Cloverdale students welcomed back to improved schools

Annual
Car Show
See page 13
Fall sports
coverage
Asti Tour
de Vine
Pages 6 & 7
See page 14
133 years serving the community
Cloverdale, Sonoma County, CA
Published weekly since 1879
Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2012
Volume CXXXIII, Issue Number 38
50 Cents
Cloverdale students welcomed
back to improved schools
KINDERGARTNERS PAOLA GUIZAR MURO, left, plays at the table with Anelis Garcia and Lainey Jenkins,
just before meeting their teacher, Mrs. Sutton on the first day of school, Tuesday, Sept. 4.
CAPRI AND JOE SCHRINER brought their daughter Cheyenne to her first day of school. It will be just a few
short years before sister, June, starts school.
By Roberta Lyons
Students and teachers went back
to school last week in the Cloverdale Unified School District (CUSD)
and were welcomed by spiffed up
campuses with new buildings, repainted classrooms, some new
landscaping and improved technology that will soon be available and
usable by students, parents, and administrators.
The Measure G school bond has
provided funds for improvements
at all schools and according to Teresa Johnson, principal at Jefferson
School, which received new modulars, paint, and other improvements, the basic construction work
is done. The new play structure is
still under construction, however,
but will be ready next week. “The
buildings are looking beautiful,
fresh and crisp with modern amenities. Our data system is in but we
are still getting up to speed, but
when all the bugs are worked out it
is going to be great,” the principal
said.
She said the data system will improve communication and the ability to deliver “up to date and
modern lessons,” at Jefferson
School, the district’s K-4 elementary. All teachers now have both iPads and laptops and video
projectors are mounted in each
classroom. The new system, including a new phone system, when it is
all tuned up will improve communication between the district and
school sites as well as between parents and teachers.
She noted that the school’s website will be improved with the
handbook and calendar available
on line plus all teachers will have
email accounts.
She acknowledged that the
school and district are still working
out some technology kinks, especially with the phone system and
for example, the PA system at Jefferson, which isn’t loud enough in
some areas. However, she stressed
that all of the “physical space,” improvements are done including
bathrooms, classrooms and drinking fountains. “It is safe for the children to be here but we are still fine
tuning some of the technical
things.”
Learning is “Bear-y” Special
The theme for Jefferson this year
is Learning is “Bear-y” Special and
the mascot, of course is a bear. Although final enrollment figures are
not in, the population of the school
is about 558. The school is also offering a Kinderstart class this year.
Johnson explained that the state
has moved back the start date for
kindergarten requiring that students must be five-years-old by
Nov. 2 not Dec. 5, which used to be
the law. Governor Brown, however, has approved transitional kindergartens and the district received
funding for its Kinderstart class.
“These are basically kids with birthdays in later November,” she explained. However, other students
can also attend if their parents feel
they are not quite ready for regular
kindergarten. It is a two year program, however, so any student attending the kinderstart class will
need to attend regular kindergarten next year.
Teresa Johnson a new principal
at Jefferson School. She is a Sonoma
County native and spent most of
her school career in Petaluma. She
has a masters degree from the University of LaVerne in Southern California and served as vice-principal
at a K-8 in Manteca. “I’m loving it
so far,” the new principal stated.
She lives in Healdsburg and has
three grown children.
Freshly painted buildings
Students at Washington School
were welcomed back to freshly
painted and cleaned up buildings
and landscape as well. Teachers
and students will also benefit from
the new technology which is district wide, with each teacher receiv>PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 3
Drive to keep Asti summer bridge open longer
By Neena Hanchett
Two hundred and fifty property
owners in the vicinity of the Asti
Summer Bridge will be receiving an
“Unofficial Special Election” ballot
from the County of Sonoma asking
if they will support the creation of a
special tax assessment district as a
way to keep the summer crossing
open longer. Before going through
the extensive process of establishing a special district, neighbors will
have a chance to vote on whether or
not there is sufficient support
among them. That information is
being mailed on Sept. 14 to registered Sonoma County voters living
near the Asti Summer Bridge.
