Gabe Osburn from the City of Santa Rosa - The City's Reconstruction Efforts
Our speaker for October 4, 2018 was Gabe Osburn, the Deputy Director of Development Services for Sonoma County. Gabe provided a summary of the City’s work on a variety of fire response issues. He discussed his early work monitoring the fire in real time (watching the fire’s approach to the City’s sewer system) but focused his talk on fire response, such as the implementation of a Community Service Center and emergency City ordinances enacted to speed up the permit process.
The process has always been somewhat time-consuming and regulated. Almost immediately after the Fire, the City enacted ordinances to allow the process to move more quickly. The City’s approach was to ‘get out of the way.’ They set up a permit center and expanded service to other necessary City operations. One of the permit problems was that most people wanted to make changes to their home’s pre-fire footprint, necessitating greater permit review procedures. The City’s emergency ordinances allowed that process to speed up by removing certain barriers to change. Gabe’s group also reached out to major builders to develop relationships and interest in rebuilding. These major builders are coming into the process and seeking, and obtaining, multiple permits.
Gabe noted that City-wide approximately 2,900 parcels were affected by the Fire. 1,200 permits have been issued thus far and there are currently 750 homes and other structures in the construction phase. The City hopes to have one-half of the permits issued for new construction by the end of the first quarter of 2019.
The majority of the permits issued are in Coffey Park. The Coffey Park issues are fairly straight forward, at least compared to other areas. Fountaingrove has proven more difficult due to a variety of issues, including hillside slopes, complex home designs, and initial water quality concerns. Major developers have been less willing to participate in these rebuilds. Gabe also mentioned that many of the County properties (all parcels outside of the City limits) are providing similar difficulties due to a wide range of unit types, hillside construction, well and septic issues and the prevalence of separate districts for water and sewer service.
Mike Kelly also pointed out that the City received an award from the North Bay Business Journal for “Excellence in Government” for its fire recovery efforts. Many thanks to Gabe for giving us the City perspective on fire response!
On a regular basis, our resident photo pro Warren Smith submit pictures of what is going on at the weekly meetings. You can always find the most recent pictures at the websites photo journal called "Meeting Sighting" Please note that all the meeting photos for the entire Rotary year are at this location with the most recent on the last page.
Thanks for all the great pictures Warren!Link to Meeting Sightings. The most recent are on the last page!
Five days ago 21 riders including Sunriser Peter Hoberg began their 311 mile trek from Mendocino to Konocti Harbor, Lake County. All for the purpose of busting polio off the face of the earth, each rider committed to raising at least $1,000. The ride is awesome enough, coursing along Highways 1, 29, 116 and more, affording spectacular cardio climbs and cooling descents, the riders were supported by Rotarians for meals and lodging and not the least of which, Pledges to support worldwide eradication of polio.
Peter's pedal pushing prowess garnered $4,000. While the final tally is yet to be counted, it is not too late to add your momentum to the peleton! Visit the District website and see for your self, the awesome inspiring, perspiring persevering power~ and enthusiasm generated by these 5130 pioneers.
Above, Jeannine Sheppard and son Jet join forces with volunteers including Sunriser Carmen Fuentes Gutierrez and niece Nicole in making hundreds of energy laden peanut butter and jam sandwiches for the refueling riders in Levi's Gran Fondo last Saturday.
Carmen and niece Nicole created dozens of creamy nutritious PBnJ's.
Enter the first of nearly 1,000 riders into the rest stop at Cazadero. Before ascending the arduous King's Grade to the coast, riders carbo up.
Ready, Set, Go
Ralph Harryman, Paul O Rear and Rich Randolph ply knives to prep the oranges and bananas. Note gloved hands!
Paul's brother David adds volume to the upcoming feast!
GO FOR IT!! Strawberries, bananas, trail mix, nutter butter, oreos, gel concoction, MnM's plain and peanut, yogurt, fast and in abundance greeted the grazing pedalers.
Not pictured are Penny Millar, Betsy Randolph and Jim Moir who moved faster than the photographer, and kept pace with the demands during the four hour stint.
Bikers were generous with their appreciation of the slicers and dicers and no one went away wanting, even the last minute stragglers more interested in finishing than finishing first. They inspire too!!
Pres. Rich Randolph receives many gifts from Rotarians who travel abroad. And some are very exotic. President Elect Marty Behr brought such a a gift back from Vietnam, where he had accompanied his wife on a business trip. It was a small, precious packet of Weseal Coffee. This special coffee is processed by the weasel himself, through his digestive tract. The resulting bean makes a very distinctive cup of Joe. Bon Appetite, el presidente!
Sunrise Service Projects Chair Jennifer Adams read a letter from Glenn Oaks Ranch thanking volunteers for beautification services. Jennifer also expressed appreciation for services being rendered to the Redwood Empire Food Bank on a continuing basis.
Sunriser Club Administrator Brian Rondon seeks outgoing, smart and savy collectors to check in Sunrisers every Thursday morning and keep track of monies collected at the start of each meeting. Applicants must know how to collect and tally checks and cash as well as punch holes in cards and balance accounts at the close of each meeting.
