Oakmont’s Semimonthly Newspaper
Easter Egg Fun
A time made for grandchildren: The rains paused long enough on April 16 for the annual Easter egg hunt sponsored by the Oakmont Grandparents Club. (Photo by Kathy Sowers)
Firewise Fair May 20 nNews Staff Report
The 2nd Annual Firewise Fair will be held Friday, May 20, 4–7:30 p.m. at the Berger, featuring information, demonstrations raffles, food and more. All of Oakmont’s emergency preparedness groups are co-hosting the event and will be there with information and help in programming NOAA weather alert radios. The sponsoring groups include the Firewise Committee, MYN (Map Your Neighborhood) and OEPC (Oakmont Emergency Preparedness Committee).
Newest Members Get Together
Recent Oakmont arrivals picked up information about community life as they gathered for the annual Newcomers Reception that filled the Berger Center on April 26. OVA President Jess Marzak led a welcome to people who moved to Oakmont in the past year. They also heard from OVA staff about using the association facilities and resources. (Photo by Marty Thompson)
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Oakmont Urged to Weigh in On City General Plan
May 14 2022 • Volume 60, Number 9
Oakmont Junking the Junipers
nJackie Reinhardt
nJackie Ryan
Concerns about evacuation routes, Highway 12 congestion and the proposed Elnoka development dominated a May 3 Town Hall focused on the new Santa Rosa General Plan that is in the process of being updated for the first time since 2009. Residents were urged to submit their comments so their views can be consolidated and compiled for sharing with the City Council and other influencers. They can also participate in a short survey on housing development alternatives at www.santarosafoward. com, which had a deadline of Friday, May 6. Helping the community understand what is at stake were Steve Spillman, an architect and developer who participated in the Plan Update and George McKinney, a retired engineer who advocated submitting amendments to the existing plan which was created prior to recent Steve Spillman. wildfires. The new plan will not (Photo by Julie Kiil) be adopted until March 2023. McKinney noted the old plan only asks if Elnoka can be evacuated safely without regard to neighboring Oakmont. He suggested asking the city to come up with another evacuation alternative for Oakmont. “Widening Highway 12 presents a unique challenge,” Spillman explained. “It is a scenic highway and has protected heritage trees that would have to be removed.” As an alternative he suggested adding gravel to the shoulder to permit an additional lane in an emergency. “Evacuation issues are urgent,” commented Sandra Sebastian, while Jackie Finn opined that widening Highway 12 would change Oakmont, adding pollution and more traffic. “We’re too quick to pull the trigger,” said OVA Board Member Jeff Neuman, who suggested a process of sequential evacuations would lessen the impact on Highway 12. Christel Antone, OVA’s new general manager, said she has been working with the Emergency Planning Team to identify evacuation routes within Oakmont. Also in the works is a telephone tree that would alert COPE and Map Your Neighborhood contacts so the needs of people requiring extra help could be addressed. Comments on the General Plan should be sent to CityMasterPlan@OakmontVillage.com.
Junk the Junipers, 2022 numbers are in. This year’s haul more than doubled the 2021 volumes, sending 541 cubic yards of the shrub to the chippers. The event, held for a week in March and April, provided homeowners and their landscapers with free chipping and disposal. Oakmont’s renowned volunteer power also kicked in to push the event’s success to new levels, according to Dave Watts, chair of the Firewise Resource Committee, which organized the event. “We would like to give a big shout-out to the OVA Board members for their support, and to our volunteers, those who rolled up their sleeves to help neighbors remove junipers and haul them to the Berger Center, and to those who manned and monitored drop offs during the two weeks. We would not have been able to do this without them,” he said.
PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID SANTA ROSA, CA PERMIT NO. 323
More than 540 cubic yards of juniper met their fate in the chippers during two weeks of Junk the Juniper in Oakmont. Removed trees were hauled to the Berger parking lot to be chipped and hauled away. (Photo by Dave Watts)
Junk the Junipers was initiated last year to help homeowners meet the junipers removal requirement in the Firewise Landscape Policy. In 2021, some 240 cubic yards were chipped from junipers removed in the zero to five-foot zone around homes. The 2022 requirement calls for removal of all junipers from properties by Aug. 31. Other policy requirements, as well as recommendations for home hardening, can be found at this link: https://oakmontvillage.com/ article/firewise-checklist. The following residents helped neighbors cut and haul junipers: Don Jayne, Bob O’Brien, Gary Kiehne, Marisol Munoz Kiehne, Louisa Knabe and Topher Gayle. Juniper Pile Monitors were Barnee Alexander, Carol Pence, Chris Nota, Dave Watts, Donna Norrell, Kody Galli, Joy Bellomo, Justin Haugen, Kathryn Schneider, Ken Smith, Len Grosso, Katy Carrel, Iris Harrell, Marilyn McKeever, Matt Lewis, Robin Jurs, Ron Kaufman, Sue Dibble, Joanne Davey, Marianne Neufeld, Dani Hannigan and Colin Hannigan.