Valley People

THE MENDOCINO COUNTY FAIR, based in Boonville, is struggling. State subsidies have been slashed, and the Fair, much anticipated every Fall by thousands of people and central to life in Mendocino County for three-quarters of a century, is trying to bring in substitute revenues. We were kicking around ideas last week, and here's what we came up with: The Fair's website needs an overhaul with a view to its becoming more of a regularly updated outreach device; the Fair could use a publicist, although the position would have to be funded somehow, perhaps on the grant model of a certain percentage of the business raised by the publicist went to him; cheaper premium books (the higher they go the less affordable they become, thus defeating their purpose); outreach to the greater Bay Area's infinite number of clubs, family associations, recreational groups etc. who are likely to be interested in commodious, pleasant, weekend facilities. We're aware that the Fair staff is already running at full throttle and all this stuff would need a person to do it, but given that Boonville is only a couple hours drive north (and west) of large population centers and offers, in the Boonville Fairgrounds, one of the few secure and happy venues capable of accommodating thousands of people well, heck, we should be able to pack 'em in and make up for the loss in state funds. (If the Visit Mendocino people would put down their wineglasses for a little while, they might pay a little attention to marketing the County Fair, too. It brings in more people than the Crab and Mushroom festivals combined.)

NEED FOR SPEED, the movie company in town to film a car chase epic, will drop a nice bundle of cash on the Anderson Valley, with a big hunk going to the Boonville Fair where, as we gather here today, movie crews are assembling all the stuff they'll need to begin their shoot, including a half-dozen fake CHP vehicles resting in the Fairgrounds parking lot. Those vehicles, incidentally, greatly alarm the criminal community who mistake them for a sure sign of a looming mass police raid on The Valley's marijuana industry.

DEPUTY CRAIG WALKER led the arrests last week of The Valley's most visible methamphetamine peddlers and consumers, including a guy at Tijuanita whose sale of this most pernicious drug were the most flagrant.

ON THE SUBJECT of altered consciousness, a pending State Senate bill is scaring bejeezus out of the stoners. It would allow police to swab the motorists they pull over for THC which, if discovered could lead to a DUI charge.

NO NAME YET on the guy who careened into several parked vehicles yesterday afternoon just south of central Boonville. The perp sustained a worrisome gash to his forehead and was taken by ambulance to the Ukiah Valley Medical Center for treatment. He was driving a convertible that was totally demolished in the collision.

BOONVILLE'S ARLENE GUEST is being treated for breast cancer, but that doesn't stop her from doing this community a huge service most mornings when Arlene appears at dawn to pick up the trash strewn about town the previous day. And she's been doing it for years now.

THAT'S QUITE a kiosk the AV Chamber of Commerce has erected on the south side of Boont Berry Farm. Maybe they can sell hugs out of it along with the free guides to our local splendors. Taj MaKiosk is nicely done, certainly, and must have cost the Chamber a bundle.

ENJOYED my best plate of chile rellenos ever at Anel's Restaurant in downtown Boonville the other night, and if Anel doesn't have the nicest smile you've ever seen, give me the names of the people blessed with brighter ones.

A ROUTINE FEDERAL audit is underway at the Anderson Valley Health Center. The Center's forthcoming director Diane Agee was kind enough to explain wazzup, that large federal and state grants come with heavy scrutiny of the fine tooth comb variety and we're presently being combed.

CECIL BALL is the jolly old guy in the red baseball cap you see around town. A World War Two veteran and a retired mill worker approaching his ninth decade, Cecil recently appeared at his usual Boonville haunts with a black eye. Alarmed locals have alerted the authorities. Nobody's going to hit Cecil and get away with it, even if the assailant is a relative, especially if the assailant is a relative.

YOUR BELOVED community newspaper has rented a Fair booth the last couple of years, but our bookkeeper says, “No booth this year; you can't afford it.” But the bookkeeper's word is law. Maybe next year. $490 does seem a little stiff simply to annoy the nearby Democrats and Republicans, not to mention sneering passersby, but we will be available to the interested public and random thrill seekers Fair weekend, down the street, 'round the back and up the stairs, at our offices high atop the Farrer Building.

