? Must we start laying off our less senior workers so soon, for such specious reasons? Are there not alternatives before we start eating our seed corn by cannibalizing our County work force?
The average salary and benefit for the top 1000 (25%) of County staff is now over $170,000 per year. Employees are paid annually for 2080 hours, while working on average 1680 hours….400 hours, 10 weeks, 1 out of 5 days off paid for sick leave, vacation, holidays, etc. Dare we ask County workers to forgo raises, or take a little cut in pay, perhaps reduce the amount of paid time off so that we may keep other staff from losing their own jobs? Cuts in County staff are cuts in essential services; during unprecedented economic conditions, we need government workers to help tend to the least of thee in our society.

County staff work very hard for a sometimes difficult public, and their efforts are often unappreciated. Every one of them would gladly participate in reduced hours, furloughs, salary cuts, etc. in order to help fellow workers avoid losing their jobs. Why are the unions and management not pursuing these other options.

Contra Costa County’s CEO is warning his Supervisors that in order to cover unfunded obligations, the County will have to lay off 25% of their 8000 person workforce over the next three years. Santa Barbara County is having joint Supervisor and Pension Board meetings to discuss major pension portfolio losses. San Mateo County is working collaboratively with all stakeholders toward making government services more sustainable. Locally Mead Clark Lumber, Aaction Rents, Agilent, and numerous other businesses have tried to avoid lay offs with across the board 10% pay cuts. Where is the leadership and vision commensurate with the challenges ahead? So much of the solution is a temporary cut, and Sonoma County is giving raises?

Have we become the proverbial frogs sitting in a pan of water over an open flame doing nothing while the water comes to a boil? Has County government become so insular and jaded to what’s happening that they would seriously consider laying off less senior workers, many of them “front line”, in order to provide raises to those who remain? Our Board of Supervisors has within them the political courage and wisdom to put the brakes on the “cash allowance” health care reform. The hope of many rests on their willingness to reopen negotiations; toward finding consensus on a more creative, innovative and sustainable solution to some of our budget challenges.

Sincerely,
Tom Lynch

(Tom Lynch is a Guerneville builder, community activist, and one of Supervisor Efren Carrillo’s appointees to the Sonoma County Planning Commission. For more info go to: http://sites.google.com/site/savesonomajobs/.

Summer programs at the Guerneville Library

2009-06-15T18:04:00.000-07:00

The Guerneville Public Library offers some fun & interesting summer programs for children, teenagers, & their families.

Summer Reading Program for Children: Children visit the library each Monday, writes down the title of the book they read each week on a special form kept on file at the Reference Desk. On the last day everyone gathers for a special reading and ice cream social. Children receive books and other gifts, and have a chance to win one of many fabulous prizes in a raffle.

Monday June 8th 11am-12pm, Summer Kick-Off: Crafts projects & signing up for the Summer 2009 Reading program
Monday June 15th 11am-12pm, Drummm: Woo hoo! Drum circles for the Milkshake set! Kids & adults of all ages can get into the groove with percussionist Jeni Swerdlow and Drummm for a fun, interactive rhythm experience. For more information, visit www.drummm.com (oh, so THAT explains the 3 m's -- the drum.com dinaub must have been taken!)
Monday June 22nd 11am-12pm, Mae Lin and the Magic Brush: See the classic Chinese tale of a pint-sized artiste whose paintings literally come to life in Randall Metz and the Puppet Company's stylishly whimsical production.
Monday June 29th 11am-4pm, Museum on the Go: Don't miss this opportunity to see how the itinerant Children's Museum of the North Bay (self-described as "a museum without walls") transforms the Guerneville Library into an interactive, hands-on science exhibit for the day. I applaud this creative & tenacious team of scientists, artists, educators, & dreamers for finding such a clever way to pursue their dream of establishing a children's museum in the North Bay, despite their difficulties in finding a permanent site (hey, why can't we give them a site here on the lower Russian River as part of the Russian River Redevelopment project!)
Monday July 6th 11am-12pm, Temporary Tattoos for Kids: Woo hoo! We can entertain ourselves for the rest of the summer by watching our kids' temporary tattoos slowly flake off.
Monday July 13th 11am-12pm, Python Ron's Reptile Kingdom
Monday July 20th 11am-12pm, Owen Baker-Flynn
Monday July 20th 11am-12pm, Summer Reading Program Grand Finale!

Teenagers: Alas, the library doesn't offer quite so many events for teenagers, but the ones below seem worth checking out.

Saturday June 20th 3pm: Henna Art for Teens
Tuesday July 7th 2pm: Bleach T-shirts for Teens

New anti-Low Flow blog

2009-06-06T08:26:00.001-07:00

A local resident who goes by the handle "Katherine Graham Cracker" has started a new anti-Low Flow blog called Stand Up for the Russian River. Her most recent post is amusingly titled "All Beach, No River". For more information, or to send low-flow related information, stories, & photos, visit (http://standupfortherussianriver.blogspot.com/)

The latest on the Rio Nido Inn

2009-05-27T15:29:00.000-07:00

I received the following email from my neighbor, Justin Raimondo, about what's going on with the Rio Nido Inn. For those who don't know, this long-neglected property has become a magnet for noise, drug dealing, littering, crime and other problems in this community. For more information, read my posting -- along with lots of comments from readers -- "Rio Nido Inn for Sale ... Thank Gawd!" from March 2008.

From: Justin Raimondo
To: Russian River Rattina

Here's the latest on the Rio Inn:

I called the real estate agency that is handling the "sale" of the inn, and got the name of the Santa Rosa bank that is going to foreclose on the loser owner of the property, and the woman in charge of properties gave me the name of the court-appointed receiver, one Jim Severii. I spoke to him, and he told me: 1) The residents have been issued a 60-day notice, 2) MAYBE half of them will move out by that time, 3) it will take another few months to get them evicted, and 4) the filth, crime, and general disorder at the Inn is going to get a lot WORSE fairly soon.

He also made a comment that I thought revealed his attitude toward the whole matter: when I complained that the Inn is lowering my property value and the value of all the property in Rio Nido, he said, and I quote: "You know what's lowering the value of your property? Rio Nido itself."

I have seen wild pit bulls roaming free on that property, and I recently rounded the corner of Willow coming back from the post office to witness a cop arresting one of the encampment "residents." You may have noticed that the number of vehicles, especially RVs, has increased dramatically: the "management" is actively encouraging people to come and camp out since they will get sixty days of free rent. I live relatively far from the Inn, but you are right there: with your children running around I would think that you would be concerned about the pit bulls running loose. Maybe you just haven't noticed.

In any case, I have called the animal control division of the county government and reported the pit bull situation. (The other day, while round that same corner of Willow, I was confronted by a shirtless denizen of the Inn, who asked me: "Have you see two pit bulls running around here? They got loose!" Yikes!)

Since I am relatively new to this community, and hardly know anyone, I'm wondering if the other residents are going to stand idly by while a bank destroys their investment and their community.

What's the 411 with Red Spaghetti & its protesters?

2009-05-26T08:00:00.000-07:00

Saturday May 23 2009, Noon-ish, Forestville CA -- While driving through Forestville along River Road, past Berry's Market and the Red Spaghetti Tattoo Parlor just east of the Hacienda Bridge, my husband & I were amazed to see protesters bearing signs amongst the more typical Memorial Day weekenders bearing Budweisers and inflatable inner tubes. No I'm not talking about the "Code Black" Baby Boomers by the bus stop in Guerneville who've been protesting our presence in Iraq ever since the FIRST Gulf War.

This was definitely a younger crowd, and their focus was decidedly less global and more local. The signs said things like "Red Spaghetti does NOT respect our neighborhood" & something about pornography. Huh? It turns out that in addition to the tattoo parlor, Red Spaghetti also runs a medical marijuana dispensary (according to my anonymous sources) and an ... um .... "Slightly Sinful Showroom" (according to their Web site) featuring, among other things, a brass pole.

Sigh. I assume these sidelines have proven more lucrative than the fabulous "full throttle" coffee Red Spaghetti used to sell. At the risk of sounding like a party pooper, I'm STRONGLY inclined towards supporting the neighbors on this issue. The last thing we need here on the River is a place that sells drugs and pornography.

If you have any more information about this matter, please post your comments below.

More emails for Efren Carrillo about having a community forum for redevelopment on the Russian River

2009-05-20T20:53:00.000-07:00

Turns out that some other folks had some additions to Lloyd Guccione's & my emails to Efren Carrillo regarding the County Development Commission's handling of redevelopment on the Russian River.

