Tag Archives: del norte news

Articles, Crescent City, Local Government

Developers Working To Get Project On Track After Cost Overruns, Water Damage Halts Construction At Battery Point Apartments

March 25, 2026 Jessica Cejnar Andrews Leave a comment

Updated at 10:39 a.m. Wednesday to correct who the general contractor is for the project.

Water damage and cost overruns have halted construction on Battery Point Apartments — the 162-unit affordable housing project being built near Joe Hamilton Elementary and Crescent Elk Middle School.

Three days after a former Del Norte County supervisor told the Crescent City Council that the project disturbed him, Bill Rice, president of the Synergy Community Development Corporation, acknowledged the work stoppage. But his description of who the building’s tenants will be is different from Roger Gitlin’s “completely Section 8 assisted living project” characterization.

It’s true that the complex’s senior apartments will be offered to those receiving project-based housing vouchers through the Crescent City Housing Authority, Rice said. The remaining 120 units will go to families, including those who are not very-low income, but who can’t afford market-rate rent.

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Articles, Infrastructure, Tribal Affairs

Del Norte County Board of Supervisors Recap, March 24, 2026

March 25, 2026 Jessica Cejnar Andrews Leave a comment

_{Thumbnail image: The 57-acre “Sand Spit Property” the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation is seeking to acquire. |Image courtesy of the Bureau of Indian Affairs}

District 2 Supervisor Valerie Starkey was absent. Among the items discussed at Tuesday’s Del Norte County Board of Supervisors meeting:

Trust Acquisition Opposition: County supervisors approved a letter to the Bureau of Indian Affairs opposing the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation’s efforts to acquire 57 acres of undeveloped land just outside its boundaries in Smith River.

Known as the “Sand Spit Property,” the parcel is located on the south side of the Smith River estuary near the river mouth.

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Articles, Emergencies

Earthquake/Tsunami Drill Set For Tomorrow

March 24, 2026 Jessica Cejnar Andrews Leave a comment

_{Thumbnail map courtesy of the Redwood Coast Tsunami Working Group. To find maps for Fort Dick, Smith River and Klamath, click here.}

Del Norters who have opted into the county’s emergency alert system will get a notification between 11 a.m. and noon Wednesday.

Coinciding with Tsunami Preparedness Week, the earthquake and tsunami drill will only involve the county’s Everbridge system, Emergency Services Manager Deborah Otenburg told county supervisors on Tuesday.

“Oftentimes we have community members say we didn’t receive the alert, you do have to be registered to receive that alert,” Otenburg said. “And there will not be sirens. This is not a live-code activation. This is not a National Weather Service putting this out. It’s just us.”

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Articles, CC Harbor, Infrastructure

Harbor Commissioners Seek General Contractor, Project Manager For Citizens Dock, Seawall Project

March 16, 2026 Jessica Cejnar Andrews Leave a comment

_{Thumbnail photo courtesy of Andrew Goff; Right: Most recent rendering of Citizens Dock/seawall project. | Image courtesy of the Crescent City Harbor District}

Harbor commissioners gave staff the green light to seek a general contractor, project manager, accounting firm and a grants manager as construction for the seawall and Citizens Dock rebuilds loom.

Commissioners unanimously approved releasing requests for proposals on Tuesday after Mike Bahr, CEO of Community System Solution, gave a rundown of what they and the public can expect over the next roughly two years.

“We’re looking at this as one project,” he said. “These two elements are two separate grants, but it really is one very large construction project that’s all taking place at the same time.”

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Articles, Community News

Crescent City, Del Norte Preparing For ‘Pause’ In CDBG Program; Funding Supports CASA, Senior Nutrition, Pacific Pantry

March 9, 2026 Jessica Cejnar Andrews Leave a comment

_{Thumbnail image: Marina MacNeil and Dominique Richcreek, staff members at Pacific Pantry, visited Smith River in this photo from September 2024 with the pantry’s mobile market. Pacific Pantry is supported through CDBG funding from the city. | Photo by Jessica Cejnar Andrews}

Though her organization’s main funding source, the Community Development Block Grant, is set to pause for two years, Christine Slette said she’s not totally freaking out.

With a year and a half left of its 2024 allotment, Court Appointed Special Advocates of Del Norte may be OK, its executive director told Redwood Voice Community News on Thursday. But if CASA is unable to renew its application in 2026, the number of foster youth its volunteers work with will decrease, Slette said.

“It feels like we have to spend more time fundraising and doing grant management than we do serving the children,” she said. “It’s frustrating. But we have such an amazing community (that) always steps up and helps us through tough times. But it’s a strain and it’s so unfortunate.”

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Articles, Education, Youth

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

February 24, 2026 Jessica Cejnar Andrews Leave a comment

_{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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Community News

The Volunteers of Del Norte’s 2026 Point in Time Count

February 17, 2026 Monique Camarena Leave a comment

_{Photos and video by Monique Camarena}

On one windy day in January, Del Norte Health and Human Services and local organizations came together to gather data, provide support, and spread love to Del Norte’s homeless community at the county’s annual Point In Time Count.

This year’s PIT count was held in the Del Norte County Fairgrounds Main Building on Jan. 27, where those considered unhoused could take a 5-minute anonymous survey and receive free meals, backpacks, clothes, showers and many more resources. Even free haircuts!

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Articles, Education, Youth

Cal Poly Humboldt Offers Direct Admission to Del Norte Students, Promises Greater Presence At Local High Schools

February 17, 2026 Jessica Cejnar Andrews Leave a comment

_{Thumbnail photo by Jaradpetroske via Wikimedia Commons. Creative Commons License}

Cal Poly Humboldt representatives promised a greater presence at Del Norte County’s high schools in an effort to offer a clear path for those seeking a college education.

As part of a statewide initiative to streamline the college admissions process for students and families, the Arcata-based California State University entered into a memorandum of understanding with Del Norte Unified School District about two weeks ago.

According to Dr. Chrissy Holliday, Cal Poly’s vice president of enrollment management and student success, the university will work with DNUSD staff to enact any special programs or supports that will make the choice to go to college easier, especially for first-generation students.

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Articles, Economy, Infrastructure, Local Government, Transportation

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

February 13, 2026 Jessica Cejnar Andrews Leave a comment

_{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.

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Articles, CC Harbor, Infrastructure

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

February 12, 2026 Jessica Cejnar Andrews Leave a comment

*_{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.

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