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Snoopy Now All Around Us
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Dog Park Path Fix
nNews Staff Report
nAl Haggerty
The Peanuts statue population in Oakmont grew in late January with arrival of three Charles Schulz character statues for installation in new homes at the recreation centers.
Improvements to provide a safe, all-weather pathway through the Happy Tails Dog Park were authorized Jan. 18 by the OVA Board of Directors. The new, permanent pathway down the center of the park will cost up to $48,000. The project won unanimous approval after directors heard reports that the current path, built on leveled soil, is hard to maintain, subject to erosion and unsafe. The construction proposal by Mitchell Landscapes of Petaluma calls for a permanent 5-foot-wide pathway running 488 feet from the landing off the dog park deck to the rear of the park. To address the erosion problem, a French drain line, a 4” perforated pipe, will be installed on the uphill side of the pathway with drain rock and filter fabric. Steel edging, gopher wire and filter fabric will frame the pathway and provide a finished edge.
“PEANUTS” STATUES
Oakmont Staff Welcomes Snoopy: Celebrating delivery of a statue of Snoopy the aviator are, left to right: the dog himself, appears to be carrying Woodstock, with OVA staff members Noe Jacobo, Bill Wells, Gildardo Perez and Christel Antone. (Photo by Julie Kiil)
A car racer statue of Snoopy found a temporary spot at the East Recreation Center while a permanent pad is built for him. A replica of the big-headed kid, Charley Brown, was unloaded at the Central Activities Center to settle into his new home in the CAC lobby. Another Snoopy statue arrived at the West Rec. Center. They joined a fourth Schulz character at the Berger Center, and a fifth that sits in front of the Santa Rosa Fire Department’s Station 7 on Stone Bridge Road. There’s history here. Cartoonist Schulz was an Oakmont golf regular, and was part of an opening day foursome July 1, 1964. The OVA Board approved purchase of the statues in January.
In recognition of cartoonist Charles “Sparky” Schultz’s long history with Oakmont’s West Golf Course, beginning on opening day, the board voted unanimously to purchase three Peanuts cartoon statues for $18,000. The statues, depicting Charley Brown, Snoopy and Woodstock, will be placed at the recreation centers. While not new, directors were told the statues have been kept inside and are in excellent condition. The resolution noted that Schultz played in a foursome to commemorate the golf course opening July 1, 1964 and had a set tee time every week. Board President Tom Kendrick called the purchase “sort of fun.” The board approved spending up to $20,000 to replace multiple stage curtains and upgraded audio/ visual equipment at Berger Center. The work will be done by PCD of Santa Rosa and is part of the ongoing “Berger Refresh.” See board on page 4
Six On Ballot for OVA Board Election
Oakmont Leads in Falls Among Seniors nJackie Reinhardt
Oakmont is “red hot” when it comes to falls among people 65 and older in Sonoma County, according to Brooke Brand, Memorial Hospital Injury Prevention Coordinator, who led a panel of fall prevention specialists at an OVA Town Hall on Feb. 1. The largest incidence of falls treated at Memorial come from Zip code 95409, according to Brand, a trauma nurse, who said most happen at ground level (under 3.3 feet) and at home. The bathroom is the number one place where they occur. To reverse the trend, Sonoma County is identifying champions in the community who are willing to become coaches and train others in balance and fall prevention. About a dozen people in Oakmont have expressed interest in the training, according to CB Wolfe, the public health representative on the Council on Aging. OVA Board member Heidi Klyn said she would work with the panel to identify venues for training, including coach instruction, which is limited to 12 people per class. Among the offerings to reduce the risk of home accidents are “A Matter of Balance” program which involves eight two-hour weekly in-person sessions and a shorter virtual hour-long program, “Fall Prevention and Better Balance” for five weeks. If more help is required, residents can arrange with their physicians to enroll in “Fall Proof,” a one-onone session with a physical therapist. Also addressing the Town Hall were John Johnson and Dana Jacoby, certified Master Trainers. They encouraged Oakmonters to take classes “before you fall.” Their classes emphasize building lower body strength and knowing how to anticipate falls. “When we fall, we worry we’ll fall again and that causes us to be hypervigilant,” added Jacoby who believes it is important to build self-confidence. Observing that falls from ladders were becoming more common, Klyn asked if older people should See senior falls on page 8
nNews Staff Report
Three incumbents and three challengers will be on the ballot for four seats on the Oakmont Board of Directors beginning next month, in one of the more contested elections in recent years. Board members Jess Marzak, Wayne Van Bockern and Jeff Neuman are facing challenges from Iris Harrell, Marianne Neufeld and Ken Smith. Current Board Chairman Tom Kendrick is completing his second term and cannot seek another this year. Marzak, an Oakmont homeowner for 36 years, has lived here full time for seven years. He was appointed to the board in May, 2019, and was elected to a full two-year term in 2020. Van Bockern has lived in Oakmont since 2007.
February 12, 2022 • Volume 60, Number 3
He has been retired since 2018 and has served on several Oakmont committees, including the Building Construction Committee and the Energy Resiliency Committee, Neuman, an Oakmont resident for three years, was appointed to the board last October to fill the seat vacated by Noel Lyons. He has been active in several committees and also is a member of the Oakmont Sunday Symposium board. Harrell, an Oakmont resident since 2015, heads the volunteer Oakmont Building Construction Committee and the Firewise Committee. She has
First Signs of Spring—Early
See election on page 4
PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID SANTA ROSA, CA PERMIT NO. 323 Warm January days brought early blooms to the Ornamental Callery pear trees lining the sidewalks on a block in Oakmont Drive near White Oak. (Photo by Julie Kiil)