Rail Trail Aptos: EIR Complete in 2023

COMMUNITY NEWS Rail Trail Aptos: EIR Complete in 2023

Planning is underway for Santa Cruz County Rail Trail segments 10 in Live Oak and Capitola and 11 in tation Commission, design consultant RRM Design Group and environmental consultant Harris & Associates. Aptos.

This is a 4.5-mile bicycle and pedestrian trail system that generally follows the Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line corridor, from the eastern side of 17th Avenue in Live Oak to the western side of State Park Drive in Aptos.

The trail is to be 10 to 12 feet wide next to the tracks.

According to the county, the project alternative is to “railbank” to simplify property rights issues, remove the tracks, and place the trail in the center of the tracks, determining the width during the preliminary design process.

The timetable calls for the Environmental Impact Report to be completed in summer 2022, public review in winter 2022, final EIR in winter 2022-spring 2023 and certification of EIR in spring 2023. Planning began with a scoping meeting Nov. 17 with the County of Santa Cruz the lead agency, City of Capitola, Santa Cruz County Regional TransporThe deadline was Dec. 7 to comment on the Notice of Preparation — potential environmental issues and project alternatives to be evaluated in the EIR, not the merits of the project itself or the project design. There will be future opportunities for community input on the schematic plans. Rob Tidmore of the Santa Cruz County Public Works Deparmtnet is project manager. He can be reached at 831-4542340 or RailTrail@santacruzcounty.us. n ••• To view a recording of the scoping meeting, see https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=KMd3qfpbRWM. To view a PDF of the Scoping Meeting presentation, see https://tinyurl.com/ scc-scoping-meeting

“Hunger Heroes” from page 5

The drive “allows the rare opportunity for the whole university community of students, staff, faculty, and retirees to engage in one effort,” he says. “In fact, a contingent of student leaders, employees, and retirees recently volunteered at Second Harvest to pack food for families.”

Alexander Pedersen, founder of Blue Circle and a Second Harvest Food Bank board member, is pledging to run a mile for every ten dollars donated. So far, he’s helped raise more than $800. To learn more about Blue Circle or to donate to his campaign, visit www.bluecircleusa.org.

Sequoia Wealth Advisors in Aptos and San Jose, is a sponsor of this year’s Holiday Food & Fund Drive and major corporate sponsor for many food bank events, including the Chef’s Dinner. The company has engaged clients, staff and the community in fundraising.

“Our reasons for supporting Second Harvest are many,” says Kristina Kuprina, company president. “Increased financial pressure is amplifying food insecurity in our area. And no one should have to choose between food and other essential needs.”

For the students at Santa Cruz Montessori in Aptos, their effort started with a news story showing mile-long lines for food banks around the country during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Teacher Kristin Tosello shared this news with her 4th, 5th, and 6th graders. She streamed videos from Second Harvest Food Bank explaining that one in three people and one in two children in Santa Cruz County face food insecurity.

Her students were shocked by the number of hungry people in their own community. But rather than feeling helpless, they organized a walkathon with a goal of $2,250, equal to 9,000 meals. Before they began walking, they surpassed this goal.

On the day of the walkathon, 17 students walked to Cabrillo College spending three hours at the track. One student racked up an amazing 12 miles. Each student walked more than 5.75 miles.

“After a while it started getting a bit tiring, but we reminded ourselves of our cause and walked on,” a student said.

The result? They raised 26,168 meals Robin Berkery (far right), owner of Jazzercise Santa Cruz and Aptos, leads a workout fundraiser outdoors for Second Harvest Food Bank. and learned a valuable lesson — every step counts.

Others organized rummage sales and bake sales, employee raffles and online auctions, and some converted their personal time off to donations. Generous musicians in a band donated the proceeds from their performance.

From surfers, cyclists, paddleboarders and joggers to firefighters, law enforcement and the faith community, our county unites around the Holiday Food & Fund Drive.

It’s impossible to acknowledge all the Hunger Heroes making a difference for so many this year. This story celebrates them all. n

Become a Hunger Hero

Second Harvest is supporting about 50 percent more people this year compared to previous year averages. Participating in the 2021 Holiday Food and Fund Drive is easy for individuals, organizations, or businesses. Contact — julie@thefoodbank.org or visit www.thefoodbank.org/hero to order a ‘Mini Collection Barrel’ for cash collection.

Nominate a Hunger Hero

Second Harvest is looking for all the hunger heroes. Nominees may be educators, advocates for food policy change or volunteers who use their time, energy, or resources to help fight hunger in our county. The Hunger Fighter of the Year is recognized at the annual Awards Dinner in March. Nomination deadllne is Jan. 7.