---------- We need all the help we can get ------------

Hello Elisabeth,

After traveling up to the Russian River over the past 25 years, and after living here part, now full, time in Rio Nido, I agree very much with your remarks about the need to strengthen the infrastructure and to develop a year-round sustainable economy. When these issues are addressed, only then will the Russian River area redevelop into more than just a summer destination spot. That being said, I don't know how controversial or costly the GLBT tourism ads are, but I'm here to tell you, that the GLBT money that is pumped into the local economy is substantial and significant. When it wanes, the community wanes. I've seen that over and over in cycles through the years since the early 80's. However, the GLBT and 'straight' tourism dollar should be considered in addition to the infrastructure and year-round economy issues. Diversity in advertising dollars is always wise.

But I also have to say, nobody wants to invest in a community prone to blight and flooding. When is some enforcement towards the clean up of the local ‘private’ dumpsites throughout Rio Nido going to happen? The Rio Nido Inn is disgusting, with its trailers filled with garbage and covered in blue tarp. I've called the county, to no avail. It appears to me that some substantial redevelopment can start in most of the front and back yards in this area. People drop their trash anywhere they please, and nobody seems to care. The entrance to Rio Nido is a bunch of muddy ruts turned in mosquito ponds. Some large boulders to keep vehicles off these areas, once they were leveled, would be a big help, and would look appealing. Maybe that idea can be presented to the Redevelopment group. True redevelopment will occur when people that drive through the River note the beauty of this area, instead of the blue tarp and garbage dumps along the roadside. Until then, I think the Russian River is doing well to attract any tourist dollar it can get.

Matt Malik

Matt, $25K was spent on niche marketing ads for GLBT tourism. The Chamber of Commerce & other organizations tracked spending for & responses to these ads closely & found -- as you would have predicted -- that the ads had good results, in terms of increased tourism & business. The decision to run these ads was extensively discussed & well-thought out. Unfortunately, the ads also ticked off a LOT of people, who felt that their tax dollars were being spent on promoting an image of our community which many folks are NOT on board with.

In general, we revel in our free-wheeling, live-and-let-live image until a certain line is crossed. Like the equator, the GLBT-Friendliness line is utterly invisible, but definitely not imaginary. It lies somewhat South of our belovedly wild, wacky, & totally stylin' drag queen charitable fundraisers, the Russian River Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence whom we all ADORE; & WAY NORTH of the barbarian hordes of drunken, vomiting, buttless chaps-wearing Lazy Bear Weekend visitors whom we all ABHORE because they're obnoxious & make everyone who's unfortunate enough to visit that weekend -- including our very own friends & relatives -- never, ever, EVER want to visit this area again.

---------- Redevelopment? WHAT Redevelopment? ------------

Dear Mr. Carillo:

This note is to second and support Mr. Guccione’s and Ms. Parker’s messages regarding the conduct and management of the Russian River Redevelopment Area. As a manager, Kathleen Kane does not have the interests of the River communities at heart, is deeply unconstructive in her attitude towards those of us who are advocates for issues in our county region, and is the wrong choice to lead redevelopment efforts here.

Ms. Kane has a long-standing record of unresponsiveness and lack of accountability towards those of us who want to see the RRRA prosper. This is most strongly typified by her refusal to consider any options beyond funding tourism efforts aimed specifically at the gay community. Businesses in the area are getting no marketing support, the large community of families in the Russian River and their interests are completely ignored, and innovative ideas for growing the local economy are shot down with negative comments.

This is completely unacceptable. Among the major problems in this area that Ms. Kane appears to have no interest in addressing are the following:

The central park of Guerneville, Drake Park, has no bathroom and no functioning water fountains. Meanwhile, a recently built county park across the road overpass has a complete bathroom facility and is overrun by the homeless and by drug dealers;
The only credible local newspaper of note, The Russian River Monthly, has just shut down;
At least half a dozen storefronts in Guerneville are vacant, and what new businesses there are do not effectively cater to the local population with good inexpensive restaurants and shopping, preferring to concentrate on fripperies for non-existent tourists such as expensive jewelry and boutique flowers;
An old bank building in Guerneville has been vacant since the mid-to-late 80’s and remains a magnet for homeless panhandlers;
The roads in Rio Nido, my immediate community, are essentially unpaved dirt and local hot-rodders constantly speed through our canyons at 30-40 miles per hour. This while Old Cazadero Road in Guerneville has speed bumps installed along its entire length;
Monte Rio continues to have chronic infrastructure problems and is facing an ugly summer ahead as water levels continue to drop, killing whatever tourism may be possible in that community.
Homes in foreclosure are selling locally for a third of what they were worth a few years ago;
There are absolutely no jobs in the local area.

Now, redevelopment initiatives can’t solve all of these problems, but it would be nice if we had county employees who actually gave a damn about our area. One of the few ways to grow the tax base in this area is to market these communities as less-expensive places to raise a family. Even now, homes in the immediate Bay Area are selling for a median of $700K+ in metro areas, remaining out of reach of even most two-income families. This is a perfect marketing opportunity. Our area remains within commuting distance of San Francisco. Yet all we do is market to the gay community, continuing to damage our communities’ reputation and keeping our image as a party-hearty area where people can come and let their hair down with impunity, drive drunk and commit sexual battery. On some weekends during the summer, I’m actually afraid to bring my kids to Guerneville even to do grocery shopping.

Ms. Kane not only does not represent our interests; she does not offer solutions and simply remains negative and resistant to change and new ideas. I completely support Mr. Guccione’s idea for a community redevelopment forum and hope that you can find time in your crowded schedule to begin to address our concerns and possibly take some action to restructure the RRRA management to become more responsive and constructive. Ms. Kane does not solve problems; she causes them and perpetuates them.

Sincerely,
Richard Grace

Community forum on redevelopment needed, PLEASE help us, Efren!

2009-05-18T11:08:00.000-07:00

The following is an email I sent to our 5th District Supervisor, Efren Carrillo, in support of my neighbor Lloyd Guccione's email requesting a community forum to address Sonoma County's handling of funds earmarked for the Russian River Redevelopment Area. For easy reference, I have posted the original email from Mr. Guccione below mine.

Dear Mr. Carrillo:

As a strong proponent of redevelopment for the Russian River, I'm startled to find myself writing in support of Lloyd Guccione (whose email appears below). Residents of the Russian River urgently need your support in setting up a community forum in regards to the goals and future of the Russian River Redevelopment Area. I feel extremely disappointed, angry and cheated by Community Development Commission Executive Director Kathleen Kane's newly stated (and unilateral) goals for redevelopment. Considerable effort, resources, funds, and time have gone into developing a Strategic Plan & Vision, which incorporated input painstakingly gathered from our community. Yet the papers I've recently received bear little relationship to the document which was approved by RRROC and posted on the Web site.

My family and I moved to Rio Nido five years ago (okay, four-and-a-half). During this time, I've seen Russian River Redevelopment Oversight Committee members, activists, business owners, tenants, property owners and other stakeholders work long hours for zero compensation to ensure that our redevelopment funds are spent in ways that reflect the values, goals and needs of our community. These people take time to meet, do research, write proposals and provide input ... only to have Kathleen Kane shut ideas down again and again. In all the RRROC meetings I've attended, I have never heard this woman say anything constructive. If Ms. Kane devoted the immense energy she spends on explaining why things CAN'T get done towards actually figuring out how to GET things done, the lower Russian River would be in much better shape & the county would be collecting considerably more tax revenues.

Given the fact that our tax dollars pay for redevelopment and her salary -- at the expense of our special districts who struggle to provide vital community services -- the Russian River Redevelopment area deserves a far more positive attitude and a higher level of understanding from the CDC than we currently receive. For starters, we have valid reasons for not wanting all of the redevelopment funds to be spent on directly promoting tourism. Ms. Kane acts as though tourism is the magical tonic we need to invigorate our community. Alas, the hospitality industry does not usually create the sort of steady, well-paying jobs (with benefits) needed to create the viable and locally-active middle class required for the economic and civic health of a community.

We need to devote more resources towards strengthening our infrastructure; providing financial and other assistance to new and existing businesses; and encouraging the development of the middle-class, year-round community necessary for supporting our local businesses and boosting our tax base so we can afford to provide vital infrastructure and community services. One way to achieve this would be to run advertisements targeted to individuals and families in the Bay Area who are priced out of the housing market in parents magazines (like Sonoma Family Life and Bay Area Parent) & alternative papers (like the SF Bay Guardian and East Bay Express), & encourage them to consider relocating. Our natural beauty, cultural & recreational amenities, good schools, proximity to the city, lack of gangs, low crime rate, etc. will prove attractive to many folks & the long commute won't scare them, since most people in the Bay Area already have horrible commutes. This sort of advertising would provide at LEAST as much bang-for-the-buck as the highly controversial "alternative" GLBT tourism ads.

During your campaign, you repeatedly stated your intention of improving our relationship with the County. PLEASE remember this and help us by setting up the community forum on redevelopment which Mr. Guccione has requested.

Thank you.

