Roseland Review by Duane Dewitt - July 2018
Goat Ropers rolled through Roseland in the night and rustled out two goats recently donated to the Bayer Farm project run by Land Paths. The organization is working with the low income neighborhood kids in Roseland to experience a bit of what nature and rural life was like here before the city of Santa Rosa started moving westward. About the same time the Goat Rustling was happening someone went on an arson binge and lit a series of small files in northeast Roseland according to reports by The Press Democrat of fires being lit in numerous areas of Roseland. The arsonist(s) and Goat Rustler(s) have not been found, but the daily newspaper reported on Sunday June 17, 2018 the Goats were found, “tied to a fence more than a mile away near Hearn Ave. and Highway 101.”
It went on to state Sonoma County fifth District Supervisor Lynda Hopkins was glad because her family had donated the goats in the first place. Her husband Emmet Hopkins works with Land Paths, a largely taxpayer fundedgovernment organized, non-governmental organization (GONGO) helping with the community garden established at Bayer Farm before the farm house was demolished and a skateboard park installed. There is also a “commercial kitchen at the site and recently Roseland Review was able to talk with a businessman paying the city $20.00 an hour for the use of the facility to make a product he then sells. Though the park has been open for a year now the restrooms are not. Park visitors must use Porta-Potties, though there is a nice big one for handicapped visitors. Livestock rustling is still against the law in Sonoma County so if you see something suspicious happening in either city or county areas report this to authorities. Arson is also a major crime so PLEASE report anything like this you see occurring.
Long time Roseland resident Tanya Moore on West Ave. told Roseland Reviewshe felt, and had heard from other neighbors, the problem of the homeless people who have descended upon Roseland is ruining the neighborhoods. One local resident told Roseland Review they felt the city was pushing the homeless over into Roseland on purpose. This person feels the recent increase I criminal activity is because of the homeless people “Roaming the neighborhood at all hours of the night.” There was an assertion by this person saying because Roseland Review had written some strong opposition to the Redwood Gospel Mission moving a Homeless Shelter into the Roberts Ave. area there is now retaliation. This type of theorizing doesn’t have factual support yet and such rumors shouldn’t be believed. The homeless were originally brought over in late 2015 by Sonoma County employees who made the land behind the Dollar Storein Roseland Village Shopping Center available.
On Thursday June 14, 2018 during the last days of the Sonoma County Budget hearings for the fiscal year 2018-2019 there was a $500,000.00 allocation put aside for the temporary relocation of the Roseland Library now housed in the Dollar Store at the Roseland Village Shopping Center. Supervisor Hopkins has been making efforts to help keep the area clean and now has helped with the idea of keeping the library open while the building and development of the seven acre site is undertaken in the future. Danny Chaparro from the Social Advocates for Youth organization has told me of his disappointment the county installed chain link fence at Roseland Village has also closed off the area where he and his organization had planned to have a youth summer soccer camp. The training site was to be on the concrete floor pad of the old Lucky’s/Alpha Beta/ Albertson’s grocery store site. Perhaps city and county officials can work together to come up with adjusting the fencing to leave the concrete play area open for kids?
Crossroads housing project is now open at 841 Lianna Dr. where a Grand Opening was held Friday June 15, 2018 to welcome the occupants of the 79 unit affordable housing for low income families. Paseo Vista on Dutton Ave. is moving forward as is the Village Station site on Boyd St. The city has also bought two more housing units at 1370 Burbank Ave. as of June 30, 2018. This increases the amount of structurally sound housing units the city owns in Roseland to four. There are three large houses, and one cottage, where the city could let up to ten low income Veterans reside using the Housing vouchers known as HUD-VASH. The city could get a fair rent and have caretakers on site of the now twenty acre Roseland Neighbor Wood and Nature Preserve.
