Members of the Steering Committee for the Redwood Valley Recreation Center attended the September 12 Ukiah Unified School District Board meeting to publicly request that the group be allowed to rehab the lower playing field of the former site of the Redwood Valley School. 

This was not an agenda item, and members of the RVRC group spoke during the public comment section of the meeting. The Trustees are not able to take action on non-agenda items brought up during public comment. Steering Committee member Marybeth Kelly, a retired Eagle Peak math and science teacher, made the request, knowing that chances were slim to none that the Trustees would approve it. This was a follow-up to a similar email request that had been denied. The group wanted to make the request publicly so it would be on the record. 

At the meeting, Kelly spoke about how the Veterans Memorial Recreation Center in San Bruno had been an important part of her childhood, and that the children of Redwood Valley deserved a recreation center. “We would like to start the rehabilitation of the lower playing fields now. It is the perfect time to reseed the fields.” This would require that the UUSD turn the ag water back on, which had been shut off during the drought. She let the Trustees know that the RVRC group has enough funds and volunteers to reseed the playing field. Licensed contractors, who are fully insured, would perform the work, with the help of community volunteers. The playing field is choked with star thistle, and the group would like to reseed the field over the winter months.

Kelly stated again for the record that the UUSD had promised to maintain the school and grounds in “pristine condition,” at the time it was closed in 2008. 

Kelly has been avidly promoting the RVRC for several years. She previously dug into the archives and researched old UUSD Board Minutes, where she found confirmation of that statement.

From UUSD Board minutes Feb 9, 2010: “Trustees asked to confirm use of the schools for the community. Tom Birse, Director of Maintenance/Operations, reported that our most important resources besides students are our schools. We can maintain the campus in a park like setting if the Board chooses by using staff we have. To secure the facilities immediately the plan would be to board the windows but paint them until we lease out the facility. Twice a month maintenance will go though each room to ensure the facility remains in a pristine level, heating will be maintained at 55 degrees. We have a plan that is workable and doable to keep the schools in park like setting.”

For the first few years after the closure of the school, the playing fields were maintained by the UUSD and were used regularly by soccer teams. The ag water was shut off during the drought and was never turned back on.

Steering Committee member Sonya Pio commented that local children need access to a recreation center, saying, “As a community, we’re not offering them enough.”

The property for the Redwood Valley School was originally donated by Florence and J.M. Wooley. Descendants Jerry Wooley and his sister Karen (Wooley) Goodman-Stratman were at the meeting to support the request to renovate the playing fields.

At the August 8 UUSD Board meeting, the Trustees informed the group that any decision would have to wait until after the State Board of Education holds its meeting on November 13-14. Kelly informed us that the UUSD Trustees have applied for a waiver under Education Code Section 33050. A waiver will allow the UUSD to either sell the property outright without going through the open bidding process, which they have tried unsuccessfully twice. Alternatively, the District can lease the property, which is what the RVRC group is aiming for. The application for waiver will be addressed at the November SBOE meeting. 

Echoing what the UUSD Board told the group at the August 8 meeting, where the Trustees urged the RVRC group to wait until after the November meeting, Trustee Zoey Fernandez said, “There will be an RFP [Request for Proposal] process that will need to be unbiased. We can’t work directly with any group.” 

After the meeting, Kelly told us, “The RFP process won’t start for months. Allowing a citizen group to clean up a public property isn’t showing favoritism.”

Previous Coverage

At its recent meeting, the Redwood Valley Municipal Advisory Council (RVMAC) covered a range of local updates, including agricultural initiatives, public safety, and community projects. Angela Godwin, Mendocino County’s new Agricultural Commissioner, discussed promoting sustainable farming and market transparency. The Redwood Valley-Calpella Fire Department announced the availability of free firefighting tools, and a new bus stop on West Road is under construction. The council also addressed local cannabis regulations and efforts to establish the Redwood Valley Recreation Center at the former Redwood Valley School.

There was no Zoom available for this meeting, as Vice Chair Jini Reynolds was absent. 

