Valley Residents Explore Propane Buyers Co-op

A group of Boulder Creek residents is working to establish a propane buyers co-op, in order to negotiate more affordable propane prices with companies that serve this rural area. The co-op is asking area residents who are interested in the Co-op to express their interest, by signing in on a Google Group Page. By signing in on the Google Group Page, residents will help the steering committee to get an idea of how many people are interested in participating, and provide an email address for them to receive future information. There is no obligation for expressing interest. No names or email addresses of those expressing interest will be shared with any propane suppliers, or with any other group or business. All information will be kept confidential.


The Google Group Page address for the Boulder Creek Propane Buyers Co-op is:
https://groups.google.com/d/forum/bc-propane-coop

Or one can email:
bcpropanecoop@gmail.com

Castle Rock Neighbors Challenge Gun Club Assertions

"We are not the gun club's enemy, we're their neighbors"

Jason Hoppin has a report in SC Sentinel describing the on-going dispute between the owners of the Los Altos Rod and Gun Club, and neighbors and visitors to the adjacent Castle Rock State Park over noise and groundwater pollution from lead ammunition.  

The County Board of Supervisors once again delayed a decision on an application for expansion by the gun club which is located on the Santa Cruz County side of Summit Rd just south of Hwy 9. 

According to a report reviewed by County staff but commissioned by the gun club: "On a busy weekend day more than 20,000 total rounds may be fired from these shooting ranges,"


County staff recommended that both sides be given more time to try and reach a negotiated solution to mitigate the noise concerns. Some suggestions have been to reverse the direction of fire and/or providing a shelter to muffle the sound. The gun club owner doubts that noise can be reduced sufficiently to satisfy his neighbors.


With regards to potential health risks associated with groundwater pollution, the County hired a consultant to review the assessment provided by the gun club and concluded that "there is no immediate health or ecological risk related to the Gun Club's activities to the area downstream and the surrounding environment."


Neighbors have challenged both reports and have undertaken to produce their own studies. The Board set an April 23 date for reconsideration.
You can read the full reports as well as the neighbors objections here:

CONTINUED PUBLIC HEARING FOR SPECIAL CONSIDERATION OF APPLICATION NO. 111108, A PROPOSAL TO CONSTRUCT A CLUBHOUSE AT THE LOS ALTOS ROD AND GUN CLUB

Los Altos Rod and Gun Club Environmental Status Report

McPherson to Hold Constituent Meetings in SLV

Press Release from the Fifth District Supervisors office:

         Fifth District Supervisor Bruce McPherson has announced a constituent meeting schedule for the month of January.  McPherson will hold regular constituent meetings at the Sheriff's San Lorenzo Valley Community Service Center, 6059 Highway 9 in Felton, on the first three Wednesdays of every month.  Those meetings will be held from noon until 2:00 p.m. on a first-come, first served basis.  The meetings will be in the conference room of the Service Center/California Department of Forestry building.  The first two will be held on January 16, 2013, and January 23, 2013.

          On the last Wednesday of each month, Supervisor McPherson will hold an evening constituent meeting at various locations in the district.  The first evening meeting will be held Wednesday, January 30, 2013, from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. at the Boulder Creek Museum, 12547 Highway 9, Boulder Creek.

Valley Women's Club Welcomes New Board Members

The Board of Directors of the Valley Women's Club of San Lorenzo Valley held their first meeting of 2013 this week.

In the recent general election, VWC members elected Rosalind Alley of Brookdale, Amanda Robinson of Felton, Pam Spehar and Sanda Spiegel of Boulder Creek and Thomas Wynn of Ben Lomond for two year terms.  Jim Coffis of Ben Lomond, Nancy Gerdt of Felton and Mary Hammer of Boulder Creek were re-elected.  The eight joined Sheila DeLany, Dusty Gipson, Nancy Macy and Lynn McKibben of Boulder Creek, Paul Machlis and Michele Moser of Felton and Donna Ziel of Ben Lomond who will complete their terms in 2014.

Board members chose Lynn McKibben to be President, Donna Ziel, Vice President, Jim Coffis, Secretary, Sheila DeLany, Treasurer and Sanda Spiegel, Budget Officer for the new year.

The 35 year old organization was founded in 1978 to promote community action, awareness and leadership in environmental, educational, social, and political concerns affecting the San Lorenzo Valley.

