Tag Archives: del norte news

Though One is On The Table, Commissioners Seek More Proposals for RV Parks

Thumbnail image: An example site plan from the Harbor District’s request for proposals packet for Bayside and Redwood Harbor Village RV parks. | Courtesy the CCHD

Crescent City Harbor commissioners said they wanted to continue seeking other options for redeveloping the port’s two RV parks despite a warning from Harbormaster Mike Rademaker that doing so might put an existing proposal in jeopardy.

Rademaker said he was worried that the Board of Commissioners was turning its back on Orange County-based developers Sean McGraw and Scott Lawhon, who had presented a plan for revitalizing Bayside and Redwood Harbor Village RV parks on June 25.

Rademaker was especially concerned about a potential performance bond that may be included with the Harbor District’s request for proposals, though it’s not finalized yet. He suggested making the inclusion of a performance bond in any proposal to redevelop the RV parks optional.

Continue reading Though One is On The Table, Commissioners Seek More Proposals for RV Parks

Staff Vacancies, Increased Detention Costs, Relocation of Juvenile Services Pose Challenges to Del Norte Probation, Chief Says

Thumbnail photo courtesy of the Del Norte Probation Department

Though his department has an overall vacancy rate of 33%, Lonnie Reyman said Del Norte County probation will be screening more than 20 potential new recruits.

The county’s probation chief offered this ray of optimism as part of an otherwise complex budget report to the Board of Supervisors on Monday. 

Probation and Re-entry Services, which includes the Youth Opportunity Center and detention services, is also expecting an uptick in the number of juvenile offenders that are in custody and are expecting the cost to house them to increase, he said.

Continue reading Staff Vacancies, Increased Detention Costs, Relocation of Juvenile Services Pose Challenges to Del Norte Probation, Chief Says

Chris Howard Asks About Harbor’s 2% TOT Allocation And Whether Del Norte Could ‘Take It Back’

Thumbnail photo: A voter-approved transiency occupancy tax measure back in 2018 allows the Crescent City Harbor District to continue to pay off the USDA loan that funded the inner boat basin rebuild following tsunamis in 2006 and 2011. | Photo by Gavin Van Alstine

After learning that Del Norte County could see more than $1 million in revenue from transient occupancy taxes, District 3 Supervisor Chris Howard brought the Crescent City Harbor District into the discussion.

Does the county have to give 2% of its overall 10% TOT to the harbor even though voters in 2018 stated that it should, Howard asked county Treasurer/Tax Collector Barbara Lopez on Monday.

“Is it to the point where we couldn’t take back that allocation?” Howard asked. “It’s a question that was brought up to me recently given all the stuff going on down there.”

Continue reading Chris Howard Asks About Harbor’s 2% TOT Allocation And Whether Del Norte Could ‘Take It Back’

Kamchatka Tsunami May Have Caused More Damage to Crescent City Harbor Than Thought, Assessment Continues

Thumbnail photo: Crescent City Harbor and Pacific Power staff assess damage done to H Dock from a series of tsunami surges spawned by an 8.8 earthquake near the Kamchatka Peninsula. | Photo by Heather Polen.

Crescent City Harbormaster Mike Rademaker said a series of tsunami surges that swept into the inner boat basin may have caused “closer to $1 million” in damage on Wednesday.

H Dock bore the brunt of the energy, Rademaker said, but the concrete structure of the docks are “mostly still in good shape.”

“The metal connecting plates are sheared all over,” he said via text message just after noon on Wednesday, “and the 1.5 inch electric cabling will have to be completely replaced.”

Continue reading Kamchatka Tsunami May Have Caused More Damage to Crescent City Harbor Than Thought, Assessment Continues

Del Norte County Weathers Tsunami With Minimal Damage; CCHD’s H Dock Did Its Job, Harbormaster Says

Thumbnail photo: The National Weather Service noted surge of 3.6 feet at about 4 a.m. Wednesday, enough to generate minor coastal flooding and inundation. | Image courtesy of the National Weather Service

The Crescent City Harbor District’s sacrificial dock did its job, taking the brunt of the energy spawned by a series of tsunami surges that arrived early Wednesday morning.

No injuries were reported from the tsunami, which occurred following a magnitude 8.8 earthquake off the east coast of Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula, Harbormaster Mike Rademaker said during a community briefing at about 8 a.m. Wednesday. But H Dock sustained significant damage.

“At approximately 2:40 a.m. we noticed a surge of water several feet in height,” he said. “That caused the decking of H Dock to lift along its pilings. As the water level rose, the decking lodged on the pilings and was eventually submerged, [which] resulted in major structural failure and the complete separation of the dock.” 

