The Fortuna Chamber of Commerce is a membership organization of individuals and businesses that join together to enhance economic growth through the promotion and support of our community, civic interests, and member businesses.
Our Members play a vital role in the Chamber’s future by participating in programs, events, and fundraisers that support and promote the Chamber’s mission. Our Mission is to provide businesses with essential resources, training, and networking opportunities to retain customers and strengthen their position within our communities.
We offer partnerships with other local organizations, networking, and leadership development. We also host a number of special events that provide our members the opportunity to communicate with other Chamber members.
Image of beautiful blooming daffodils outside the Chamber office to honor the upcoming 47th annual Daffodil Show that the Fortuna Garden Club organizes on the 4th weekend in March!
As we launch into 2024, I would like to take the opportunity to say thank you to all the people, members, businesses, and organizations who supported me in my new role as President & CEO, and of the Chamber this past year. These special individuals helped guide me through the learning process of all that the Chamber does for its members and the Fortuna Community. I could not have done it without them!
This year there are many projects planned to bring our members together and add more value to our member benefits offering. One of the improvements we made is the utilization of this newsletter exclusively for our Chamber members. This first edition of 2024, offers residents a Member Directory, information about our Board of Directors, our awesome Ambassadors, since they make everything happen and keep the Chamber going strong, and a list of some of Fortuna’s annual events. We hope you enjoy this reference version of the newsletter and look forward to reading future editions that are delivered to your mailboxes this year!
For anyone wanting to get involved, we would love to have you be a part of the Chamber as we are stronger together, so please stop by the office anytime to chat about ways to participate in this year’s fun!
With a warm wish to everyone for a very happy and prosperous 2024,
Kristin Chambers
Your Chamber President & CEO
Meet Your Chamber Ambassadors!
Jenn Carnemolla
AMBASSADOR CHAIR
Bailey Davy
CORNERSTONE REALTY
Becky Giacomini
HONORARY AMBASSADOR
Carla Diaz
CORNERSTONE REALTY
Heidi Rubalkava
NORTH COAST HITCHING POST
Kassandra Casselbury
COAST CENTRAL CREDIT UNION Katy Roe UMPQUA BANK Lexi Stowe HELPING INSPIRE Mavis Amens FAMOUS AMENS
Saryn Kennedy BICOASTAL MEDIA
Kirstin Malone COASTAL BUSINESS SERVICES
Wendy Zampardi
CITY OF FORTUNA NEWS
FROM CITY MANAGER, MERRITT PERRY
Rohner Community Recreation and Park District Swimming Pool
The Rohner Community Recreation and Park District (RCRPD) was formed in 1968 to plan and build a swimming pool in the Fortuna Area. The RCRPD is its own entity in its independent jurisdiction that is dependent on the City and County and encompasses an area that includes the City of Fortuna, Palmer Boulevard, portions of Hydesville area and the northerly portion of the City of Rio Dell (former Eel River Sawmill area). Both the City and County appoint members to their boards and provide a small amount of property tax to the District that would otherwise go to those Jurisdictions. In 1968 there were other pools in the area available to the public such as the Scotia Pool and the College of the Redwoods Pool, and others that served the community. The public was able to enjoy those pools and use them for things such
as exercise, swim lessons, safety training, competition and more. The RCRPD effort to build a pool languished due to lack of support and the effort was discontinued. Over time, the other pools in the area all closed and now there are no options for swimming pools in Eel River Valley. The closest community pool is in Arcata and there are private pools at health clubs in Eureka, however, the drive time and cost to go to those pools puts their use out of reach of many in the Eel River Valley.
In 2018, new board members were appointed to the RCRPD Board and new energy was infused into the District along with a strong desire to construct a pool as soon as possible. The RCRPD used the small amount of funding it received annually ($15K-$20K) to complete a feasibility study that identified a preferred pool option, develop a budget for the annual operation and maintenance, complete environmental studies and identify ways that the pool could be funded. A key goal of the District is to keep the pool at a level that is affordable for the community. Currently, the preferred option includes two pools, a program pool for things such as exercise, physical therapy and swim lessons, and a large pool suitable for fitness swimming and competitive swimming.
