Bennett Valley Voice

Bennett Valley VOICE www.bennettvalleyhoa.org

Volume 32, Number 1

Bennett Valley Homeowner'S Association (Bvha)

January, 2009

Get Involved! Stay Informed! Join The Bennett Valley Homeowner's Association. We're asking for your help in actively supporting • Sent out six VOICE newsletters to 900 Bennett Valley and pursuing our Amended Mission: 1) To educate, households during the year. instruct, train and inform the local residents on disaster • Arranged for the following speakers to make preparedness and emergency response as well as local presentations for Bennett Valley residents at two of our six environmental and land use issues; 2) To promote and preserve meetings during the year: the rural residential character and natural environment of March 19 - Each of the three candidates for the First Bennett Valley...; 3) To serve as an open forum for BV District Supervisor position, Valerie Brown, Will Pier and community participation; 4) To provide a bridge for communication between government agencies and the Bennett David Reber, brought written material about their candidacy, made a presentation to the Bennett Valley Valley community.

audience (close to 100 people) and answered questions. What steps can you take to help your immediate neighborhood begin to work together to prepare for emergencies? For information or direction, contact our BV Emergency Coordinator, at 5288982. (See Page Two Perhaps you also have ideas/skills to help the entire Bennett Valley community. (See BHA Agenda, Page Five) What additional needs should be explored re: the local BV environment, wildlife protection, etc.?

They also stayed after the meeting to answer individual questions. September 17 - Steve Norwick, Geology Professor from Sonoma State University, discussed the "Geology of Bennett Valley", with over 125 people, followed up by a summary of his presentation in the November VOICE. BVHA in 2008 Bennett Valley Homeowner's Association accomplished the following in 2008: • Produced another spectacular 2009 calendar, with great pictures of local Birds and/or Blooms.

• Organized the BV Clean-Up Days on April 5 and October 25, with 18 volunteers helping. • Helped recruit and organize a third BV Community Emergency Response Training (CERT) class, with Bennett Valley Emergency Preparedness (BVEP) now incorporated as part of BHA. • Proposed an amendment to the BVHA Articles of Incorporation, which the BVHA members approved, 112 to 4, in the recent election. The amendment includes the BVHA's active involvement in educational activities regarding disaster preparedness emergency preparedness, as well as local environmental and land use issues. Director Jim Cobb is now preparing the two forms to send to the Secretary of State, to implement this change. Once this change is implemented, it will also allow BVHA donations to be claimed as tax-deductible.

• Supported the "faux tree cell phone antenna tower" to be placed at the BV Fire Station, sometime this spring. See Page Three, for further information. For 2009 BVHA membership, send your check to Bennett Valley Homeowner's Association, P.O. Box 2666, Santa Rosa, CA 95405. This month only, a dues form and self-addressed envelope are attached to the VOICE, to make more convenient for you. The annual dues are $15, but we encourage extra donations, especially for BV Emergency Preparation (BVEP), as indicated on your check, made out to BVHA. These extra donations help cover the costs for emergency planning supplies, activities and training as well as the cost of sending out the VOICE. In addition, these extra donations support our website, also recently revised and improved, so that everyone has the opportunity to stay well-informed. Another option to consider is receiving your VOICE by email. This helps the Association save money by eliminating the cost of paper, printing and postage. At the present time 210 households use this service, at an annual savings in postage alone of $529.20. Just include your e-mail address on the membership form and return it with your dues. If you have questions, please call Larissa Goliti or Jean LaCombe, Membership Coordinators, at 578-3453 Or 585-3482.

Email Igoliti@hotmail.com

Bennett Valley Emergency Preparedness Summary of Activities By Karen Sommer, BVEP Coordinator Will Dogs Be Allowed On Sonoma County Open Space District Lands? By Craig S. Harrison It has been just over 2 years since we held our first CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) class. Here is a list of what we have accomplished since the fall of 2006: It is ironic that many Bennett Valley residents must drive 20 minutes or more to hike on park trails. With the exception of Crane Creek Park, we are surrounded by public lands that have either poor access (Annadel State 1. We have held 3 classes and graduated just under 50 CERT team members.

2. CERT members have participated in County-wide exercises and advanced training. 3. We had one CPR class with the maximum of 10 participants, 4. We organized Bennett Valley into 7 (seven) sections or districts. It is our goal to have each section organized for emergencies with emergency communication tree, emergency information for each family, emergency storage and supplies, established evacuation routes, and plans for animal rescue.