This show of interest grew out of
a Town Hall Meeting held in November, 2011. Over 80 residents attended the meeting held at the
Cloverdale Fire Station and an
overwhelming majority of those
residents asked to explore alternatives that would extend the summer
crossing season. A
sub-committee was formed and
with Supervisor Mike McGuire’s
stewardship and assistance from
the County Public Works Dept.,
County Treasurers’ Office and the
County Attorney’s office, the plan
to form a 20-year special assessment district to provide the necessary funds was developed.
It is estimated, based on the $3
million dollar cost to extend the
bridge structure, that each residential property owner would be assessed $1100 per year and the 30
commercial property owners will
each be assessed $1400 annually.
The bridge, which would still be a
WHEN THE ONE-LANE BRIDGE over the Russian River at Asti is open, it
saves time for southern River Road residents, businesses and emergency crews. Those residents and businesses will determine if they
will support the creation of a tax assessment district to keep the
crossing open longer.
temporary structure, would remain
in place as long as the water level
does not rise to within four feet of
the structure. The bridge could potentially be open for 8 to 12 months,
weather permitting. If the new
structure could be built completely
out of the high water mark, there
would be no regulatory restrictions
such as those currently in place.
Currently state and federal agencies determine when the bridge is
installed and removed. Sonoma
County applies for and must comply with permits annually.
Special District boundaries
The proposed Special Assessment District boundaries include
both sides of Woodhawk Drive,
south to the end of River Road
(25466 River Road/Nye Rd.) and
up Highland Ranch Road to the
end. This area includes Palomino
Lakes and Crocker Estates. There
are also other expenses in connection with the project. Engineering
and environmental studies could
amount to $100,000 even before
construction starts. Options would
still need to be explored as to how
those cost might be covered.
The information is being sent
only to registered voters in the potential assessment area and includes a non-binding ballot, a
briefing sheet about the project and
the possible formation of a special
district and pro and anti-position
statements. Ballots must be received by the Clerk of the Board of
Supervisors and be postmarked by
Thursday, Sept. 27. A two-thirds
majority is needed to move this
project along.
Rob Davis, a Cloverdale resident
since 1978, and a member of the
citizen sub-committee said that the
committee spent a lot of time trying
to figure out how to keep the summer crossing open. The creation of
a special tax assessment area was
the best realistic alternative. “I understand that it doesn’t seem fair
for the burden to be borne by the
few of us, but looking to the county
to pay for the extension of the
bridge is totally unrealistic. The
county doesn’t have the money to
do it. Other bridges in the county
need attention as well and there are
no resources for them either.”
Davis also believes that keeping
the summer crossing open longer
will pay for itself in terms of fuel
>PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 3
PAT CALLAHAN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR of Healthcare Foundation
Northern Sonoma County, left, and Mary Jane Mittelstadt, right, foundation co-chair, retired nurse and longtime Cloverdale resident,
present a $150,000 check from the foundation to Debbie Howell,
Executive Director of Alexander Valley Healthcare (AVH). The foundation awarded the funds to AVH to help with the costs associated with
bringing new physicians to Cloverdale.
Healthcare Foundation Wine Country
Cares fund raising campaign opens
The mission is “Keeping quality health care close to home.”
By Neena Hanchett
The Healthcare Foundation Northern Sonoma
County, which raises funds for healthcare in northern
Sonoma County including Healdsburg District
Hospital, Alexander Valley Healthcare (AVH) in
Cloverdale, Alliance Medical Center in Healdsburg
and PDI Surgery Center in Windsor providing dental
services to low income children, is getting ready to
launch a new campaign, Wine Country Cares, a
grassroots effort to attract donors at any dollar level.
“This campaign is aimed at gathering funds to
support local healthcare programs, as well as educating the public. And right now, more than ever, local
clinics and hospitals are in need of help,” Callahan
commented.
Rural community clinics, like AVH, have experienced state cutbacks while they are providing services
to more uninsured and under-insured patients. If they
are to continue providing excellent medical care and
services, they need local support. The Wine Country
Cares effort allows for a multitude of smaller level
local donors to support health care in their community.
Donations to Wine County Cares will go towards the
$85,000 needed for the AVH remodeling project
which will add four more exam rooms at their
Tarman Drive location, allowing them to remain at
their current location through 2015. The remodel will
also allow AVH physicians and nurse practitioners to
see 35% more patients than the 3,871 patients they
currently serve. That equates to over 15,000 patient
visits annually. The remodeling should be completed
by November. AVH predicts that by 2015 they will
serve 4,452 patients.