KATY TAHJA WRITES: “The Redwood Region Logging Conference just celebrated 75 years of sharing news of the logging industry and logging heritage in Eureka and the show deserves praise. No matter what a reader’s opinion is of modern logging practices this group gets praise for a job well done. What do you find at a logging conference? Thousands of people of all ages are having fun, to begin with. Thursday is always Education Day and this year 1,700 school children grades 3 to 6 got their field trip to the show paid for by conference sponsors. Knowledgeable guides show the kids what is going on out there in the commercial timberlands that surround the communities they live in. They hear about reforestation, habitat preservation, fisheries management, and what happens in the woods. The “Wild Things” show introduces them to the bear, mountain lion and eagles that live in the woods. Antique and modern logging heavy equipment is demonstrated and a lumberjack skills show is presented with things like splashy wet log rolling demonstrated and chainsaw carving. This next generation of people who will work in, or care for, timberlands come away with a clearer idea of what’s happening in the woods. While kids swarm the fairgrounds the Associated California Loggers are offering “Pro Logger” classes in risk management, professional business practices, air resources regulations, and first aid for loggers. For three days there are exhibits for everyone to take in. Some are quite tame, like my booth for Gallery Bookshop full of logging history books, but others with heavy equipment moving outside are noisy and full of action. I tried to categorize all the informative stuff I saw. Booths featured trucking, fuel, lubricants, logging equipment, tires, machinery, rigging, and chainsaws, of course. If a company needed credit, insurance, banking services, or consulting someone was offering it. Private timberland owners, open space supporters, sawmills, and lumber retailers were represented. Lawns were covered in super powered pickup trucks for sale. You could have your choice of “gimmie” (baseball) caps from a dozen booths. I survived three days without partaking of the free candy offered in most every booth. There was a career day on Friday for high school students to learn about the diverse job opportunities in the forest product industries and the conference is a generous scholarship provider. Saturday had a portable sawmill exhibition were viewers could see how both logging and lumber production could take place in your own back yard. Lumberjack and Jill shows had college teams providing educational entertainment. Who wouldn’t enjoy an ax throwing contest? There was a professional chainsaw carving contest with prize money provided. A logging skills competition showed what team could load a log truck the fastest and tie the load down safely. Of course timber professionals can’t be serious and hard working all the time so there is a golf tournament, beer and wine gala, gin fizz breakfast, banquet and auction (with the prize being the log load of a log truck) and ladies luncheon. Green Diamond Resource Company was kind enough to feed all the exhibitors a great lasagna dinner for free. All the local restoration and heritage groups had displays up. You could ride behind the tiny steam engine called the Falk on portable track laid down for the event and see a steam yarder operate, brought to the fairgrounds by the Timber Heritage Association. Roots of Motive Power sent a steam powered steamroller to flatten a roadway and other informative displays. The Early Days Gas Engine & Tractor Association had a variety of engines chugging and pop-popping Steam whistles tooting echoed over the Redwood Acres Fairgrounds next to Ryan Slough, where the first logging in Humboldt County took place in the 1850’s. Since I was a one woman exhibition booth I couldn’t wander far outside and I lived in a cacophony of noise for days. Nothing like the booth selling lubricants grinding metal together at screeching volume to show viewers how their wonder product just smoothes everything out. Plus everyone is talking at the top of their voices because it is so noisy. But even in this noise I had wonderful conversation with old timers. Understand that this is a family event and while I saw babies wrapped in camo baby bunting (pink for the girls) in Jeep strollers I saw families bringing their elders, the men who had worked all their lives in the woods, to see what was new and the old heritage equipment many had worked for decades with. “Logging Railroads of Humboldt & Mendocino Counties” is a new book I wrote and I had big poster pictures of engines decorating the Gallery Bookshop booth. Time and again an elder logger came over, moving slowly with age, to tell me a great story, while his kids and grandkids waited for the old man to finish. I made new elderly friends, sold 30 of my book, and got stories to go with some of the old photos in my book. This Redwood Region Logging Conference is a real family event and had something for everyone...from the little kid carrying a log chip “because I saw the man chop up the tree!” to the old man carrying his book of memories of days gone by. No matter what your opinion is of modern forestry practices it’s a fun show for the whole family. I promise you’ll come away having learned something new, and had fun too. The 2014 conference will be in Ukiah in March."

