FA L L S P E C I A L Up to
$2,000 OFF a new roof
and
Up to
$750 OFF roof repairs!
Some exclusion may apply. Coupon must be presented prior to estimate. No cash value.
Y O U R
R O O F E R
F O R
L I F E
FREE ESTIMATES
• ROOFING • REPAIRS • GUTTERS Lic# 1069901
4261 SUNSET LN, SUITE 100, SHINGLE SPRINGS, CA 95682
roofgeeksca.com
CALL TODAY 916-888-7663
C ALI FORN IA’S OLDE ST NE W SPAPER
– E S T. 18 51
– Weekend Edition – VOLUME 174 • ISSUE 78 | $1.00
mtdemocrat.com
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2025
Mountain Democrat photo by Shelly Thorene
El Dorado County’s Navigation Center for the homeless opened in 2023; however, its current operations model has become financially unsustainable.
Navigation Center services pivot due to funding cuts Jo Carrerow
Mountain Democrat correspondent
PLACE ADDRESS LABEL HERE
The El Dorado Navigation Center is changing directions in a move to serve only families and the homeless willing to seek help. The Navigation Center, which began as a temporary shelter for the homeless in 2023 and is slated to move to a permanent facility in the future, was determined financially unsustainable because of cuts to state and federal housing and homelessness funding, according to Health and Human Services Agency Director Olivia ByronCooper. She told the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors at the Sept. 23 meeting there is a very real chance funding cuts will not allow for the construction of a new building or maintain current operations. “The bottom line is we can’t keep doing what we’re doing because it’s just not sustainable, so we really have to figure
out where we can make the biggest difference,” Byron-Cooper said. “We feel the current landscape provides an opportunity to shift our demographic focus to families which we cannot serve currently and individuals willing to engage in the services needed to achieve selfsufficiency.” Earlier this month staff with the El Dorado County Sheriff ’s Office, the Chief Administrative Office and HHSA met with the Homelessness Ad Hoc Committee, which includes Supervisors Brian Veerkamp and Lori Parlin, to discuss options. “There is consensus around the desire to explore an alternative, sustainable funding model which would allow for more local control over how we address homelessness,” Byron-Cooper said. The Navigation Center opened in 2023 after the county declared a shelter crisis through Resolution 061-2022. The Board of Supervisors decided to use the dormant juvenile hall at 299 Fair Lane as a temporary Navigation Center to provide 60 beds and essential services like case management and housing assistance. ■ See NAV CENTER, page A4
Mountain Democrat photos by Shelly Thorene
The first Title 25 home for Mac MacNeil and Cathie Adams in Grizzly Flat is scheduled to be completed by Oct. 31, four years after the Caldor Fire ravaged the community.
COMMUNITY PITCHES IN to build Title 25 home
■ More help needed Shelly Thorene Staff writer
W
ork began on the first Title 25 home for Mac MacNeil and Cathie Adams in May and is projected to be completed Oct. 31, according to Non-Profit Construction Corp. CEO and President Caleb Armstrong. Armstrong said he’s grateful for all the community support and donations from local businesses but he wishes more companies would be willing to donate to the cause. “We don’t have a donor base. The biggest challenge is that the attention and the dollars are not there,” he told the Mountain Democrat. Referring to the residents of Grizzly Flat who lost their homes, Armstrong said said, “They all qualify for homeless assistance but the state won’t provide.” He said he has “become disheartened and discouraged by just doing it myself. Faith isn’t just a warm feeling. It’s a practice.” Armstrong said more dollars are needed for building materials. “Everybody up there is a senior.” Commenting on the Title 25 program, he added,
Mac MacNeil stands near the opening for the front door on a Title 25 home being built for him and his partner Cathy Adams in Grizzly Flat on Sept. 13. “It is a great idea but people don’t have the skills. They don’t have mills. There’s a huge gap between a great program and its feasibility. It’s such a bummer that it can happen but there’s no funding.” Generous donors to the home build include the Home Depot Foundation for landscaping and a fruit garden, flooring, baseboards, trim, paint and bottom kitchen cabinets. Federated Church donated $5,000 for windows and doors. Motherlode Rock and
Ready Mix donated 27 yards of concrete and delivery. “The El Dorado Community Foundation awarded us $5,000 toward the lumber package but we were only able to access the grant if we completed pouring the slab and so Motherlode Rock and Ready Mix was crucial with their donation,” he explained. “The El Dorado County Honor Our Troops contributed a grant of $4,500 which is ■ See TITLE 25 HOME, page A4
National forest facilities at Tahoe closing for winter Tahoe Daily Tribune The annual process of closing national forest recreation facilities around Lake Tahoe has begun. Seasonal closures apply to buildings, restrooms and parking areas at many recreation sites including beaches, campgrounds, interpretive sites, picnic areas and resorts. Scheduled closing dates for recreation facilities are as follows: • Oct. 1: Round Hill Pines Beach Resort • Oct. 5: Tallac Historic Site • Oct. 6: Badgers Den Campground (Camp Richardson) • Oct. 12: Meeks Bay Resort; Echo Chalet restrooms • Oct. 13: Blackwood Canyon, Fallen Leaf, Kaspian, Nevada Beach and William Kent campgrounds; Baldwin, Nevada
and Pope beaches; Bayview parking area; Kaspian and William Kent beach restrooms • Oct. 19: Eagles Nest Campground (Camp Richardson) • Oct. 26: Taylor Creek Visitor Center, Stream Profile Chamber • Nov. 2: Camp Richardson Corral • Nov. 15: Big Meadow and Eagle Falls trailhead parking areas; Genoa Peak Road; Kiva Picnic Area; Logan Shoals restrooms; Luther Pass Campground; Sand Pit OHV area; Secret Harbor parking area and Watson Lake Campground • Nov. 20: Sawmill Pond • Nov. 30: Inspiration Point parking area and restrooms • Open year-round are Camp Richardson Resort’s hotel, cabins and RV Campground; Zephyr Cove Resort and
Campground. • Angora Lakes Resort cabins and store, and Echo Chalet marina and store closed earlier in September. *All dates are subject to change due to conditions and weather. For public safety and resource protection, USFS roads begin closing in mid-November. For specific closing dates, consult the Motor Vehicle Use Maps. Although buildings, restrooms and parking areas shut down for winter, national forest lands remain open yearround, but parking is limited due to winter conditions and services such as water, restrooms and trash collection are unavailable. Always recreate responsibly by packing out all garbage including pet waste, parking legally and avoid blocking locked gates.