Pinecone Telegraph

Pinecone Telegraph

Residents, property owners and friends of Lake Almanor West have access here to brief bulletins on the latest neighborhood
items of interest.  This web site is

maintained by volunteers (not the WACC Office or Board).  If you have an item of community interest,

you can  submit it by forwarding  the text by e-mail to the Pinecone Editors at::

PineconeTelegraph@yahoo.com

 

Due to an unknown reason, if you click on the above link and send a message it will not go through so it is necessary to go to your own web mail site and put this address in the "To" section.  Sorry, we haven't been able to correct it.  Thank You.

 

But  .....  before you send something in, please review the guidelines for submission.

  WAFD/WACSD Website  Auxiliary Web Site WACC Web Site Guidelines for Submission

 

 

01/26/12 - WACC BOARD EXECUTIVE SESSION

The WACC Board of Directors will hold an Executive Session Meeting on Jan. 31, 2012 at 10 a.m. at 177 Lake Almanor West Drive. The board will be discussing contracts.

Kim Taylor, Assoc. Mgr.

 

01/24/12 - NEEDLES & PINS

Jan 31 - Cyndy Horn

Feb 07 - Fran Wilkins - 259-2459
Feb 14 - Judy Martin - 259-2667
Feb 21 - Carol Deurloo - 259-5851
Feb 28 -  Debbine Holdin - 259-5643

 

01/20/12 - VALENTINE'S DINNER

Tuesday Feb. 14, 2012 at the St. Bernard Lodge
5:30 pm -No Host Cocktails;  6:30 pm - Dinner
Menu: Includes choice of soup or salad, stuffed baked potato or rice pilaf, vegetable & bread - Prices include tax & tip

    Grilled Chicken Breast w/Mango Chutney      $20.50

    6 Jumbo Prawns deep fried or grilled             $26.50
    10 oz. NY Steak                                           $26.50,

    10 oz. NY Steak w/3 deep fried prawns        $36.50,

    16 oz. Rib Eye Steak                                     $36.50

Drinks and dessert can be paid for at time of service

St. Bernard Lodge needs final count by Monday, Feb. 6th, 2 pm.

Reservations after Feb. 6th please call Sharon at the St. Bernard Lodge 258-3382.

No shows pay full price, no refunds.
RSVP by placing your check payable to LAWCC AUX, in the firehouse mailbox by Feb. 6th.

Please include your dinner selection on your check - for information call Judy Martin 259-2667
 

01/17/12 - BOOK GROUP

Next meeting: Monday February 13, 2012
At the home of Debbie Holden
Book: Undomestic Goddess by Sophia Kinsella
Time: 10:00 AM - Noon

 

01/08/12 - FIRE DEPT. OPERATIONS SUMMARY

The West Almanor Fire Department (WAFD) responded to a total of 71 emergency calls during calendar 2011. Some 45% of those dispatched calls were for medical aid and another 7% were for nearby motor vehicle accidents where medical issues are common. Happily, there was only 1 actual fire within Lake Almanor West this year, an escaped debris burn that was quickly dealt with. However, WAFD did respond to a structure fire in Prattville and provided mutual aid to Chester for a structure fire as well. Our fire/rescue boat was on the water on 3 occasions in response to emergency call-outs, there were a few alarm calls which turned out to be false alarms, and there was an assortment of "other" responses dealing with nearby illegal campfires, water main breaks, smoke checks, public assist calls and such. The WAFD team is on call winter and summer, 24/7, providing fire protection and initial emergency medical aid services. If you should ever have a need, you can expedite the response by immediately calling the emergency Dispatcher at 9 1 1.

01/03/12 - PRECIPITATION UPDATE - DRY DECEMBER
     A funny thing happened on the way to our usual wet season. Mother Nature turned off the spigot. December 2011 in the Lake Almanor basin was the driest in more than a decade. Only 0.32 inch of total precipitation was recorded at the automated site near Prattville, as compared to more than 5 inches in an average December. Snowfall on the west shore was a mere 1.5 inches, a far cry from the more than 2 feet that would be expected during an average month. As a result, our seasonal accumulation since the first of July now stands at 3.60 inches of total precipitation (28% of average) and 20 inches of snowfall (49% of average).
     The next three months are critical to our seasonal water situation. January, for example, typically brings more than 6 inches of moisture and 3 feet of snowfall to the basin. February and March usually bring a little less, but are also major parts of our wet season. After that point, moisture starts to taper off as we approach our customary summer drought. The major unknown this year is just how disruptive the current La Nina influence will be.
 

