Bennett Mountain in autumn.
In this issue of the VOICE, we have a report on major organizational changes in the Bennett Valley Fire Protection District, an announcement of a panel discussion entitled "The Face of Regulated Cannabis in 2018" on November 15, and an article on recent road improvements. We also have an update on road safety issues in Bennett Valley, an announcement of a meeting about creating a defensible space around your home in Kenwood on December 6, and a reminder of a fire workshop on November 9 at the Bennett Valley Guild Hall.
If you have not done so already, please join or renew your membership for 2018. The dues are $20 plus any additional contribution you may choose to make. Send checks to BVCA, P.O. Box 2666, Santa Rosa, CA 95405 or pay online at www.bennettvalley.org by choosing “Join/Renew: BVCA Membership." For questions about dues contact Larissa Goliti at lgoliti@hotmail.com or 578-3453. For questions about paying online, contact Bill Finkelstein at bill@bennettvalley.org or 536-1026.
We need an editor-in-chief for the VOICE, and if you are interested please contact any board member. For the time being, we have to suspend the printed version. We apologize to members for this inconvenience.
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Reorganizing the BV Fire Protection District—A Summary of Upcoming Changes
by Marilee Jensen, Voice Editor Emeritus
On September 5, the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) of Sonoma County held a public hearing about its proposed change to the sphere of influence for the Windsor Fire Protection District (WFPD), to include the geographic territories of the Rincon Valley Fire Protection District (RVPD), the Bennett Valley Fire Protection District (BVFPD) and the Mountain Volunteer Fire Company (Mountain VFC) in County Service Area No. 40. This hearing included a careful review of the three fire districts plus Mountain VFC. LAFCO approved unanimously the change in the sphere of influence for the WFPD.
The next step was for the Board of Directors for each Fire District (Windsor, Rincon Valley and Bennett Valley) and Mountain VFC to approve the changes. This includes dissolving the fire districts, annexing them into the newly Reorganized Regional Fire District, and then requesting Sonoma LAFCO to undertake the proceedings to accomplish the proposed reorganization. If everything proceeds smoothly, these changes will become effective on April 3, 2019. Depending on the action by the Board of Supervisors, in regards to the County Service Area No. 40, on December 4, 2018, this reorganization may either include three or four agencies, with the County Service Area No. 40's inclusion depending on financial support by the county.
The Fire Protection Districts and possibly the County Service Area No. 40 want the proposed Reorganized District to be subject to the following terms and conditions:
1. The name of the Reorganized District shall be the "Sonoma County Fire District."
2. The Reorganized District should achieve greater economy and efficiency in providing fire protection and emergency services.
3. All assets, unrestricted, restricted or fiduciary, held by the parties shall be transferred to the Reorganized District.
4. The parties shall enter into a property tax allocation agreement to transfer the dissolving districts' property tax allocation to WFPD to fund the Reorganized District.
5. All liabilities of the parties shall be transferred to the Reorganized District.
6. The Board of Directors of the Reorganized District will authorize an annual work plan for services.
7. Sonoma LAFCO is requested to undertake proceedings for this Proposed Reorganization according to the terms and conditions stated above.
8. The Fire Chief of WFPD, is authorized to perform all acts required to complete the Proposed Reorganization.
During October, the changes were approved by the Board of Directors of each of these Fire Protection Districts. These changes also designated the new Board of Directors for the Reorganized District to be composed of seven members: three of the existing directors of the WFPD, three of the existing directors of the RVFD and one existing director of the BVFPD. This consolidation of seven existing Board members for the Reorganized District was first suggested during public comments at the dual Fire Board meeting on October 16 in Windsor, by me. It has since been adopted and approved by all three of the Fire Protection Districts. At their special meeting on October 23, 2018, the BVFPD Board of Directors selected Arnie Tognozzi, as their existing director, to serve on the new Reorganized Fire District Board of Directors. It was also decided that the Sonoma County Fire District Board of Directors would rotate its meeting location to hold one or more of its meetings each year at the Bennett Valley Fire Station to provide for direct public input by Bennett Valley residents without them having to travel to Windsor for a Board meeting.
The current Fire Chief for the WFPD and the RVFP is Mark Heine ((707- 838-1170). Heine attended the BVFPD Board meeting on September 11 to explain the proposal. One Bennett Valley resident expressed concern regarding specific, localized issues in Bennett Valley getting lost in a larger organization. Heine said that residents could contact him directly with concerns and he would respond and follow-up.
I have personally contacted Heine four times in the last seven weeks and each time he has provided me with excellent support and information. In Bennett Ridge we're working on a "Bennett Ridge Community Wildfire Protection and Vegetation Management Plan" and I asked him for help in working on this community report. The next day he responded, "I'm so glad that you reached out to me on this. I am going to have Cyndi Foreman, our Fire Prevention Specialist (and yours soon) reach out to you. Cyndi is working with several communities right now on similar programs. A hazard assessment is the first step towards a few programs I would like to see your community partner with us." Cyndi Foreman has since contacted us and met with seven Bennett Ridge residents regarding the wildfire areas of concern in Bennett Ridge. As a part of this meeting, she visited some of these areas of potential hazard in Bennett Ridge with us. She is proving to be very helpful in our efforts to better prepare for future wildfires. During the week of October 9, 2017, Bennett Ridge had 92 of 128 homes burned to the ground with one fatality. These losses for all of us, even those with our houses still standing, were staggering.
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The Face of Regulated Cannabis in 2018
by Chris Hayes
Interested in learning more about the Sonoma County’s Cannabis Ordinance? Want to get to know your local farmers and find out more about the local and state regulatory requirements controlling this crop?
Join us for a presentation on Thursday, November 15, at 7 pm at the Bennett Valley Guild Hall on Grange Road to hear from local farmers and regulators on how concerns like; water and pesticide use, habitat management, grading, product testing and safety are addressed.
Our local ordinance and state regulations controlling this crop have recently changed. Hear updates on those changes and the environmental protections operators must meet to maintain their license. The presentation will open with a 30-minute panel presentation comprised of farmers and representatives from local and state regulatory agencies followed by a 30-minute Q & A session.
The discussion will be moderated by Alex Peters of the Kenwood Press.
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Trucks lined up on Grange Road to deliver asphalt.
Recent Road Improvements
by Craig S. Harrison, Save Our Sonoma Roads
During October, the Department of Transportation and Public Works completed two asphalt concrete overlays on portions of Bennett Valley roads. These roads are now in like-new condition and should last another fifteen years.
One project improved about two miles of Crane Canyon-Grange roads, from Inverness Avenue east to Guenza/Peracca Road. The second project repaired about a mile of Sonoma Mountain Road between Pressley Road and Sonoma Ridge Road. Bennett Valley has about 25 miles of well-traveled roads.
The improved sections contrast sharply with other parts of the same roads. Grange Road from Bennett Valley Road to Guenza/Peracca Road is increasingly dilapidated, and the county considers much of the 4.5 miles of Sonoma Mountain from Sonoma Ridge Road to Warm Springs Road to have no remaining useful life. The BVCA will continue to advocate fixing these roads with county officials.
Fortunately voters defeated Proposition 6 on the November ballot. It would have rolled back adjustments to the state gas tax to for inflation, which hadn’t been raised since the early 1990s. This revenue provides about $10 million in pavement preservation funds annually to Sonoma County and, along with county general funds, will provide the needed funds to fix our local roads.
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Rumble strips have been installed before the S Curve in each direction on Bennett Valley Road.
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Bennett Valley Road Safety Update
Area California Highway Patrol (CHP) Captain Michael Palacio reports that our CHP Neighborhood Patrol Team has been increased to four officers: Officer Danny Alconcel, Officer Mike Rios, Officer Alan Zang, and Officer Ken Enger (unfortunately Officer Enger is out injured at the present time). Captain Palacio is working to assign an additional member to our Patrol Team in January.
In the last two months, the CHP has issued over 300 citations in Bennett Valley. Patrolling Bennett Valley is high on the CHP radar (pun intended).
On October 2nd, the first day of rain, there were three accidents on Bennett Valley Road. The CHP Team was swamped handling the 33 collisions they were called to on that day.
Many changes have been made to the signage. Most notably, the confusing 45 MPH speed limit signs between two lower speed curves have been removed and directional arrows added. Rumble strips have been installed near the S curves, and more engineering changes are coming.
We hope to schedule another Road Safety community meeting in early 2019.
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Creating & Maintaining Defensible Space Around Our Homes
by Helen Sedwick
Please join us on Thursday, December 6, from 6-8 PM, at the Kenwood Depot, 314 Warm Springs Road, Kenwood for a discussion about creating and maintaining defensible space around our homes.
Our expert speakers with be:
- Caerleon Safford of FireSafe Sonoma and
- Cyndi Foreman, Fire Prevention Officer wit Rincon Valley Fire Protection District.
Space is limited, so please let me know by email if you plan on attending, even if it’s a maybe. Helen@bennettvalleylaw.com
The event is free, but there is a suggested donation to FireSafe Sonoma of $10 per household. FireSafe Sonoma is a 501(c)(3) organization that promotes fire safety and resource management through education, information exchange, resource sharing, and community cooperation.
http://www.firesafesonoma.org/main/
Handouts will be provided, and please bring refreshments to share.
We need a few people to help set up and help clean up after the event. Email me to volunteer.
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Fire Management Workshop
Nov 9 - 8:00 AM
The Bennett Valley Community Association, Bennett Valley Guild, University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources Cooperative Extension, Audubon Canyon Ranch, Bay Area Air Quality Management District, and Sonoma Water are pleased to co-sponsor this informative workshop on Preparing for Fires in our area.