According to the foundation’s Executive Director
Pat Callahan, “One of the biggest misconceptions
about the foundation is that it only supports Healdsburg District Hospital. We do support the hospital,
but we also support so much more.”
Cloverdale’s Alexander Valley Healthcare, which is
the only medical facility serving patients in Clover>PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 3
CLOVERDALE REVEILLE, CLOVERDALE, CALIFORNIA
POLICE
LOG CONT.
down Triplett Dr. Caller is concerned for the children because it is
getting dark and they do not have
lights. Officer warned and advised
juveniles and parents.
8:55 p.m. Report of an abandoned
vehicle parked in front of a business on S. Cloverdale Blvd. for the
last two days. Officer notified business owner that the vehicle is on
private property and is their responsibility to remove it.
Friday, Sept. 7
1:21 a.m. Report of a loud group
of people on Tarman Dr. making a
lot of noise. Officer advised group
to go inside.
1:39 a.m. Caller reports the loud
group of people from the previous
call are back outside making a lot of
noise.
10:17 a.m. Caller at Washington
School reports a subject is making
threats.
12:16 p.m. 911 caller reports an
RV towing a vehicle backed into a
light pole on Cloverdale Blvd.
2:43 p.m. Caller reports a subject
who had been drinking is loitering
in the area of McDonald’s.
3:56 p.m. Caller reports a large
swarm of bees in a bush on Mayor
Way.
4:35 p.m. Citizen requests to
speak with an officer regarding another subject harassing them. Advice given.
8:18 p.m. Citizen would like an
officer to check the welfare of a dog
on Venezia Way that has been
banging against a fence and
screeching for the past hour. Officer
reports the dog checked OK but is
not happy about being outside.
8:59 p.m. Caller requests an officer move along subjects in large
trucks who show up every Friday
night and hassle customers.
Saturday, Sept. 8
12:04 a.m. Caller reports someone riding a motorized threewheeler on N. Cloverdale Blvd. Officer contacted subject who was
warned and advised.
1:07 a.m. Caller reports someone
just slit the tire on his neighbor’s
truck on Chablis Way. Report taken.
1:37 a.m. Officer out on N. Jefferson St. reports debris in the roadway and vandalism, possibly
caused by juveniles.
1:45 a.m. Caller reports a fight between a male and female at Quik
Stop.
1:53 a.m. Officer out on N. Jefferson St. with juveniles who were
warned about curfew.
3:56 a.m. Caller reports a boat
and trailer in the middle of the
roadway on Clark and South St.
9:59 a.m. Caller reports a male
subject on the ground on S. Cloverdale Blvd. Officer arrested a subject
for being drunk in public.
10:42 a.m. Caller on S. Foothill
Blvd. reports vandalism to his vehicle tire. Report taken.
1:01 p.m. Male juvenile reports
his younger brother lost his Nintendo 3DS somewhere in Cloverdale.
1:04 p.m. Caller requests an officer check the welfare of a 90 year old
female on N. Foothill Blvd. Subject
checked OK.
1:11 p.m. Citizen requests to
speak with an officer over a civil
matter. Advice given.
7:39 p.m. Caller advises while on
a bike ride on W. 4th St. a dog ran
out from a duplex and attempted to
bite their dog.
8:56 p.m. Officer out on E. First
St. with six suspicious subjects.
9:10 p.m. Caller reports 10-12 juveniles on Garden Cir. being loud
and messing with the fire hydrant.
Officer warned and advised juveniles.
9:56 p.m. Caller reports while
they were away at a BBQ someone
stole solar lights from their front
yard.
12:41 a.m. Caller reports juveniles
moved her dumpster into the roadway on North St.
12:48 a.m. Officer reports garbage
cans knocked over and traffic cone
HEALTH
CONT.
‹
NEW SCHOOL YEAR CONT.
dale and Geyserville, received
$150,000 from Healthcare Foundation Northern Sonoma County
(HFNSC) for the recruitment of
two new Cloverdale physicians
who will begin seeing patients in
October.
