Cap Meeker Community Column

I hope you are warm and dry as you read this. The days are short, and the holidays are upon us. I set aside my Scroogistic tendencies to wish you health and happiness to you & your loved ones as we settle in for winter.

Extra felicitations go out to Dani Sheehan-Meyer’s son Justin Sheehan, who tied the knot with his beautiful bride Jennifer McCortney at Anderson Hall on September 26. Justin and Jennifer are both graduates of El Molino High School, and are living nearby in Graton. Congratulations, newlyweds!

It’s kind of a tough month for your humble correspondent. There are no controversial issues to muckrake, no juicy scandals to relate and titillate, no local businesses to shill for – although I will be looking into the very intriguing Sonoma Canopy Tours just as soon as I can free up my schedule. For this month, I will report on some of the routine – and yet very important – work going on with the Park and Rec Board. Camp Meeker is quiet and placid on the surface, but our plucky solons are paddling like ducks under the surface.

It’s not just the board – the Camp Meeker History Project is also making steady progress. The Ice Cream Social combined fun and research as residents told their stories. The questionnaire in the mailer brought in some great stories and pictures. The next things to look forward to are a Camp Meeker timeline, showing important dates in Camp Meeker history, which will eventually be on display in the District Office.

There will also be… drum roll… a calendar! Yes, the calendar will feature “then and now” pictures of various spots around our lovely little town. Save your nickels – the money will go toward recouping some of the expenses incurred in the project.

Camp Meeker Park & Rec changes: citing his busy schedule, Board President Jeffrey Fawcett has stepped down from that role. He will be trading places with Board Secretary Lynn Watson. We wish them well in their new roles – I can only tip my hat to people who devote their valuable time to making Camp Meeker a better place to live.

Secretary, president, fire fighter, historian… all of these jobs require hard and often thankless work. So, thank you. More than thanks are sometimes needed, as when Bodega fire fighter Ben Hakala sustained serious injuries fighting a wildfire. That’s why our Camp Meeker VFD donated one quarter of the proceeds from last month’s Spaghetti Dinner to help with his medical bills. Way to step up, guys.
What is taking up the Board’s time these days? There will be an upgrade to the www.campmeeker.org website. I have always found the current website useful – particularly the clear and concise minutes of the Board meetings, prepared as always by hardworking Cheryl Doran-Girard. The new Web site promises to be even more informative, with the various Board members providing content related to their various projects.

There have also been a number of infrastructure victories: the repair to the Tower Street Bridge is complete, and a repair is planned to the roundabout in the children’s playground.

The Board is setting up a PayPal account to allow for online payments for District events and activities, such as rental of Anderson Hall. There are also some issues that could become important. A review of the quality of our water system is being considered after an unspecified “Morelli Event” – the second such recent event – gave rise to concerns about construction quality in the system. Jamie Dunton of Russian River Utility opined that we are just having a bit of bad luck.

Last, the Chenoweth property up the hill from us is on the market again, and the Board is researching a potential partnership in acquiring some of this land. The price tag is steep – 1.6 million, but an acquisition could put the “community leach field” wastewater solution back in play. For those new to the party, that was the solution proposed as an alternative to the various horrific sewer projects thrust upon us in recent years.

Important issues. Let’s keep each other informed, okay?