The following is a letter to the editor submitted by Mendocino County District 3 Supervisor John Haschak, published here as a column, in which he updates his constituents. We encourage the other supervisors to submit letters — we will happily publish them. You can see Haschak’s previous letters to his constituents here. The opinions expressed in this letter are the author’s, not those of The Mendocino Voice.
I am quite pleased that the Old Howard Hospital has a potential buyer. As part of the Board’s ad hoc committee regarding Measure B, I did my part to gather and share information about the possibility of a psychiatric hospital facility there. There were certainly passionate feelings for and against using the building in this way. I very much appreciate the Howard Foundation’s collaboration in this effort. My hope is that the Old Howard returns to being a vital service provider for Willits and the 3rd District.
The problem with lack of ambulance service was caused in part by lack of paramedics to staff ambulances. Mendocino County needs more paramedics! I have been working with Mendocino College to provide the certification program. The exciting news is that Mendocino College will start a paramedic certification program in the Fall semester in collaboration with College of Siskiyous. Thank you Debra Polack for working on this issue.
Hiking or biking on The Great Redwood Trail took another big step forward. As your representative on the North Coast Railroad Authority, I voted to move forward with railbanking the tracks from Willits to Samoa. This means that the trail can be built while the rights to bring back rail service are maintained. Senator McGuire has been leading the conversion of the old railroad line. This stretch from Willits north will eventually run from Marin County to Humboldt Co.
The 10% of acreage and expansion of cannabis cultivation into rangeland is going before the Planning Commission on March 19. The process is that it will be heard by the Planning Commission, then its recommendation will come back to the Board of Supervisors soon afterwards. I opposed this expansion and am very concerned about the negative effects on water, community, environment, and economy. As Sheriff Kendall said, “Are we happy with what is going on?” If you have an opinion on the future of our County and how this expansion might affect it, please let your voice be heard.
“Snow Happens” virtual meeting is on March 14 to discuss recovery from the January 26-27 snow storm. Lots of work to do and we will hear from different agencies on what can be done before the upcoming fire season.
Wishing you all the best and feel free to contact me at [email protected] or 707-972-4214.
Stay well,
John
