Roseland Review by Duane Dewitt - April 2019
$2 million dollars of Roseland taxpayers’ money should get your attention. On Wednesday April 3, 2019 at 2:00 PM at the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors Chambers on Administration Drive the Local Agency Formation Committee (LAFCO) will hold a public “Protest Hearing” to discuss the Roseland Fire Protection District Dissolution. There is still approximately $2 million in funds held by the Fire Protection District based at the Roseland Fire Station on Burbank Ave. since the 1940s. This money could be lost to the city of Santa Rosa without regard to Roseland residents unless people speak out on April 3 or write letters voicing concerns on how the funds should be kept for use in Roseland.
LAFCO has posted this statement on their website since mid-March, “The board of directors of the Roseland Fire Protection District initiated dissolution of the District because the board determined that, after the annexation of the Roseland Area to the City of Santa Rosa in 2017, the District did not have the operational or financial capability to efficiently or effectively serve the only two areas outside the City that remained in the District”. (http://sonomalafco.org/) The money was raised over the years for the refurbishing or upgrading of the existing fire station. Now with the annexation of all of Roseland completed, the city may get these funds, but they are not obligated to spend the money in Roseland.
This is a concern to some Roseland residents who feel the current Fire Station should stay in operation and be upgraded for continued use. But Santa Rosa Fire Department staff has stated plans are underway to build another station south of Hearn Ave. Should this occur the Roseland Fire Station would be closed and the money would be diverted for use outside of Roseland. A LAFCO employee told Roseland Review close to 20,000 notices have been sent out by mail to property owners affected by the proposed dissolution of Roseland Fire Protection District. The current response times for emergency calls are considered by many Roseland resident to be good. They worry about moving the station elsewhere as many more houses are now being built in northern Roseland with traffic sure to be negatively impacted.
About a quarter mile further south on Burbank Ave. from the Fire Station the Roseland NeighborWood has experienced brush fires put out quickly by the local firemen. If the station is moved the chances of a large fire catastrophe at the 19.5 acre wooded site along Roseland Creek will be increased because response times will definitely take longer to get there. The city of Santa Rosa and Sonoma County negotiated for many years concerning costs associated with annexation yet many people are unaware of what is actually going to occur regarding fire safety.
On Saturday April 20 at 10 am until 12 noon some concerned citizens from Roseland will be in the Roseland NeighborWood on Burbank Ave. to do a “Spring Clean” of the area along the creek and into the native oak woodland to the north of the creek. Volunteers will have refreshments and fun as the Friends of Roseland Creek NeighborWood Preserve will be hosting. The next weekend on Saturday April 27 there will be people from Roseland volunteering to do cleanup work at Bayer Farm on West Ave. across from Sheppard Elementary School at 10 am. This event is hosted by the Community Action Partnership and there may be refreshments also. The city park portion of the Bayer Farm site gets a lot of use by skateboarders from all over the city but one concern voiced to Roseland Review is when will the public restrooms be opened?
The park is already close to two years old and “Port-a-Potties” are still in use. This includes an extra-large one for handicapped users so there are three there for the public to use. But one skateboarder said, “They are gross.” Local residents have voiced concerns as to why after such an expensive building with toilets was built, is it always locked up? Except when a local business man rents the very expensive “commercial grade” kitchen for use by his business. Something besides the “Port-a-Potties” smells about this whole situation. The local Recreation and Parks employees who come to do the job cleaning the park don’t have answers.
These City employees are doing as best as they can to also take care of the Southwest Community Park where day in and day out alcohol drinkers arrive early and stay late. Though there are signs stating “no alcohol drinking allowed there between 6 am to 5 pm it happens all day long. City staff pick up the debris daily but the city should have police drive through the park daily to clear it of the lawbreakers so close to Dutton Meadow Elementary School.
