Bennett Valley Voice

Bennett Valley VOICE www.bennettvalleyhoa.org

Volume 33, Number 5

Bennett Valley Homeowner'S Association (Bvha)

September, 2010

Bennett Valley Road Maintenance Update: year to service the debt an estimated $24.00 per Pressley Road Gets An Upgrade $100,000 of assessed valuation ($120 for a property by Craig S. Harrison, BVHA President assessed at $500,000). The costs could be higher if California's fiscal situation continues to deteriorate With state and county cut-backs, 99% of Sonoma and the interest rate on the bonds is higher than County Department of Transportation's road estimated.

maintenance funds are spent on major roads. Fortunately the department was still able to devote Get Prepared for an Emergency, resources to improve Pressley Road this summer. The Sign Up for CERT Training county is testing the use of paving machines, a method by Karen Sommer, Coordinator, Bennett Valley Emergency that is different from the more usual grader patch Preparedness technique. Several rough areas of Pressley Road were paved during August, with additional areas scheduled How prepared are you for an emergency in your own to be completed during mid-September. In addition, home - or a regional event? Community Emergency California Department of Forestry (CDF) crews are Response Team, known as CERT, is a course taught by expected to brush Bennett Valley Road, beginning our firefighters, to help you learn how to cope with from the direction of Glen Ellen and working their way your own needs in an emergency, and how you might toward Santa Rosa, during September and October.

be able to assist others in your neighborhood. CERT CDF work is done on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and classes will be held at the fire station on October 30th, can be interrupted when the crews are called upon to November 6th and 13th. Each Saturday will be a full fight fires. County crews will ditch Bennett Valley day of hands on learning of the various topics that will Road after the CDF crews have completed brushing.

include: Medical First Aid, Fire Safety, Disaster Several rough areas are expected to be grader patched Preparedness, light Search and Rescue, aspects of to try to minimize the number and severity pot holes Disaster psychology, and neighborhood response. The that would otherwise form when the rainy season fee for this course is $40. For an application or begins.

information contact Karen Sommer at 528-8982 or ksommer11@earthlink.net Bennett Valley School Bond (Measure J by Craig S. Harrison 2011 'Seasons Of Bennett Valley' Calendar by Sherry Parker Bennett Valley residents will vote November 4* on a $10.6 million general obligation bond proposed by the Bennett Valley Union Elementary School District.

The funds would be used for projects at Strawberry and Yulupa elementary schools, including installation of solar panels, physical education fields and a multipurpose room as well as replacing air conditioners and roofs. General obligation bond revenues are limited to brick-and-mortar projects and cannot be used to pay for teacher or administrator salaries. If Measure J is approved by 55% of the voters, property owners in Bennett Valley will pay through property taxes each We have had a record turnout of spectacular photographs submitted for the "Seasons of Bennett Valley" Calendar this coming year. It will be one of our best! The judging was done on September 4th, and the Calendar should be ready for sale in midOctober at Ace Hardware and Cottage Gardens, and at the polls on November 4". Please buy one or many, as these calendars support our Volunteer Fire Department and emergency preparedness programs.

BVHA Board of Director Elections The annual election meeting for the Board of Directors will be held on Thursday, November 18, at 7:00 pm at the BV Grange Hall. The term of office for each director is three years from when he or she is elected. After three years, the director may choose to run for re-election. In this manner, the election of one third of the members of the Board of Directors will be held each year. By October 21, a ballot containing the candidates' names and brief statements will be sent to all BVHA voting members.

These votes will be tabulated and the winning candidates will be announced on November 18th Candidate Roster For The 2010 BVHA Board of Directors Election James K. Cobb Frank LaCombe Richard Lukasko Candidates' Statements: James K. Cobb. 4721 Pressley Road. Occupation: Attorney-Mediator, Law and Mediation Offices of James K. Cobb. Education: BA, Sonoma State University, 1974; J.D., Empire School of Law, 1987. Affiliations: Sonoma County Bar Assoc., (Board of Directors, 19961998) Licenses: State Bar of California, and California State Contractor. I'm a Sonoma County resident of 30 years and a resident property owner of Bennett Valley since 1986. As an attorney, my law practice specializes in litigation and mediation of construction, real property and land use issues. As a resident of Bennett Valley, I am committed to promoting and preserving the rural character and natural environment of Bennett Valley as well as respecting individual property and privacy rights. I am a current voting member of BVHA and desire to serve on the Board of Directors of BVHA. I currently serve on the board of Directors of Sonoma Advocates For Youth Development (SCAYD, 1997 - present) as well as Sonoma Co. Legal Services Foundation (1993-present), both non-profit organizations promoting youth programs and low cost legal services, respectively.

