A S I GN E D & SAF E R ROAD T O KO R B E L PAGE 8
Mad River
Union MadRiverUnion.com
V o l . 8 , N o . 4 4 1 2 P a g e s W e d n e s d ay , J u ly 2 1 , 2 0 2 1 E s t . 2 0 1 3 $ 1
HUMCO COVID COUNT Monday, July 19
TESTS CASES RECOVERED HOSPITALIZED DEATHS VAX DOSES PARTLY VAXXED FULLY
99,934
4,730
4,525
218
Dueling cell sites: Just one Bottoms tower will stand
53
134,139
5.96%
48.71%
M idsummer F ling
Daniel Mintz
Mad River Union
ARCATA BOTTOM – C ounty planning commissioners are ready to approve a 130-foot cell tower in the Arcata Bottoms area, convinced that improved service coverage is needed and the best option is a tower that can host as many carriers as possible. At its July 15 meeting, the Planning Commission considered two Arcata Bottoms cell tower proposals. Planning staff recommended reviewing both, giving direction and continuing the hearing to August 5 for action. And that action will likely be approval of the taller 130-foot lattice tower, which is advanced by PWM, Inc. and sited on Sun Valley Floral Farms property near the intersection of Foster Avenue and Dolly Vardon Road. T he other proposal, from AT& T, is a 100-foot tower disguised as a water tank and sited on Foster Avenue near the Janes Road intersection. Planning staff recommended not to approve both but Planning Director John Ford said there’s nothing stopping the commission from doing so. He said the commission could also reject both. The hearing became a duel between the two proposals. TOWERS PAGE 7
Downsized Arcata Bottom grow OK’d with conditions Kevin L. Hoover Mad River Union
ARCATA BOTTOM – The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors Tuesday, July 13 approved what may become a 5.7acre cannabis grow operation for applicant Arcata Land Co., controlled by Sun Valley Floral Farm. Originally proposed for 22.9 acres, the Planning Commission later approved a reduced-size 8-acre project comprising 2.3 acres of outdoor light-deprivation cultivation 5.7 acres of mixed-light cultivation in enclosed greenhouses. The approved project eliminates the
In-person Arcata candidate forum set Mad River Union
ARCATA – A call for applicants to fill a vacant City Council seat has brought forth a host of hopefuls, with the application deadline ending this past Monday, just after press time. Applicants will be listed at cityofarcata.org. The Arcata City Council will appoint a replacement for Sofia Pereira, who stepped down from her seat on the Council to take on a new role as Humboldt County’s Director of Public Health. An Arcata City Council Candidate Forum will be held on Wednesday, July 28 at 6 p.m. to give Arcata residents and community members the opportunity to get to know the candidates and provide input during the process. The forum will be held in-person in the Council Chamber at Arcata City Hall, located at 736 F Street, and available virtually on Zoom. In preparation for the forum, the city is developing a list of questions for the candidates, and community members are encouraged to participate in the process by submitting their questions in advance. Questions from the public CANDIDATES PAGE 7
2.3-acre component. A number of other conditions were also applied to the project, including solarizing the operation over a five-year period, establishment of an adjacent, 500-foot organic easement and creation of a bicycle-pedestrian trail along Foster Avenue. In addition, county officials may make up to four no-notice inspections to verify compliance with the Conditional Use Permit. County staff will also follow up on any odor complaints. The odor issue proved to be the project’s weakest point, and sucGROW PAGE 7
COLORFUL TALES A Midsummer Fling Music Storytime took place at Arcata Ball Park Wednesday, July 14. Following a dancing parade from the Arcata Branch Library around the corner, Ms. Sue, left, helped attendees in fancy attire dance and celebrate midsummer with stories, dance, and song. Photos by Matt Filar | Union
County falling short of vaxxing targets Daniel Mintz
Mad River Union
HUMBOLDT – Humboldt County has failed to reach its COVID-19 vaccination goals for reopening and has more cases, hospitalizations and deaths to show for it. Like the rest of the state, Humboldt’s COVID-19 presence is increasing following a mid-June reopening. An amended state public health order lifted restrictions based on the premise that with the widespread availability of free vaccination, the responsibility for public health should shift from government-imposed mandates to individual action. But children younger than 12
years old don’t have the vaccine option. And many adults have yet to get vaccinated. The county’s goal was to get 70 to 75 percent of residents vaccinated by June 15. A month later there is only a sluggish rise in a local vaccination rate that falls well below the hoped-for benchmark. As of July 16, 49 percent of the county’s population had been fully vaccinated. The region’s low vaccination rates prompted the Rural Association of Northern California Health Officers to release a statement of warning for those who haven’t been vaccinated. “Our region has consistently shown a lower rate of COVID-19 antibodies, meaning more res-
Trinidad acts on coming water crisis Jack Durham
Mad River Union
TRINIDAD – The seaside village of Trinidad is considering building more water storage tanks, replacing leaky pipes and finding alternative water sources in response to the drought. The city’s Water Committee is so concerned about the potential of running out of water that it’s even investigating what it would take to buy water and truck it in. “All of us are aware the crisis is coming,” said Water Committee member Dwight Miller. Drought declared Normal rainfall for the year, as measured by the National Weather Service at Woodley Island in Eureka, is 39.47 inches. But since Oct. 1, when the weather year started, there has been only 24.36 inches of rain. The previous year was also well below average, with only 29.66 inches.
TRICKLE DOWN Levels in Luffenholtz Creek, Trinidad’s water source, are dropping. Submitted photo On July 14 the Water Committee sent out a drought notice to its residents. “Trinidad draws about 2 million gallons of surface water each month from Luffenholtz Creek and processes it for about 323 water customers,” stated a press release from the committee. “Surface water flow of the creek has been steadily decreasing since June.” “This year’s drought is steadily approaching the
peak severity of the last one,” stated Richard Clompus, Water Committee and Trinidad City Council member “And unfortunately, we don’t have another water source for the city at this time.” According to the committee, residents are being asked to voluntary reduce their water usage. If flows in Luffenholtz Creek are further reduced, then the city may have to enforce mandatory restrictions on water use. TRINIDAD PAGE 7
idents are susceptible to the virus,” the association said. “In sum: we are vulnerable.” The association’s statement also warns that the Delta variant, which is fueling case surges and hospitalization increases in 46 states, will affect the region’s summer season “with tourism in full force both between counties in our region and travelers from all over the world.” The U.S. surgeon general has directed a battle against “vaccine misinformation” and the regional association’s statement responds to the “myths” that are presumably influencing non-vaccination. According to the association, they range from beliefs that vacCOVID PAGE 7