Business people, accountants, administrators and other qualified candidates are most welcome. Lawyers have been known to claim 50% of the take as their fee and must be carefully supervised.
District Governor Designate, Doug Johnson, presented our Sunrise Golden Hammer, LeRoy Carlenzoli with a generous $1,000 check, as a grant on behalf of Rotary District 5130, to replace tools lost in last October's fire that leveled LeRoy's home. Johnson also lauded Carlenzoli for his nearly full time services, to not-for-profit organizations throughout the county, in need of carpentry, plumbing and other repairs.
Carlenzoli responded with humility and grace, reporting that he is blessed to have this nearly full time job of responding to calls for facility support, from people in the community who keep thanking and praising hims for doing the things he likes to do and does so well.
Leroy also will be recognized by the women's Recovery Center and the Living Room for valuable services rendered at an upcoming community awards program.
At the 2017 Rotary International Convention in Atlanta, more than 120 Rotarians spent an afternoon building 75 wall frames in partnership with Habitat for Humanity – enough for almost three houses. Working alongside them was Jonis Walton.
“My fondest memory is of getting on a ladder and climbing onto the roof," says Jonis Walton.
“It was very, very challenging,” says Walton, a Habitat program participant. “But what inspired me the most were the volunteers and the sponsors. Everyone was so dedicated and so loyal. We all acted like part of a big family.” She helped Rotarians build walls at the convention and later worked on her own building site as part of Habitat’s policy of having program participants contribute sweat equity to the building of their homes. Walton’s house was completed in September 2017. “My fondest memory is of getting on a ladder and climbing onto the roof,” she says. “I never thought I could do something like this.”
Habitat for Humanity makes sure program participants are ready for homeownership, offering financial education as part of the process. Like all Habitat participants, Walton has an affordable mortgage through the organization, and those mortgage payments are cycled back into the community to help build more Habitat houses.
Rotary clubs and individual Rotarians have a long history of working with Habitat for Humanity, and in 2017 Rotary International entered into a formal partnership with the organization. “Habitat’s aim to bring people together to build homes, communities, and hope aligns perfectly with Rotary’s commitment to make positive, lasting change in communities around the world,” says Rotary General Secretary John Hewko. “With Habitat’s expertise and the power of Rotary’s volunteer network, we will help build the foundation for stronger communities.”
That blend of expertise and volunteer spirit was in evidence at the convention. “Atlanta Habitat has a mission to be a catalyst for change in the community we serve. We could not do it without our partners,” says Lisa Gordon, CEO of Atlanta Habitat for Humanity.
The Rotary Convention drew more than 34,000 people to Atlanta, and the Host Organization Committee wanted to create something to commemorate the event. Walton’s house, constructed with sponsorship by the Home Depot, became that something. “I hope this new home she owns makes a difference today and in the future for her and her family,” says Atlanta HOC Chair Robert Hall.
Every Thursday morning, I receive an email from the World Health Organization with an update on the status of polio eradication. It contains a wealth of information, country by country: where and how immunization campaigns are being conducted, how many millions of children are being vaccinated, and where environmental surveillance has found evidence of circulating virus. But every week, when that email appears in my inbox, my heart seems to stop for just a moment until I read the first few lines – and learn whether a child was paralyzed by wild poliovirus that week.
That, my friends, is where we are today in the work of polio eradication. The question on my mind as I open that message isn't how many thousands of cases we might see in a year, as we did not too long ago, or even how many hundreds. Instead, when that WHO email arrives every Thursday, the single, binary question it answers is: Was there a new case this week, or wasn't there?
Thirty years ago, 1,000 children were paralyzed by polio every single day. Since then, we've marked our progress, year by year, week by week. We've celebrated as country after country, region after region has been declared polio-free. As we've come closer and closer to our goal, and the number of cases has dropped further and further, the children those numbers reflect have become less and less of an abstraction. When I open that Thursday email, I don't wonder what number I'll see. I wonder, was a child paralyzed this week or not?
We are so close to eradication – but there is so much work left to do.
This month, I ask every Rotary club to help End Polio Now by marking World Polio Day on 24 October. Last year, thousands of Rotary clubs around the world held events to raise awareness and funds for polio eradication. This year, we want to see more World Polio Day events registered than ever. If you have an event planned, be sure to register and promote it at endpolio.org so that more people can take part. If you haven't planned one yet, it's not too late – visit endpolio.org to find ideas, information on this year's livestream, and resources to help your club organize a successful event.
World Polio Day is a tremendous opportunity for clubs to highlight Rotary, and our historic work to eradicate polio, in their own communities. It is also a great way to take advantage of the challenge from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation: For every dollar that Rotary raises for polio eradication, the Gates Foundation will give two more. Join me, and Rotarians everywhere, on 24 October for World Polio Day – and Be the Inspiration for a polio-free world.
Rotary Club of Santa Rosa Sunrise - Founded June 30, 1986
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