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Restroom at Rio del Mar State Beach to be Protected • CASA Recognizes Dr. Kent Thompson
COMMUNITY NEWS
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The Santa Cruz District of the California Department of Parks and Recreation will be working at Rio del Mar State Beach to protect the public restroom intermittently throughout 2022.
High wave action and the meandering Aptos Creek have exposed the foundation and continue to threaten the public facility, according to State Parks officials.
To mitigate this, State Parks is conducting a nature-based, living-shoreline project along Rio del Mar State Beach to protect the restroom and add short-term sea-level rise resiliency.
During Feb. 14 and 15, State Parks staff collected driftwood logs and stacked them along the back of the beach. These logs will form the backbone of a dune system supported by cobbles and native plant restoration. The logs may be exposed until completion of regulatory permitting.
Once complete, the dune system is expected to provide a level of protection to the public facilities at Rio del Mar State Beach from wave action, storm surge events, and flooding from Aptos Creek.
State Parks staff has started a project to protect the restroom at Rio del Mar State Beach.
During construction visitors may see State Park personnel, Integral consulting staff, and equipment moving around the beach.
The beach will remain accessible during construction, but small areas of active construction for moving logs, sand, or cobbles, may be closed temporarily for visitor safety. In this case, State Parks asks visitors to be patient. n •••
If you have questions, contact Scott Rohlf with CA State Parks at scott.rohlf@parks.ca.gov.
CASA Recognizes Dr. Kent Thompson
Dr. Kent Thompson is Board Member Emeritus at Court Appointed Special Advocates of Santa Cruz County.
Dr. Thompson, a retired pediatrician who practiced locally for more than 30 years, was voted that status unanimously based on his many years of dedication and service to CASA. He was a board member from 20082015 and board president from 2012-13. He was successful in raising funds for the 2009 purchase of the CASA House in Watsonville and worked tirelessly on the renovations so staff could move in as quickly as possible a year later, which made the dream a reality.
Upon completing his board service, Dr. Thompson has remained active with CASA. He remained committed to the Board Finance committee and joined the Friends of CASA, an auxiliary volunteer organization which supports CASA of Santa Cruz County.
Dr Thompson became vice chair and then chair of the Friends of CASA from 2017-2021. He still serves on the executive committee of Friends and is active in all their events and volunteer activities. His work has developed the organization to be stronger, more inclusive, and more supportive, CASA leaders say.
As an avid fundraiser for CASA, he dedicated countless hours soliciting donations of items, hanging decorations, attending planning meetings, and being a friendly face of CASA at most every fundraiser event. n
Kent Thompson