Continue reading Del Norte County Weathers Tsunami With Minimal Damage; CCHD’s H Dock Did Its Job, Harbormaster Says

Lobbyist Talks One Big Beautiful Bill, SRS, EAS and Last Chance Grade With Del Norte Supervisors

Thumbnail photo: Passengers board Advanced Air’s inaugural flight from Crescent City to Hawthorne on March 17, 2024. | Pnoto by Jessica Cejnar Andrews

Nearly three weeks after President Donald Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill into law, Greg Burns helped Del Norte County supervisors unpack how it may affect their constituents.

Burns, a representative with Thorn Run Partners, Del Norte’s advocate in Washington D.C., started his presentation to the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday by mentioning a program not included in the legislation — the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self Determination Act.

The lobbyist touched on the Essential Air Service Program, the Community Development Block Grant program, a funding proposal from California’s senators on behalf of the Veterans Memorial Hall as well as the Last Chance Grade project’s long-awaited final environmental clearance.

Continue reading Lobbyist Talks One Big Beautiful Bill, SRS, EAS and Last Chance Grade With Del Norte Supervisors

Supervisors Raise Concerns About Proposed Timber Harvest, Sells 18 Pacific Shores lots to State of California

Thumbnail photo: California Coastal Commissioners met with California Department of Fish and Wildlife Scientists and Smith River Alliance representatives at Pacific Shores last year. | File photo by Jessica Cejnar Andrews

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

Timber Harvest Near Hunter Creek Subdivision: 

Supervisors agreed to send a letter to Cal Fire outlining their concerns that a Green Diamond timber harvest plan could impact drinking water and increase wildfire risk in the Hunter Creek Subdivision.

The proposed letter came from District 5 Supervisor Dean Wilson, who said he attended a presentation the timber company held for residents in the Klamath area subdivision. Green Diamond’s West Tepo Timber Harvesting Plan encompasses 294 acres, 60 percent of which will be clearcut, he said. Forty percent of those 294 acres will be set aside for selective harvesting, Wilson said.

Continue reading Supervisors Raise Concerns About Proposed Timber Harvest, Sells 18 Pacific Shores lots to State of California

Firefighters Lauded For Response During Officer-Involved Shooting Incident; New CHP Commander Introduces Himself

Thumbnail photo: Crescent City firefighters Beau Smith, Dave Bowdish and Eugene Starkey received commendations from Fire Chief Kevin Carey for distinguished service after facing a dangerous subject armed with a “knife-type weapon.” | Screenshot

Crescent City Fire Chief Kevin Carey applauded three of his firefighters, not only for facing a dangerous subject armed with a “knife-type weapon,” but for providing aid to that person when law enforcement shot him.

Carey awarded distinguished service commendations to Capt. Beau Smith, Engineer Dave Bowdish and Firefighter Eugene Starkey, who had responded to a call for an individual covered in blood on the beach near Anchor Way on June 27. 

The chief praised their decision to call on law enforcement for help when the patient approached firefighters, saying it showed great courage and situational awareness.

Continue reading Firefighters Lauded For Response During Officer-Involved Shooting Incident; New CHP Commander Introduces Himself

Grand Jury Notes Improvement At Jail, Though Facility Is Still In Disrepair

Thumbnail photo by Amanda Dockter

The Civil Grand Jury painted a rosier picture of the Del Norte County Jail this year, commending the sheriff’s office on steps taken to address the issues last year’s investigation uncovered.

However, after touring the facility in January, five Grand Jurors still had concerns ranging from stained and filthy walls and floors to an inmate property room that was so malodorous some members didn’t want to enter.

Much like last year, Del Norte County Sheriff Garrett Scott acknowledged the truth in the Grand Jury’s report, though he said addressing many of those concerns is outside of his control. As for the unsanitary property room, Scott said the Measure R Oversight Committee has already approved an emergency purchase of a vacuum sealer his staff can use to better store inmates’ belongings.

Continue reading Grand Jury Notes Improvement At Jail, Though Facility Is Still In Disrepair

Pelican Bay Inmate Who Escaped Minimum-Security Facility Is Back In Custody

Thumbnail photo: Jamie R. Watson | Courtesy of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation

A 40-year-old Pelican Bay State Prison inmate is back in custody after he was reported missing from the minimum security facility at about 11:50 p.m. Friday.

Sheriff’s deputies arrested 40-year-old Jamie R. Watson at about 7:12 a.m. Saturday, Del Norte County Sheriff Garrett Scott told Redwood Voice Community News. According to the sheriff, Watson was spotted on Mud Hen Road near Lower Lake Road. The sheriff’s office arrested Watson and took him to the Del Norte County Jail before turning him back over to Pelican Bay authorities, Scott said.

“It sounded like the guy had an injured ankle so he couldn’t get away easily,” the sheriff said. “He was apprehended and the sheriff’s office took him back to Pelican Bay.”

Continue reading Pelican Bay Inmate Who Escaped Minimum-Security Facility Is Back In Custody