Board bumps vet's hall utility stipends
With PG&E costs skyrocketing, supervisors seek later discussion with company
Facing spiking utility costs, the veteran's halls in Arcata, Fortuna and Ferndale will see a greater stipend after the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to increase the allotments.
The board, faced with three options, decided to direct county staff to hash out an agreement with each of the three veteran groups pursuing which option they preferred. The county, currently facing a $12.4 million deficit, approved $34,143 for the halls this fiscal year. However, board members expressed frustration with the buildings' older, less- efficient energy systems.
“We talked about these utilities in terms of upgrades and what's outdated isn't just what's being paid, but the actual systems that we're talking about, the heating systems, the insulation, the efficiency, those are all very outdated too,” 3rd District Supervisor Mike Wilson said. “We're just talking about paying more for inefficient systems.”
Wilson noted that Freshwater Grange recently upgraded its infrastructure with a heat pump system, dramatically reducing its energy bills. First District Supervisor Rex Bohn concurred with the need to improve the facilities but emphasized the difficulty in doing so and the county's bleeding coffers.
“An example is the heating system in Ferndale. We've tried for 10 years to fix that, 10 years to fix a heating system at a veteran's hall,” Bohn said. “I think the idea of doing an array of solar where it can be done and battery packs and taking this into the future, you know, which is what we would be requiring of any new building is, I think admirable and a great idea and costly, right now in a time where we don't have (funds).”
Fourth District Supervisor Natalie Arroyo pointed out that the Redwood Coast Energy Authority recently secured a grant to improve the energy systems in local fire stations, and hypothesized a similar grant could be sought for the veteran's halls.
Representatives from the Ferndale and Arcata halls said they would likely pursue the continued efforts to manage utility payments, but future payments will be adjusted relative to the consumer price index.
Fortuna's representative took a more combative approach.
“We're not agreeing to A, B, C, D, whatever. We're gonna have a conversation about the whole thing with our lawyer,” Gary Brownell, the American Legion Post 205 treasurer, said.
Brownell accused the board of not honoring the contract they signed in 1991 — a contract the board and county staff agreed was outdated — and habitually skipped on paying the building utilities. Brownell ended his speech by telling the board that none of them were veterans, and therefore did not make the kinds of sacrifices endemic to those in uniform, before remembering Arroyo served in the Coast Guard and apologizing.
The Fortuna veteran's hall is one of the most used voting locations in Humboldt County, said Humboldt County Registrar of Voters Juan Pablo Cervantes.
The halls are all used by other groups beyond local veterans, with the Arcata facility slated to host an Easter egg hunt in April.
“I think we all as the county want to work with our veterans to try and figure this puzzle out. I wish all of our utility bills could stay within a CPI but right now they're doubling and if you have events between 4 o'clock and 9 o'clock in the afternoon or evening, the rates are phenomenal,” 5th District Supervisor Steve Madrone said, noting he hoped to agendize an item for a future meeting where the board would discuss rate hikes with Pacific Gas and Electric Co.