PSSST! WANNA BE PRINCIPAL AT BOONVILLE HIGH SCHOOL? Here's the specs, unchanged over 20 years, preposterously exhaustive and clearly absurd and, of course, largely unmet for the past fifty years. So, Photoshop yourself a bogus cv and a Paul Tichinin-type credential, paste a permanent passive-aggressive grin on your uncomprehending puss, pretend you like spending time with teenagers and buddy, you've got yourself a part-time job for full-time money.

Anderson Valley Unified School District

Principal Job Description

Nature Of The Job

• Promotes the educational development of each student and staff member at the school site through the skillful use of leadership, supervisory and administrative techniques.

• Promotes the continuing improvement of instructional programs at the school site.

• Supervises all certificated and classified staff assigned to the school site.

• Establishes the tone of the school by promoting a climate for positive relationships with staff, students, and parents. Promotes a positive atmosphere at the school site which recognizes that the top priority is to meet the needs of all the students.

Primary Duties And Responsibilities General

• Directly responsible to the Superintendent.

• Carries out all duties as directed by Superintendent.

• Maintains familiarity with state, county, and school district laws, regulations, policies, and procedures.

• Attends administrative, management and school board meetings, and such other meetings as required by the position.

• Improves and updates his/her knowledge about recent research and developments in curriculum and learning theory.

• Insures a clean, safe, and healthy school environment.

Curriculum

• Provides leadership to staff in determining instructional objectives—developing, revising and evaluating the school curriculum in support of the district's educational goals.

• Supervises directly, or delegates to qualified staff, the development and operation of extracurricular programs, including athletics.

• Assists teachers in interpreting and implementing the approved curriculum programs according to the needs of students.

• Is responsible for class/program scheduling at the school site in accordance with Board policy.

• Provides leadership in the development, implementation, and supervision of categorical programs at the school site.

Public Relations

• Establishes, and works cooperatively with community support groups for various programs, and carries out a program of effective community relations.

Students/Parents

• Develops standards of student conduct, supervises students, and enforces discipline.

• Maintains communication with students and parents in a positive and supportive manner.

Personnel

• Supervises the performance of, and evaluates the staff personnel assigned to the school site in accordance with adopted guidelines; recommends appropriate action in cases of substandard performance; and identifies and encourages individual staff members who show leadership potential.

• Participates in selection and hiring of assigned staff.

• Plans and supervises: fire drills, bus conduct, instruction, and emergency preparedness program for personnel and students.

• Establishes an effective school administrative organization with clear lines of authority and responsibility.

• Facilitates communication between the Superintendent and all staff assigned to the school site.

• Maintains all records and reports, as are required by law, district policy, or Superintendent's direction.

• In collaboration with staff, prepares and administers the site budget and controls expenditures in order to keep within the adopted budget. Assists with the development of district budget as required by Superintendent.

• Determines classroom/subject teaching assignment and support services needs at the school site and recommends to Superintendent the classroom teaching assignments and support services.

• Is familiar with both the classified and certificated employee contracts.

• Updates as needed, a teacher's handbook, classified employee's handbook, and student handbook.

• Provides opportunities for professional growth to the staff.

• Assists the Superintendent in administrating district personnel practices.

Buildings/Grounds/Equipment

• Plans and supervises, with staff members, the effective use and maintenance of the school buildings, grounds and equipment.

• Assists with the development of district-wide building programs to meet immediate and long-range district needs, including optimum use of available facilities. Makes recommendations to the Superintendent regarding the facility needs at the school site.

• Maintains an accurate inventory of all equipment, furniture, instructional materials, etc. that are housed at the school site.

NOTE: After input and consultation with each principal, the Superintendent will develop an administrative guideline checklist of specific procedures and “things to do” for each school site Principal for the purpose of assisting each school site principal in carrying out the job description duties and responsibilities as outlined in this policy.

