The Ukiah Planning Commission has said yes to plans for a new building on North State Street. Planners approved the building at the site of the Former Diamond Jim’s, but the property owners are still looking for tenants. Whoever that is won’t have a drive-through. City staff say the nearby Empire Drive intersection is too busy to allow it. The developers plan a single-story 3,200 square foot building with 32 parking spaces and landscaping to improve the site’s appearance. The site has been vacant since the Old Diamond Jim’s Sporting Goods was torn down in 2012, after a fire a year earlier.
The Lakeport City Council is getting an update on city finances for the fiscal year so far. That’s one of the items on the agenda for Tuesday’s regular meeting. The report will cover the first quarter, which ended September 30th. In other business, the Council will decide whether to spend $35,000 for a new pickup truck to be used by City utility Director Paul Harris. The city says it already has a truck bought last year with the idea of splitting its use between Harris and another utility department employee, but that changing work requirements made that impractical. The meeting starts at 6 PM on Tuesday in the Council Chambers. The city has the full agenda on its website.
The Lake County Board of Supervisors will decide on whether to declare a local disaster due to food insecurity, after allocating $60,000 to address the CalFresh benefits delay earlier this month. That’s one of the agenda items in the afternoon session of Tuesday’s regular monthly supervisors meeting. Social Service Director Rachael Dillman Parsons is recommending declaring a local disaster and an additional $20,000 a week for the next three weeks. She says while benefits were restored when the government shutdown ended, there are still concerns about food insecurity in the county because of federal policy changes. Among other items, the board will hear a presentation about a recent study on Clear Lake Water quality concerns and consider a $390,000 short-term loan for the County Building Division. Division leaders say they’re looking at a budget deficit because building permit applications –and their associated fees– have fallen off so far this year. The meeting is at 9 am on Tuesday at the Council Chambers in Lakeport.
A German company plans to open a new facility to produce no-alcohol and low- alcohol wines. Solos Technology says the plant in Hopland will focus on improving the quality of those no and low alcohol wines. Sonos already has a presence in the region, with a custom wine house in Healdsburg to bring wine closer to traditional vintages in taste, body, and color. The 9,000 square foot plant in Mendocino County should be up and running next year. Somos is also building a similar plant in Valencia, Spain. Interest in lighter wines has been increasing.
Police are investigating a head-on crash in Willits that sent one person to the hospital. Reports say it happened around 10:45 Sunday night on South Main Street near Alameda Avenue. There’s no word on the condition of the injured person and what caused the crash.
Work continues on a fuel break west of Ukiah to enhance safety for people in the area. The Mendocino Redwood Company will use a $3.8 million grant to treat around 1000 acres of high-risk forest above Low Gap Road. The company is the largest landowner in Mendocino County. The Mendocino Forest Safe Council calls it an important project that benefits the entire community. The Council is working with smaller landowners in that area to extend the fuel break–eventually leading to a north-south and east-west line that would prospect the northwest approach to Ukiah.. They’d like other property owners in the area to consider their own fire protection strategies. You can contact the Fire Safe Council for more information.
People in Willits will gather for Thanksgiving again this year for the Willits Community Service and Food Bank’s annual dinner. The meal at the Willits senior center is open to all from 11 am to 3 pm or until the turkey and fixings run out. It’s free, but they will accept donations to benefit the food bank. Organizers say it takes a ton of volunteers to pull off the meal, so if you’d like to pitch in, you can contact the Community Center. This is the 37th annual Willits community Thanksgiving celebration.
