NEIL KEPHART HAS DIED.
My friend and neighbor for many years, Neil Kephart, after a long battle with the stomach cancer that finally carried him off, will be sorely missed by everyone who knew this quiet, gentle, competent and unfailingly kind man. He died at his Boonville home surrounded by his family. Neil was one of these increasingly rare men who are a boon to their communities because of their genius ability to do the practical things, the things that keep our houses from falling down around us. I tried not to pester Neil too often with requests for help or the loan of a tool I knew Neil would surely have. 200 feet of extension cord? Neil had it. Have-A-Heart critter trap? Neil instantly produced a choice of three. Sump pump? Got it right over here. Fork lift? Here comes Neil himself driving it up to the heavyweight items needing a move from here to there. All this and a quiet, tolerant humor that made his company an ongoing delight.
BRAD WILEY ON THE LINEAGE OF THE KEPHART HOME:
Arthur Johnson Home, north of the Boonville Methodist Church, west side of Highway 128 (with the late Wes Smoot):
This one story home is about 25 feet across its front. It was built in the 1928 Glenn Johnson’s brother, Arthur. Arthur and Glenn were partners managing the Yorkville area Johnson Ranch. Wes Smoot believes that Glenn felt Arthur was an inadequate ranching partner, and persuaded his less work-motivated brother to move to Boonville to reside in this home.
Today, Neil Kephart and family live in this lovely piece of roadside architecture.
I particularly appreciate the small but gracious front porch elevated about four feet above the front lawn and enclosed beneath the home’s dormer-like ridgepole. (The main roof ridgepole runs parallel to the highway.) Bay windows, each with three glass openings frame the front door.
I suspect there is something quite aristocratic about sitting out there at the end of the day watching The Valley go by, but too far back from the highway to actually engage with passers-by. I also enjoy the way a handful of ancient apple and walnut trees in the north part of the front yard partly obscure the house, making it a bit more mysteriously magisterial.
One Sunday I walked up the driveway to look more closely at its design features and had the good fortune to run into Mrs. Kathaleen Kephart, Neil’s wife. Mrs. Kephart said that, yes, the brick chimney on the south side of the house was original, but no longer used to heat its interior rooms. She also said the shiplap siding was original and in good repair. But the roofing material, an elegant asbestos slate material, diamond-shaped, was a couple of years old, as the original tarred shingle roof began leaking in winter and had to be replaced.
The most dramatic design feature of the house is the two grand windows one can’t see from the highway. They are on the south and north sides of the house, each are three-bayed in a ten foot rough opening, but also bowed out from the house about a foot and of course elegantly wood-trimmed on all four of their sides.
CALTRANS V. BOONVILLE
by Mark Scaramella
In the next few years Caltrans plans to pave over most of downtown Boonville under the heading of: “Boonville Capital Preventive Maintenance (CAPM)/Complete Streets”
Caltrans describes their “preventive maintenance” or “rehabilitation” project as: “Caltrans proposes to rehabilitate the existing pavement surface on Route 128 from post miles 17.9 to 30.7. In Boonville, bike lanes, curb ramps, driveways and crosswalks will be added.”
Caltrans continues: “The project will restore the existing highway surface from ‘Fair’ to ‘Good’ Condition and extend the service life and improve ride quality. Enhanced connectivity features in downtown Boonville will improve safety and accessibility for non-motorized users.
“The project includes: Hot mix asphalt overlay and Transportation Management System (TMS) upgrades from post miles 17.9 to 30.7.
“Boonville: Class II buffered bike lanes from Mountain View Road to the Route 253 junction [downtown Boonville]. Sidewalk and curb ramp improvements. Pedestrian improvements at Mountain View Road and Lambert Lane.
Timeline
Construction is expected to begin in 2026.
Budget Estimates
Construction Capital: $21,057,000
Right of Way Capital: $172,000”
“Complete Streets” is a Caltrans buzzword that says that not just cars and trucks are to be considered in highway design and upgrades. But as a practical matter complete streets means pavement first. Liability second. Local considerations and preferences third.
Here’s what Caltrans says is an example of a typical Complete Streets Project:
A newly formed local group calling itself “BoontWorks” made up of Boonville residents and others is being led by relative newcomer Sash Williams (an engineer who now lives in the old McGimpsey house in downtown Boonville), Johnny Schmitt of the Boonville Hotel, and an architect/consultant named Ned Forest and others.