Adopted: December 8, 1992

(Administrative Salary Schedule: Starting range $66,099-$71,718 based upon experience, plus district-paid health and welfare benefits.)

SAMANTHA DELVALLE, 22, and Raymond Mabery, 21, both of Philo, were arrested the night of March 7th for child endangerment when the 2-year-old boy's grandmother, visiting the Delvalle-Mabery home, smelled alcohol in the child's vomit. Rushed to the Ukiah Valley Medical Center by the grandmother, the toddler's blood-alcohol was measured at what could have been a lethal 0.16. The boy also had methamphetamine in his system. Ms. Delvalle was in court last Wednesday to set a date for her preliminary hearing on the endangerment charges. She is being held on $50,000 bail. Mabery's bail was also set at $50,000, which he posted last week and was released pending court appearances. Mabery and Delvalle are not a couple, and Mabery is not the father of the child and, from everything we can gather so far, not responsible for the child's ingestion of alcohol and methamphetamine.

AV HIGH SENIOR SCOTT JOHNSON’S senior project is raising funds to re-surface the outdoor basketball courts. He is planning a 3 on 3 tournament on Sunday April 14, at the Anderson Valley High School gym. Registration is 8-9am. $25 per player with a 5 member max per team, 9-10am is a Free Throw contest and the games begin at 10am. There will be athletes from Mendocino College and Santa Rosa JC who will be doing a dunk contest during the day, along with BBQ and lots of good food and a great raffle! For more information call 895-2631

SIDE-BY-SIDE movie announcements in this week's SF Bay Guardian announce these two releases: 'Manson Family' and 'Spring Breakers.' Given that choice the Manson Family doesn't look bad. The media are full of spring break stories accompanied of course by the point of these stories — barely clad young flesh. Two local hooks: Many people are aware that the Manson Family briefly made its rural headquarters in the Anderson Valley in a then-ramshackle house on Gschwend Road near Navarro. That would have been about 1967 or '68 before Chuck led his gang into random murders in the LA area. The man himself was arrested near Ukiah in '68 and held briefly on suspicion of being a hippie and as possibly responsible for the seemingly senseless bludgeon murders of two women across the highway from today's Remco between Ukiah and Hopland. Those murders, which occurred in 1968, were almost certainly the work of a CHP officer named Dulaney who, represented by Timothy O'Brien, later a Mendo judge of the superior court, was never arrested or charged. Dulaney was in debt to the old lady who ran an antique shop at the site and he was unhappily married to her granddaughter.

THE SECOND HOOK, college 'students' running amok in Mexico, translates to many of us as mass evidence that lots of young people go to college simply because they can, not out of any scholarly aptitude. Boonville High School is always quick to advertise its academic success by the number of its graduates who go on to higher learning, although how many go on to college and stay there long enough to graduate is unknown because the answer to that question is not pursued by the school's propagandists, probably for fear of what they'd find. Anymore, college, for young people with vague intentions of some kind of liberal arts diploma, is positively unwise given how much it costs and given the scarcity of jobs there are for people with college credentials in blah-blah or folderol. If you want to be a physicist or an engineer or a doctor, you're going to have to go to classes beyond high school. But if you're going for Spring Break, well, the Army is a much better choice, although in Mendocino County — the Anderson Valley, certainly — liberal sentiment overwhelmingly discourages idle young people from military service, thereby excluding a viable interim option between high school and whatever he winds up doing for the rest of his life.

MARY O'BRIEN alerts us that “the Greenwood Civic Club invites you to take part in the 26th annual Elk Rummage Sale to be held Saturday and Sunday, April 6 and 7 from 10am to 4pm at the Greenwood Community Center in downtown Elk. Discover antiques, collectables, clothing, books, toys, furniture, tools and more at bargain prices. Join “The Great Race” Sunday afternoon-all you can stuff in a bag for $2.00. While shopping feast on baked goods and tempting lunch items. Proceeds from the annual event benefit community projects, children's summer program and student scholarships. Donations in good condition are welcome and can be dropped off at the Community Center on April 3 and 4 from 10am to 3pm. For more information or pickup assistance, call Rae at 877-3224. The Greenwood Civic Club is a non-profit organization and all donations are tax deductible.”