Frank LaCombe. For the past six years I have had the pleasure of serving on the Bennett Valley Homeowners Association board of directors. With the efforts of the entire board the BVHA agenda continues to focus on topics of benefit to the entire community, such as roads, emergency preparedness, water and wildlife. I look forward to continuing to serve on the BVHA board of directors, and continuing to further the spirit of open and inclusive dialogue with all who live in this pastoral valley.

I would appreciate your vote. Richard Lukasko. I was born and raised in Santa Rosa, and have been a resident of Bennett Valley since 2002. I am committed to promoting and preserving the rural character and natural environment of Bennett Valley. I have a doctorate in pharmacy and a master in business administration. My last professional position was an executive in a biotech pharmaceutical firm. As the owner/operator of a vineyard, and a charter member of the Bennett Valley Grape Growers Association, I believe it is important that we support agriculture in our area. As a member of the Board, I want to make sure that the interests of all homeowners in Bennett Valley are included in matters that affect the valley.

Fall Clean-Up BV Roads Day Saturday, October 23, 8:30 am is a Bennett Valley Roads Clean-up Day. We'll meet at the fire station at 8:30 a.m. : Donuts and coffee will be offered before we sign up for a section of road (one that runs in front of your property or one that particularly bothers you or just part of our beautiful valley where litter needs to be removed) and head out to pickup. Wear sturdy shoes, gloves and a hat for sun protection.

BVHA provides orange safety vests and "pick-up sticks, " that are a great help in preventing sore backs. MORE ¡ VOLUNTEERS ARE ALWAYS NEEDED, so please join us, and bring along other family members or friends. This morning can be used to count as "Volunteer Hours" by students to fulfill school requirements.

You'll see a sign on Bennett Valley Road, across from the golf course, as a reminder. If it rains, the event will be rescheduled, i so please phone Sandy Sandine, 579-0282, for questions or to ! confirm date and time. We appreciate those residents who come out to help keep our community roads free from litter!

Bennett Valley Fire Protection District 6161 Bennett Valley Road, Santa Rosa, CA 95404 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, Matt Tognozzi and Danny Connelly Daytime Firefighters, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm: Engineers Patrick Tognozzi, Brian Drees and Ronnie Lakin Permanent Part-time Firefighters, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm Firefighters Mike Alcocer, Ly Leng and John Matej Bennett Valley Volunteers Supplemented and supported by up to 25 trained volunteers.

Three rotating shifts of 3 volunteers each are paid to sleep overnight at the station for improved coverage. During the day, interns are used when available as a fourth on-duty firefighter. Page 2

Bennett Valley Fire Protection District Call Activities July/August, 2010 by Lieutenant Kevin Burris Medical Aids- 21 Vehicle Accidents-6 Hazardous Conditions-2 Structure Fires-1 Fire Alarms-2 Vegetation Fires-2 Total calls 34 One common question is what conditions warrant a red flag warning, and what exactly a red flag warning is. A Red Flag Warning is a forecast warning issued by the United States National Weather Service to inform area firefighting agencies that conditions are ideal for wildland fire ignition and propagation. After drought conditions, and when humidity is very low, and especially when high or erratic winds which may include lightning are a factor, the Red Flag Warning becomes a critical statement for firefighting agencies, which often alter their staffing and equipment resources to accommodate the forecast risk. To the public, a Red Flag Warning means high fire danger with increased probability of a quickly spreading vegetation fire in the area within 24 hours. Over all weather criteria varies from area to area but the key factors include the daily vegetation moisture content calculations, expected afternoon high temperature, afternoon minimum relative humidity and daytime wind speed. During Red Flag conditions please remain extra vigilant with fire safety to keep Bennett Valley safe and pristine.

