Category Archives: Infrastructure

Articles, Crescent City, Infrastructure, Local Government

(UPDATED) Crescent City’s Sewer Plant Needs $50 Million Upgrade, City Manager Says

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Thumbnail: Crescent City has five, up to 10, years to bring its wastewater treatment plant up to date, City Manager Eric Wier said. | Photo by James Brooks

Updated at 10 a.m. Thursday to make some corrections. Crescent City hasn’t been under a cease and desist order since 2011 and it didn’t receive a cease and desist order in August, though it was fined. City Manager Eric Wier also said that the rotating biological contactors aren’t able to meet the stricter NPDES standards on total Coliform.

Crescent City Manager Eric Wier blamed aging infrastructure and stricter pollutant discharge limits for the $228,000 fine the cease and desist order the sewer plant received last August.

But he differed from a member of the public who argued that the city’s 76 National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit violations were due to new connections.

The sewer plant can meet new NPDES permit requirements governing total Coliform bacteria limits during dry weather, the city manager told Councilors on Monday. When it storms, however, the plant’s rotating biological contactors — equipment installed in the 1970s — are overwhelmed can’t produce effluent that complies with those stricter standards, he said.

Continue reading (UPDATED) Crescent City’s Sewer Plant Needs $50 Million Upgrade, City Manager Says →
Articles, Education, Infrastructure, Local Government

DNUSD Board Wary Of $5 million SitelogIQ Solar Array Proposal, Urge Superintendent To Pursue Financing Options For Discussion

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Thumbnail photo: SitelogIQ says a solar array near Bess Maxwell Elementary School could offset energy costs for six Del Norte Unified School District facilities. | Image courtesy of SitelogIQ

Local education officials expressed misgivings about a SitelogIQ proposal to install a solar array near Bess Maxwell Elementary School.

They didn’t shoot the proposal down. But they raised concerns about the $5 million price tag, especially after Del Norte County Unified School District Superintendent Jeff Harris said without a $1 million federal rebate, “it makes zero sense to move forward.”

After SitelogIQ representatives outlined their proposal at a Jan. 22 study session, the Board of Trustees had asked Harris to return with potential financing options. On Thursday, the superintendent said the firm had options for the school district that they wanted to discuss, but he wasn’t sure what they were yet. 

Continue reading DNUSD Board Wary Of $5 million SitelogIQ Solar Array Proposal, Urge Superintendent To Pursue Financing Options For Discussion →
Articles, CC Harbor, Infrastructure, Transportation

Could Trump’s Maritime Initiative Make the Crescent City Harbor Great Again? Commissioners, Harbormaster Hope So

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Thumbnail photo: Former Fashion Blacksmith boatyard facility at the Crescent City Harbor. | Photo by Paul Critz

The local harbormaster on Wednesday unveiled a desire to open a satellite campus of the Cal Poly Maritime Academy at the Crescent City Harbor District.

Mike Rademaker included that hope in a letter to Congressional representatives supporting the Trump administration’s America’s Maritime Action Plan, which seeks to revitalize the nation’s domestic shipbuilding capacity. But he acknowledged that the idea is just a concept at this point.

“It’s kind of my pet project,” the harbormaster told Redwood Voice Community News. “We’re just trying to be very creative and identify new revenue sources. The average age of fishermen, it’s getting up there, and we want to provide a pathway for the younger generation to get into the fishing industry. A huge part of that is workforce training and having something local that’s affordable so they can get hands-on experience.”

Continue reading Could Trump’s Maritime Initiative Make the Crescent City Harbor Great Again? Commissioners, Harbormaster Hope So →
Articles, CC Harbor, Infrastructure, Local Government, Transportation

Crescent City Harbor District Recap For Feb. 25, 2026

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Thumbnail image: Crescent City Harbor commissioners chose a preferred option for Citizens Dock back in 2024. | Image courtesy of the Crescent City Harbor District.

Among the items discussed at Wednesday’s Crescent City Harbor District meeting.

2026 MARAD Grant: Harbor commissioners agreed to contribute 20%, or $2.8 million, toward the construction costs associated with the second Citizens Dock reconstruction phase.

Associated with a $11.25 million U.S. Maritime Administration Port Infrastructure Development Program grant, the Board unanimously approved a resolution agreeing to the match. The federal agency has increased the amount of funding small ports can apply for, Bahr said, but it means that the required contribution is larger.

Continue reading Crescent City Harbor District Recap For Feb. 25, 2026 →
Articles, Infrastructure, Local Government

Crescent City Settles Digital Sign Debate, Saves Billboard Discussion For Another Day

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Thumbnail photo by Heather Polen

A month after local bowling alley owner Dr. John Kirk argued that his digital sign is both a service to the community and generates revenue for his business, the Crescent City Council decided it could stay.

Four councilors who attended the Feb. 17 meeting approved an ordinance that sets restrictions on signs like the one on the Tsunami Lanes Bowling Alley. Councilors also agreed that digital signs could advertise other businesses, services or events.

But at the request of Mayor Isaiah Wright, concerns regarding billboards and other off-site advertising will be considered before the full Council at a future meeting. His colleague, Jason Greenough, was absent.