Schematic layout of proposed pool facility
The District is currently considering how best to fund the pool and there are two options on the table including an assessment district (AD), which is a property tax pro- Build to edge of the document
Margins are just a safe area
portional to the benefit to each property that pays, or a community facilities district tax (CFD) which is also a property tax up to an amount approved by the voters. Shortly, the District will be choosing which way to proceed and will be reaching out to the public for input and support.
The District also has one very big advantage in its favor right now, which is anticipated support from the McLean Foundation for the development of a pool. The McLean Foundation has indicated that it views the development of a pool facility as a high priority for the community and would like to make a significant contribution upfront, and an annual sustaining contribution to enable the District to build and operate the pool. The McLean Foundation and ERV Foundation have also indicated that it would provide a home for the new pool at its campus on Newburg Road in Fortuna. Without support from the McLean Foundation and the ERV Foundation, it is unlikely this project could proceed at an affordable cost to the public. It is important that the District move quickly and that the project takes ad-
vantage of the support from these important community partners.
The District will be holding public meetings soon to present project costs and looks forward to hearing from the community about its effort. Without broad-based support from the public, this project may not be able to move forward. Please let the RCPRD know what you think. The District meets regularly on the first Tuesday of every month at the City of Fortuna Council Chambers. Its meeting agendas and minutes can be found here: RCRPD Agendas and Minutes
City of Fortuna Police Facility Update
The City of Fortuna Police Facility is moving along on schedule and is expected to be finished within the next few months. The City sought to provide a suitable facility for its police department for some time and we are fortunate to be able to bring this to fruition in 2023! The existing police facility at City Hall was constructed in 1967 when the population of Fortuna was approximately 4000 (The City pop-
Rendering from Police Facility Plans
CITY OF FORTUNA NEWS
ulation is now over 12,000) and is not suitable for the long-term needs of the department.
A combination of funding was used for the project including approximately 2/3 of the funding from American Rescue Plan Act funds and the remainder from City of Fortuna Measure E Funds. These funding sources, and the increased sales tax revenue from people spending more during the pandemic, allowed the City to budget enough to complete this project and satisfy the needs of the department.
The building framing is complete, the inside and outside of the building are being painted, conduits for power and communications are installed, and site work such as sidewalks and driveways are being replaced. We expect construction to be completed toward the end of March and for the police to be in the new facility within a couple of months of construction being complete. Many items require coordination after construction is complete such as the relocation of 911 dispatch service, records management servers, and radio communications. Once the new communications equipment is up and running the police department can complete its move.
The City is also currently planning how best to use the existing half of City Hall that currently houses the police. It will likely be used to house the community development department and consolidate our development services in one place with its separate access window for the public separate from finance and City administration and easily accessible to the public. We will share more on this topic in the future.
Mandatory Garbage Collection
A significant amount of effort is required by the
City to comply with new state laws. One of the new laws requiring attention from the City is Senate Bill 1383, which became law in 2016 and requires cities to recycle organics to reduce the generation of greenhouse gasses. Over four years from 20162020 the State developed implementation requirements for the new law and the City was required to comply with those rules in 2022. Two of the big changes are that the City will now be required to include mandatory organic waste collection and to recover edible food from large generators. The City is under a compliance schedule from the State to comply with SB 1383 or it will be fined for non-compliance.
The organic waste collection requirements mandate that each residence and business in the City use a three-container collection system for solid waste, recycling and organic waste. Organic waste generated from homes and businesses includes both green waste and food waste such as kitchen scraps. To comply with the state requirements, the
City has adopted an ordinance that requires these services for all residents starting July 1, 2024. The City is currently negotiating changes to its franchise agreement with Recology, the City’s waste hauler, to identify what services will be required and how they will be paid for. When the State passed SB 1383 it did not include a funding mechanism, so the costs of the new programs will be passed on to ratepayers through their solid waste fees. The City is putting a significant effort to minimize the cost of this service to its citizens.
