Category Archives: Infrastructure

Articles, Infrastructure, Local Government

Crescent City Planning Commission To Consider 14-Unit Townhome Project

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Thumbnail photo: This image shows a 14-unit townhome development proposed for an area near J and 7th streets in Crescent City. | Image courtesy of Crescent City

Sam Schauerman, the developer behind Roosevelt Estates, is seeking to build another housing development in Crescent City, this one closer to the downtown area.

Schauerman, owner of Elk Creek Builders LLC, will go before the Planning Commission on Thursday for an architectural review of a 14-unit townhome project proposed for 708 J Street. According to City Manager Eric Wier, when they are finished, the units will be available to rent at the market rate.

“They’re townhome styles with garages and separations between the different driveways,” Wier told the City Council on Monday, “so it’ll be a little bit different style than some of the other developments.”

Continue reading Crescent City Planning Commission To Consider 14-Unit Townhome Project →
Articles, CC Harbor, Infrastructure, Local Government

CC Harbor Seeks Funding To Determine If Dredge Material Can Be Deposited Near Whaler Island

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Thumbnail photo: Crescent City Harbor officials are seeking funding for a project to determine whether its dredge materials can be used for beach enhancement. | File photo by Gavin Van Alstine

Crescent City Harbor officials are pursuing a grant they say may turn a dredging dilemma into a valuable resource for projects like wetland restoration and beach enhancement.

The Harbor District is seeking $500,000 in California Regional Investment Initiative grant dollars for its beneficial reuse project. This project involves depositing about 10,000 cubic yards of dredge material along the beach near Whaler Island and assessing the ecological impacts. 

If there are no adverse impacts, the Harbor District may have an answer to a challenge that’s been plaguing it for years, according to Harbormaster Mike Rademaker.

Continue reading CC Harbor Seeks Funding To Determine If Dredge Material Can Be Deposited Near Whaler Island →
Articles, Emergencies, Infrastructure

Newsom Issues Disaster Declaration For July 30 Tsunami; Damage Estimates At CC Harbor Range From $2-5 Million, Harbormaster Says

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Thumbnail photo: The tsunami that struck Crescent City on July 30, 2025 caused complete separation of the harbor’s H Dock. | Photo courtesy of Mike Rademaker

Five months after an earthquake near Kamchatka sent a tsunami into Crescent City, the harbor has received the state disaster declaration needed to begin making repairs, Harbormaster Mike Rademaker said.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a statement Dec. 23 declaring a state of emergency in Del Norte County due to the tsunami that struck early the morning of July 30. The California Office of Emergency Services on Monday confirmed that the Crescent City Harbor District’s request for disaster assistance funding was approved, Rademaker told Redwood Voice Community News via email Tuesday.

The next phase, according to Rademaker, is for the Harbor District and Del Norte County to coordinate with state emergency officials to figure out a project list as well as scope and cost estimates so the Harbor District can be reimbursed. He said he hopes “things will happen within the next couple of weeks.”

Continue reading Newsom Issues Disaster Declaration For July 30 Tsunami; Damage Estimates At CC Harbor Range From $2-5 Million, Harbormaster Says →
Articles, Community News, Infrastructure

Tsunamis, Marches, Government Shutdowns, or 2025 in Del Norte County

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Thumbnail photo: Del Norters participated in the People’s March on Jan. 18, two days before Donald Trump was inaugurated to his second term as president. | Photo by Jessica Andrews

Two weeks after the calendar ticked over to 2025, more than 100 Del Norte residents gathered at the Cultural Center in Crescent City.

Waving signs preaching “love not hate” and “united we stand,” they vowed to safeguard the rights of the vulnerable ahead of what they believed to be a dangerous presidential administration.

“Let us be on the right side of history,” Troy Lea said in a statement read aloud during the People’s March on Jan. 18, the first of several demonstrations Del Norters would take part in during 2025. “For our people, our nation and future generations whose lives will be shaped by the work we do here today.”

Continue reading Tsunamis, Marches, Government Shutdowns, or 2025 in Del Norte County →
Articles, CC Harbor, Infrastructure, Local Government

After County Supervisors’ Rejection, Harbor Commissioners Opt To Re-Work Facilities Plan

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Thumbnail photo: The Crescent City Harbor District is working on paying back a $5.5 million U.S. Department of Agriculture loan that rebuilt the inner boat basin following tsunamis in 2006 and 2011. | Photo by Gavin Van Alstine

A week after county supervisors rejected a Crescent City Harbor Facilities Plan, its harbormaster argued that voters didn’t want the agency to wait 40 years before it began using Measure C tax dollars to make needed repairs.

The transiency occupancy tax measure voters approved in 2018 wasn’t specific about the repairs and maintenance the generated revenue would pay for, Harbor District CEO Mike Rademaker told commissioners at a special meeting Wednesday. 

In addition to being used to pay back a $5 million U.S. Department of Agriculture loan, Measure C revenue should also fund repairs and maintenance of harbor facilities. Rademaker cited legal advice he received from CCHD attorney Ryan Plotz, who said that could mean “anything that involves repair and maintenance.”

