December 2021 Homestead Headlines

Volume 65, Issue 12 Dec. 2021

Download the Headlines here

December 2021 Community Center Calendar

7 | HVLT Board Mtg |

14 | HVCA Board Mtg |

21 | Sanitary District Board Mtg |

1st/3rd Weds. | Tam Design Review Board Mtg |

Saturdays | A.A. Mtg | 10:00 AM

SAVE THE DATE

HV Annual Meeting

Thursday, January 20th 7:00-9:00 PM via zoom

Homestead Valley News

HVCA Pool Renovation Project Continues

The pool construction crew over at HVCA continues to make great progress. Even the torrential rains of late October did not significantly delay the project and the crew has since put in place additional stormwater protection measures. The foundation for the mechanical room is scheduled to be poured soon and pool deck materials and colors are being finalized. As with any construction project, changes and challenges arise, however they are being handled swiftly and competently by the entire team. The representatives from the County have been a pleasure to work with and we are so grateful for their leadership and support.

Any questions or concerns about the construction process can be directed to Tara McIntire, Project Manager, ASLA, RLA #5309 PRINCIPAL LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT - 415 521 8059 TMcintire@marincounty.org.

A Time for Giving

The holiday season is upon us and what a wonderful time to give back to our community. With so many exciting new projects underway at the Center, Homestead Valley Community Association is always grateful for your tax-deductible financial donation. To make a donation to HVCA via PayPal click here.

Please reach out to us at info@homesteadvalley.org for more information.

Homestead Valley Safety/Firewise Committee Update

Important Upcoming Events

Tuesday, December 7, 7:00 PM: Semi-Annual Safety/Firewise Community Meeting

Special Guests: Deputy Chief Tom Welch & Jonnie Alper
Update on Local Preparedness Activities
Presentation and Discussion on Evacuation

Join us via Zoom - Register HERE:

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86725143652?pwd=SUFjaStZbENHL2JoN0dJTlB4djhEZz09

Evacuation Drills in March & April

HV Safety/Firewise Committee is working with local agencies to plan and execute two community evacuation drills. Half of the community will be invited to participate in each of the two drills.
Details to follow in January and February. Watch for our emails.

Contact the Committee: HVSafety@homsteadvalley.org

Homestead Valley Annual Service Awards

Accepting Nominations for Homestead Valley Annual Service Awards

Homestead Valley (HV) has a long history of volunteerism whereby residents see an opportunity to create 'a more perfect valley' and make it happen. From the creation of the Community Association (HVCA) over a hundred years ago and the Land Trust (HVLT) in the early 70's, to a music festival in Stolte Grove that then moved to the Community Center meadow, and more recently the installation of a display garden based on sustainable, regenerative gardening, featuring plants that grow well in HV gardens, the spirit of community service and generosity is omnipresent in Homestead Valley.

Each year, HVCA recognizes two of the many people who passionately give their time to make a difference in HV. You can find a list of prior Service Award winners on our website: Homestead Valley.Annual Service Awards. Winners are announced at the HV Annual Meeting in January.

While it has been an unusual couple of years, the HVCA Board would like to reach out to the community for nominations for 2021 Volunteer of the Year and Distinguished Community Service Award. Please send your nominations with a one paragraph write up describing the reason for your nomination by December 5, 2021 to info@homesteadvalley.org.

Volunteer of the Year - this recognizes someone for their outstanding contribution of service and leadership in the community this past year. (This award can go to a previous recipient.)

Distinguished Community Service Award - this person has been continuously giving extraordinary service, inspiration, and an enduring dedication to our community (while giving generously of their time). This is a one-time award.

Many thanks to everyone who helps make Homestead Valley a very special place to live.

HVCA Board

HVCA Board Seats Open!

By Alan Cowan

The Homestead Valley Community Association (HVCA) Board of Directors has two seats open starting in January 2022. We are looking for enthusiastic, mission oriented people to fill these seats. The HVCA Board is composed of 15 volunteer members from our community. Serving on the Board is a great way to get involved in your community and make sure we continue to provide programming and services that meet the needs of the neighborhood.

Board Members are asked to attend monthly meetings (3^rd Tuesday night of the month @ 7PM) as often as practical, given this is a volunteer position. In addition to the monthly meeting, Board Members choose at least one committee to join. These committees provide direction for activities and services like our pool (currently under construction), rental of the Community Center and Meadow, special events like the 4^th of July parade/picnic and the Music Festival, communication to the community (like this newsletter!), safety and other important functions related to the overall management of HVCA.

Do you have ideas on how to engage our community? Do you want to get to know your community better and have a role in shaping our future? Do you have expertise that you want to share (e.g. finance, marketing, fund raising, property maintenance)? If you are interested in joining the HVCA Board of Directors, please contact Alan Cowan (HVCA Board Member and Nominating Committee Chair) at alan.cowan@homesteadvalley.org

HVLT Fall Highlights

Figure 1. HVLT Board members (left to right, Brian Spring, Marilyn Barrett, Curt Oldenburg, and Kyle Brown) cleared fallen trees off of the Homestead and Eagle Trails following the epic late October rain and wind storm.