5. We've established funds for a central emergency communications and storage enclosure to be located at the fire station. (Thank you to the BVHA for this donation.) 6. The BVEP (Bennett Valley Emergency Preparedness) committee established a shelter and storage site at the Grange Hall. (We are looking for donations to purchase a storage unit for this site.) 7. We created a formal committee for Emergency planning under the Bennett Valley Homeowners' Association. BVHA is in the process of changing its non-profit status to the Internal Revenue Code 501(c)(3) to allow for all charitable contributions to be tax-deductible for individuals or companies wishing to make donations.

Any individual or company wishing to make contribution specifically for emergency planning needs to indicate this on their check, made out to BVHA. Park) or are closed to the public (Sonoma County Open Space District lands at Taylor Mountain, Cooper's Grove, Jacob's Ranch and the recent acquisition of the 238-acre Sonoma Mountain Ranch).

In November 2007, the first steps began to open Jacob's Ranch to the public. The Open Space District issued a draft environmental assessment for a new 4.25mile trail on Sonoma Mountain ridge that will connect Jacob's Ranch to an existing 6-mile trail in Jack London State Park. Many were surprised to learn that the Open Space District "policy prohibits dogs on trails" while mountain bikes and horses are allowed. Of 36 comments on the environmental assessment, 30 objected to the dog ban while the remainder addressed other issues. Some noted that half of Sonoma County households own dogs, and that the November 2006 initiative to extend the sales tax to support the district might have failed had the antidog owner policy been revealed.

The district's written response to comments on the project in February 2008 failed to address or acknowledge most of the points and solutions made in the 30 comments on this topic. It disavowed its previous statement that it prohibits dogs on all of its lands but then decided that dogs would be banned from the new 4.25 mile county portion of the trail that begins at Jacob's Ranch because Jack London Park forbids dogs on the upper 6-mile trail. It never explained why it decided to close the entire trail to dogs when dogs could be allowed on the 4.25 mile portion that is owned by the county.

Signs at the Jacob's Ranch trail head and at the state park boundary could inform hikers of the limits of dog entry and residents could still hike several miles of the new trail with their dogs. The final environmental assessment and Our Goals For 2009: its anti-dog owner policy was approved by the Board of Supervisors on March 18th. The construction of the 1. Hold our 4th CERT class in the Spring.

2. Purchase storage and communications enclosure, to be located at the fire station. 3. Encourage neighborhood participation in preparedness. Hold an information meeting to be held in the Spring on 'how-to' neighborhood for a disaster. 4. Create a Bennett Valley Communication tree using Walkie/Talkies and Ham radios. We hope to have a communications class for all interested residents in 2009.

5. Actively seek donations, grants and other funding to help pursue our goals. 6. Hold a class on fire safety and preparing ourselves and our homes against threats of wildfires. Jacob's Ranch trail is expected to begin in spring 2009 and may be open in 2010.

I raised the dog issue with the Open Space Advisory Committee during its August 2008 meeting. Chairman Andy Rodgers later told me that Open Space District staff is in the process of developing district-wide criteria and policies because many other properties face the same issue. Bill Keene, Assistant General Manger of the Open Space District, has confirmed that a dog policy is expected to be announced in spring 2009. He told me that the district will probably have a multi-use policy, but that conservation and not recreation is the district's primary mandate. Keene said that on a site-specific basis some open space lands may be off-limits to dogs. Bennett Valley residents who want to hike Open Space District lands with their dogs can contact Bill Keene (bkeene@sonomaI look forward to hearing from interested residents on any county.org), Andy Rodgers (Andy@econca.com), or of these activities.

You can contact me by email at: Supervisor Valerie Brown (vbrown@sonoma-county.org). ksommer11@earthlink.net or phone: 528-8982

Sonoma Mountain Road Repairs By Sarah Fredericks, 1/2/09, Construction Inspector, Sonoma County Public Works Department To date, the foundation (keyway) and the subdrain system have been completed. As I'm sure you can imagine, the weather has impacted the project and we didn't meet our original completion December. We are continuing to work in between the rainy days and are protecting the site with plastic so that we can get back to work more quickly after it rains.

