Category Archives: Infrastructure

Del Norte Supes Recap For Jan. 27, 2026

Thumbnail image: Screenshot

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

Welcome to California: The Board of Supervisors congratulated Caltrans representative Julia Peterson after she unveiled new California welcome signs that they said were far superior to Oregon’s.

Peterson showed supervisors an early rendering of the signs created after a public survey showed that the most favored themes were bears and elk. Three-dimensional bears will grace the sign on U.S. 199 while elk and salmon will welcome motorists driving south on U.S. 101, she said. 

Continue reading Del Norte Supes Recap For Jan. 27, 2026

Citizens Dock, Seawall Projects Up For Discussion at Wednesday’s CCHD Meeting

Thumbnail photo by Paul Critz

Crescent City Harbor commissioners are expected to take a final step toward starting a $15 million project to replace Citizens Dock and an adjacent seawall this spring.

The Harbor Board will consider adopting a mitigated negative declaration Wednesday based on a 709-page study of its potential environmental impacts. The study includes two phases of the Citizens Dock rebuild, though the Harbor District doesn’t have the funding to complete the second phase, according to Community System Solutions CEO Mike Bahr.

It also includes a construction project near the small boat ramp off Anchor Way to mitigate potential habitat loss as a result, Bahr told commissioners during a public hearing held Jan. 14.

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Del Norte County BOS Roundup, Jan. 13, 2026

Thumbnail photos: District 1 Supervisor Darrin Short and District 2 Supervisor Joey Borges. Borges and Short will serve another year as chair and vice chair of the Board of Supervisors.

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

Borges, Short ‘Keep It Going’: District 2 Supervisor Valerie Starkey ended the long pause that followed Chris Howard’s nomination of Joey Borges for another year as Board chairman.

Howard, who represents Del Norte County District 3, praised Borges’ efficiency in running county meetings, saying he’s done a “wonderful job” over the past 12 months. Though she has yet to serve in the chair position since she first took her seat in 2021, Starkey said she couldn’t think of a reason why Borges shouldn’t continue in the role. Her initial plan was to nominate District 1 Supervisor Darrin Short to the chair position since he’s been the vice chair for the past year, but decided to second Howard’s original motion.

Continue reading Del Norte County BOS Roundup, Jan. 13, 2026

DNUSD Recap for Jan. 8, 2026: Facilities Plan, Salary Increases, New Bell System

Thumbnail photo by Paul Critz

Among the items discussed at Thursday’s Del Norte Unified School District Board of Trustees meeting:

Facilities master plan: Trustees approved a $177,000 contract with Studio W, a Sacramento-based architect firm, to develop a five-year facilities master plan.

DNUSD sent a request for qualification to six different architectural firms, receiving responses from three of them, Facilities and Maintenance Director Josh McCubbin told trustees. Of the three, a committee consisting of McCubbin, Jeff Napier and Greg Bowen, the former and current assistant superintendents of business, decided that Studio W best fits DNUSD’s needs.

Continue reading DNUSD Recap for Jan. 8, 2026: Facilities Plan, Salary Increases, New Bell System

Crescent City Planning Commission To Consider 14-Unit Townhome Project

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.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.”

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

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