Elisabeth Parker

--- ORIGINAL EMAIL FROM LLOYD GUCCIONE ---

May 18, 2009

Dear Mr. Carrillo:

I have received no response from you or your staff regarding the planning, formatting, and particpation of a community discussion, dialog, and debate on the future of the Russian River Redevelopment Project. The format outlined by Ms. Kane at last month's RRROC meeting is clearly not that envisioned and hoped for by those concerned over redevelopment's impact and the staff and administrative work and relationship of CDC.

Would you please at least take a moment to clarify your perspective on your campaign standing on the issue of putting redevelopment before the community versus the current (Kane - CDC) effort which is other than a community dialog and debate (and vote) upon redevelopment itself. My desire is to clearly understand your approach to the matter so I will not have any miss-understanding.

Kindly yours,

Lloyd Guccione

Summer fun in Rio Nido -- 2009

2009-05-09T11:56:00.000-07:00

Today's recessionary trends which declare summer "stay-cations" all the rage, make me feel like quite the cutting-edge trendsetter. Once again, my family & I plan to spend summer right here in Rio Nido -- a cool, green, redwood-shaded, historic enclave of a mere 179 dwellings nestled amongst the winding canyons & along the Russian River -- for some good, clean, summer fun (I've heard that some good, down-and-dirty, summer fun can be had here too, but as a dorky stay-at-home mom with 3 kids, I fall asleep before any of that stuff happens).

Our charming little collection of winding canyons shaded by redwoods is located 2 miles east of Guerneville (the largest town in our area), just a mile or two West of the famed Korbel Winery, off of River Road.

RIO NIDO SUMMER EVENTS:

RIO NIDO ROADHOUSE --- POOL, RESTAURANT, BAR, & MUSIC all summer long: The pool & snack bar officially opens Memorial Day Weekend, but Leanne & Brad started early because this past weekend was so danged hot! They also run a bar & restaurant with good food for reasonable prices, & host an eclectic assortment of danceable bands on Saturday nights for a modest $5.00 per adult (kids are free) in their attractive, enclosed picnic area.

RIO NIDO HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION EVENTS

Come join the fun! Everyone's invited!

Once again, these events are hosted between Rio Nido Road & Canyon Seven Road (off of River Road) in the main picnic area, except for the golf tournament. Once you turn in, we're hard to miss. If you live in Rio Nido, PLEASE consider joining our neighborhood association (information provided below). You don't need to actually own a home, you just need to live here, run a business here, summer here on a regular basis; plus a filled-out form, a pulse, & $20):

Memorial Day Chicken Barbecue, Sunday May 24^th: Food: 4pm-7pm ($8.00 adult, $5.00 child). Music & dancing: 5pm-9pm
Fourth of July Hot Dog & Hamburger Barbecue, Saturday July 4^th: Food: 5pm-8pm $5.00 per plate; Music & Dancing: 5pm-9pm
Rio Nido Cleanup Day, July 11th
Pancake Breakfast: Sunday July 19^th: Breakfast 9am-12noon. Adults $6.00, Child $3.00
Rio Nido Homeowners Golf Tournament, Saturday August 8^th:Northwood Golf Club, starting at 9am. 2-player Better Ball format (no handicap). $80 per player. Includes: 18 holes, cart & BBQ at Rio Nido BBQ area after game. To sign up, list the names & addresses of the players, include a check payable to the Rio Nido Homeowners Association, & snail mail to RNHA P.O. Box #A, Rio Nido, CA. For more information, contact Troy Held at troymheld at yahoo dot com (this is not formatted as a link because I don’t want the poor guy to get automatically-generated spam)
Pancake Breakfast & Art Festival, Sunday August 16^th: Breakfast 9am-12noon. Adults; $6.00, Child $3.00; Rio Nido Art Festival 10am-3pm
Rio Nido Homeowners Association (RNHA) General Membership Meeting, Saturday August 29^th at 11am.
Labor Day Chicken Barbecue, Sunday September 6th: Food: 4pm-7pm ($8.00 adult, $5.00 child). Music & dancing: 5pm-9pm
MARSHMALLOW ROASTS ... To be announced: For good, wholesome family fun, join our gracious hosts, Domenic & Suzanne Farnocchia for roasting marshmallows by a roaring campfire, followed by a rated G movie (maybe PG, if they’re feeling kind of wild).
RIO NIDO MINI GOLF – OPEN WEEKEND EVENINGS Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend: Our mini golf course isn’t as fancy as the one on Drake Road near downtown Guerneville (which is wonderful & seems well on its way towards becoming designated as an historical landmark), but it’s fun, charmingly designed, is in walking distance for folks who live or vacation in the neighborhood, it costs only .50 cents per play, & it’s RNHA member Susie Markham’s labor of love. The kids adore it – plus, it keeps them occupied & somewhat corralled during our events. There’s even a small rec-room with kids’ games & inexpensive candy, chips & sodas for sale.
Cool, shady playground: We also have a lovely little playground & picnic area with a circular path for scooters, roller skates, & bicycles/tricycles, which goes over a charming little bridge for our seasonal creek. It’s located a couple of “blocks” north of our picnic area, post office & fire station.

IF YOU’RE A VISITOR OR NEWCOMER: Bring along some extra cash to the holiday events, because you may want to buy a Rio Nido T-Shirt or Sweat shirt with a picture of our winking moon; purchase a yummy dessert from the baked goods table; treat your kids to minigolf; or wet your whistle with some beer, wine, or a mixed drink. You’ll also need an extra layer, because it gets cool here at night. If you have kids & feel nostalgic for the sort of fun, small-town summers you enjoyed as a child, Rio Nido is definitely the place to go – especially during summer holidays.

There are also tons of festivals throughout our area throughout the summer & a lively fireworks show on July 4^th weekend in downtown Guerneville. For events listings, visit the Russian River Chamber of Commerce in downtown Guerneville or check their Web site at http://www.russianriver.com/ . If you want to stay here in Rio Nido, consider a vacation rental through Balaika Guest Homes or D&G Equities. These folks are reliable & have a good selection of rentals in this area.

IF YOU LIVE HERE - Please support the RNHA – Become a member: Do you live, work, or own property in Rio Nido or on Rio Nido Road (which is basically in Rio Nido, despite the Guerneville zip code)? If so, PLEASE join the RNHA. All you need to join is $15, a membership form with your contact information (RNHA has them at the booth at all the major events), & a pulse. Your yearly membership dues will help support all these events; maintenance of our picnic area (which is available year-round) & mini golf course. You will also periodically receive an RNHA newsletter with local news & upcoming events (it seems to come out about four times per year). Despite the organization’s name, renters are also welcome to join. For more information & sign-up forms, please visit the RNHA table at one of our holiday events, or write to: Rio Nido Homeowners’ Association, PO Box A, Rio Nido, CA 95471.

R.I.P. Russian River Monthly

2009-04-19T20:08:00.000-07:00

On April 17, 2009, Writers and staff for the "Russian River Monthly" received emails from General Manager Zelda Michaels announcing that the well-respected and much-loved 13-year-old local newspaper has folded. "This is a letter I hoped never to write," Ms. Michaels sadly acknowledges, and goes on to explain that the publisher (who has backed the paper as a silent partner and prefers to remain anonymous) pulled the plug because advertising goals have not been met and "anticipated sales would most likely continue to fall short". (NOTE: I strongly & vehemently disagree with this pessimistic assessment of the paper's future prospects!)

People close to the "Russian River Monthly" provide various theories regarding the cause of the publication's demise, including: The current recession, which has hit "Russian River Monthly" readers and advertisers particularly hard; Lack of "counter copies" which would would have delivered more ad views to well-heeled visitors; Stiff competition from the "West County Gazette" (which circulates in more affluent parts of the county, and can afford to charge less for ads because its publisher, Vesta Copestakes, is an amazing one-woman-show who employs no writers or staff), and; Lack of strong leadership and vision.

Observers also hint at acrimonious struggles amongst mutually hostile factions within the newspaper. The two most frequently-mentioned groups consist of: (1) People who feel that founding member and Managing Editor, John DeSalvio (aka "The Mayor of Guerneville"), is egotistical, irresponsible, and utterly impossible to work with; and (2) um ... John DeSalvio.

Although the departure of the "Russian River Monthly" for the local toxic landfill coincides with the departure of John DeSalvio for Burbank, CA (in the grand scheme of things, are these twain destinations truly so far apart?), these events are unrelated. Although Mr. DeSalvio has long served as the public face of our local newspaper and has made many important contributions, he is not actually the publisher (contrary to common belief) ... um ... unless he actually IS. The publisher IS anonymous, after all.

Personally, I'm sad to see the "Russian River Monthly" go. And not just because I'm losing my glamorous job as a human interest columnist and am now once again relegated to the drab role of "hausfrau".

Although I truly enjoy reading Ms. Copestakes' "The West County Gazette" & Johanna Lynch's "Russian River Times" & appreciate everything they do for our community, the "Russian River Monthly" was the only local paper that consistently provided high-quality reporting and objective journalism. The sort of quality you can only get by actually paying reporters, columnists, and editors to stay on top of things and go to all those bored (oops, I mean "board") meetings -- even if it is only a measly five cents per word.