The guest speaker was Angela Godwin the new Mendocino County Agricultural Commissioner/Sealer of Weights and Measures. Godwin is a member of the California Agricultural Commissioners and Sealers Association, whose goal is uniformity between counties. She comes from Southern California, with years of experience in this position. Godwin’s assistant Amanda Stoner, a Redwood Valley local, was also at the meeting. 

Godwin wants to educate the public about agriculture and increase participation in the Farmer’s Markets. Mendocino County received a good report from the California Department of Pesticide Regulation, as local farmers are already in the habit of using pesticides sparingly. Godwin said her mission is “to promote and protect agriculture and to protect the environment. . . .It’s a balancing act. We encourage sustainable pest management. California is more highly regulated than any state. We encourage organic biocontrols, but sometimes you have to use pesticides to control medflies, for example.” Pest infestations can be tragic. She has seen a situation where the farmers have had to pull out citrus trees and were prohibited from replanting. The ag department is also responsible for randomly inspecting FedEx and UPS packages for pests that might have hitched a ride on packages of homegrown fruit and for illegal pesticide residue. 

Hughes wanted to know how the Ag Department combats illegal pesticides. Godwin is hoping to start a pesticide takeback, where farmers can drop off old pesticides that are no longer legal that they might have in storage sheds. Godwin said, “Some of the stuff that is brought in from other countries is really scary.” 

As far as weights and measures, her job is to ensure equity in the marketplace. The Ag Department is responsible for checking scales on ranches and farms. Gas stations are inspected annually to make sure that if the price says $5.59 a gallon, and you pump one gallon of gas, that pump should register $5.59 exactly. Checking gas octane quality and diesel quality is also part of the job. If someone suspects a violation, they may submit a complaint to the Ag Department, and that will trigger an inspection of the gas station. Records are available to the public, upon a records request.

Farmers and ranchers are eligible for an Ag Pass. During emergency evacuations, law enforcement and firefighters are given a list of Ag Pass holders, allowing pass holders early access to return to evacuated areas to care for their animals and crops. Applications are available online. 

Godwin wants to promote California agriculture, especially because urban populations may not understand farming, yet they outnumber the farmers. She said, “California rules the world with specialty crops. It’s so unique. Our agriculture needs to be protected.”

MAC Member Chris Boyd, who is now the Board Chair of the Redwood Valley-Calpella Fire Department, announced that two people have applied for vacant board seats. The department has a balanced budget. Boyd reported that PG&E has installed 17 fire cameras throughout the county. These have been effective at alerting firefighters to fires as soon as they start. She also urged everyone to install the Watch Duty app on their phone. The Redwood Valley Calpella Fire Department is giving away a free McLeod firefighting tool. Applications are available on the fire department website.

MAC Member Deb Hughes complimented Gizmo Henderson on his successful efforts to place warnings about sparks from trailer chains on the electronic freeway signs. She has traveled all over Northern California recently and saw the signs throughout her trip. Henderson said he “hopes to get our fire insurance back if it can be documented that fewer fires are caused by sparks from dragging chains.”

Alternate Member Marybeth Kelly provided a Grange update. Hernandez Electric is working on the kitchen lights. The kitchen floor will be replaced with quarry tiles, with plank flooring in the rest of the building. The Grange holds a flea market every second Saturday. The Fall Equinox road cleanup is set for September 21. The Halloween Trunk or Treat may be canceled this year, as it was a program used during the Covid pandemic when children could not trick or treat door to door. A Harvest Dance is set for November 16 with the Fargo Brothers Band. Tickets are $20. Food, beer, and wine will be available. The Winter Craft Fair will take place in December. Crafters are encouraged to reserve a spot now, as it will fill up.

