Valley People 2/24/2010

DEPUTY CRAIG WALKER had no trouble the other day picking up a good natured male pit bull in Navarro. The deputy soon deposited the animal at the shelter in South Ukiah. Locals said the dog — healthy, approachable and obviously somebody’s pet — had been loose in the Deepend for several days before somebody finally called the cops who now double as animal control officers. And triple as mental health counselors. And quadruple as marriage mediators. And so on, and whatever deputies Walker and Squires are being paid it isn't enough.

A SECOND little beastie, this one found on Signal Ridge, is now being advertised in the Ukiah paper as, “I am a very handsome, friendly blonde and white male Pitbull with cropped ears. ” He can also be seen at the Animal Shelter, Ukiah.

SPEAKING of cops and dogs, the fundraising effort is underway to provide deputy Walker with a K-9 Unit, aka deputy Dog. Walker has already begun training with on-duty deputy dogs in Ukiah. If all goes as planned, Walker’s dog will arrive sometime this summer, as per the Sheriff’s Department commitment to Anderson Valley.

IT’S NEVER NEWS that the French have a rather low opinion of US, but it was French customs inspec­tors who discovered that the French had been selling pinot to Gallo that wasn’t pinot, and Americans had been drinking the fake pinot without, apparently, being aware they weren't drinking pinot. French growers rightly assumed Americans wouldn’t know the diff and..... sure 'nuff. This little scandal makes one wonder if all these people sniffing and swirling and holding their glasses up to the sun would ever know the diff between pinot and rat piss if “urique raton” was scrawled in fancy Gallic script below the $40 price tag.

COMMUNITY SERVICES DISTRICT General Manager Serina Wallace clarified the District’s (non) role with the Community Park at last week’s CSD Board meeting. Ms. Wallace told the CSD Board that the District has “latent power” (i.e., could do so, but hasn’t) to develop and oversee local parks, but the District hasn't either money or park to oversee. The 1984 lease agreement between the CSD and the School District was apparently “not properly signed,” and the CSD’s only role in any kind of recreational facility was as a partner in refurbishing the tennis courts at the high school. CSD has had no role in any activity on school grounds since. The subject has arisen because of questions about who has mainte­nance and trash removal responsibilities for the little wedge of a community park between Tom Smith Soc­cer Field and the Anderson Valley Health Center. The park's on school property.

PRETTY BIG turnout for the Alsace-Lorraine wine festival at the Fairgrounds on Saturday. Not as big as the beer festival of course, and a much more sedate crowd, but still you’ve got to hand it to the wine peo­ple for turning out in such large numbers on a dreary winter day to pretend they can tell Alsace from Al Sharpton.

MEADE WILLIAMS informs us that Teen Center Assistant Director Aaron 'Cobb' Martin will host the Friday night Teen Center sessions from 5-10pm for the next six weeks on a trial basis. Cobb is also avail­able to work with kids on their bikes. And two stu­dents from the High School Leadership Class are working  with the Teen Center to get open-gym going again at the High School in March.

THE PRELIMINARY results of the 20+ responses returned to the Community Services District for pos­sible downtown Boonville Civic Improvements show that most support centers on public bathrooms and landscaping rather than sidewalks, and parking improvements. As a result of these rather scant find­ings the Community Services District Board seems reluctant to pursue a planning grant through the Mendocino Council of Governments or Caltrans. Whether there’s enough organization, funding and support to pursue the more modest physical upgrades mentioned in the survey is unclear. The subject will be discussed further at a future meeting of the downtown improvement committee, as yet unscheduled.

LET THE RECORD show that this newspaper is in favor of benches in the downtown area, strategically placed to enable folks to sit out in the sun from The Fairgrounds to Rod Balson's house at Mountain View and 128. “Yeah, but then you'd get all the drunks and dope heads lounging around all day.” Perhaps, but they'd be our drunks and dope heads, wouldn't they?

AIRPORT MANAGER Kirk Wilder said last week that he has looked over the Airport’s $2750 general liability insurance policy and has discovered that most of it consists of things that aren't covered. “I’m no lawyer,” said Wilder, “but I really don’t even know what they cover after all these exclusions.” Wilder also noted that pilots already carry insurance for themselves and their planes, and the airport doesn’t really have much else that could be damaged. The only publicly owned structures on the runway are a small kiosk where pilots pay for their overnight parking and a porta-potty, neither of which are valued at anywhere near $2750 per year. General Manager Serina Wallace will check with District’s general liability carrier and perhaps a local insurance agent and report back next month on whether CSD should continue paying the annual $2750.

SATURDAY NIGHT, a wild boar estimated at 300 pounds, was the victim of a Signal Ridge hit and run. But by Sunday morning the road kill had been con­verted to pork, and all that was left of the giant tusker were his hide and horns.

ELK’S Annual Rummage Sale. The Greenwood Civic Club invites you to take part in the 23rd annual Elk Rummage Sale to be held Saturday and Sunday, March 27 and 28 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Greenwood Community Center in downtown Elk. Discover antiques, collectibles, clothes, books, tiny plastic replicas of Charlie Acker, Norm deVall and Joel Waldman, toys, housewares, furniture, tools, and more at bargain prices.  Join the “Great Race” Sunday afternoon — all you can stuff in a bag for $1.50. While shopping, feast on baked goods, drinks and tempting lunch items. Proceeds from the annual event benefit community projects, the summer children's program and student scholarships. Donations in good condi­tion are welcome and may be dropped off at the Community Center, March 24 and 25 between 10am and 3pm. For information or pickup assistance, call Rae at 877-3224.  The Greenwood Civic Club is a non-profit organization and all donations are tax deducti­ble.