This particular workshop is oriented for owners of larger properties, but anyone may attend.
Please note that advanced reservations are required.
To Register or for more information, see:
https://ucanr.edu/survey/survey.cfm?surveynumber=25760
Please click here to download the PDF of this flyer
Please Click here to download the Agenda for this workshop
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Bennett Valley Community AssociationBoard of Directors
Craig S. Harrison, President craigspencerharrison@gmail.com 573-9990
Larissa Goliti, Vice-President and Membership Coordinator lgoliti@hotmail.com 578-3453
Gary Barner, Secretary gbarner@cds1.net 481-6196
Bill Finkelstein, Treasurer and BVCA Webmaster bill@williamfinkelstein.com 536-1026
Nate Belden, Director nate@beldenbarns.com 415-577-8552
Frank LaCombe, Director frankklacombe@gmail.com 585-3482
Deborah Rogers, Director and Bennett Valley Emergency Preparedness (BVEP) Coordinator deborahrog@comcast.net 332-4753
James Cobb, Director cobblaw@pacbell.net 586-9172
Jamie Burkart, Director bc3burkart@gmail.com 303-859-0489
VOICE editorial team: Vacant
Minutes for the previous meeting of the BVCA Board of Directors are typically posted on its web site soon after they are approved. You can find them at: http://bennettvalley.org/index.php/meetings/33-meeting-minutes
The forthcoming meeting of the Bennett Valley Community Association Board of Directors will be held at the Bennett Valley Guild Hall on, Thursday, November 15 at about 8:10 PM. The public is invited to attend. The Agenda for the board meeting opens with public discussion, with each presenter invited to address the Board for up to three minutes with name, address, and concern. Following public input, the board will receive a report from the Treasurer, and reports of any official notifications from the County. Additional topics of discussion will include county roads, VOICE, the BV Fire Protection District, and potential speakers for 2019.
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Bennett Valley Fire Protection District
6161 Bennett Valley Road, Santa Rosa, CA 95404
bennettvalleyfire.org
707-578-7761
contact@bennettvalleyfire.org
Board of Directors
President: Arnie Tognozzi
Vice-President: Joseph Mazeau
Directors: Deborah Rogers, Don D'Avanzo, and Mark Richardson
Administrative Assistant/Bookkeeper: Lesley McCormick, 823-1084
Bennett Valley Paid Firefighting Staff
Fire Chief: Dan George, 481-8105 Email: dgeorge@sonic.net
Battalion Chief: Darrin DeCarli, 823-5502 Email: ddecarli@sonic.net
Battalion Chief: Adam Schipper Email: schipper@sonic.net
Officers: Lt. Travis Brown; Andrew Tognozzi; Lt. Nick Thyself
Full-time Firefighters: Scott Gratto, Brian Black, Ben Tapparo
Fire District Board Meetings: Second Tuesday each month, 7:00 PM, at the Bennett Valley Fire Station. Confirm the meeting date in advance by calling 823-1084.
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Bennett Valley Guild
Go to http://bvguild.org to learn more about the Guild, including the most current Guild calendar or, for an article on the early history of the Bennett Valley Guild. Note: Ricardo's Bar & Grill, 2700 Yulupa, Santa Rosa, is donating 10% of all day sales on the fourth Tuesday of every month in 2018 to the Bennett Valley Guild Building Fund. If you have any questions, please email Bill or Patty Allen, paddybill@sbcglobal.net
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Bennett Valley Community Calendar
Mark your calendars now!
Bennett Valley Community Association: Next meeting is Thursday, November 15, 7:00 PM, Bennett Valley Guild Hall at 4145 Grange Road.
Fire Management Workshop: November 9, 8 am - 1:30 pm, Bennett Valley Guild Hall at 4145 Grange Road.
Bennett Valley Fire Protection District: Board of Directors meets the second Tuesday of each month, 7:00 PM, at the Bennett Valley Fire Station. Please call 823-1084 to confirm meeting date ahead of time.
Sonoma County Board Of Supervisors: Meets most Tuesdays at varying times; 575 Administration Drive, Santa Rosa.
Creating and Maintaining Defensible Space Around Our Homes: December 6, 6-8 PM, at the Kenwood Depot, 314 Warm Springs Road, Kenwood.
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Emergencies. 911.
Sheriff’s Office. 565-2121 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week).
Sonoma County Road Maintenance (Public Works). 565-5100 to report dangerous potholes, fallen trees, landslides, or trash in the road. After hours, 565-2121 (Sheriff’s office). If debris or objects cause imminent traffic hazards on county roads, 588-1400 (California Highway Patrol).
CalFire. (to report hazardous vegetation) 707-967-1400
Sonoma County Animal Services. 565-7100 (removal of large dead animals on the road).
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