By Curt Oldenburg

Open Space

The Category 5 atmospheric river of October 23-24, 2021, which dropped over eight inches of rain in Homestead Valley, caused Reed Creek in Stolte Grove to go in one day from being essentially dry with no flow to as high a flow as anyone can remember seeing. The heavy rain and runoff caused a small landslide below Pixie Trail near Janes resulting in lots of water and debris washing down the ravine

toward Montford Place. Along with the steady and plentiful rain was strong wind. The wet ground and wind combined to cause at least six trees to fall across the Homestead and Eagle Trails between Greenhill and Stolte Grove. With the land manager, Maverick, out of town, HVLT called on its backup team to clear downed trees that were making the trail all but impassable. Four HVLT Board members

(Figure 1) met on October 28, 2021 and removed two trees that fell across the trail for which no easy walk-around was available. The before-clearing and after-clearing photos are shown in Figure 2 for one of the downed trees. A third big tree fell across the trail near Greenhill, but it is such a large tree, and there is an easy walkaround, that the Board is considering leaving it as it is.

Figure 2. Homestead Trail blocked by tree blown over by the October 23-24 storm (left-hand side), and after cutting and removing the fallen tree (right-hand side).

Major fire hazard reduction work involving removal of several large eucalyptus trees along Pixie Trail near Janes is currently underway funded and led by the Southern Marin Fire District with coordination by HVLT-FireWise.

Parks

Stolte Grove, Three Groves, and Volunteer Park

New trash and recycle bins are now installed adjacent to the portapotty in Stolte Grove. The new cans are tipper cans (plastic bins with wheels and a strong metal lift bar that is grabbed by a lifting and tipping mechanism on the truck). The tipper can solves the old problem of the can being too heavy for a person to lift and empty into the truck, which resulted in the past in missed weekly pick-ups and subsequent overflows.

Volunteer Park was tidied up to host for the first time the annual Halloween Party on October 31st. This use along with the September community art installation (“Drops”) remind us of the value of this centrally located and highly visible community space.

Land Trust Notes

November Shade

On one of the sunny afternoons of this early November, I decided to walk a valley round. It didn't seem like I would need a jacket on such a balmy day, but I did grab one on my way out of the house.

In the woods it was warm despite the cooling dampness from rain the week before. As I climbed toward the high part of the valley, the air got cooler and cooler. By the time the trail was out of the woods, fast paced breezes gave a distinct chill.

I gratefully slipped on my jacket as I crested a ridge in the full force of the evening sea wind. On the height I surveyed the panorama. The North Ridge of Mill Valley and the Tiburon Peninsula were resplendent in full sunlight. The East Bay Hills and Mt. Diablo were all sunny. To the south, Wolfback Ridge was sunlit, dreamily so, looking like part of the South Downs had somehow migrated to these lands. A few curls of white to the west hinted at the source of the coolness.

The valley of Homestead was in full shade. In the wintertime the same bulwark that shields us from the full force of ocean gale casts us in early shadow. And the living windbreaks around us, while giving us further shelter, subtract more light from the shortening days.

December 1986

These timeless articles are reprinted from "On Foot in Homestead - A Hiker's Journal of a Coastal Valley," by Matthew Davis, 1988. Matthew Davis (1935-2015), a former HVLT Board member, wrote articles which appeared in the Homestead Headlines beginning in 1984. In 1988 Matthew compiled his columns into a book "On Foot in Homestead - A Hiker's Journal of a Coastal Valley," published by the HVLT.

Homestead Valley Vignettes by Chuck Oldenburg

Cool Hostage

On a July afternoon in 1979, following an armed robbery in San Rafael, police chased the get-away car to Mill Valley where one suspect jumped out of the car and was arrested. The other sped off with Mill Valley police in pursuit, came to a dead end on Evergreen Lane, jumped out, ran through the school yard of Homestead School to a house across the street, kicked in the door, forced Orville Erringer to leave and held his wife Letty hostage with a .45-caliber revolver.

Forty police agents flocked to the scene. Nearby residents evacuated. Streets were cordoned off. A command post was set up at the fire station next door. Officers from the San Rafael tactical squad dressed in camouflage outfits and armed with automatic rifles surrounded the house, hiding in bushes and perching on rooftops.

Sheriff’s negotiators set up phone contact with the suspect. They credited Letty’s para-professional training in counseling with helping to keep him calm. After four hours as a hostage, Letty emerged. She calmly handed the gun to Sheriff Howenstein, who noticed that the gun was loaded and cocked.A negotiator then entered the house and handcuffed the suspect, who was allowed to spend 30 minutes in the fire station with his parents. He was then taken away in a patrol car. Marin County Sheriff Al Howenstein faced a thicket of microphones and said, “It’s over.” There was applause from at least two dozen news gatherers from the Chronicle, the Examiner, the Independent Journal, and the wire services. TV channels 2, 4, 5, and 7 were also there with their vans, cords and cameras.The three Erringer children had arrived during the event and joined their father in the fire station. Orville, Letty, and the children managed to avoid the press by climbing over the fire station fence, jumping in their car and driving off to Red Boy Pizza.

Letty passed away peacefully on October 20, 2021 at the age of 92.