The work that we have been undertaking this month is to remove the plane of the slide in the hillside behind the foundation. The "plane" is the surface on which the upper part of the hill and the roadway have been moving; it is literally the plane of the slide. The actual plane has a shiny/slippery appearance that was created by the pressure of the weight of the soil above moving in a horizontal direction. This movement has polished the soil and lubricated the plane, making further movement even more likely. Once we dig through and below the slide plane, it will be destroyed; it will be gone. The excavated soil is then replaced with soil that has been compacted to engineering standards. This soil will not have a tendency to slide because it is built as a cohesive unit and it is locked into place by the foundation (keyway). In order to keep the hill from subsiding further during this process, we are working in small sections, removing only the material that can be replaced in one day. We probably need about 15 days of good weather in order to finish this stage of the The next stage will be to construct the embankment that holds the recycled tires (Tire Derived Aggregate or TDA) and then build the road. We have had a couple of hiccups so far. The slide plane is lower in elevation than we anticipated on part of the project. While this does not change the concept of what we are building, it does mean that we have to move more dirt before starting the fill. We have also discovered a spring within our work area. That water, which probably the original movement of the hill, has been captured and diverted away from the slide area.

People have been asking about a completion date, but that is dependent on the weather, which cannot be accurately predicted. I can say we will continue to keep plugging away as much as possible to complete this job. Alert! Bennett Valley Road Attacks Press Democrat, December 6, 2008, Section B1 On November 18, a motorist flashed his lights behind the car of a 19 year old Santa Rosa Junior College student driving home late at night on Bennett Valley Road, near Old Bennett Ridge Road. He then pulled alongside her car in his effort to get her to stop.

When she pulled to the side of the road near Enterprise Road, after some threatening remarks, she was sexually assaulted by the motorist, a young man. On December 4, another young woman alerted authorities that a man pulled her over on the same stretch of rural Bennett Valley Road, near Enterprise Road. As he approached the car, she sped off and used her cell phone to call for help. She was directed to a safe area, where deputies met her and took a report on the incident. In another article in the Press Democrat on December 11, it stated there have been two other very similar incidents in Rohnert Park, on November 21 and November 24. Authorities say motorists should never pull over suspicious circumstances and, instead, immediately call 911, if a cell phone is available. Otherwise, they should drive to a safe, visible location, such as a police station, a nearby fire station (BV Fire Station) or a highly visible business, stay in their locked car and continuously honk the horn to attract help. These incidents demonstrate the importance of improved cell phone reception in the rural Bennett Valley area, as presented below.

Proposed BV Cell Phone Tower ! Following a presentation by Allen Fink from Verizon ! Wireless at the BVHA meeting, on 5/16/07, the BHA Board of Directors approved the following ! Resolution in a 5 to 1 vote: The Board of ¡ Directors of BVHA recognizes that cell phone ¡service in Bennett Valley is poor at most ¡homes and that there are "dead spots" for ¡ cell phone reception on virtually all roads in ¡our area... The (BVHA Board of Directors)..

! expresses its strong desire to improve this ! situation and supports Verizon's proposal to ! build a tree cell phone tower at the Bennett ! Valley Fire Station that can accommodate ¡more than one cell phone company... ¡Verizon applied to Sonoma County for this permit iseven months later, in December 2007. On !September 3, 2008, Verizon and interested BV ! residents met with Sonoma Co. Design Review ! Committee for analysis and then approval for the 58 ¡foot antenna. For improved aesthetics, the committee asked that there be 16 redwood trees ¡ planted around the antenna. Next a meeting was held December 11 with the Board of Zoning ¡Adjustments, who also approved the proposed cell i phone tower at the BV Fire Station. One of the points i brought up by this Board and those in attendance ! was that if any other cell phone company wants to use this same antenna, they could then also apply for a permit from the County. Apparently some ¡additional height would have to be added to this ¡ antenna to make that possible. In a recent phone call ¡ with Sonoma County planner, Blake Hillegas, at 565¡ 1392, he explained that Verizon now has to have their i building permit approved before they can actually ! install the antenna, which will probably be completed !by the end of January:_

Bennett Valley Fire Protection District 6161 Bennett Valley Road, Santa Rosa Non-Emergency Business Phone: 578-7761 Board of Directors Mark Richardson, President; Joseph Mazeau, Vice-President; Marilee Jensen, Secretary; Arnie Tognozzi, and Don D'Avanzo, Directors. Board meetings are held on the 2nd Tuesday each month, 7:00 pm, at the BV Fire Station.