The foundation also raised
money for Cloverdale’s newest
ambulance in 2010 by giving
matching funds raised during that
campaign. Last year the foundation awarded $260,000 for the
transition from paper records to
electronic medical records for
AVH, Alliance Medical Center in
Healdsburg and the Pediatric
Dental Initiative in Windsor.”
Wine Country Cares will give
smaller donors the opportunity to
support healthcare in their own
communities. Through Wine
Country Cares, the community and
the Healthcare Foundation will
work together to support community clinics and health care
programs from Windsor to
Cloverdale, ensuring that north
county residents have access to
top-quality medical care close to
their homes and that the funding
gap left by federal, state and local
agencies is filled. To make a
donation or for more information
go to
www.healthcarefoundation.net or
call 473-0587.
ing iPads and laptops. Principal
Ashley Tatman says everything is
running very smoothly and student
behavior is good. She agreed with
Johnson that “not everything is up
and running,” but when it is there
will be a lot of new services available through the new data system
and improved technology.
The school has three new special
education teachers: Allison Griggs,
Alicia Clark, and Marcy Collins.
Collins is a long-time CUSD teacher who is now back at Washington.
Tatman says she doesn’t have exact
numbers but believes the enrollment at Washington is approximately 420 students.
Tatman, also new to CUSD this
fall, grew up in Petaluma. She was
an Instructional Coach for Santa
Rosa City schools and an elementary school teacher in Southern California. This is her first job as an
administrator and she says she is
“very excited to be here.” Tatman
says the community has been very
welcoming and that she has a wonderful staff. Tatman is married and
has a seven-month-old son who
gets to play with grandma and
grandpa while Tatman is at work.
Enrollment is up
Cloverdale High School principal, Theresa Burke reports that at
approximately 420, enrollment is
up at the high school and students
are excited to be back. She com-
FIRE CALLS
BRIDGE CONT.
Monday, Sept. 3
Vegetation fire at Loggers Camp
at Lake Sonoma. Fire crew was cancelled enroute.
Medical aid on Hillside Dr. for a
91 year old male fall victim. Subject
was transported to Healdsburg
Hospital.
Tuesday, Sept. 4
Medical aid for a subject not feeling well.
Medical aid on N. Cloverdale
Blvd. for a female not feeling well.
after checking her vitals, she was
turned over to Cloverdale Police
Dept.
Thursday, Sept. 6
Medical aid for a male subject not
feeling well.
Assisted Hopland with a medical
aid on Hwy. 101 near the Rock
Shop.
Medical aid on Wisteria Cir. for a
79 year old female with a dislocated hip.
Saturday, Sept. 8
Medical aid on River Road for an
82 year old female with a dislocated hip.
Medical aid on Healdsburg Ave.
for an 88 year old female experiencing upper GI issues.
Medical aid at the Fire Station for
a 65 year old female with strokelike symptoms.
Sunday, Sept. 9
Medical aid on S. Foothill Blvd.
for a female with a broken ribs having difficulty breathing from the
pain.
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 12, 2012 — Page 3
savings; each round trip would
save $7.15 based on a savings of 13
miles at 55¢ per mile, which is the
vehicle cost used by the Internal
Revenue Service. The break-even
point for assessment area residents
would be 154 round trips a year.
“We’ve spoken to some of the commercial interests and several have
said they are willing to pay more
than the $1400 assessment as using
the summer crossing saves them so
much time and money,” Davis said.
Fire danger issue
Andy Grose, who has in Cloverdale for five years, is also a member
of the citizen sub-committee. “I was
a proponent of working with Mike
McGuire’s office to put together the
strongest possible case for extending the summer crossing. Our intent was to do that and then turn
the information over to the residents. “My primary concern is the
fire danger issue. Reducing the response time would save property
and possibly lives. I realize that
two-thirds is quite a hurdle. But, I
believe that it was an exceptional
exercise in civic involvement. Even
though there are neighbors who
don’t agree, the issue has not polarized us.”
Conversely, Julie Dilley, a 13 year Cloverdale resident,
believes that increasing usage of the
summer crossing will negatively
impact the rural character of the
area. “We treasure the quiet and the
wildlife here. There are many reasons to oppose this assessment. The
few will pay for the many to be able
mented that the biggest change on
campus is the larger quad area that
was created by moving portables.
