Mark West Compass

Mark West Citizens Advisory Council
The Mark West Citizens Advisory Council is off with a running start.
When they met on Nov. 14, in the boardroom at the Mark West School District office, there were at least 80 members of the community in attendance.  
With wide-open eyes, the council welcomed everybody. The council members still learning about the rules they have to abide by, the Brown Act and the Sunshine Law.  They understand their goals are to decide how the franchise money we citizens pay, is to be spent in this community, look at projects in the county and get public input, and to triage (prioritize) local public works and transit projects and, finally, in time, study and give community input on the Sonoma County General Plan, which is due for an update in 2020.
As they are learning about being a Brown Act Committee and getting used to the whole idea, The Carlton Senior Living Center Proposal, along with a very opinioned and vocal community, was laid in front of them.  
Amazingly, it was very organized, thanks to Jen Mendoza, Supervisor Gore’s aid, and Supervisor Gore. And it was very civil.  Everyone who wanted to had a chance to speak his or her opinion or concern.
Supervisor James Gore was there to introduce the council members to the community and explain the purpose of the council and the process by which The Carlton Senior Living Center proposal and any other proposal will have to go thru to be approved, or not.
Jennifer Barrett, de­puty director for the planning division of the Sonoma County Permit and Resource Manage­ment Department (PRMD) gave the council and the community an overview of their process.  They look at noise, traffic, cultural relief, environmental im­pact, etc.
Scott Tetlaff, Vice President of Finance and Development for Calrton Senior Living, gave a history and overview of the company.  He shared the process by which they chose Larkfield as the place for their new development and a little about this particular project.  He answered lots of questions and said all their concerns will be considered as they move forward in the review process.
The council recommendation to approve or not approve, is only one cog in the wheel. The job of the council is to review proposals and also to report what the citizens of this community want. Once this happens, they will make their recommendation, and it is only a recommendation, to the Board of Supervisors and the PRMD.  
There are several other steps involved with a few other departments that any proposal has to go thru, each one, with their own requirements and reports.
Members of the community voiced their concerns about parking, the height of the building, how the project would affect traffic and road conditions.  They were concerned about the layout and how delivery trucks would enter and leave the area.
Supervisor Gore wrapped up the discussion saying that everybody has concerns and that bottom line the big question is going to be “Is it good for the community? This is the process.”
Another project that was introduced sometime ago and will now come before this council is the Faught Road project. It is for a six-unit apartment complex on a parcel that presently contains a vacant, rundown house.
Watch for when this shows up on the agenda. Date, time and location of the meetings will also be on the agenda.
The next meeting is December 12, at 6 p.m. at the Mark West School Board office.
The agendas will always be posted at the Super­visor’s office, at the Mark West
School District office and in the Nextdoor neighborhood online community.
Winter Coat Drive: October 21st ~ December 9th
Just a quick reminder.  The Winter Coat drive is still going on. Glen Hurley (text) 707-321-9262, a local Realtor, is collecting them in this area. Text him for pick up.
Holiday Tree Lighting
Here we are again, another year coming to a conclusion beginning with Halloween, a fun evening for the children, Thanks­giving, my favorite, a time to reflect and be grateful for whatever it is, in each of us, we feel gratitude for and finally… Christmas and the holiday season.
We in Mark West open the season with the tree lighting in front of Molsberry Market. It’s such a lovely warm community gathering, no matter if it’s cold, raining or a mild winter evening.
This year it will be held on Wednesday, Dec. 7 at 6 p.m. There will be school children singing and playing Christmas songs, cookies and hot chocolate for all. The tree will be lit and Santa will come for a visit. I’ll see you there.
I know you will be reading this after Thanksgiving so my wish for everyone of you and me is that our gratitude will be lasting.
Aggie Maggio is a local Realtor and member of the Mark West Chamber of Commerce. She can be reached at AggieMaggio@
icloud.com