Please confirm meeting date ahead of time. Bennett Valley Paid Firefighting Staff Fire Chief: Andy Pforsich, 823-1084 48-hour Personnel: Lieutenants Kevin Burris and Matt Tognozzi, Engineer Danny Connelly Daytime Firefighters, 8:00am to 5:00 pm: Engineers Patrick Tognozzi, Brian Drees and Ronnie Lakin Supplemented and supported by many trained firefighting volunteers. Three separate shifts of volunteers are paid to sleep overnight at the Fire Station, three at a time, for improved coverage. Volunteers are also paid and interns used, as the third firefighter on duty during the day.

Bennett Valley Firefighter Activities; November/December, 2008 By Lieutenant Kevin Burris Medical Aids-11; Vehicle Accidents-3; Structure Fires-1; Alarm Sounding-2; Hazardous Conditions-1; Public Assists- 1; With fire season now officially over and rain once again a very present element in our weather pattern, we must all increase our awareness of present road conditions. Also check the condition of your vehicle, windshield wipers, headlights, and tires. Anytime that your windshield wipers are on continuously, you must have your head lights on; it's the law. When inclement weather conditions are present, such as rain, fog, and on the rare occasion, ice or snow, reduce your speed and allow more time for your journey. The maximum posted speed limit may not apply during such conditions. Bennett Valley's road ways can be hazardous on any given day, but in the rainy months ahead they will be especially dangerous.

On December 3rd a structure fire damaged the roof of a single story, single family home in Bennett Valley. The fire was quickly extinguished by Bennett Valley Fire personnel, with no injuries reported. As a reminder, clean and sweep your chimneys and clean any debris on your roof that may be ignited by a stray ember. This is one of the more common causes of a structure fire.

Bennett Valley Fire District was fortunate enough to have two training burns on November 22 and 29, at 4570 Grange Road, where three structures were donated to the Fire District: a home, a granny unit and garage. Bennett Valley personnel were able to put on training classes in all aspects of structural firefighting, including fire attack, ventilation, search & rescue and forceful entry, benefiting BV Fire, Glen Ellen Fire, Rancho Adobe Fire, Kenwood Fire, Gold Ridge Fire, and Santa Rosa Fire.

Firefighters from each agency came together to train and work together, just as if a major emergency was to occur here in Bennett Valley; a very valuable experience for all. Email Message: December 28, 2008 TO: Chief Andy Pforsich FROM: Mike Hickey SUBJECT: Officer Burris ...I want to thank you for providing BVFPD space to i receive and distribute the emergency water barrels...And I want to give special attention to your duty officer that day, , Kevin Burris. Kevin has always had a good rapport with folks in the district, but as I saw him last week, he has taken significant steps forward in his personal interaction skills since I last worked with him a couple of years ago.

Kevin greeted us, established the work site, took control of directing the truck driver and the volunteers ... and then "worked the crowd" with his quiet but pleasant demeanor. Very effective; very impressive. Your leadership style is contagious. Thanks again ... We may be coming to you again for another COPE/CARE barrel distribution.

A BVFPD Plaque for Bill Pisenti On November 18, 2008, the Bennett Valley Fire Protection District presented Bill Pisenti with a plaque, now hanging on the wall at the Fire Station, stating the following: In appreciation of William W. Pisenti, Bennett Valley Fire District founder, volunteer firefighter, Board Director and self-annointed watch dog of all affairs since 1948.

Spare The Air Bay Area Air Quality Management District From Website <baaqmd.org, sparetheair> ; Air pollution is a serious public health concern. Although the Bay • Area is one of the cleanest of the major California air basins, there are still days when air pollution exceeds the federal and ! state health-based air quality standards. The Bay Area Air ! Quality Management District has established two programs that I educate residents about the effects of air pollution and encourage I them to take action to improve air quality in the Bay Area. Any i questions about these programs should be directed to the Bay ¡ Area Quality Management District, at (415) 771-6000.

Summertime Spare the Air During the summer months, ; ozone pollution can become a health problem in the Bay Area. The summertime Spare the Air program notifies residents when air quality is forecast to be unhealthy, and urges residents to ! drive less and reduce their emissions of ozone-forming ! pollutants.