The City is working with a consultant to develop an edible food recovery program. The consultant selected was Abound Food Care (Abound), which
12th Street Low Impact Development Basin
Police Facility in Construction 12/8/2023
has been successful in implementing similar programs in other parts of the state. Abound will be reaching out to the larger food waste generators within the City to identify what steps will be needed to comply with SB 1383. The primary businesses that will be reached out to will be grocery stores and schools, most other businesses will not be affected by the food recovery requirements.
12th Street Changes
You may have noticed some changes on 12th Street. The most recent change is the installation of Low Impact Development Basins intended for storm water quality improvements. Adding LID basins, helps their watersheds act more like undeveloped watersheds and practices such as natural
or man-made swales, depressions, and vegetated areas capture and retain water onsite, allowing time for water to soak into the soil where it is naturally filtered. Benefits from installing basins such as these include improved water quality, improved groundwater recharge, and enhanced neighborhood appearance.
Neighborhood appearance on 12th Street is also being improved by the 12th Street Undergrounding Project which is very close to being complete. PG&E removed the poles over two years ago, but the cable and phone company lines took much longer to remove. Nearly all of the wires are down and the remaining wires will be removed very shortly.
Rohner Park Basketball Courts
The City completed the construction of the new basketball courts in Rohner Park late last summer with funding from Measure E funds. The new courts have been a real hit and it’s not uncommon to see full-court games happening when it isn’t raining and even sometimes when it is! We are not stopping there. The City is in the middle of designing improvements to add new playing fields to Newburg Park and we hope to be able to complete that project in the coming year as well.
Completed Basketball Courts in Action 12/8/23
Chamber Member Spotlights
Airport Road Storage, LLC
Previously located at 500 Airport Road, Airport Road Storage built a new building (pictured here) and moved up the street to 1000 Airport Road (from our lower gate to our upper gate) and added new space for a retail store. The office is open Mon-Sat from 9-5PM.
They carry U-Haul’s full line of boxes and packing supplies including their specialty boxes, wardrobe, dish saver, glass pack, tv, picture/ mirror etc. They also have bundles of boxes and availability to fill large orders. In addition to moving supplies, They also have a U-Haul cargo van that can be rented by the day, week, or month. It is an option for a rental car, which isn’t found elsewhere in Fortuna! They may have storage units of all sizes available for rent. Please call to inquire! They are Fortuna’s only full service moving and storage provider and love what they do!
Clean Queen Meal Prep
Clean Queen is open for walk-in customers who want to eat healthy in their busy lives. They make healthy grab and go meals, fresh smoothies, protein balls, fresh squeezed juices and juice cleanses! They also have a pickup location now in Eureka at Limas pharmacy as well as grab and go meals and snacks for hungry people. They are located at 758 10th St. in Fortuna, CA. Phone is 707-682-8055 or reach them on the web at www. cleanqueenmealprep.com!
2024 Fortuna Special Events
DATES AND ORGANIZERS:
Taste Around The World
“Before I Do” Wedding Show
State of the City
Annual Seafood Boil
Chamber Annual Awards Party
Small Business Marketplace
Daffodil Festival
Fortuna City Wide Yard Sale
Art n Wine in the Park
Fortuna Farmers Market
Fortuna Fireworks Festival
Fortuna Chili Cook Off
Fortuna Rodeo
Fortuna Redwood AutoXpo
Hops in Humboldt
Sip of Summer
Swamp Stomp
Apple Harvest Festival
Bear River Taco Fest
Trunk or Treat
Holiday Craft Fair
Stocking Stuffer Boutique
Fortuna Christmas Music Festival
Christmas Home Tour & Tea
Al Gray Lighted Parade
Holiday Open House
Holiday Kids FREE Movie
January 20, 2024
January 21, 2024
January 25, 2024
January 27, 2024
March 1, 2024
March (TBD)
Fortuna Rotary
The River Lodge
