The year in review: 2007

Our annual review of the year’s top news stories will be
presented in two parts, with January through June appearing in this
issue. Look for the second installment in next week’s paper.
January
A home on Cornell Drive burnt into flames after an electrical
problem ignited a mattress in the garage. The Windsor, Healdsburg,
Santa Rosa and Rincon Valley fire departments all responded to the
call made by neighbor Nancy Cordova. Luckily the firefighters quick
response prevented the fire from spreading to any neighboring
houses.
A 4-year old boy survived a fiery crash on Highway 101 that
killed five of his family members. The family’s Honda Civic erupted
into flames after being rear-ended by a Windsor man who failed to
stop with traffic. Passing motorists were able to pull the boy from
the car despite the risk to their own safety.
February
A series of layoffs at the TV 50 local news station forshadowed
the eventuall closure of the station. After twenty-six years of
coverage, the general manager and vice president, John Burgess,
announced the channels decision. “It was a business decision,” he
said. The news station switched from paid reporters to utilize
volunteers from the public. Despite the stations efforts, the
layoffs still left the community at a loss.
The mortuary on Old Redwood Highway, Romano’s Mortuary, closed
after a family dispute between the owners. Owner Alfonso Romano
owned the business, while his father, Carmine Romano, owned the
land. The father-son duo got into an argument about the idea of a
change of ownership. Citizens of the North County were troubled by
the closure of one out of only two mortuaries on this end of the
county.
A Starr Road burn caught fire and burned to the ground during a
fire that also caused a nearby propane tank to explode. The barn
held construction supplies and was being used as a makeshift
office. Officials said the fire was caused by electrical
failures.
During the next twenty years, critics predict the county will
run through its driest time. In an attempt to preempt future
drought, the County Water Agency sought approval for a 25 percent
increase in pumping water from Lake Sonoma and Lake Mendocino.
Despite citizen’s concerns, the agency assured the public that this
would not cause a change in groundwater levels.
March
Parents and community members were in an uproar about the
reassignment of beloved Cali Calmecac principal, Ginger Dale.
Windsor School board superintendent, Steven Herrington, made the
decision and despite an emotional protest by community members at
the Town Council Chambers, Herrington said his decision “was for
the best”.
After a close call, the renovation of the mural on the side of
Pohley’s Market was halted. After the workers had painted over a
third of the mural, town citizens called in the Windsor Times to
complain about the destruction of the artwork. A representative for
the building owners, Chuck Pedersen, was contacted and immediately
put an end to the repainting of the mural. Unable to recover the
already painted side of the mural, Pedersen had painters repaint
and restore the original artwork.
The Charles M. Schultz – Sonoma County Airport reopened to new
passenger service. Alaskan airlines subsidiary, Horizon airlines,
now operates through the airport. The air service flies to three
locations: L.A. to Sonoma County to Seattle. The reopening of the
Schultz Airport provided residents with an alternative to the bay
area airports and has sparked economic growth.
April
The mortuary off of Old Redwood Highway, formerly known as
Romano’s reopened. The mortuary offered free service to all the
families that lost money in the Abbey Chapel closing. With the
closing of other area mortuarys, Romano’s became the only mortuary
facility in the North County.
The discovery of an Australian Apple Moth posed a threat to
Northern California agriculture. The moth, which was first
discovered in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties, is a danger
because it could destroy an entire vineyard in one season. The
Sonoma County Grape Growers Association was told to keep a close
watch on their vineyards and contact the commissioner if they
started to see signs of the moth.
The Windsor Police Department received its first K-9 unit.
Police officer, Juan Valencia, is the first to be given a canine
partner, named Loki, after completing intensive training in
Southern California.
The Windsor Town Green Village project was awarded by the
Association of Bay Area Governments for the town’s “ongoing
partnership with business and developers”. The award was given to
the town of Windsor for its efforts in implementing “smart growth
principles” into the downtown planning. The award was received in
San Francisco by Rick Jones, Warin Parker, Debora Fudge and Peter
Chamberlin.
May
More than 200 Windsor residents took to the great outdoors to
participate in the Spring Clean community service project.
Volunteers from nine area churches dispersed into area parks to
help renovate and improve several projects.
Healdsburg District Hospital announced plans to reopen its
dormant intensive care unit alongside the newly constructed Wetzel
Family Emergency Department. The $2 million emergency department is
expected to open in August and the reopened ICU is projected to
cost approximately $1 million.
Southbound 101’s Arata Lane opened to traffic after a ribbon
cutting ceremony by the Town Council. The $1.45 million off-ramp
was a continuation of the project that began with the construction
of the north bound off-ramp and south bound on-ramp. The project
will be concluded with an eventual realignment of Los Amigos Road
at a future date.
The 27th annual Windsor Day Parade marched through town with 65
entrants competing for recognition. Windsor’s Pack 20 Cub Scouts’
pirate ship was a double winner, receiving the Mayor’s Choice and
best youth group awards. The event had a “Pioneer Days” theme with
float entrants taking a historical approach to their entries.
Windsor Unified School District named Lisa Saxon as the new
principal of Windsor Middle School and Chris Vanden Heuvel as new
principal of Cali Calmecac Charter School. Saxon came to Windsor
from Santa Rosa Willowside Middle School and Heuvel came to Cali
from Windsor High School.
Windsor’s Shakespeare on the Green canceled its 2007 season due
to a significant shortfall in fundraising. The performance group
was also impacted by a Town decision to postpone construction of a
permanent stage on the Green. The group refocused its efforts for
the year on supporting the 2008 season and mounted a December
performance of “A Christmas Carol.”
June
County health care organizations joined forces to launch the
Northern California Health Care Authority in an effort to battle
rising costs and coordinate services. The combined group, which
planned to expand into Marin county, provides members with
increased negotiation power against private insurance companies and
government programs.
WUSD officials found an exemption in the California government
code that will allow plans for a construction of a new science wing
at Windsor High School to proceed regardless of expansion at
Charles M. Schulz airport. The potential new wing, with room for
two new classes holding approximately 50 students, required an
additional review after the airport announced plans to increase the
size of its runways.
The Windsor council approved a new water rate structure by a 3-2
vote that realigned usage tiers and added a fifth level for super
users. The split decision took light users from $1.44 per 1,000
gallons to $2.20 per 1,000 gallons and established a high user
category that will pay $4.45 per thousand gallons.
Sonoma county municipalities were ordered to cut consumption of
water from the Russian River by at least 15 percent. The Water
Resource Control Board ordered the Sonoma County Water Agency to
lower the quantity of water delivered to 600,000 customers in Marin
and Sonoma counties.