¡ Winter Spare the Air During the winter months, levels of i particulate matter can reach unhealthy levels. When particulate ¡ levels are anticipated to be high, the Air District will issue a ¡ Winter Spare the Air Alert and prohibit burning wood, firelogs ¡ or pellets in your fireplace or woodstove, unless that is your sole source of heat.

! You can get a daily forecast by calling 1-877-4n0-burn (1-877! 466-2876). For a telephone alert, you can register at 1-800-430! 1515; for an email alert, register at www.sparetheair.org, Air I Alert. There are also announcements on radio and television.

Bennett Valley Homeowner's Association (BVHA) Board Of Directors P.O. Box 2666, Santa Rosa, CA 95405 Craig Harrison, President charrison@hunton.com,_ 573-9990 Eric Burns, Vice-President datamonk@svn.net, 584-7531 Fay Blair, Treasurer fayblair@sonic.net, 576-0152 Connie Montague, Recording Secretary ecmonty@teevax.com,_542-4987 Larissa Goliti, Membership Coordinator Igoliti@hotmail.com, 578-3453 James K. Cobb, Director cobblaw@pacbell.net, 586-9172 Paul Hamilton, Director, 527-0671 Frank LaCombe, Director franksgarage@peoplepc.com, 585-3482 Richard Lukasko, Director rlukasko@hotmail.com, 566-7803 Bennett Valley Emergency Preparation Coordinator Karen Sommer,_528-8982, ksommer11@earthlink.net, BVHA VOICE Editor - Marilee Jensen, 576-0405, marileejensen@sbcglobal.net, Brief Summary of BHA Meeting November 20, 2008 • Larissa Goliti shared the thank-you letter from the Bennett Valley Explorers for our donation. She also shared the flyer regarding the control burn done as training by our fire district at 4570 Grange on November 22 and 29, 2008. (See article by Lieutenant Kevin Burris, Page Four.) • Marilee Jensen shared that there will be a notice of a public hearing on Thursday, December 11 regarding the Verizon use permit application for the cell phone tower.

(See article on Page Three.) • Fay Blair, the Treasurer, was not able to attend this meeting, but he made extra copies of his report, which Craig Harrison distributed to the remainder of the Board • Craig Harrison noted that we need to thank Bill Finkelstein for all his donated work on the new website.

This new website is only costing ¼ of the amount as the old website. • Karen Sommer, BVEP Coordinator, reported that they are researching the emergency storage unit to be placed at the BV Fire Station once again, as the cost of expanding the Fire Station building may be prohibitive. She also noted that they are planning another CERT training class in the spring, as well as the 1 day training in CPR and communications. Holland Heights and Taylor Mountain are organizing neighborhood emergency preparation and Karen hopes to hear from the Sonoma Mountain Road area re: organizing their neighborhood. (See article on Page Two.) • Craig Harrison discussed the repair work being done on Sonoma Mountain Road, as well as the newly paved Grange Road and Crane Canyon Road. He also noted that a Press Democrat article stated that the Board of Supervisors will be presented with a list of priorities for Sonoma County road work this spring, by Public Works Director Phil Demery.

• BVHA is exploring participating in the Watershed and Creek Signage Program. Craig Harrison has the brochure and has called these people. One spokesman said there is no money in the budget. The Board is planning to write a letter to Valerie Brown to show their interest.

• Craig Harrison would like to have speakers at two to three meetings a year. Some of the suggestions were BV road work, Fish & Game on wild animals or native wild birds in our area, sudden oak death and the changed regulations for wells and septic systems. Craig or others will contact these resources to arrange for possible speakers.

Suggestions on good speakers are always welcome. • Election Committee Report The BVHA Nominating Committee Chair, Jean LaCombe, announced that all three candidates, Craig Harrison, Eric Burns and Larissa Goliti, have been re-elected for three years. The votes approving the Articles of Incorporation amendment were 112 for and 4 against. Of the 250 BVHA members, this was a good voter turnout. Jim Cobb will prepare the forms which need two Board signatures. The Board approved a motion to file the amended Articles of Incorporation with the Secretary of State and cover the cost, probably $35.

