Though most opposed stricter regulations, Crescent City Councilors call for audit to make sure vacation rental owners are paying their taxes

Though the city planner said most of Crescent City’s vacation rentals were concentrated on Pebble Beach Drive, Candace Tinkler brought up Gainard Street to illustrate the need for stricter regulations.

According to the mayor pro tem, “every single house that has gone up for sale is flipped” into a short-term rental and there are only “one or maybe two long-term neighbors.” 

But her argument that vacation rentals are changing the character of Crescent City’s neighborhoods didn’t land with her colleagues Monday. One, Councilor Jason Greenough, said there are already laws on the books that address many of her concerns. He also disputed her statement regarding Gainard Street.

Continue reading Though most opposed stricter regulations, Crescent City Councilors call for audit to make sure vacation rental owners are paying their taxes

Del Norte County man’s hand is amputated after explosion at Point St. George; girlfriend says they found shiny ball-shaped object in the sand

Thumbnail photo: Jason Turner is at U.C. Davis Medical Center in Sacramento where he is being treated for injuries sustained after an object exploded in his hand at Point St. George on Sunday. | Photo courtesy of Pamala Ganfield

A Del Norte County man is at a Sacramento hospital after a fireworks explosion on the beach at Point St. George led to the amputation of his left hand. 

Jason Turner was walking the beach with his girlfriend, Pamala Ganfield, on Sunday, putting a few spent fireworks into a pile when they saw a shiny object in the sand. Ganfield said it looked like a bouncy ball with an opening at the end and a nail sticking out of it.

“He went to pick it up — I told him no — and boom, that was it,” Ganfield told Redwood Voice Community News on Tuesday. “I couldn’t see. I couldn’t hear. It sounded like a bomb. I looked over and my boyfriend was on the ground bleeding and his hand was opened up like a banana.”

Continue reading Del Norte County man’s hand is amputated after explosion at Point St. George; girlfriend says they found shiny ball-shaped object in the sand

Firework Explosion Seriously Injures Beach-goer at Point St. George Day After ‘Mild’ Holiday

Though the Del Norte County sheriff called the holiday pretty mild compared to previous Independence Days, his deputies are investigating an explosion that sent one man to the hospital the day after.

The explosion occurred at Point St. George at about 3:50 p.m. Sunday, Del Norte County Undersheriff Devin Perry told Redwood Voice Community News. A couple visiting the beach had been walking along the sand picking up a few spent fireworks and found what appeared to be a silver ball with a screw sticking out of it.

“The female said as soon as the male picked it up it exploded,” Perry said. “There were significant injuries to his hand. He was taken to Sutter and then they (flew) him out to a higher level of care.”

Continue reading Firework Explosion Seriously Injures Beach-goer at Point St. George Day After ‘Mild’ Holiday

CCHD Commissioners Drag Feet On Key Citizens Dock Project-Related Appointments; Project Grants Manager Says Work Won’t Slow

Thumbnail photo by Jessica Cejnar Andrews

Despite selecting a project manager and a grant manager for the Citizens Dock rebuild and seawall replacement last week, Crescent City Harbor commissioners delayed approving the contract that would allow them to start work.

CCHD Board Chairman Rick Shepherd asked his colleagues to wait until the district’s next regular meeting to consider the contracts between Kimley-Horn and Community System Solutions. 

At a special meeting Friday, Shepherd said he felt the public didn’t have sufficient time to review the proposed agreements. Though he and his colleagues decided to award the grant manager contract to Fair Oaks-based Community System Solutions, Shepherd still had questions about the firm’s role in the overall project.

“There’s still a gray area between grant manager and finance director and having another accountant in between that. That needs to be explained to me,” he said.

Continue reading CCHD Commissioners Drag Feet On Key Citizens Dock Project-Related Appointments; Project Grants Manager Says Work Won’t Slow

Crescent City Starts Public Outreach On Second Phase Of Downtown Plan Next Week

Thumbnail photo: Early concept art of the Redwood Downtown, a mixed-use building that includes residential units planned for 3rd and J streets in Downtown Crescent City. Housing is one of the key components of the city’s Downtown Specific Plan. | Image Courtesy of the City of Crescent City

Don Arambula thinks of Whitefish, Montana as an example of the downtown Crescent City could have in about 20 years.

The Rocky Mountain community, population 7,751 as of the 2020 U.S. Census, is about the same size as Crescent City. It’s isolated, a gateway to a national park and, similar to Crescent City, was “kind of struggling.” 

Arambula, principal planner and urban designer for Portland-based Crandall Arambula PC, said the downtown masterplan his firm developed for Whitefish is comparable to Crescent City’s Downtown Specific Masterplan. 

Continue reading Crescent City Starts Public Outreach On Second Phase Of Downtown Plan Next Week

‘By Spring, You Will Not Recognize This Place’; CCHD Board Approves RV Park Lease With Developer Daniel Dahan

Thumbnail photo: Bayside RV Park is one of two RV parks that the Crescent City Harbor District is looking to lease to Daniel Dahan, investment manager for BSD Property Management. | Photo by Jessica Cejnar Andrews

Before Crescent City Harbor commissioners approved leasing Redwood Harbor Village to him, Daniel Dahan outlined a timeline that included upgrading the electric system, redoing the parking lot and bringing in homes on wheels.

It will take several months, the developer said, adding that winter rains will likely make installing the septic system impossible. Eight to 10 months will pass before the revitalized RV park is ready to accept visitors, but, Dahan said, his investors are committed to making it a success.

“I promise you that by this spring, you will not recognize this place,” he told commissioners at their meeting June 24.

Continue reading ‘By Spring, You Will Not Recognize This Place’; CCHD Board Approves RV Park Lease With Developer Daniel Dahan