In addition to environmental education and advocacy, the club annually awards scholarships to graduating seniors; provides ready for school materials to kindergartners, supports and promotes equality for women and girls; operates 3 recycling and redemption centers in the Valley and produces the popular Redwood Mountain Faire, a two-day music, arts and craft fair at Roaring Camp the first weekend in June that last year distributed over $30,000 to local organizations.

Regular Board meetings are held on the 2nd Tuesday of every month at the Satellite Center in Felton and are open to the public.  The annual membership meeting featuring remarks by local elected officials will be held on Sunday March 24th at the Senior Center in Highlands Park, Ben Lomond.

Supervisor McPherson Makes First Appointments

Newly sworn in Supervisor for the 5th District Bruce McPherson today announced his first appointments to County Commissions nominating Felton's Rene Shepherd for another four year term on the Planning Commission and tapping Rick Jones, also of Felton, to be her alternate.

McPherson also announced the appointment of Robin Musitelli of Brookdale and Geni Johnson of Scotts Valley to his District staff.

Here is the full press release from McPherson's office:

Newly-elected Fifth District Supervisor Bruce McPherson announced two staff members and nominated his first commissioners Tuesday.

          McPherson has also selected two staff members, Robin Musitelli and Virginia “Gine” Johnson.

          Musitelli is a 30-plus year resident of the San Lorenzo Valley, currently living in Brookdale.  As a journalist, she reported for the Valley Press, the San Jose Mercury and Santa Cruz Sentinel, covering education, politics and environmental issues.  At the Sentinel she worked as a reporter when McPherson was editor.  “I loved working with Bruce then, and look forward to working with him again,” she said.

          For the past 12 years, Musitelli has been an analyst for Second District Supervisor Ellen Pirie.  Musitelli is on the Board of Directors of the Santa Cruz County Horsemen’s Association.

          Johnson is the former Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Santa Cruz-based nonprofit Ecology Action.  Under her leadership, Ecology Action evolved from a small recycling operation into one of the state's leading voices on reducing global warming, eventually becoming a co-owner of the transformed former Sentinel building in downtown Santa Cruz.

          Johnson has more than 35 years of business experience, including extensive governance experience, having served on six local nonprofit boards.  She currently serves on the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County Advisory Council and the County Commission on the Environment.  Johnson and her husband have lived in Scotts Valley for 28 years.

          “I am honored to support Supervisor McPherson and look forward to providing the best possible service to the Fifth District,” Johnson said.

          Renee Shepherd was nominated for a four-year term as the Fifth District representative on the County Planning Commission.  Shepherd, a Felton resident, has served as Fifth District Planning Commissioner since 1989, first appointed by then Supervisor Fred Keeley, followed by Supervisors Jeff Almquist and Mark Stone.

          Shepherd is widely regarded as a pioneering innovator in introducing international specialty vegetables and herbs for home gardeners and gourmet restaurants.  After receiving her Ph.D. from the University of California in Santa Cruz and teaching in the Environmental Studies Department there, she founded Shepherd's Garden Seeds in 1985.  Renee left Shepherd's Seeds in 1996 and then founded Renee’s Garden, offering seeds through garden centers and nurseries and online.

          In addition to her passions for gardening and cooking, Shepherd has many community, environmental and equestrian interests.

          McPherson nominated Rick Jones as his alternate Planning Commissioner.  Jones, also a resident of Felton, served as a water quality investigation and compliance employee of the County Department of Environmental Health and has experience as a

real estate broker.   A past resident of Capitola, Jones served on the City of Capitola Planning Commission for eight years and was a previous alternate on the County Planning Commission.

Ben Lomond Mom Featured in Spry

Ben Lomond mom and freelance writer, Dyane Leshin-Harwood, (B.A., C.P.T.), who has been a frequent contributor to SLVNews has been chosen by Spry as a "VIP" (Very Inspiring Person) and featured in this week's online edition. Spry boasts over 27 million readers between their print and online publications which offer "commonsense answers and solutions to life" with information and articles on health, diet, recreation and leisure activities.

Dyane, is the founder of the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA), Santa Cruz County Chapter and recently created the Natural Healing for Mothers with Bipolar community on Facebook. She has a blog: Proudly Bipolar and is working on a book: Birth of A New Brain: My Ultimately Medication-Free Recovery From Postpartum Bipolar Disorder.

Congratulations, Dyane.  Keep up the great work.

VIP: Coping with Bipolar – Spry Living: