Bennett Valley Voice

BENNETT VALLEY VOICE

Volume 3 Number 1

Memo From The Board

We'd like to thank each of you for your prompt response to our 1980 billing, and welcome you to the Bennett Valley Homeowners' Association. We hope to accomplish several things this year above and beyond the usual. Our first step was reinstituting the billing of yearly dues on a calendar basis. Another is publishing quarterly issues of the Bennett Valley Voice (more often if response and finances dictate). We are starting a series of articles on the history of Bennett Valley and long ago residents. If any of you have any pertinent material on this subject (or other subjects), we welcome your ideas. If you would be willing to write for the newspaper, please speak up! Possible future articles include the viticulture industry, animal husbandry, and other enterprises as they pertain to Bennett Valley.

Additionally, we hope to print a leaflet of useful information about our area and give it to all new residents of Bennett Valley as a way of saying welcome...and as a way of inviting them to join the BHA. Along this same line, if you know of any neighbors who are not members or don't know that we're around (Heaven forbid!), please tell them about the BHA.

We look forward to holding our first annual social get-together. We'll be in touch with you when plans start formulating. If you've any suggestions, by all means suggest. So far this year we've had one major project progress...that being the realignment of the intersection of Sonoma Mountain and Pressley Roads. This has been an extremely hazardous intersection and was first reviewed in 1975. We are happy to report that we were able to come up with a suggested realignment which seemed agreeable to those concerned. It has been submitted to

Bennett Valley Homeowners Association

March, 1980

BVHA

Board Of Directors

1979-1980 President Vice-President Secretary/Treasurer Tamara Boultbee Nancy Batson Barbara Maberry Ted Chamberlain Bill Jacobs Fred Hazlett Paul Hamilton Max Moberly Paul Mowbray

Memo From The Board Cont'D.

the Sonoma County Road Dept. as a priority safety item. As a reminder, if you have any concerns about something in the Bennett Valley area and feel we might be able to help, please contact us or come to a meeting and bring the matter to the Board's attention.

Tamara Boultbee Current members are those whose dues are paid ($5 for new members and $3 per year for continuing members.) Meetings are the 4th Wednesday of each month at the Bennett Valley Fire Station at 6161 Bennett Valley Road.

P.G. & E. Update

P.G.&E. transmission lines are still scheduled to go through Bennett Valley. According to the County representative, Toby Ross, the County is no longer pursuing legal recourse in the matter. P.G.&E. was the winner in this first stage. The next stage is the application for certification.

This is about a 9 month process involving details of (continued)

2 P.G.& E. UPDATE continued alignment, location, and specific mitigations. Hearings may begin by the end of this month. Notice will be given in the local paper, however notice may be quite short. Therefore, those who are interested in attending and or taking part in these hearings might wish to contact Toby Ross at the Sonoma County Planning Department late in the month to see if hearing dates, etc., have been set up. We urge all those concerned to attend.

Are You Planning To Build?

All structures proposed to be built in Bennett Valley must be approved by the Bennett Valley Design Review Committee. The aim of the Committee is to keep new structures inconspicuous. If the structure cannot be concealed by natural features, screening is required. Property owners are encouraged to meet with the Committee prior to design so that requirements may be built into the design. The Committee meets the Ist and 3rd Wednesdays of each month at the Firehouse, starting at 7:30 p.m.

Did You Know That -

•..in 1853 Coleman Talbot owned the land surrounding the fire house. He had bought 600 acres from James Bennett who bought it from General Vallejo. Mr. Talbot engaged in farming and stock raising. Holman Talbot bought part of the land from his father and in 1865 commenced an extensive improvement and cultivation. By 1880 he had a magnificent vineyard of 50 acres, 42 acres of which were devoted to the production of wine grapes of the Zinfandel, Riesling and Mission varieties. In 1926 Holman Talbot still maintained 190 acres devoted to vineyard and dairy purposes.

CRIME Please express to Board members any concerns you may have regarding the increasing problem of burglary in Bennett Valley. It is possible that a future Homeowners' meeting will be scheduled to discuss ways in which we can work with the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office in reducing the rising burglary rate.

A cooperative effort might bring results!

Who Are The Litterbugs?

Do you ever wonder when you travel the country roads in your area who is responsible for all the litter. I have wondered for a long time since I very seldom see an individual actually litter the country roads. What is the definition of litter? Litter is to scatter about in a careless manner. Who is a litterbug? A litterbug is a person who.

litters highways or other public places with waste paper, garbage, cans, and various other items. Since we are probably dealing with careless people who have little or no respect for the country, I find it hard to believe that the litterbugs are the residents of the country area.

We do have fines for littering, but the process of filing a complaint and actually making an individual pay the fine could be a long process. Police authorities should be notified when people do litter, with the hope that at least a warning might be given to the individual.

Although the litter isn't at an epidemic stage, I think that most of us have to do some of the dirty work. There are many individuals and groups who take the time to clean up parts of the country area. Some of these groups don't even live in the country.

I commend these people for their efforts. As individuals we should try to clean up our own areas. The next time you go for a walk, take a large garbage bag with you. Its amazing how much litter can be picked up in just a short walk.

My main reason for writing this article was to bring it to the attention of everybody. I know we're aware of the problem, but sometimes people need to be reminded that they may be the problem or they can help to solve the problem. Any comments or suggestions are welcome.

Please direct them to the newspaper. Ted Chamberlain