CONSTRUCTION TO BEGIN AT CCC CENTER IN WILLITS
On March 30, consultants establishing control points to confirm elevation could be seen at the soon-to-be construction site for the new California Conservation Corps (CCC) Center located at 440 East Hill Road in Willits.
CCC Deputy Director of Capital Outlay and Facilities Dan Millsap estimated the project will take approximately two to two-and-a-half years to complete, depending on rainfall. He explained construction will be done by Broward Builders, Inc., a company based out of Woodland. Millsap has worked with them before and stated, “I'm super excited for this project.”
The CCC Center is currently located in Ukiah on what was once part of the mental health facility in Talmage. When they needed to expand, they tried to purchase additional land from the Mendocino County Office of Education, and were denied. They ended up purchasing approximately 27 acres across from the Adventist Health Howard Memorial Hospital in Willits.
The residential center will include approximately 64,000 square feet of new building construction. The site's 12 buildings will include an administrative building, seven dormitories, an education building, recreation building, multipurpose building with kitchen and dining room and a warehouse with work area and hazardous materials storage room.
There will be asphalt paved surfaces for driveways and parking. Concrete paved surfaces will be done for service and staging. Additionally, there will be paved emergency crew and vehicle staging areas as well as a solar photovoltaic array.
The center is intended to house 120 Corps members. In adherence with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the Final Initial Study/ Mitigated Negative Declaration was published in March 2020.
Millsap stated he is happy the CCC will become part of the Willits community. The CCC has completed work in Willits in the past and currently has crews performing fire fuel reduction work in Brooktrails. The CCC has also performed ecological restoration work in local streams.
As part of the program, Corps members are encouraged to volunteer at community events to inspire them to be community minded when they leave the
CCC. In the past, Corps members from the Ukiah area have volunteered at community events in Willits, including Airport Days, the Relay for Life and Roots of Motive Power events.
The CCC has been in California since 1976 and is modeled after the Civilian Conservation Corps of the 1930s. The program provides adults ages ages 18-25 years old a year of paid service to the State of California. With the motto, “Hard Work, Low Pay, Miserable Conditions and More,” Corps members work on environmental projects or respond to natural disasters.
While in the program, Corps members advance their education, receive room and board as well as a paycheck. The CCC is dedicated to developing Corps members into citizens with character, credentials and commitment. Average length of time in the program is nine months.
Millsap is tentatively scheduled to provide an update on the new center at the April 13 Willits City Council meeting.