• BVHA Officers, 2009 Following the adjournment of the meeting, the BVHA Board met to determine the officers for this next year. It was their decision that all the Board officer positions will remain the same. Board of Directors' Tentative Agenda January 15, 2009, BV Grange Hall, 7 pm * Update on Articles Of Incorporation amendment and the IRS 501(C)(3) application • Bennett Valley Emergency Preparedness Committee update on the emergency storage unit, for placement at the BV Fire Station, depending on the outcome of a possible BV Fire Station expansion. (See next item.) - The Board will consider appointing a sub-committee in regards to the BV Fire Station expansion, to explore all the ideas and to get commitments from those who've offered. With volunteer expertise and contributed materials, can we help get this done at a reasonable acceptable price?

Updates on: 1.) Cell phone tower, 2.) Sonoma Mountain Road repairs, 3.) New website - Speaker For March Or May Meetings * New business as determined by board

Bennett Valley Homeowner'S Association Annual Membership Dues, 2009

(Please cut this out and mail it to BVHA with your check, as described below.) NAME ADDRESS Please mail this form with your annual dues of $15, made out to BVHA, plus any extra donations you're willing to make as indicated on your check, to better enable us to pursue our mission. We especially encourage donations to Bennett Valley Emergency Preparedness (BVEP). With extra donations, we're asking you to indicate on the check whether you want the money to go to BVEP and/or for other BVHA purposes. Make the check out to BVHA and mail it to Bennett Valley Homeowner's Association, P.O. Box 2666, Santa Rosa, CA 95405 or call Fay Blair, Treasurer, 576-0152, if you have any questions.

If you would like to receive the VOICE by e-mail, include your e-mail address. E-mail address:_ We also are interested in any corrections or additions we should make to your name(s), address, or phone #. (Current Phone#: and hearing any comments or concerns you may have. If you don't have enough room, insert additional paper. Thanks!

Comments/Changes:_

(Detach Here)

E==== Bennett Valley Community Calendar Remember to Mark Your Calendars. 1.) BENNETT VALLEY HOMEOWNER'S ASSOCIATION (BVHA): Next meeting, Thursday, January 15, 7:00 pm, BV Grange Hall. See Page Five for agenda. 2.) BENNETT VALLEY FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT: The Board of Directors meets the second Tuesday of each month, 7:00 pm, at the Bennett Valley Fire Station. Please call 823-1084 to verity meetings in advance as they can be changed at the last minute, such as when a quorum of the Board cannot attend.

3.) AMATEUR RADIO (Ham Radio) LICENSING IN JUST ONE DAY: (From website smrs.us) Saturday, January 24, 8:30 am to 1:30 pm, Petaluma Senior Citizens Center. Register online or contact Dale at 762-9414. 4.) BOY SCOUTS, GIRL SCOUTS CHRISTMAS TREE RECYCLING, $5 donation per tree, week-end pick-up, January 10 & 11. Call 565-3333, for confirmation.

5.)_SONOMA COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS meets every Tuesday (except on weeks when there is a legal holiday), at varying times, at 575 Administration Drive, Santa Rosa. Valerie Brown is the Supervisor for our First District. You may call her or Lynn Morton-Weil, her Aide, at 565-2241, if you have any questions or concerns.

Important Phone Numbers

• Call Sonoma County Road Maintenance, at 565-7280, to report potholes which need fixing, or trash which needs to be picked up along Bennett Valley roads. • Call 576-1371 from a cell phone to report emergencies in Bennett Valley. Call 565-2121 from any phone, to talk to someone at the Sheriff's office 24 hrs. every day, with concerns that may or may not be an emergency. i

Inside This Issue BVEP; Activities Summary Dogs on Open Space Land? Sonoma Mtn. Road Repairs ALERT! BV Road Attacks BV Cell Phone Tower Info BV Fire; Activities, Bill Pisenti About Spare The Air BVHA Board, Mtg., Agenda Election Committee Report Bennett Valley Homeowner's Association P.O. Box 2666 Santa Rosa, CA 95405 bennettvalleyhoa.org

Specific Amended Purposes Of Bvha: "To Educate,

instruct, train and inform the local residents on disaster preparedness and emergency response as well as local environmental and land use issues; To promote and preserve the residential rural character and natural environment of Bennett Valley; to serve as an open forum for Bennett Valley community participation; and to provide a bridge for communication between government agencies and the Bennett Valley community."