I sure hope other local publishers can pick up the slack.

West County Buzz, April 2009 (my column in the "Russian River Monthly"

2009-04-19T19:45:00.000-07:00

West County Buzz, April 2009
by Elisabeth Parker

MY LAST "RUSSIAN RIVER MONTHLY" COLUMN !!!! ... SERIOUSLY ... READ MY FOLLOWING BLOG POST!

Too Good to Be True … On Apr. 1, 2009, Sonoma County Controller Rod Dole and the Board of Supervisors held a 9:00 a.m. press conference in front of the Employment Development Department (EDD) building in Santa Rosa to announce a moratorium on property taxes.

"Tough times call for tough choices." Dole proclaimed tearfully before a cheering throng of recently laid-off citizens filing unemployment claims. "Budget deficits have forced Sonoma County to cut back on tax collection services. For this, I deeply apologize from the bottom of my tiny, cold heart."

5th district supervisor Efren Carrillo elaborated, "My West County constituents demand innovative and cost-effective solutions to the complex economic and environmental challenges we face.”

April Fool! Alas, the County expects local residents to file and pay their taxes as usual.

There are three kinds of people: Those who can count, and those who can’t. Speaking of our tax dollars at work, nine local residents (who apparently believe themselves able to count) showed up at the Guerneville Library at 11:00 a.m. on March 3^rd to apply for $20 per hour jobs with the U.S. 2010 Census. These temporary positions require employees to go door to door and conduct interviews with anyone who happens to be home and isn’t brandishing a weapon.

First, Recruiter Robert Mitchell gave an overview of the job requirements and hiring process, then he passed out the rather lengthy application forms, which asked questions like whether applicants have served time in jail or held elective office (the former should apply for banking jobs). Catherine Young, a public relations consultant and member of the Russian River Redevelopment Oversight Committee (RRROC) asked, “Should I check ‘Yes’ here?” (for holding elective office, not serving time in jail). Alas, even Mitchell felt uncertain about whether serving on RRROC officially counts as holding an “elective office”.

Qualifications for census takers include a working vehicle, valid driver’s license, high scores on the 30-minute test, and the ability to correctly fill out copious quantities of forms. According to the www.2010Census.gov Web site, the Federal Government uses information gathered from households to allocate spending on public projects like roads, schools, public safety, parks, and housing. According to Mitchell, job-seekers with the highest test scores will be notified by the end of April. Since Young scored 98 out of a possible100 on the 30-minute, 28-question test, she’ll probably land one of these coveted jobs.

Exit, stage left … At least one person won’t be home when Young knocks on his door. Long-time resident John DeSalvio, who many folks regard as the suave and cheerful “Mayor of Guerneville”, will soon leave us after 28 years on the River. DeSalvio has served our community in various functions, including a recent stint on RRROC. He was also among the original founders of this publication when it launched 12 years ago, and continues contributing as managing editor, designer, and advertising sales representative.

I Left My Heart in … Downtown Burbank? DeSalvio cheerfully explains that he’s moving to Burbank, CA to join his boyfriend, Ross, and to pursue a new career in screenwriting, playwriting, and doing voice-overs. “I’m working with a few people on various projects,” notes DeSalvio, but can’t reveal anything more due to those pesky non-disclosure agreements. Friends can bid DeSalvio farewell at his 68^th birthday bash on May 8^th at Main Street Station in downtown Guerneville. For a modest cover charge of $5.00, the evening’s entertainment features DeSalvio singing pop standards and Broadway show tunes, and performances from other local talent including Kit Mariah and Lois Pearlman.

Outdoor Barbecue, rain or shine … Apparently, Vesta Copestakes of Forestville isn’t the only Russian River resident who revels in rain. On Saturday March 21, about 20 neighbors in Rio Nido gathered at Bruno Farnocchia Memorial Park at 4:00 p.m. for a potluck, barbecue and marshmallow roast in the pouring rain! Thanks to the tarps, which Domenic Farnocchia (the deceased Bruno’s grandson) and Matt Bedford cleverly hung from trees prior to the event, the majority of celebrants stayed reasonably dry. Notable exceptions consisted of local children, who – fueled with immense quantities of sugar after consuming burnt marshmallows, chocolate and graham crackers – frolicked around the adjacent playground and shallow creek. “This is fun. We definitely needed to do this,” concluded Farnocchia.

Blast from the past: Here on the Russian River, even our water agency’s utilitarian booster station (which pumps our water supply uphill) in Guernewood Park has a colorful past. When asked why locals call the booster station “Handy Andy’s”, Sweetwater Springs Board Member Gaylord Schapp explained, “A handy man named Andy used to live there for years, above George’s Hideaway. He was a colorful character with lots of kids.” Since then, a fire destroyed the house. Handy Andy was also a popular toy tool kit from the 1950’s, which now fetches $69.99 and up on eBay. Later, “Handy Andy” evolved into a slang expression for poor or generic workmanship, similar to today’s “Home Depot Nouveau”.

West County Buzz: March 2009 (my column in the "Russian River Monthly"

2009-03-14T22:30:00.000-07:00

West County Buzz: March, 2009

By Elisabeth Parker

Below, please find my "West County Buzz" column from the March 2009 issue of the Russian River Monthly, our local newspaper.

Into each life some rain must fall. It’s hard to enjoy this winter’s unusually sunny weather, with the threat of drought looming above like a non-existent rain cloud. Luckily, Forestville newspaper publisher and local rainmaker, Vesta Copestakes, took action. “My personal philosophy is that there’s nothing you can’t do something about,” Copestakes brightly asserts. In her Feb. 12issue of the “West County Gazette”, Copestakes exhorted readers to “Think Rain”, posted messages online, and donned bright yellow rain gear (with a matching set for her dog). She even asked local Native Americans to perform a rain dance, but tribal representatives explained that rain dancing is a Plains Indian tradition.

The power of positive thinking. On Feb. 8, the Ocean Song Farm and Wilderness Center in Occidental hosted the rain dance, and the first drops fell that evening.. Led by Cho'Qosh Auh'Ho'Oh, a Coastal native elder, 100 participants from three tribes, Pagan groups, and nearby communities coaxed rain from the clouds with a ceremony, dances, songs, and poetry. A potluck supper concluded the evening. “It’s just wonderful that all these people came together,” exclaims Copestakes.

Coffee Bizarre and the spontaneous combusting vest. No rain fell on the bright morning of Jan. 22, when an unidentified woman’s vest caught on fire as she nodded off in front of Guerneville’s Coffee Bazaar with a lit cigarette (someone please tell Scotty the Barista to go light on the de-caf!). Mike Millar saved the day with his resourcefulness and the DVD he was returning to the Guerneville Library. Astonished onlookers gawked as Millar vigorously smacked the flames with the DVD, jolting the woman awake into a state of uncomprehending terror. “It was the funniest thing,” laughingly recalls an anonymous woman.

No news is good news. Meanwhile in Camp Meeker, “Things are dead quiet since the conflict over the cell phone tower,” reports Tom Austin. “Dead quiet” aptly describes a town with no cell phone reception. Verizon’s proposed cell phone tower on Morelli La. triggered acrimonious infighting, as residents craving cell phone service clashed with activists concerned about alleged health hazards posed by radio frequency radiation. In August 2008, an anonymous neighbor launched Fight the Tower, a Web site and blog (www.fightthetower.com).

Fear and loathing ... Tensions increased in the following weeks, culminating with angry reactions to a vicious Sept. 16 post likening Fred Meyer – a respected Camp Meeker Parks and Recreation Dept. board member and tower proponent – to Marie Antoinette. Meyer’s wife, Dani Sheehan Meyer, retorted, “This has got to stop.” Things finally simmered down when Verizon backed out of negotiations with CMPRD following a jam-packed town meeting on Oct. 22. Over 325 Camp Meeker residents (out of a mere 425 souls) had petitioned the Board to decline the proposed contract.

When beseeched for even the tiniest snippet of more recent news, Austin paused and then exclaimed, “Well, we’re happy about the rain!”

How many Sonoma County sheriffs does it take to not catch the “Guerneville Archer”? Apparently, an entire SWAT team. On Jan. 28, an arrow struck Monte Rio resident James McNeill on the head, launching a siege on the suspect’s home on Mill St. 29 hours and several canisters of tear gas later, law enforcement discovered that the suspect – 30-year-old Shaun Gallon – had flown the coop. A trained survivalist, Gallon remains at large with a $75,000 arrest warrant out for attempted murder.

Reign of error. Meanwhile, Capt. Matt McCaffrey evacuated the neighborhood, triggering mixed reactions from residents and business people. A local employee who requests anonymity, declared, “It seemed kind of stupid. They used all this high technology and none of it worked.” Amon Sharkey from the West Sonoma Inn reports, “I was working that day. We couldn’t leave because they were shooting tear gas, so I stayed at the front desk and booked reservations.” Jill De Proto of D&G Property Management found things to be a bit more interesting. “We were not evacuated, because we are located behind Bucks,” she explained. The phone rang off the hook with people asking for news updates, while folks from the SWAT team came in and out for water and bathroom breaks. De Proto was happy to help. “It was exciting. We were the ‘Hot Line’ for two days.”

Dejah Dorantes of Forestville jokingly inquires, “How would the Sheriff of Nottingham handle this situation?”

Miscellaneous tidbits. Speaking of Jill De Proto (who also serves as president of the Russian River Rotary Club), the wildly successful annual Valentine’s Day Crab and Pasta Feed attracted 250 hungry locals and completely sold out. “This was a very proud moment for the Rotary,” exclaimed De Proto. Proceeds from the dinner and silent auction will provide $1000 scholarships for graduating high school students. John Chapman (AKA “Milo” from KGGV FM) also reports that Herman Hernandez from Russian River Parks and Rec. debuted his striking new haircut which resulted from the donation of his locks at this event. “He looks like a skinhead,” laughs Chapman.

The following evening, Coffee Bazaar hosted the second annual “Love and Loathing on the River” poetry contest and reading. The winners were Christopher “Oak” Reinier (Guerneville), Deanna Hopper (Santa Rosa), and Shellee Harper Post (Monte Rio). Organized by Terri Carrion from Hemp & Chocolat, the event drew a lively crowd . “It was great,” enthused Barista Angelina Greep. “We had a big turnout with lots of people from all over the county. The poetry was eloquent.”

This column’s first response to the request for news items came from Stephen Gross, and was suspiciously entitled “[Bohemian] Grove to Open Gates to County Homeless.”

Alas, RRM’s legions of fact checkers proved unable to verify this spectacular act of generosity, or the part about a contract with an “organ donor clause” allowing the Grove to recover the costs of any property damage through the sale of organs. For the complete text of this humorous and “The Onion”-worthy article online, go to http://www.waccobb.net/forums/general-community/34117-bohos-open-grove-homeless.html.

OOOPS! CORRECTION REQUIRED: Vesta Copestakes did NOT dress her dog in a rain coat, even if she has a dog. When I saw the photograph of a woman & dog in matching raincoats in the February issue of the West County Gazette, I assumed that it was Ms. Copestakes & her dog & was informed that my assumption was WRONG. Mea culpa.

As the coach in that ancient but memorable movie, "The Bad News Bears" once stated so succinctly, "Never ASSUME anything, or you'll make an ASS out of U or ME."

Black-balled from Jenner's online community newsgroup

2009-03-10T00:50:00.000-07:00

Hmph. Since I care about our community here in Western Sonoma County along the shores of the lower Russian River, maintain this blog, & have recently begun writing a human interest column for the "Russian River Monthly," I thought it would be a nice idea for me to signup for the Jenner Community Bulletin online newsgroup at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Jenner/. Apparently, these folks enjoy having their issues & concerns ignored by the local media, because "they" rejected my application to join this apparently exclusive little online forum. Now, I can't help but wonder what these folks are up to ... mwah ha ha.

Justin Raimondo's article about Rio Nido

2009-02-20T02:10:00.001-08:00

Rio Nido resident Justin Raimondo wrote an amazing article about the history & current state of our little Russian River hamlet of Rio Nido. It's located at: http://www.takimag.com/site/article/rio_nido/.

West County Buzz: My new monthly column for the “Russian River Monthly”

2009-01-31T01:13:00.000-08:00

Woo hoo! My new "West County Buzz" column appears in the Russian River Monthly this month. Ugh! My new "West County Buzz" column got edited beyond recognition. Yeah, yeah, I'm overly prolix in my prose & my article weighed in just a few words over the word-limit allotted for my column space. Okay, a lot of words over the word-limit ...

*Sniff* Like any other writer, I feel utterly violated when my verbiage gets cut. Nonetheless, it's part of the game & I generally accept that. Especially since the editor, George Klineman, has good judgement. What I CANNOT accept is the COPY EDITOR randomly hacking off my first paragraph & thereby ruining my column. Yeah, everyone makes mistakes, & I've made some doozies in my time, & the copy editor usually does a good job, so I WILL get over it ...

In the meantime ... mwah ha ha ... Here is my revenge ... the original text of my upcoming column two days before you receive the paper, WITH the apparently offending first paragraph ...

WEST COUNTY BUZZ, February 2009

by Elisabeth Parker

WINDS OF CHANGE? Or is it the sound of the media’s collective flatulence as they fawn over Barack Obama? After whose inauguration, Representative Lynn Woolsey and her Washington colleagues toasted the new president at the Congressional Luncheon with Russian River bubbly from Korbel Champagne Cellars. Meanwhile Guerneville’s Tacqueria Tapatia served live inaugural coverage on a big-screen TV with their breakfast burritos …

Speaking of newly elected young whippersnappers facing major challenges, colleagues report that 5^th District Supervisor Efren Carrillo works 16-hour days, and doesn’t even drink coffee. “The favorite part of my job is knowing that I'll be playing a role in turning these challenges into opportunities,” says Carrillo, adding that, “The people I get to meet every day from all walks of life make this role very enjoyable.” His jam-packed schedule includes department briefings, meetings, communicating with constituents, speaking engagements, and site tours. “It’s amazing how we manage to fit that all in one day!” jokes Carrillo.

OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW: Carrillo recently appointed Pamela Davis of North Bay Corporation (Sonoma County’s garbage and recycling company) as the new planning commissioner, while local builder and activist Tom Lynch amply fills the vacant Zoning Board seat. “Efren’s great!” declares Lynch. “He’s such a breath of fresh air.” Lynch looks forward to focusing on creating “green-collar” jobs, encouraging energy conservation and promoting environmental sustainability.

Carrillo believes that rural areas like the Russian River are “at times forgotten.” He declares, “One priority for the Russian River is to make certain that local government works for them. There are many issues that we can tackle,” including water management, environmental health, conservation of waterways and other natural resources, building a strong local economy, providing adequate mental health and medical services, and creating affordable housing.

TOUGH TIMES: Meanwhile, outgoing Planning Commissioner Rue Furch joins the ranks of the unemployed … On the River, when the going gets tough, the tough work at Safeway. Like Rio Nido contractor Stan Groth, who started in January. “I like the people, and the pay is good,” says Groth … Speaking of jobs, Dan Coshnear, author of the award-winning short story collection, “Jobs and Other Preoccupations”, is featured in this month’s “North Bay Bohemian”. “It’s nice to be recognized,” says Coshnear. He lives in Guerneville with his wife and two children.

WAR ON TERROR: The so-called “Guerneville Safeway Terrorist” called in sicko to work on Jan. 6^th and threatened to shoot everyone. Managers shut the down the store for four hours until the suspect, a 45-year old Cazadero resident and (presumably former) Safeway employee, was taken into custody …

Curiously, the suspect targeted his fellow employees instead of the evil corporate masterminds of Safeway’s diabolical plot to drive customers insane with ongoing price increases, out-of-stock items, and random product relocation. He reportedly sought revenge after a manager reprimanded him in front of coworkers. So WHY was he released on bail nine hours later? Sergeant KevinYoung from the Sheriff’s Department explains, “His fourth amendment rights allow him to make bail.”

MARCH ON WASHINGTON: Meanwhile, the Monte Rio School’s eighth grade class is raising money for their upcoming Washington DC trip. Julie DeCarly (Shelby’s mother) states, “We’ve got a jam-packed itinerary … It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” Plans include visits to the Smithsonian, White House, Lincoln Memorial, and other attractions. But first, they need $20,000 …

“We’re a third of the way there,” says Allison Van Rillaer (Jocelyn’s mother), thanks to a flurry of fundraising events, including a successful New Year’s Eve bash at Duncans Mills’ newly re-opened Blue Heron, which raised $1300. Owner and fourth-generation local Jaime O’Bryan says he was glad to help. Dinner music, champagne and a one-night’s stay at the newly refurbished Timber Cove Inn for the silent auction were provided by Ralph and Michelle Higgins, Korbel Cellars, and general manager Kurt Piccilo.

ACT LOCALLY: Chuck Ramsey from the Monte Rio Community Alliance has good news for those concerned about the immense and unsightly pile of rubble blocking the Monte Rio’s Park and Ride and the entrance to Starrett Hill Drive. The Department of Transportation has made good progress since the retaining wall collapsed on Christmas Day due to heavy rains. “The [concrete] forms are up and Starrett Drive should be open by the end of March,” reports Ramsey, muttering, “It’s been a real pain getting home on Starrett Hill.” Apparently, the only other entrance is so narrow that drivers are required to do a three-point turn to get in and out … Alas, with the Park and Ride out of commission, carpooling isn’t an option.

MISCELLANEOUS TIDBITS: Valentine’s Day approaches and love is in the air … Or perhaps it’s the usual herbaceous aroma wafting from Kaya, Guerneville’s purveyors of coffee, tea & medicinal marijuana. Efren Carrillo looks forward to “spending Valentine’s Day at the Russian River Rotary’s Annual Crab Feed. I look forward to seeing many of you there!” Local celebrity Vira Burgerman (the California Mermaid) has moved her hair salon to downtown Guerneville. Rio Nido will soon have an organic community garden, thanks to a persistent band of neighbors and the Russian River Parks and Recreation department. Guerneville’s Kings and Queens vintage clothing shop is about to break Memories that Linger’s record for longest going-out-of-business sale ever. Last month, the “Going out of business sign” was joined by a smaller sign announcing, “Gone for Jan. Back in Feb.” Guerneville writer Lynn Millar exclaims, “I love that! We’re going out of business but now we need a month off!”

Valentine’s Day: The ideal romantic Date.

Speaking of Valentine's Day, an assortment of local personalities personalities have graciously shared their ideas of the “ideal romantic date” with Russian River Monthly readers:

Efren Carrillo, 5^th District Supervisor: I’m spending Valentine’s Day at the Russian River Rotary’s Annual Crab Feed! I look forward to seeing many of you there! [Eeek! He's lucky he's not married!]
Pamela Tinnan, Pastor, Guerneville Community Church: My favorite date with Zack [her husband] was when we stayed in Point Arena. We were in the hot tub on the beach drinking a glass of wine under the stars & had a view of the light house.
Peter Andrews, KGGV FM DJ: I’d want to be in Paris sharing a meal in a bistro overlooking the Seine River.
Valerie Hausman, Events Director, Russian River Chamber of Commerce: A picnic with a blanket & a picnic basket on a nice Indian summer day, feeding each other fresh grapes & strawberries.
Owen Edwards, Entertainment Columnist & KGGV FM D.J.: I’d start by giving a knitting lesson, move on to a candle-light supper accompanied by a 2004 Merry Edwards [no relation] Pinot Noir, & finish with a triple cheesecake for dessert.
John Blair, Photographer, Blair Studios: For guys, the ideal romantic date is whatever makes our significant other happy.
Russian River Rattina, local blogger and dilettante: Dinner with my husband at Bert Rangel’s restaurant, the River’s End in Jenner, with a view of the ocean and a gorgeous sunset. Alas, I have champagne taste and beer bottle pockets.
Lloyd Guccione, Community Activist: How about Mr. Bush and Mr. Bin Laden shaking hands and showing off a really big hug for the telly sitting in a nice kosher restaurant?

Ooh, we desperately need a Middle Eastern restaurant around here which serves affordable Kosher/Halal cuisine with locally-produced, organic ingredients & a drive-through so you can grab your falafel & hummos on the run. They'll call it Abdul Bernstein's Arab-Jewish Cafe & establish a new trend with their cutting-edge barbed wire decor. Lovely. Oh -- watch out for those pesky landmines.

What’s going on in your neighborhood? Please email Elisabeth Parker with news, gossip and tidbits at RussianRiverRattina @ gmail . com

Homeless update

2008-12-17T14:58:00.000-08:00

Whew! It looks like a temporary emergency winter homeless shelter will be provided at the Guerneville Veterans Hall thanks to the efforts of West County Community Services, our local Veteran’s Connect, the Veteran’s Administration, & other homeless advocates. I hope this means that some other community group besides the Russian River Interfaith Coalition (RRIC) may emerge to address homeless issues on the Russian River & that this new group can accomplish something.

I don't mean to disrespect the folks at the Russian River Interfaith Coalition (RRIC) since I know they're sincere & have several friends & acquaintances who've worked hard for them in the past. Even yours truly helped a little with last year's pasta dinner fundraiser for the emergency shelter in Hubert Hall. But as I mentioned in my last posting, something's seriously wrong with RRIC.

Also, Efren Carrillo our 5th District Supervisor Elect does have some knowledge & experience about homeless issues & hopefully he’ll be able to work with us more effectively than Mike Reilly has been able to do.

Alas, an acquaintance of mine who attended recent meetings of the Russian River Fire Protection District (RRFPD) & the RRIC emergency meeting (to deal with the lack of a shelter) has informed me that the possibility of a homeless shelter at the Rio Nido Fire Station is “still on the table”. Not only that, but rumor has it that some people at RRIC want to make it PERMANENT! This looks highly unlikely, because Sam Barnhard from Catholic Charities – who would have run the proposed emergency shelter in Rio Nido – stated during the December 4 RRIC meeting that he would decline to do so because of all the local opposition.

Nonetheless, it looks like we folks in Rio Nido will need to stay on our toes.

Rumor has it that an important member of the RRFPD’s Board of Directors is involved with the people at RRIC or at least supportive of their agenda. Hmph. This could make it awfully hard for Fire Chief Sean Grinnell to get his proposed (& desperately-needed) tax hike through. Also, I have been informed that RRIC's emergency meeting was sparsely attended.

Homelessness on the Russian River: 12.4.2008 Meeting with the Russian River Interfaith Coalition (RRIC)

2008-12-17T13:50:00.000-08:00

Approximately 15 neighbors from Rio Nido & I attended the Russian River Interfaith Coalition (RRIC)’s meeting at the Russian River Senior Center two weeks ago. Although I STILL don’t feel that Rio Nido is the right location for a homeless shelter (temporary emergency or otherwise), I did find the meeting to be highly informative. The people at the meeting answered many of our questions regarding the problem of homelessness on the Russian River & what we can do about it.

Presenters at the RRIC meeting included:

Cathy Smith, RRIC, Guerneville Community Church
Sam Barnhart, Caseworker from Catholic Charities
Nancy Lisk, RRIC, Sonoma County Task Force on the Homeless
Paula Cook, Community Housing Corporation,
Georgia Berland, Executive Officer, Sonoma County Task Force on the Homeless
Jan DeWald, RRIC, Sonoma County Task Force on the Homeless
Elizabeth Middelberg, RRIC, Metropolitan Community Church

The information presented at the meeting has convinced me that we really do need to provide temporary, emergency winter shelter to the homeless members of our community, while arranging to construct & staff a permanent shelter as soon as possible. Studies have shown that a well-managed (emphasis on the “well-managed” part) homeless shelter & community supported housing helps people get their lives back on track, improves communities, & increases property values because it removes the quality of life problems & economic liabilities caused by leaving people out on the street.

Unfortunately, I do not believe that RRIC is the right organization for providing leadership on homeless issues affecting communities along the Russian River. Although they seem sincere & caring as individuals, their “organization” comes across to me as highly disorganized & dysfunctional. First of all, they’ve been around for three years & still don’t even have a permanent location for an emergency shelter, let alone a permanent one. Why didn’t they haul their bucket to the formerly gushing well of Russian River Redevelopment funds before 5^th District Supervisor Mike Reilly & Governor Ah-nold turned off the spigot?

I’ve also heard that RRIC has experienced savage infighting, held secret meetings without notifying the community or even some of their members, & have recently split up into two separate & mutually hostile groups.

I know several caring, committed & highly capable homeless advocates who have left the group because they couldn’t stand the toxic politics. Other grit their teeth & stay onboard because if you care about homeless issues, RRIC is the only game in town. RRIC has been also been accused of fraud (for accepting financial contributions from local organizations & individuals even though they still don’t have their 501(c) non-profit status legally squared away. They’ve also managed to alienate &/or infuriate various organizations & individuals around town (most recently the Rio Nido Homeowners Association) due to their poor communication, disorganization, & high-handedness. Various homeless advocates have also accused RRIC of doing little of the work & taking most of the credit for various successful programs (like last year’s emergency winter shelter) & misappropriating (or at least mismanaging) funds.

Why do we NEED a temporary emergency homeless shelter?: Because, when push comes to shove, the Russian River is NOT a third-world country (even though our homeless problem & the currently crappy economy sometimes makes us feel like we live in one). When the weather goes below freezing during the winter, people need a safe, warm place to go with cooking & bathroom facilities.
Why can’t we use Hubert Hall like we did last year?: The official reason from the new priest St. Elizabeth’s Church (which owns Hubert Hall) is that they need to hold masses (services) in Hubert Hall to save on utility bills. But I’ve heard rumors that some rogue RRIC supporters left scary messages on St. Elizabeth’s answering machine. It’s too bad. The emergency shelter at Hubert Hall was successful over the last two winters, & has been widely supported by our community.
How many people would be staying in this shelter each night?: Last year, 10-17 people stayed in Hubert Hall on cold nights. I have not heard of any negative incidents or criminal activity associated with the emergency shelter in Hubert Hall.
How would the shelter be kept safe?: The emergency shelter is only open for limited hours in the early evening through early morning. A qualified & experienced social worker (in this case, Mr Barnhart from Catholic Charities) would supervise those staying in the shelter to ensure that the surrounding area remains safe & quiet.
How many homeless people live on the River? For obvious reasons, it’s hard to count homeless people. But according to statistics gathered by the Sonoma County Task Force on the Homeless we have approximately 238 homeless people here on the Russian River. That’s a lot, considering that we only have a total of 3,841 people in Rio Nido, Guerneville, & Monte Rio according to the 2000 Census.
Who are the homeless?: When we talk about the “homeless problem,” we’re usually referring to the “chronic homeless”. The US Department of Housing & Urban Development defines them as people who’ve been out on the streets for 12 months or longer. We River Rats & Rattinas define them more colloquially as “the bums who panhandle, camp under the Guerneville Bridge, hang around looking creepy in the Safeway parking lot, & who scare people away.” They generally have severe mental illnesses & substance abuse issues (disabilities), which prevent them from functioning normally & obtaining employment & housing.

But our homeless population also includes people who do not appear to be homeless. They seem totally “normal” & often even have jobs &/or children. Alas, they don’t earn enough income on a steady basis for settling down anywhere. They sleep in their cars or abandoned buildings, take showers & occasionally stay with friends or relatives, drift in & out of temporary housing, or have a trailer but no permanent place to park it. I personally know at least three local families with young children headed by single moms who’ve been homeless this way.

The moms may be poor, single, uneducated & unskilled, but they’re basically nice & responsible people. Homeless people with children (usually single moms) generally do not stay in shelters, because most facilities are not set up for families with kids & also because "homeless" parents feel as protective of their children as "housed" parents do.

According to Jan DeWald, a significant number of homeless people are “emancipated minors” who’ve "aged out" of the Foster Care system (which only supports children until they're 18 years old) or whose families have abandoned them. These people are just kids, for pete's sake.
Why can’t these people find housing?: People who become habitually homeless are usually mentally ill, addicted to drugs or alcohol, or have other disabilities which prevent them from either holding down a job or going through the process & paperwork required to obtain social services, housing, & SSI disability payments. Without a steady income, good credit record, & ability to present well, they can’t find anyone willing to rent to them.
Why won’t their family or friends take them in? Those among the chronic homeless have generally exhausted all of their options or have no family members capable of helping them. Unsurprisingly, these folks are difficult for others to live with long-term. Friends & relatives take them in at first, then – one after the other in succession – get fed up & kick them out after 6 months of sleeping on the couch without getting their act together (which they cannot do without professional help). Often their parents have passed away & they're rapidly approaching senior citizenship themselves. Many of them have served in the Vietnam War & suffered permanent mental damage as a result.
Why can’t we just give these people a one-way bus ticket to Santa Rosa?: Because most of these people were born &/or raised here & feel that the Russian River is their home. Although life on the streets & under the Bridge is hard, they've learned how to cope & stick with what they know. They've learned the ropes & have friends & support here in this community. They know where they can get food, clothing, & access to a bathroom or shower (some homeless people DO have jobs –albeit low-paying – & do need to be presentable at work). These folks will cling to, protect & defend their little sleeping-bag-sized scrap of turf under the Guerneville Bridge with the same passion & determination that my neighbors & me in Rio Nido cling to, protect, & defend our dinky little ramshackle homes perched upon our precipitous, overly-shady tufts of dry land. We all make ourselves at home, wherever our homes happen to be.
If RRIC cares so much, why don’t they provide a shelter in their own building?: Their own building? Ha ha ha! RRRIC doesn’t have a building. They’re just a group of concerned citizens trying to work with various churches, government agencies, & non-profits to get homeless people some desperately-needed help. I wish they DID have a building, because then we wouldn't be worrying about finding temporary facilities for an emergency winter homeless shelter.
… And what the heck IS RRIC, anyway?: They';re group of local homeless advocates & church leaders. Alas, most of the homeless advocates & church leaders have dropped out of the group. They’ve been around for three years & are in the process of obtaining 501(c) nonprofit status. Unfortunately, they haven’t made much progress in addressing homeless issues due to disorganization & toxic internal politics.
What housing programs do we currently offer here on the Russian River?: West County Services provides emergency housing vouchers (good for staying in a local hotel) for families with children in need. We also offer Section 8 (federally subsidized) housing, but, alas, the waiting list is two years long.
Is it even possible to the help the homeless?: According to Ms. Berland, The majority of homeless people have temporarily fallen upon hard times, have support networks (friends, family, & community services), & manage to get their lives back on track. With the proper support systems in place (I’ll get to that later), 75% of even the chronic homeless population (i.e. the “hard cases”) are able to settle into permanent housing & become law-abiding members of their communities.
So what can we do?: We need to provide a temporary emergency shelter in downtown Guerneville for this winter, because that’s where the homeless people & various services & amenities are located. A site in a residential neighborhood like Rio Nido is inappropriate for both the homeless people & the local residents. And we also need to build a permanent shelter/housing with the appropriate social services. As mentioned above, a combination of welfare, job training, counseling, affordable housing, medical care, & other support (fixing bad credit, obtaining SSI & disability & other benefits, etc.) enable the majority of homeless people to obtain a steady income & housing. Unfortunately, social service programs are currently facing severe budget cuts.

The chronic homeless have severe & persistent mental health issues & require permanent “community supported housing” to keep them off the streets. Which means they would be given a place to live, a social worker to follow their case, and whatever rehabilitation, medication, mental health services & other support they require.

At first, this seems expensive & downright unfair to the ordinary taxpayer. Why should we give permanent housing & services these people when the rest of us are struggling & get no help at all? However, many towns & cities – including Washington DC – have discovered that it’s a LOT less expensive to provide community supported housing to the chronic homeless than it is to leave them out on the streets. This makes sense when you consider the costs of policing, un-reimbursed emergency room visits, sporadic social services & shelter, loss of income for local businesses & quality of life issues.

If you feel that providing permanent housing & ongoing social services for the chronic homeless/mentally ill is expensive & unfair, please do consider the fact that a single ambulance trip to Palm Drive Hospital for someone in an alcoholic coma who’s choking on their own vomit costs over $1000! Tax payers routinely pay for this sort of thing, & a host of other hidden costs which are astronomical & totally avoidable.
Won’t a permanent homeless shelter lower our property values?: According to Ms. Berland a well-run homeless shelter &/or permanent community housing program (I emphasize the words WELL-RUN) tends to RAISE property values in the long-run because these programs eliminate the problems caused by leaving homeless people out & about.
What affordable housing options do we currently have available?: Um … you can move to Nevada. But seriously, we don’t have many. Even tiny studios around here are renting for around $800 per month. . There’s section 8 (which has a two-year waiting list even if you qualify); trailer parks (assuming you have a trailer & don’t live in one of the trailer parks that are being shut down); & emergency housing vouchers for families with children from West County Community Services (to stay at a cheap, residential hotel like River Lane during the off-season). Luther Burbank’s planned affordable housing complex on 5^th & Mill will provide sliding scale apartments with some units set aside for permanent community supported housing. But that’ll take at least three years to build & I don’t know if folks around here can wait that long & there may not be enough units to go around.

Th-th-that’s all folks. I’ve tried my best to gather reliable information from various people involved. Please feel free to comment & provide any additional information that you may have.

Join the new Rio Nido Community Forum on Yahoo Groups

2008-11-29T18:16:00.000-08:00

I've started an online newsgroup for my little community here in Rio Nido. To join, visit our Web page at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rionido/ & click the button that says JOIN NOW. Here, we can exchange information, discuss issues & current events, post announcements, upload relevant photos & documents, & keep a calendar of upcoming events. I hope we can get this thang going.

Rio Nido residents clash over proposed emergency homeless shelter during contentious meeting

2008-11-29T13:58:00.000-08:00

12.12.2008 12:30pm, Rio Nido -- Local resident & RRROC member John Uniack & Rio Nido Homeowner's Association (RNHA) chair, Doug Meisner bravely faced hordes of enraged Rio Nido residents with flaming torches & pitchforks in a largely futile attempt to present the Russian River Interfaith Coalition's (RRIC) proposal for hosting an emergency homeless shelter in the Rio Nido Fire Station.

Okay, I'm exaggerating about the flaming torches & pitchforks & unruly mob. But the 30-or-so folks who showed up -- including vacation home owners who drove all the way from San Francisco to attend the meeting -- were pretty highly outraged. Especially since RRIC representative Jan De Wald cancelled the meeting at the last minute & didn't even bother showing up.

Neighbors (including me) voiced numerous objections, including: "We're residential & aren't set up for this!"; "Why does everything get dumped on Rio Nido!"; "My house has been broken into TWICE!"; "They'll smoke cigarettes & do drugs in the parking lot!"; "Yeah, SURE it'll be 'temporary'!"; "The Interfaith Coalition doesn't even have the guts to show up!"; etc.

