Tag Archives: del norte county

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, Community News, Education, Local Government

DNUSD Trustees Raise Concerns About Interference, Division During Point of Contact Discussion

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DNUSD’s trustee area boundaries coincide with Del Norte County’s supervisorial boundaries

Thumbnail photo by Monique Camarena

The longest-serving member on the Del Norte Unified School District Board of Trustees on Thursday dissuaded his colleagues from designating primary points of contact for each campus

But, though Don McArthur, who represents Trustee Area 1, raised concerns about interfering with school management, Trustee Area 5 representative Mike Greer had a different take.

Greer, whose trustee area encompasses only one school, ‘O Me-nok Learning Center in Klamath, said he visits school sites regularly and has established a relationship with teachers and administrators, but he’s clear that he has no authority as an individual.

Continue reading DNUSD Trustees Raise Concerns About Interference, Division During Point of Contact 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, Education, Youth

Five Months After Posting ECE Director Position, DNUSD Officials Consider Changes To Boost Interest

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Thumbnail photo courtesy of Michael Hawkins

Nearly two months after the early childhood education director retired, Del Norte Unified School District officials are considering turning the job into a position that requires a teaching credential.

Superintendent Jeff Harris presented the idea — and a job description for a certificated ECE director — to the Board of Trustees on Feb. 12. The district has been hiring for an ECE director as a classified position since October and has had no applicants, he said.

Harris referred to the proposed certificated ECE director position as another option for the Board of Trustees to consider as it looks to fill the two-month-long vacancy. DNUSD Assistant Superintendent of Education Services Tom Kissinger is currently the acting ECE director.

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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 →
Agriculture, Articles, Environment, Tribal Affairs

Water Board Scientists Unveil Draft Easter Lily Bulb Order, Public Comment Period Extended

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Thumbnail photo courtesy of Buchio Takano via Wikimedia Commons. Creative Commons License.

State water quality scientists unveiled a proposed order they say will lead to a more robust means of monitoring and curtailing pesticide and copper contamination from Easter lily operations in the Smith River plain.

Currently in draft form, the Lily Bulb Order adds to a voluntary framework that growers have participated in since 2021 — which, scientists say, has led to a decrease in pollutants in the area. 

But for conservationists who spoke at a North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board public workshop on Wednesday, the proposed general waste discharge requirements weren’t strong enough. 

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Articles, Education

Charter School’s ICE Notification To Families Was An Accident, Principal Says

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Thumbnail photo by James Brooks

Uncharted Shores Academy principal Dan Cartwright has issued an apology after a staff member mistakenly sent out a notification stating that ICE agents were on its main campus.

The notification was issued at about 1:22 p.m. Wednesday through the charter school’s emergency communications system, Cartwright said in a letter sent to families and the greater Del Norte community. Once staff realized the mistake, they sent a brief followup at about 1:31 p.m. informing families that the message was sent in error.

At about 1:57 p.m., school staff sent out a final message providing more information about the incident and apologizing to families, according to Cartwright’s letter.

Continue reading Charter School’s ICE Notification To Families Was An Accident, Principal Says →