The Lake County Board of Supervisors has modified a road rehabilitation agreement after concerns about the way the jobs were being done. At issue–the durability of a method known as double chip sealing, which uses a mix of oil and gravel on top of the road surface. The county had paused the contract with Argonaut Construction to reevaluate the chosen method. After talking it over with engineers, Public Works Director Lars Ewing recommended a change to an asphalt surface, instead of what the contract called for. Asphalt would cost $1.4 million dollars for the affected roads, but the county expects it to last longer and require less maintenance. The board says there is money in the budget to cover unexpected changes to contract costs like this and that the potential savings over the long term could offset the higher price now. Supervisors say the issue was not with the quality of construction by the contractor but with the selection of the most effective and durable repair method.
A non-profit health clinic in Redwood Valley is getting a nearly $70,000 federal grant to address opioid use in Mendocino County, in tribal communities. The Consolidated Tribal Health Project says the money comes from the federal government’s Opioid Abuse Response program, targeting native communities around the country. It will help provide FDA-approved medications for substance abuse, harm reduction, and education aimed at younger tribal members. Among the requirements for the grant is the installation of vending machines that dispense the opioid reversal drug. The Tribal Health project says it has already started work on a social media campaign by its youth council and hopes to expand membership of that group of young people to include additional tribes by the end of the year. The California Department of Health says Mendocino County has some of the highest rates of opioid related overdose deaths in the state.
The Army Corps of Engineers says there is no risk from toxic cyanobacteria in Lake Mendocino. The corps did tests after social media posts suggested a dog may have gotten sick after going in the LAke in June. The Mendocino Voice reports that the corps tested water at the Boat Ramp, North Boat Ramp, and Pomo-A Swimmers Area after getting a complaint based on the Facebook posts. They say similar tests at the East Fork of the Russian River confirmed none of the toxic bacteria–and that overall bacterial levels in the waters were typical for this time of year and pose no threat to humans or animals. The California Water Quality Council also monitors the water daily. They have an interactive map with results.–and more information about bacteria in water on their website.