“The students are out there every
break and every lunch and seem to
really be enjoying the space,” the
principal commented. Also new at
the high school is the science lab
which is located in the quad area.
There is a new teacher, Mary Munsell, who is sharing the biology and
other science classes with Erin
Radelfinger. “She is going to be a
huge addition to our staff with a
physics and chemistry background,” Burke said.
Burke, like other administrators,
said that the school is still working
on getting their technology pieces
up and running. “We are looking
forward to the fact that there will be
high speed internet; we have pieces
of it in place and it is working faster
and more reliably.” Wireless is not
quite up yet, she said.
The school is instituting a strict
cell phone policy: cell phones must
be off and in the student’s backpack
when they are in class. “If it is anywhere else, [including their pocket]
it gets confiscated,” the principal
stressed.
Students appreciate
Burke said she thinks that students appreciate the nicer grounds
and buildings and recognize that
people have worked hard over the
summer to make the school nicer.
to use the summer crossing.
Renters would be able to vote for
it and they wouldn’t have to pay
and people who own property here
but are registered voters in other
areas would not have a say either.
Also the budget could very well
come in higher than $3 million. Using the bridge saves me only nine
minutes.” Dilley also said that she
was concerned about the weight of
vehicles using the bridge. RV and
loaded grape gondolas already exceed the weight limit of the structure. Davis, Grose and Dilley were
extremely complimentary about
McGuire and his office staff in getting the information that neighbors
needed to make a decision.
Bobbie Stafford, who has lived in
Cloverdale for six years with a Cloverdale connection for the past 40,
said that the $1100 annual assessment amounts to a 30 percent tax
increase for her. “It’s not unreasonable to want to wait until the cost
can be spread across the entire
county rather than the disproportionate expense that could be levied
upon us,” she said.
According to the informational
material, after the mail-in deadline
has passed, a Town Hall Meeting
will be scheduled and all residents
will be invited. “There the Unofficial Special Election results will be
reported. The results will determine
if a special election will be called to
establish a special tax district that
would fund an extended season
summer crossing.”
in the roadway on N. Cloverdale
Blvd.
7:13 a.m. Officer out with a subject who was arrested for possession of drug paraphernalia and
violation of probation.
10:12 a.m. Caller on Railroad
Ave. reports theft of a bicycle from
their property sometime last night.
11:14 a.m. Caller reports he was
threatened by a male subject while
he was walking to work on S. Cloverdale Blvd.
11:14 a.m. Report of loud music
coming from a residence on Chelsea
Cir.
12:50 p.m. Multiple reports of
vandalism to street signs along S.
Foothill Blvd.
1:11 p.m. Report of a drunk driver last seen leaving McDonald’s on
S. Cloverdale Blvd.
11:07 p.m. Report of an ongoing
problem with a barking dog on Tarman Dr.
She also commented that students
are taking good care of the new
Kleiser Park on school grounds.
The principal reported that the
Johanna Echols Hansen (JEH) continuation school has expanded its
staffing to a 1.5 position. The school
offers a combination of class time
and independent study and is
headed by Sandy Kitowski. There
are 24 students enrolled at JEH.
The district also has a new Superintendent of Schools this year, Steve
Jorgensen. Jorgensen thanked everyone for their patience while bugs
are being worked out of the new
phone system. “As students and
staff were arriving for the new
school year, construction crews
were putting the final touches on $3
million worth of modernization
projects,” he noted. He said the district is off to a great start and is
almost finished with Phase I of the
multi-phase facility modernization
plan, thanks to Measure G, the
bond measure that was approved
by voters in 2010.
Cloverdale residents Lacey Burdette
and Stan Davis will be married next
June in Kauai, HI. Reception will
follow in Hopland. Stan attended
Cloverdale High School, and Lacey
attended Healdsburg High School.
Stan is the contractor/owner of Top
Notch Tile and Lacey works for The
Healdsburg Tribune and Windsor
Times. Burdette’s parents are Gary
and Peggy Teldeschi of Healdsburg,
and Paul Burdette of Colton. Davis’
parents are Reed and Julie Davis of
Cloverdale.
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