Greenwood/Elk
Town Meeting
Admittedly I have not been to a town meeting since my daughter was born (seven years ago!). So when I walked into the cozy Community Center last Tuesday evening with the delicious aroma of the Civic Club’s chili filling the room, I was reminded of why this is such a special event. At 5:45 p.m., the hall was already filled as people gathered early to share a meal as a community and shelter from the cold evening. On a table near the kitchen was a quiet tribute to Lucien Long who we lost in December — it was simply a photograph of him in the Community Center kitchen (his natural habitat) with his hand on heart and his face lit by a little smile and a sparkle in his eyes.
The next thing I noticed was that envelopes were placed on each seat addressed to the Greenwood Community Center Stationary Generator Project. I saw that some people were already tucking money into the envelopes and handing them to Wendy Babbe of the Elk Disaster Planning Committee. This is a $40,000 endeavor of which the Greenwood Civic Club, Elk Volunteer Fire Department, and Greenwood Community Center have already donated about half. The generator would enable the Community Center building to be a wellequipped evacuation center. Early in the meeting, two large donations were presented to this project: one from the Greenwood Civic Club for $500 and one from the North Greenwood Community Association for $5,000, both in honor of Lucien for his dedication to the Emergency Preparedness Committee. After those two donations, it looks like the fund will still need around $17,000. During his address, Fire Chief Bob Matson expressed his admiration and faith in the community by saying we always seem to pull together the funds for these important causes and he is sure it will happen for this generator!
Some Highlights of the Meeting
• Out-going and beloved sheriff Tom Allman introduced the new sheriff, Matt Kendall. Matt is a native of Mendocino County with roots in Point Arena and having grown up in Covelo. Tom Allman, who is already an honorary member of the Civic Club, was presented with a Civic Club goodie bag from Cindy Johnson.
• Elizabeth Cameron of the Mendocino Parks Association said they are interested in working with State Parks to open up the road to the Mill Beach for emergency vehicles — something the Fire Department has been pushing for a long time now.
• The Fire Department now has six solid new members and one of them has also become an EMT. There was also a donation of an ATV, which will help immensely when there is an emergency on the beach.
• According to Darrell Hagood of Sacred Rock Resort, extensive renovation of what is formally The Greenwood Pier Inn and the Griffin House is complete. There are 23 rooms total and two restaurants. He stated they will hopefully be opening in the spring. Prue Wilcox stood up and publically thanked Darrell for all the consideration and care they provided to the neighbors over the several years of construction.
• Peter Lit shared that the group of citizens who own the Greenwood Commons is considering donating the 70 acres of public access land along Greenwood Creek to the Elk County Water District with the stipulation that the public could still access it.
• Please, please fill out your electronic census questionnaire when you receive it. It will contain ten questions and brings in an approximate amount of $2,000 per person for our county. The 2010 census in our county only had a 72 percent participation rate. The target goal is at least 85 percent for 2020.
• The California Highway Patrol says it is going to take down the “25 MPH — Slow School” signs around the Greenwood Preschool because the preschool is not considered a school?!? Of course, this is a ridiculous reason and we all need to call in to protest. Here is the number: 707467-4420.
Thank you to the Greenwood Community Center Board of Directors for hosting the Annual Town Meeting, the Greenwood Civic Club for feeding everyone, and the Mendocino County Jail and Sheriff’s Office for the delicious bread!