When things finally settled down, people asked questions & the following answers have emerged:

WHY RIO NIDO?: The RRIC can't find anyone in Guerneville to do it & have exhausted all their other options. St. Elizabeth's Catholic Church provided emergency shelter at Hubert Hall in Guerneville last year, but can't do it this year because financial difficulties have required them to shut down their church & hold their services at Hubert hall. The Guerneville Community Church can't do it because the Guerneville Head Start preschool is located on the premises. And I have no idea of why the Guerneville Veteran's Hall won't do it.
How many people would be using the shelter?: 10-15 per night.
When would the shelter be used: Only in the winter when the temperature goes below freezing (I'm not sure if shelter would also be offered when it rains).
How would they get here?: A bus will pick them up from downtown Guerneville in the evening & take them back to downtown Guerneville in the morning.
What measures will the RRIC take to keep Rio Nido safe?: The homeless will be bussed in & out (as explained above) & the doors will be shut for the night. A qualified & experienced social worker will be hired to provide supervision.
Why didn't anyone from the RRIC show up at the meeting?: They cancelled the meeting because they're having difficulties in obtaining permits from the Board of Supervisors. Hence, their proposal may be moot.
Who ultimately gets to decide?: The Russian River Fire Protection District (RRFPD) gets to decide because they own the Rio Nido Fire Station.
How many homeless people are there on the River?: Approximately 257 people. As of 2007, the Sonoma County Task Force on the Homeless counted 1974 homeless people in Sonoma County, 13% of whom are estimated to live in the Russian River area. These figures are only estimations because the homeless are difficult to count & also because of varying definitions of homelessness. As far as the emergency shelter is concerned, we're talking about the chronically homeless who've camped out along the River (behind Safeway, under the Guerneville Bridge, etc.) for years & years. According to my highly unscientific & statistically invalid head-count, I think we're looking at about 30 people who will be in need of emergency shelter. But there are also folks who are temporarily homeless, folks living in shelters, & folks who couch-surf & drift in & out of non-standard housing situations. For more information & a link to the 2007 study (formatted as a PDF) go to the Sonoma County Development Commission's FAQ about Homelessness.

SO ... where does this leave us? We'll find out at the NEXT MEETING to be held at the Guerneville Senior Center on Wednesday December 3rd at 5:30PM.

An emergency homeless shelter in the Rio Nido Fire Station?!

2008-11-25T12:37:00.000-08:00

Should the Rio Nido Fire Station become an emergency homeless shelter for the winter? The Russian River Interfaith Coalition wants us to consider this possibility. If you feel strongly one way or the other, please come to the neighborhood meeting -- especially if you live in or do business in Rio Nido.

The meeting will be held at 12:30pm, Saturday November 29th, at the Rio Nido Fire Station.

Personally, I think this is a terrible idea for the following reasons:

The Fire Station is too small & has no bathroom (though there's a small one in the adjacent post office) or kitchen facilities;
Rio Nido has few services & amenities & is two miles from downtown Guerneville (though the Interfaith Coalition plans to hire a bus to shuttle people back & forth each morning & evening);
The presence of a homeless shelter & the resulting concentration of people with substance abuse & mental health issues would be extremely disruptive to our neighborhood & possibly unsafe for the high percentage of vulnerable young children & senior citizens who live in the immediate vicinity of the Fire Station;

and ...
Oh, yeah, as I forgot to mention when I first posted this ... what happens if there's a fire? & where would we put all of the fire fighting gear?

The folks at Hubert Hall say they can't host a shelter again this year (even though my church hosted a dinner/raffle last year which raised $3000 for creating a shelter there). The people at the Guerneville Veterans Hall also say they can't do it. If these facilities -- with their kitchens, bathrooms, & square footage -- can't handle the upcoming wave of homeless people, then the Rio Nido Fire Station certainly can't.

I spoke with a couple of people who are involved with the Interfaith Coalition. They've assured me that the hours will be limited, that the shelter will be managed & supervised by qualified personnel, & that a bus will bring the people here at night & take them back downtown in the morning. They also informed me that they've exhausted all other possible options & that the Rio Nido Fire Station is their last hope.

I feel like I'm being a heartless ogre, since without an emergency shelter, some of these folks could freeze to death. But as a home owner & the protective mother of a 6-year-0ld girl, I really don't want the mentally ill & substance abusing people who camp out beneath the Guerneville Bridge all year long to be imported en masse to a facility which is only a few yards from my house! I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels this way, since there are at least 10 other children in the immediate vicinity.

I'm not the only one who feels that constant proximity to drug users with mental issues is unwholesome for young children: Even my fellow congregants at our Guerneville Community Church -- who passionately advocate for the homeless -- admit that we can't host the shelter in our church because the Guerneville Head Start preschool is located on the property.

On the one hand, I do believe that we should take care of people going through hard times. High rents, foreclosures, unemployment, & health issues have caused many members of our community to lose their homes ... or be on the verge of losing their homes. On the other hand, I do not think our community should necessarily participate in enabling drug addiction, crime & vandalism amongst the chronically homeless.

I also don't understand why the Interfaith Coalition regards the Rio Nido Fire Station as the only possible option. There are two properties in downtown Guerneville which appear to be unoccupied: (1) The church next to River to Coast Childcare Services across from the Veteran's Hall by Church & Mill Streets; and (2) The old, gray bank building on Main & Church Streets. Why can't we have the shelter in one of these places?

Rave review for Fern Grove on SF Gate

2008-11-21T18:21:00.000-08:00

Woo hoo! Travel writer Peter Hartlaub just gave our very own Fern Grove Cottages here in Guerneville an enthusiastic write-up on SF Gate yesterday. Hopefully the review will also appear in the print version of the San Francisco Chronicle. Owners Margaret & Michael Kennett have already gotten some bookings from SF Gate readers & perhaps our other local businesses will see some new customers too.

The Kennetts definitely deserve this rave review. Their establishment is affordable, friendly, clean, comfortable, hospitable, & charming. They have Wi-Fi & Margaret's breakfast scones are totally to-die-for. In addition, the Kennetts have been huge boosters for Guerneville & surrounding towns, & provide guests with well-organized looseleaf binders full of recommendations & brochures for restaurants, merchants, recreations, sites, arts, music, & upcoming events.

I do feel obliged to confess that my husband & I have a huge-warm-fuzzy-soft-spot for Fern Grove Cottages. When we first moved here with our daughter (then a rambunctious toddler) four years ago in November 2004, it was our home for 10 days. The escrow on the home we'd bought here took so danged long, while the escrow on the home we sold in Berkeley went through so fast (three days!) it was like, "don't let the door hit your butt on the way out."

We needed a place to stay for an indefinite period of time, & Fern Grove looked so danged twinkling, warm & inviting even though we had never before noticed the place despite years of frequent visits to the area. It turned out that the Kennetts had recently taken over the place & had already added some improvements. They made us feel comfortable & welcome, & proved immensely kind, helpful & accommodating despite the fact that we definitely were not quite the clientele they were seeking.

We were stressed out with the tangled logistics of our move, the upcoming holidays, & our lack of cell phone service in the area with our former providers. Yet, the Kennett's warm hospitality, cozy furnishings, & simple -- but key -- amenities often made us feel as though we were on vacation. Which is how staying in a hotel or B&B should make you feel.

Happy homeless Christmas

2008-11-19T09:33:00.000-08:00

So ... you think the homeless problem is bad now? Wait until December 1st, when four of our trailer parks close in accordance with yet another brilliant piece of legislation from the mad geniuses who run our county. Where will all these people go? If they don't find somewhere to go, the county will tow away their RV's, trailers, tents, etc. & leave them out on the street. Imagine how festive & welcoming our upcoming Victorian-themed holiday float parade in Guerneville will appear, with all of our scenic roadways crammed with vehicles from these parks? Nice.

I first found out about this impending event from a woman in my church who lives at the Fairy Ring trailer park -- not from the local media or any sort of announcement. I tried to do some research online with various key words & found NO information whatsoever. Apparently, the Powers-That-Be wish to keep this upcoming purge as quiet as possible.

FYI, rural areas like the Russian River here in Western Sonoma don't have low-income housing projects like cities & suburbs ... we have trailer parks. Like urban/suburban projects, our rural trailer parks have the usual assortment of low-wage workers, struggling families, elderly & disabled folks on fixed incomes, & yes, the stereotypical druggies & trouble-makers. And like many protective, middle-class moms, I'd love to see the disruptive substance abusers go somewhere else ... anywhere else.

But what about the folks who cause no harm & contribute positively to the community & simply can't afford local rents? A space in a trailer park costs about $400 per month -- affordable for those who've managed to acquire a trailer, RV or manufactured home. A studio rents for more like $700 & a two-bedroom apartment rents for about $1200 per month. You do the math.

Sure, these folks can apply for subsidized housing, but the wait is often two years long & what are they supposed to do in the meantime?