Monday night Boontworks held a public meeting at the AV Senior Center with a decent turnout of upwards of 70 mostly older and mostly Boonville residents to present what they propose to be accounted for in the Caltrans paving project.
According to their handout, Boontworks Guiding Principles are:
Anderson Valley residents of all ages depend on the town of Boonville for access to our businesses, schools, clinic, public transportation pick up, and social centers. Highway 128 is our Main Street — the only through street in town — as well as a highly-traveled gateway to wine tasting and the Mendocino coast. In addition to stores and restaurants, 128 provides direct access to fitness centers, the Mendocino County Fairgrounds, the Senior Center, the Elder Home project, post offices, lodging, offices, and the ambulance/fire department.
We are involved in the planning for the re-paving of Highway 128 because it is integral to the safety and enjoyment of our lives and the health of the environment. The following are guidelines that inform our efforts.
- Calm vehicular traffic for the safety and well-being of drivers, pedestrians, bicyclists and wildlife.
- Preserve the distinctive rural character of town with unpaved space, tree plantings, and suitable lighting.
- Ensure watershed protection by minimizing new water pollution and erosion while mitigating that which currently exists. Explore use of permeable paving.
- Improve access to community points of interest and create common places for congregating and socializing.
- Support local businesses and improve the environment for conducting business, including during construction (parking, signage, deliveries).
- Integrate the goals of the Mendocino County General Plan (Chapter 6: Community Specific Policies) in the design and construction to be undertaken.
- Coordinate with imminent infrastructure projects: water/sewer lines, broadband, and undergrounding of utilities.
A lively discussion ensued as Williams and Forest presented various diagrams and sketches showing what they hope Caltrans will consider for the new Highway 128.
The Caltrans right-of-way through Boonville is 80 feet wide so that 80 feet has to accommodate two or three roadway lanes, a median (perhaps in segments) bike lanes, parking, sidewalks, guard rails, signage, ADA compliance, drainage, and, hopefully, landscaping within that 80 feet while incorporating as much as possible of Boonville existing roadway features (both within the right-of-way and alongside it on private property) and retaining as much of a rural feel as possible, as opposed to a Caltrans-style concrete island in the middle of Anderson Valley.
Reportedly the Caltrans bureaucrats in Eureka are “listening” to Boontworks. But so far there’s no evidence of concrete (sic) incorporation of the Boontworks principles. According to Williams, contrary to what Caltrans says about the project timing, the Caltrans Boonville Project will begin design work next year (2026) with construction to take place in 2029. Williams said the focus of the Boontworks group’s attention is downtown Boonville from the Boonville Apartments on the south end to Mountain View Road on the north end. Caltrans plans to eliminate the nose-in diagonal parking and replace it with parallel parking or back-in diagonal parking which would not only reduce the number of downtown parking spaces but doesn’t seem objectively safer than the current semi-haphazard mostly nose-in diagonal parking.
It was difficult to hear the discussion at times because of inconsistent microphone use and the casual/conversational statements. But it was clear that nobody in the room liked the Caltrans pave-over plan.
Much of the discussion revolved around bike lanes and a general preference for more landscaping. As the meeting extended into its second hour and details were further explored people started drifting out.
So far, Caltrans has not released any specific paving plans and that’s why the group hopes to get their preferences in early before the Caltrans pavement is, ahem, set in concrete.
One unnamed attendee got a round of applause after expressing a brief but consensus opinion about Boonville’s preference for less pavement: “Dirt! Yay!”
YORKVILLE BIBLIOPHILE, BOB SITES, AT GREEN APPLE
This photo was taken on Wednesday at Green Apple Books on Clement in San Francisco. (Terry Sites)
BILL KIMBERLIN:
This is the beautiful new “Rubberized” (they call it synthetic) track at Boonville High (they call it AVHS) that is the result of millions of dollars of investment. There is also evidence of some large ballfield lighting structures. I run on one of these near me in Berkeley and hope to run on this one if the school doesn’t lock me out. Even if you just walk it you will feel a spring in your step.
ELLEN FONTAINE: Referencing a recent post: driving too fast is a separate problem in the Valley. The post was more about the dangerous driving behaviors: trying to pass on the right, passing with oncoming traffic, etc. These behaviors are never acceptable! They have been happening too much in the Valley and on 253. Wake up, people! What will it take to stop this? Someone getting severely injured or killed?
JEFF BURROUGHS: As a resident of Anderson Valley for 60 years I have to tell you I think if you see even 1 car behind you, just pull the hell out of the way. It’s common courtesy and it will improve safety on these roads.
Be First to Comment