Continue reading After County Supervisors’ Rejection, Harbor Commissioners Opt To Re-Work Facilities Plan →
Articles, CC Harbor, Infrastructure, Local Government

CCHD Recap: Lighted Boat Parade Canceled; Update on RV Park Leases; Harbor Receives Grant To Clean Up Derelict Vessels

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Thumbnail photo: Bayside RV Park in June 2023. | File photo by Jessica C. Andrews

Harbor Commissioner Dan Schmidt was absent. Among the items discussed at the Crescent City Harbor District’s special meeting Wednesday:

No Lighted Boat Parade This Year: With harsh weather in the forecast and only nine vessels participating so far, CCHD Board Chairman Rick Shepherd said the lighted boat parade will be canceled.

This decision came after fiscal officer Sandy Moreno volunteered to organize the parade at the Board’s Dec. 3 meeting. Moreno had proposed holding the parade this Saturday and commissioners agreed to offer a $25 utility credit to participants.

Continue reading CCHD Recap: Lighted Boat Parade Canceled; Update on RV Park Leases; Harbor Receives Grant To Clean Up Derelict Vessels →
Articles, Crescent City, Infrastructure, Local Government

Bill Gillespie Returns to Helm Crescent City Fire & Rescue Until New Fire Chief Is Found

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Thumbnail photo: Bill Gillespie (fourth from left) will lead Crescent City Fire and Rescue as its interim fire chief until the city and the Crescent Fire Protection District can find a permanent chief. | Photo courtesy of the City of Crescent City

Bill Gillespie will return to Crescent City as its interim fire chief, leading a department that has grown into a hybrid agency relying on volunteers and career firefighters to keep the community safe.

Gillespie had led Crescent City Fire and Rescue for about four years after Steve Wakefield retired in 2018. He was chief when voters approved the Measure S tax measure and benefit assessment for the fire district that led to the hiring of three paid fire captains. Under his successor’s leadership the department achieved a Class 2 ISO rating.

“The department, it’s a combination department — volunteer and career — but above all it’s a professional department that serves this community very well,” Gillespie said Monday. “It will be neat coming back, too, with some of the things that came out of Measure S and came out of the fire district assessment to be able to step in now three-and-a-half years later and see where some of this progress has happened.”

Continue reading Bill Gillespie Returns to Helm Crescent City Fire & Rescue Until New Fire Chief Is Found →
Articles, Environment, Infrastructure, Transportation

Del Norte County Seeks Public’s Help Mapping Out Drainage Trouble Spots

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Thumbnail photo courtesy of Del Norte County

Del Norte County is seeking the public’s help in a $3 million planning effort aimed at identifying where its drainage trouble spots are.

Thousands of assets from small culverts to large bridges are scattered throughout the county, Engineer Jon Olson told supervisors Tuesday. The Community Development Department is asking people to either fill out a survey or drop a pin on a map and describe their problems.

The engineering division can also take the survey information over the phone if people would rather call instead, he said.

Continue reading Del Norte County Seeks Public’s Help Mapping Out Drainage Trouble Spots →
Articles, CC Harbor, Infrastructure, Local Government

Del Norte Supervisors Reject Harbor’s Facilities Plan, Are Wary Of CCHD Proposal To Negotiate Loan Payments With USDA

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Thumbnail photo by Gavin Van Alstine

County supervisors sent a facilities plan back to the Crescent City Harbor District, criticizing its vagueness and stating that the agency hadn’t yet met the plan’s first stated priority — making this year’s U.S. Department of Agriculture loan payment.

The Board was also skeptical that the USDA would agree to a Harbor District proposal to accept 10% of CCHD’s annual $260,000 payment for three years with the remainder of the funds going toward maintenance and being put into a reserve account. 

District 2 Supervisor Valerie Starkey said she and her colleagues have a legal obligation to voters to ensure that the stipulations of the transiency occupancy tax measure, Measure C, they approved in 2018 were being met. 

“My concerns are you don’t have an agreement with the USDA, you’ve had a conversation. That is all you’ve had,” Starkey told CCHD Fiscal Officer Sandy Moreno who assured supervisors that the federal agency was receptive to the Harbor District’s proposal. “I heard you say at the last (Harbor District) meeting that you need to have $262,000 in a restricted fund, you don’t have that. You don’t have your insurance and you have money this county has collected to pay a loan. I believe that that needs to be paid. That’s the guarantee that we gave this community.”

Continue reading Del Norte Supervisors Reject Harbor’s Facilities Plan, Are Wary Of CCHD Proposal To Negotiate Loan Payments With USDA →
Articles, Community News, Infrastructure, Local Government

Beachfront Park’s Wheelchair Swing May Be An ADA Violation, Disability Rights Advocate Warns

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Thumbnail photo: A local disability rights advocate Crescent City is violating the Americans With Disabilities Act by locking its wheelchair swing and requiring users to get a key. | Photo courtesy of Crescent City

Steven Jackson isn’t looking to sue Crescent City, but, he says, a lawsuit could happen if a lock and chain aren’t removed from a swing designed for wheelchairs at Beachfront Park.

Jackson, who has worked with adults with developmental disabilities in Del Norte County for about 20 years, warned the City Council on Monday that requiring people to get a key to be able to use the swing violates the Americans With Disabilities Act.

“I’m not here to propose a lawsuit on you guys,” he said. “But I’m letting you know that the city is really looking at a lawsuit for anybody who tries to go down and access that equipment when it’s not available. What’s that showing to people who come into our community that think we are an inclusive community?”

Continue reading Beachfront Park’s Wheelchair Swing May Be An ADA Violation, Disability Rights Advocate Warns →