Local HEROES Clean Water

Around ForestvilleGOT NEWS? Vesta Copestakes • vesta@sonic.net • 887-0253Misty Humphrey has a new career…Misty has started a career in health andnutrition. She’s offering classes on howpeople can “take charge of their bodies,”and they are an affordable $10 perclass. Her new 12 week series of classesstarted on the 13 th – but heck – maybeshe can squeeze you in – 887-0561SAV E THE BELL TOW ER! I’vewritten about the Leaning Towerof Forestville in the past and nowthe Methodist Church is reachingout to the community for some help.They are having a CONSTRUCTIONBANQUET on Saturday, February 21 st .There’s a Silent Auction and a LiveAuction as well, so you might want tocall to see if there’s something you candonate to help the cause. Items theyhave so far include fancy hotels, catereddinners – you name it. Reservations arerequired since seating is limited – 887-2020 Dinner is a mere $15 for adults, $10for children and children 5 and undera free. There’s a maximum charge of$40 per family so this is an affordableway to have dinner, enjoy the companyof others and contribute to the cause.Come by-have a good time!Peace Vigil…participants read a listof people who were killed in Iraq andAfghanistan each week…one bellring for each name. People take turnsreading the names. Drop by someFriday evening at 6:30pm. It’s one wayto put your heart toward peace on ourearth. As Sarah Wright said, “Hearingthe daily accounting of death is difficult,but there’s nothing else that bringsme closer to my appreciation for thefreedoms we have and my love of thiscommunity and our country”. They areexpanding this program to honor ourcommunity members who are servingin the military. A collage of picturesand information will be displayedduring the Peace Vigil. Please send aphoto and the name of your loved onewith their Branch, title or rank andservice locale to: FUMC, 6550 CoveyRd, Forestville, CA 95436The Green Valley Restoration Teamworked almost every month of 2008to ensure the restoration project thatwas started a few years back on theMartinelli Ranch had continuedsuccess. Whether or not the plantedtrees would survive the ‘08 drought was“iffy” as it got toward the fall seasonand still no rain. Happily, the creek andthe restoration area have never lookedbetter! Many of the trees are in the 10to 15 foot height range and most ofthe instream structures are intact. TheRestoration Team will be out there againa little later in the year for continuingrestoration and protection but I thoughtyou should know that Forest Unlimitedis having its annual tree planting Fridayand Saturday, Jan. 9 and 10. Over fifteenhundred redwood trees were plantedover two days. Larry Hanson thanksall who participate and the restorationcrew are seeking ore volunteers asspring approaches. Keep in touch.Forestville wine goes to Washington!John and Chris Mason of EMTU EstateWines were invited to have theirwine poured at ten of the presidentialingaugural dinners. The dinners will beput together with local farmers marketsand cooked by Alice Waters of ChezPanisse and a group of other famouschef’s including Jacques Pepin, NancySilverton, Suzanne Goines etc.. Thisis a $500 per plate dinner will benefitsome local causes. Speaking of Chris &John, they are off to Peru right now todo their winter work of helping people.They will be reporting in next month.Hollydale Community Club…Join us Saturday February 21st for theClub’s annual Country Breakfast from9:00 until Noon.Congratulations to Scott Lykken &Jordan Condon, 2008 recipients of theTaylor Atkins Memorial ScholarshipAward…these Graduating Senior’shopefully will find good use for thefunds while pursuing their highereducation. $600 Distributed in 2008.The 20 09 Lifetime HollydaleCommunity Club Member selectionis Jay & Brenda Eldridge. Long-timemembers and Forestville residents whosupport the monthly Clubhouse eventsand it’s inner workings by volunteeringtheir time and energy to maintain thefacility and help organize the events.Thanks goes out to them from ourcommunity for all their help.