Fortuna Chamber of Commerce
Fortuna Sunrise Rotary
Fortuna Chamber of Commerce
Fortuna Business Improvement District
March 9-10, 2024Fortuna Garden Club
June (TBD)
June 9, 2024
Fortuna Downtown Merchants
Fortuna Rotary
Starts Tuesday, June 4, 2024North Coast Growers Association
July 3, 2024 (TBD)Fortuna Fireworks Festival
July 15, 2024
July 13-21, 2024
July 26-28, 2024
August 24, 2024
Summer (TBD)
September TBD
October 5, 2024
October 5, 2024
October 31, 2024
Fortuna Chamber of Commerce
The Fortuna Rodeo Association
AutoXpo Committee
Hops in Humboldt
Wild Souls Ranch
Fat Anne’s Events
Apple Harvest Committee
Bear River Casino
Fortuna Downtown Merchants
November 16-17, 2024The River Lodge
December 7, 2024 (TBD)Gene Lucas Foundation
December 8, 2024 (TBD)Music Festival Committee
December 11, 2024Fortuna Garden Club
December 13, 2024 (TBD) Fortuna Business Improvement District
December 13, 2024 (TBD)Fortuna Downtown Merchants
December 14, 2024 (TBD) Fortuna Business Improvement District
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR EVENTS:
Fortuna Business Improvement District: Morgan Dodson707-725-9261
The River Lodge: Jennifer Lourenzo707-725-7572
Fortuna Downtown Merchants: Morgan Dodson707-725-9261
FORTUNA Chamber and Community
Update from 2nd District Supervisor Michelle Bushnell
I hope this year finds you and your family happy and healthy. I am pleased to share with you a few things that I have been working on, will continue to find impactful solutions for as your 2nd District Supervisor and if re-elected will continue to work on until solutions are found:
•Assist with the much-needed upgrades to the Fortuna Veterans building.
•Support Fortuna with community development requests.
•Hold PG&E accountable and keep them working on upgrading the Grid.
•Continuing to advocate for Humboldt County through California State Association of Counties
•Working on assuring that Measure Z money gets into our district.
•Continuing to assist in earthquake recovery for those impacted.
•Always looking for solutions to help the houseless.
•Support & represent my constituents through county agencies.
As always, please reach out to me with any questions or concerns you may have at (707) 223-3977, and I thank you for your continued support.
Interview with Sunrise Rotary President, Sal Chinnici
I had the pleasure of sitting down with Mr. Sal Chinnici, the Fortuna Sunrise Rotary President, recently to talk about his accomplishments and goals during his term as President from July 1 - June 30, 2024. For those of you who do not know, each President applies for a District 5130 grant to support a specific project they choose to focus on for their term. The district grant matches 6 other local Rotary club’s donations towards the project, which are the Fortuna, Eureka, and Arcata clubs. The project Sal chose was the Eagle Prairie Elementary School project to purchase and install new elementary school playground equipment. The funds they had originally set aside for this had to be used to repair damage to the school due to the earthquake we had on December 20, 2022.
Also, as carry over from past president projects, during 2023, the Sunrise Rotary worked towards completing the projects on their behalf. One of those projects was the Walker Elementary School Garden project. This project offered students and their family’s fresh vegetables while also providing a learning opportunity by maintaining the garden throughout the season. The other project was planting a grove of cherry trees at the Gene Lucas Center. So, in 2023, the Sunrise Rotary tied a bow around both projects as well as hosted a special ribbon cutting to unveil the GLC cherry grove and dedication sign to the community.
In addition to the special projects each President selects during their term, the Sunrise Rotary has ongoing initiatives that are supported throughout the year. These initiatives include a Backpacks for Kids program, the flags along Main Street, supporting and contributing to Santa’s Sleigh, and their Scholarship program. This year the club also donated funds to the international project in Tanzania for the Shambalai Secondary
School to help fund their project, Eric’s Dream, which brought running water to the school.