Public Access to Jacob's Ranch The Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation & Open Space District is considering bids from general contractors to construct the access road improvements and trailhead on Jacobs Ranch. The bid is scheduled to be approved by the Board of Supervisors on September 14 which may allow construction to begin during September. A separate bid will be released shortly to construct the last 3.5 miles of the trail. A half-mile section was built within Jack London State Park during July. When the trail is inaugurated there will be some sort of ceremony.

11TH Annual Art on the Ridge by Karen Sommer Bennett Ridge Artists Open Studios is this weekend, September 11-12. Eighteen artists are featured at 8 studios from noon to 5:00 pm each day. Studios participating in the Bennett Ridge tour will be marked with yellow signs and you can pick up a map at any studio. This year's artists will be displaying a broad range of art and crafts that include Digital Page 3 Photography, Jewelry, Mobiles, Kiln formed art glass, Paintings, Handcut paper art, Monoprints & Etchings, Drawings, Native Wood Turned Vessels, Collage, Clay Sculpture, Wrought Iron outdoor tables and Garden art. There is no charge for visiting with the artists in their studios, and artwork in a variety of price ranges will be available for sale. For more information or a studio tour map, contact artist Karen Sommer at ksommer11@earthlink.net. For more information visit www.artontheridge.blogspot.com.

Bennett Valley Homeowner's Association (BVHA) Board Of Directors P.O. Box 2666, Santa Rosa, CA 95405 Website: bennettvalleyhoa.org Craig Harrison, President charrison@hunton.com, 573-9990 Vice-President, Vacant Fay Blair, Treasurer fayblair@sonic.net, 576-0152 Tim Bosma, Secretary tbosma@comcast.net Larissa Goliti, Membership Coordinator Igoliti@hotmail.com, 578-3453 Gary Barner, Director gbarner@cds1.net, 481-6196 James K. Cobb, Director cobblaw@pacbell.net, 586-9172 Frank LaCombe, Director FrankKLaCombe@gmail.com, 585-3482 Richard Lukasko, Director rlukasko@hotmail.com, 566-7803 Bennett Valley Emergency Preparation Coordinator-Karen Sommer, 528-8982, ksommer11@earthlink.net, BHA VOICE Editor - Marilee Jensen, 576-0405, marileejensen@sbcglobal.net •..

• • • • • • Board of Directors' Tentative Agenda Thursday, September 16, 7:00 pm, BV Grange Hall Announcements and public input Approval of minutes Treasurer's report and spending requests Bi-monthly Sonoma County reports Amendment by-laws for elections where number of candidates equals number of positions to be filled Amendment of Articles of Incorporation to satisfy IRS requirements Report from BV Emergency Preparedness Committee November speakers New business, as determined by Board

Bennett Valley Homeowner's Association P.O. Box 2666 Santa Rosa, CA 95405 bennettvalleyhoa.org PURPOSES OF BVHA: "To promote and preserve the residential rural character and natural environment of Bennett Valley; 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 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." Return Service Requested Bennett Valley Community Calendar Mark your calendars now!!

1.) BENNETT VALLEY HOMEOWNER'S ASSOCIATION (BVHA): Next meeting, Thursday, September 16, 7:00 pm, BV Grange Hall. See page 3 for agenda. 2.) BENNETT VALLEY 11t ANNUAL ART ON THE RIDGE: Saturday-Sunday, September 11-12. See Page 3. I BEN Bene a FEE PROTECTION 1350RA T mario Directors me the second Tuesday of each month, 7:00 4) BENNETT VALLEY GRANGE: Spaghetti Dinner, Saturday, October 23, 5:00 to 8:00 pm.

5.) BENNETT VALLEY CLEAN-UP DAY: Saturday, October 23, 8:30 am, BV Fire Station, See Page 2. 6.) 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 her staff assistant, Jennifer Hainstock, at 565-2241, if you have any questions or concerns.

Important Phone Numbers

• For emergencies, use your landline or your cell phone to call 911. • Call 565-2121 to talk to someone at the Sheriff's office 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, either to report an emergency that requires a law enforcement response or with other concerns that may possibly be an emergency.

• Call Sonoma County Road Maintenance, at 565-5100 to report dangerous potholes, fallen trees or landslides and to request possiblé help with litter control and bulk trash in the road. • Call Sonoma County Animal Control, at 565-7100, regarding the removal of dead animals along the road.

• Call California Highway Patrol, at 588-1400, if debris is causing imminent traffic hazards on county roads.