12/29/11 -Update - FERC 2015
     The State Water Resources Control Board has finally moved a step forward in the analysis of temperature control alternatives designed to meet their requirements for enhancing the cold water fish habitat along the North Fork Feather River as part of their Clean Water Act Section 401 water quality certification for FERC 2105. Last week they released the Level 3 screening report which is one of the steps in the process of issuing the draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the project. (Note: The previous FERC license expired in 2004 and due to lack of a new license PG&E has continued to operate under the terms of the old license.)
     This report was completed in September 2009 and we thought it would be released shortly after that date. However, the Water Board decided to keep it confidential and would not make the information available. Since the Sept 09 time the Water Board has been examining the alternatives mentioned in this Level 3 report to determine alternatives that will make it into the final EIR. All this is done in secret with no clue being offered as to what the final alternatives might be.
     With the release of this report (even though very late in the process) we will finally be at least able to gain some clues about what alternatives went forward into the final analysis. County staff and our consultants are studying the report and based on further analysis we will be formulating our next plan of action.
     At first glance it seems the Prattville thermal curtain remains alive and well. If you would like to review this report please follow the link below. After your review, should you have suggestions/comments please feel free to email them to me. We have various ideas as to why the Water Board decided to release this information at this time however we are thankful for at least some movement in the process.
     Please remember that the Level 3 report is not the final step in this process. At some future date the Board will release the draft EIR for public review. That draft will contain information on the alternatives that were examined and make final recommendations. Public review period is usually 30 days; due to the complexity of the issues Plumas County requested an extension of that time to 120 days. Based on previous correspondence it would appear that the time for public comment upon release of the draft EIR will be 90 days.
      I will keep you posted as we continue through this very long and extremely complicated process.
     The Level 3 Report is available for review here:
http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/waterrights/water_issues/programs/water_quality_cert/docs/upper_feather_ferc2105/level3rpt.pdf

 

Sharon (Sherrie) Thrall,  Plumas County Supervisor, District 3,  P.O. Box 368,  Chester, CA 96020,  (530) 258-3656
 

12/06/11 - WACC OFFICE HOURS

WACC office hours are now Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday from 9am to 2 pm.


11/14/11 - SUNSHINE CHAIR

The new Sunshine Chair for the Auxiliary is Sherry Neth.  If you know of someone who is in need of some "sunshine" (ie. cards, meals, etc) please contact Sherry  at 259-5996.

 09/26/11 - PROPANE CO-OP 
   The West Almanor Community Club Board of Directors selected Lake Almanor Propane to be the provider for the co-op for the next   five (5) years. Membership in the co-op is voluntary.
     All NEW customers are required to complete an application for service which may include a credit check.
Current Lake Almanor Propane customers will need to notify Lake Almanor Propane they wish to join the co-op. This also applies to current customers who own their own tank.
     Cost of propane will be $0.60 per gallon above the BPN posting of Enterprise-Martinez, CA. The date used will be the week of delivery.  The website listing the BPN posting is:  www.oregon.gov/DAS/SSD/SPO/docs/BulkPropanePriceIndex.pdf
     Each delivery will also include a $4.98 Regulatory Recovery Fee. The transportation fuel surcharge will not be greater than $5.50 per delivery. The first year tank rental is free for all co-op members. Tank rental annual fee for a 250 gallon tank will be $59.00 and the annual fee for a 500 gallon tank will be $81.00.
     If you are switching providers, Lake Almanor Propane will set your tank, perform a gas safety check and transfer fuel from the other supplier’s tank to the new tank at no cost to you. Tank sets are on a first come, first served basis. Lake Almanor Propane estimates they can do 6-10 tank sets per week. Customer must be present when the tank is set.
      If you are interested in becoming a co-op member, please call:  530-258-4209

 

08/02/11 - TREE RESPONSIBILITIES
Inquiries related to State-mandated defensible space requirements suggest that there may be some misunderstandings about who is responsible for various aspects of tree health, maintenance and removal matters. To help clarify, here are some basic guidelines:

- Defensible space requirements are part of State law and are officially administered by Cal Fire; locally, our Fire Chief serves as the designated representative for purposes of periodic inspections for compliance.
- Cal Fire defensible space guidelines apply to developed lots (i.e., those with structures).
- Fire safety requirements for undeveloped lots are addressed in Section 3.19 of our CC&Rs, which are administered by WACC.
- Tree health matters, separate from fire safety issues, are briefly alluded to in that CC&R as well.
- Tree health assessments, including concerns related to disease, leaning, forked trunks, etc., are NOT conducted by Cal Fire, the Fire Chief or WACC; such evaluations are the responsibility of the property owner.
- Actions to comply with State law or CC&Rs, or to deal with perceived tree health or safety issues, are the responsibility of the property owner.
- There are procedures in place to obtain permission for the removal of any tree over 6 inches in diameter; check with the WACC Office for details.
- If you believe that a tree on someone else's property poses a hazard to yourself or your property, you need to bring the matter to the property owner's attention; any disputes are handled as a civil matter between the two property owners. (Your homeowners' insurance company may be able to advise you on proper procedures.)