$450 in Hollydale Happiness Fundsdistributed over the holidays, thesedonations from Club members andguests during the last year helped bringa little cheer during the holiday seasonto two Elmo students, one ForestvilleElementary student’s family and alocal family of 4. Feels good to spreadthe positive vibe and help where andwhen we can. Thanks to all those whodonated to the fund...let’s keep it full.Coming up:Sat. February 21st Clubhouse CountryBreakfast 9:00-NoonSat. March 14th Corned Beef &Cabbage Feed 6:0030 - www.westcountygazette.com - 1/15/09THE FPA REPORTSThe Forestville Planning AssociationBy Richard Naegle, President - www. forestvillefpa.orgCanyon Rock QuarryA number of people have askedme about the current status of thelawsuit brought by Citizens for SensibleGrowth against Canyon Rock Quarry.The suit was instigated against theQuarry and Sonoma County; it claimedthat the environmental impact report(EIR) approved by the County Boardof Supervisors regarding CanyonRock’s expansion plans was flawedand inadequate. The court found somemerit in the original suit and awardedCFSG its attorney’s fees. CFSG has sinceappealed aspects of the judge’s ruling.It is hard to get the “facts.” So Iinterviewed both Wendell Trappe,ow ner a nd operator of Ca nyonRock Quarry, and Sig Anderman,spokesperson for Citizens for SensibleGrowth (CFSG). I have summarizedeach of their perspectives on the facts,and present, with their approval, myreport of them below. I have tried to onlyuse their language. I apologize ahead oftime for any inaccuracy; I have tried mybest to be neutral and objective.The Quarry PerspectiveThere has been a citizens’ appeal ofthe EIR which is going to the appellatecourt. We are now waiting for a courtdate which may be in January orFebruary or later in the year. CFSGwon its original suit “on the language”regarding importing rock. Of CFSG’sthirteen charges, the judge onlysupported this one. He therefore madeCanyon Rock pay $150,000 to CFSG forits attorney fees.Canyon Rock and the Countyreturned to the judge with a suggestionthat would not require the entire EIR tobe redone. They asked that the amountof imported rock be cut in half, i.e. bedecreased by 60,000 tons. The judgeapproved. It is that decision which theCFSG has appealed.Things are therefore at a stalemate.The bypass is being delayed andperhaps killed. [Editor’s note: CountySupervisor, Mike Reilly, does not agree.While the building of the bypass isbeing delayed, he is convinced that iteventually will be built.]Canyon Rock’s existing permit isgood until 2011. Wendell has enoughrock to keep mining under his currentpermit.The CFSG PerspectiveIn the original suit, the judge ruledin favor of CFSG that the permit givento Canyon Rock by the County wouldhave allowed 62,000 cubic yards moreof production than was described andcertified by the EIR. If allowed, therewould have been an additional 4400truck trips per year through Forestville.CFSG has filed an appeal onthree issues which it did not win inthe original hearing: the failure toadequately evaluate and mitigate airquality impacts; the failure to analyzeand mitigate the impacts associatedwith rezoning to Mineral Resourcethe entire parcel owned by CR; andinconsistencies with the general plan.About half of the fees that CanyonRock was required to pay were incurredin CFSG defending against the discoverypropounded by Canyon Rock on ourattorney’s fees motion. For example,Canyon Rock was demanding lists ofmembers and names of people who haddonated to CFSG; and was threateningto depose people who testified againstthe project at public hearings.The FPA on the QuarryThe Forestville Planning Associationis a non-profit educational corporation.It is a different organization from theForestville Citizens for Sensible Growth,which is a private political activistgroup. Regarding Canyon Rock’sexpansion plans, the FPA held severalTown meetings to explore all sides ofthe proposals and their ramifications.Representatives from Canyon RockQuarry were invited to and were activein each of these meetings. Finally, aTown Meeting vote was taken and wasso divided that the FPA took no positionon Canyon Rock’s proposal to expand.We continue to acknowledge thevaluable contributions which WendellTrappe, his family, and family businesshave made over the years to ourcommunity. Our goal has been toeducate residents of Forestville on theimpacts of quarry expansionso that youcan make your opinions heard.The FCSG did bring the FPA, asa more neutral party, into its legalnegotiations with Blue Rock Quarryto help broker a settlement aroundBlue Rock’s expansion plans. Thosenegotiations resulted in the GoodNeighbor Agreement, which includedimportant environmental mitigationsby Blue Rock as well as funding for theForestville Community Fund. The FPAhas continued to work cooperativelywith Blue Rock Quarry to assure abetter environment and more positiveeffects of Quarry activities on theForestville community. This has beenthrough the Good Neighbor WorkingGroup, composed of local citizens andBill Williams, General Manager of theBodean Company (owner of Blue RockQuarry). The Good Neighbor WorkingGroup has invited representativesof Canyon Rock Quarry to join theirmeetings. However, Canyon Rock hasdeclined until legal matters with CFSGare completed.