Kelly gave an update on efforts to form the Redwood Valley Recreation Center at the closed Redwood Valley School. A large group of supporters attended the August 8 Ukiah Unified School Board meeting to present their case to the Trustees. The UUSD agreed to ask the California Department of Education for a waiver of standard procedure to dispose of an abandoned school and for permission to issue a Request for Proposal to the RVRC and any other groups that may be interested. (See Community Rallies for Abandoned Redwood Valley School on MendoFever.com). This is on the agenda for a November DOE meeting. The UUSD Trustees told the RVRC group to hone their proposal and to be ready to present a great pitch after the DOE decision. Superintendent Deb Kubin, in a polite way, made it clear that they didn’t want to hear from the RVRC group until the DOE decision in November. Her reason is that the Trustees are legally bound not to show favoritism to the group and had to stay uninvolved with any groups until a Request for Proposal is announced in November. Despite this, Kelly had emailed Kubin to ask if it would be possible to turn on the ag water, because the group has a licensed contractor and other volunteers ready to work on the playing field, at no cost to the UUSD. Kelly was informed by email that this would not be possible for insurance reasons. (See separate report on MendoFever.com about the September 12 UUSD Board meeting). 

Boyd and Riley updated the MAC about the County Cannabis Ordinance that was on the agenda at the September 10 Board of Supervisors meeting. A staffer had re-interpreted the existing ordinance in such a way as to allow double the size of a legal cannabis grow in Mendocino County. Currently, only nursery plants are allowed as a second grow on a site. Ellen Drell of the Willits Environmental Center had lobbied hard against the staffer’s interpretation. The Board voted to revise the ordinance in such a way that it will be clear that only 10,000 square feet of mature plants is permitted at a grow site. 

Under the agenda item for New Development, there was a discussion about the construction of a new bus stop at the corner of West Road and North State Street. This sprang up quickly, with no public meetings announced in Redwood Valley beforehand. We stopped by the side of the road and spoke to Lucy Kostrzewa, an engineer with Ghirardelli Associates to ask about the project. The Mendocino Council of Governments and Caltrans are replacing the existing bus stop on that corner with a much larger one that will have room for buses to turn around and will serve riders in both directions. Caltrans is planning to place a barricade at the dirt turnout next to the northbound 101 onramp. This spot currently functions as an informal Park and Ride and auto sales lot. Because the West Road/North State intersection is busy and dangerous during rush hour, people may be opposed to any barricade of the turnout. The MAC Members discussed this and agreed to contact Caltrans and the MCOG to request more information.

Chair Riley reported on the pending application by Faizan Corporation to put a gas station on North State Street in Redwood Valley. A new traffic study was submitted by Faizan, but Caltrans has not ruled on it at this time, so the permit application is still on hold at the Planning and Building Department.

Boyd found research materials from the Grass Roots Institute outlining how cities have created ordinances banning new gas stations. Several cities in Sonoma County have banned new gas stations, but the county itself has not enacted a ban. The Grass Roots Institute has done a lot of work on this, and the RVMAC will continue to study the issue.

This month there were no updates from Sheriff Matt Kendall or Supervisor McGourty. 

Gabriel Baca Meza enthusiastically announced that he is running for Area 3 Trustee of the Mendo Lake Community College District. Young Baca Meza’s platform includes: 1) housing needs for students, 2) incorporating life skills into the curriculum, and 3) exploring more affordable campus dining options, as evening students need a place to grab a bite (Schat’s Bakery and Deli operates a café during the day), and 4) more bus service, specifically from Potter Valley to the campus in Ukiah.

John King of the Humane Society for Inland Mendocino County announced that the annual Kritter Karnival is set for September 22, from noon to four. It is a free, family-oriented event. There will be a live auction, and food will be available, with music by DJ Ken Steely. The 4-H Club and the Fire Department will participate. Come for the dunk tank, petting zoo and bounce house.

Erin Moynahan has applied to join the RVMAC. There is a 30-day waiting period, so although she was in attendance, she was not officially on the council. Her focus is on traffic problems, especially the daily snarl around Eagle Peak School. She spoke about an accident she witnessed, and other near misses on Highway 101 through Redwood Valley, where Caltrans has closed a lane in each direction for construction of a median barrier. The signage is inadequate to alert drivers of the lane closure. Moynahan called the CHP’s Ukiah office to ask that cones be placed to warn drivers that a lane closure is coming. Kelly suggested that she call CHP Sergeant Adam Garcia in Ukiah.

There is an opening on the RVMAC for an Alternate Member. If interested, there is an application form on the RVMAC website. 

The next meeting will be October 9 at 5:30 pm, at the Redwood Valley Grange.