A notable annual project is the Rotary Youth Leadership Academy where they send one local student to the RYLA camp each June. This is a great program for kids and is designed to foster our next generation of Rotary members. The campers have a great time and make lifetime friendships with other RYLA attendees. Another exciting annual project that Sunrise Rotary, in collaboration with the Fortuna Rotary, does is host the Rotary Youth Exchange program, where an international student comes to our community for a year, enrolls in our local high school and is hosted by local families. At the same time, Rotary sends a student that has been selected through an application process to an international destination where they will also immerse themselves into the local community. One critical piece to continue to do this is finding families that can host the student for a partial duration of their stay here. If you or anyone you know would be interested in being a host family, please contact the Sunrise Rotary or the Chamber. Becoming a host family is very easy and a very rewarding opportunity to make an impact on a young person’s life!
Finally, to help raise funds each year to support the ongoing and special projects, the Sunrise Rotary hosts an annual Seafood Boil, which is their major fundraiser. This year the boil, “Let the Goods Time Boil, It’s 5’oclock Somewhere” will be held on January 27th at the River Lodge so come immerse yourself into a world of wonder and enjoy this fun and memorable event. Big thank you to Sal and all the past Presidents for everything they have done for the Fortuna Sunrise Rotary Club and community. Anyone interested in joining Rotary, please reach out to Sal or the Chamber anytime!
Membership Directory
APPLIANCES
Eel Valley Appliance (707) 725-6734
Redwood Appliance Center (707) 725-7918
ASSOCIATIONS
Alzheimer’s Association (707) 407-8826
Eel River Empire Lodge #147 (707) 725-2355
Fortuna Cemetery District (707) 725-6459
Fortuna Garden Club (707) 725-6360
Fortuna Kiwanis Club (707) 725-3215
Fortuna Rodeo Association (707) 725-3959
Fortuna Rotary Club
Fortuna Sunrise Rotary (707) 725-6195
Humboldt Area Foundation + Wild Rivers Community Foundation (707) 442-2993
Humboldt Association of Realtors (707) 442-2978
Humboldt Builders’ Exchange (707) 442-3708
Humboldt County Growers Alliance (707) 599-6670
Humboldt Redwoods Interpretive Association (707) 946-2263
The Buckeye (707) 725-8847
AUTO ACCESSORIES
Fortuna Audio Concepts (707) 725-0969
AUTO BODY & REPAIR
Kreations Auto Body (707) 764-3525
McKay’s Collision Repair (707) 725-6483
AUTO SALES
Ray’s Quality Cars LLC (707) 725-6225
AUTO/TRUCK REPAIR
Mike’s Brake And Front End (707) 617-2004
Powerhouse Garage (707) 682-6198
Woody’s Auto Repair (707) 599-8001
AUTO/TRUCK TIRES
Hummel Tire & Wheel, Inc. (707) 725-4120
BAKERY
Love Mini Donuts (707) 601-0942
BANK
Redwood Capital Bank (707) 725-4722
Tri Counties Bank (707) 725-7150
U.S. Bank (707) 725-3326
Umpqua Bank (707) 725-7474
BEAUTY SALON/ SPA/SUPPLIES
Elysian Esthetics Spa & Salon (707) 682-6420
Magnolia Esthetics (707) 362-6742
BUSINESS & HOME SECURITY
Advanced Security Systems (707) 443-6366
Security Lock & Alarm (707) 443-7226
BUSINESS EQUIPMENT
Coastal Business Systems (707) 445-3095
CASINO
Bear River Casino Resort (800) 761-2327
CATERING
C.C. Catering (707) 764-5202
Clean Queen Meal Prep (707) 223-8815
Dorris & Daughters Catering (707) 725-9626
Moonlight Catering (707) 725-3254
The Pony Keg Mobile Bar (707) 574-8875
CELLULAR/WIRELESS
T-Mobile Fortuna CA (707) 726-8293
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
Arcata Chamber of Commerce (707) 822-3619
Eureka Chamber of Commerce (707) 442-3738
McKinleyville Chamber of Commerce (707) 839-2449
Southern Humboldt Chamber of Commerce (707) 926-2613
Trinidad Chamber of Commerce (707) 677-8645
CLEANING SERVICE
Above All Cleaning Services (707) 617-0904
Helping Inspire (707) 497-9500
CLINIC
Southern Humboldt Community Health Care District (SoHum Health) (707) 923-3921