“Based on everything we heard from the public, we probably need to bring back off-site and just general advertising back to the Council for discussion,” Wright said. “We need to talk a little bit more.”

Continue reading Crescent City Settles Digital Sign Debate, Saves Billboard Discussion For Another Day →
Articles, Infrastructure

Larger ‘Redwood Downtown’ Housing Project Gets Council’s Blessing, Will Go Before Planning Commission in March, City Manager Says

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Thumbnail photo: Crescent City councilors last week viewed an updated Redwood Downtown mixed-use development slated to replace the former Daly’s department store building. | Screenshot

Crescent City councilors learned that a proposed downtown-area development that would include both retail and residential space will offer more housing units than originally stated.

The Redwood Downtown, which is planned to replace the old Daly’s building at 3rd and J streets, will be 36 units instead of 27, City Manager Eric Wier said. It would consist of two buildings — a residential apartment building and a building with both residential and commercial space “with a nice courtyard in between,” he said.

The city manager on Tuesday asked councilors for an amendment to a $1 million loan agreement they had approved with Community System Solutions in December. 

Continue reading Larger ‘Redwood Downtown’ Housing Project Gets Council’s Blessing, Will Go Before Planning Commission in March, City Manager Says →
Articles, Economy, Infrastructure, Local Government, Transportation

Del Norte Airport Officials Say Flights To Portland May Boost Use, But Will Advanced Air Agree?

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Thumbnail photo by James Brooks

With another runway project pending, more passengers need to fly into and out of Crescent City for the Del Norte County Regional Airport to be sure of the federal dollars needed to make that happen, Director Sean Rosenthal said.

The Federal Aviation Administration provides grant funding every year for capital improvement projects, Rosenthal told Redwood Voice Community News on Thursday. Increasing the number of enplanements from 7,485 to 10,000 annually could not only speed up the process, it could convince the FAA that the airport needs a longer runway.

Convincing Advanced Air, the airline that serves Crescent City, to offer flights to Portland is a viable option for boosting those numbers, the airport authority director says. But there are caveats.

Continue reading Del Norte Airport Officials Say Flights To Portland May Boost Use, But Will Advanced Air Agree? →
Articles, CC Harbor, Infrastructure

Crescent City Harbor To Pursue 2026 MARAD Grant To Complete Citizens Dock Project

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The preferred alternative among six options Harbor commissioners chose for the Citizens Dock project in 2024. | Image courtesy of Moffatt & Nichol

Thumbnail photo courtesy of Andrew Goff

Federal officials are urging the Crescent City Harbor District to pursue the grant dollars needed to finish the Citizens Dock reconstruction.

The U.S. Maritime Administration is offering about $11.25 million in 2026 Port Infrastructure Development Program dollars, Community System Solutions CEO Mike Bahr told harbor commissioners on Wednesday. Bahr, who manages the Harbor District’s grants, said he and Harbormaster Mike Rademaker are nearly finished with the new application and will have to go before commissioners before submitting it.

If the Harbor District is successful, that money would pay for the second dock the Citizens Dock reconstruction project calls for, Bahr said.

Continue reading Crescent City Harbor To Pursue 2026 MARAD Grant To Complete Citizens Dock Project →
Articles, Emergencies, Infrastructure

Del Norte Teams Up With CalOES, Crescent City On Tsunami Education Kiosks For Visitors

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Tsunami information kiosks like this one will be at seven locations popular with visitors throughout Del Norte. | Image courtesy of Del Norte County Office of Emergency Services

Thumbnail photo: H Dock damage at the Crescent City Harbor from the July 30, 2025 Kamchatka tsunami. The harbor will host one of seven tsunami information kiosks throughout Del Norte. | Photo courtesy of Mike Rademaker

Del Norte County is stepping up its tsunami preparedness efforts, focusing on visitors who may not be aware that they’re in a hazardous location or how to evacuate.

Seven kiosks will be installed in areas popular with visitors. They will highlight the natural warning signs that a tsunami is imminent, the immediate actions to take as well as a simplified evacuation map leading folks to a safer spot, Emergency Services Coordinator Jessica Seaman said Tuesday.

“Each evacuation map will be site specific and developed with assistance from the subject matter experts to ensure accuracy and clarity for the exact location,” she told the Board of Supervisors. “The kiosks will also include a QR code that links directly to Know Your Zone and Prepare Del Norte (which has) additional preparedness information.”

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Articles, Infrastructure, Local Government

Del Norte County Board of Supervisors Recap For Feb. 10, 2026

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Thumbnail photo by Paul Critz

Among the items discussed at Tuesday’s Del Norte County Board of Supervisors meeting:

Boat Ramp Access: Despite skepticism from a member of the public, District 1 Darrin Short said he and his colleagues did have public safety in mind when directing the county to do repairs on the public access road to Saxton’s Boat Ramp in Smith River.

Supervisors unanimously approved allocating an additional $1,922.11 to the project, which, Short says, is necessary for the sheriff’s office to be able to deploy its rescue boat. This allocation brings the project cost to $8,900 in funds the Board of Supervisors had set aside to make repairs to non-maintained county roads.

Continue reading Del Norte County Board of Supervisors Recap For Feb. 10, 2026 →