ALTURAS FARMERS MARKET THIS SATURDAY The Modoc County Vol. 132, No. 18
RECORD Alturas, California
August 1, 2024
$1.00
Serving Modoc Since 1892 16 Pages
Bringing New Life to Veterans Memorial and Dorris Park
Brand new slide and climbing structure combo
By Shelby Danley The Veterans Memorial and Dorris Park renovations, made possible through the Clean California Local Grant Program awarded in 2022, have been eagerly anticipated by most, if not all, members of the community. According to Bert Austin, Deputy Road CommissionerOperations with the County Road Department, “the goal is to have the park completely open
for public use by midSeptember, with the potential of opening parts of the park sooner, such as the playground, if possible”. The original goal was to have the park open for Fandango Days this year, but construction almost always brings unplanned surprises, like weather setbacks and supply delays, which prevented the project from progressing as originally planned. However, with all the
improvements and new areas being introduced, it should be well worth the wait! The Veterans Memorial side of the park will boast the huge new play structures currently visible by all those passing by, including a handicap-accessible path, allowing more children access to enjoy the 6-footwide slide. There is also a second large slide and climbing area combo, swing set, basket swing
and an auditory play station, all community requested elements. The final piece of playground equipment was installed last week and the next steps will be finalizing the safety measures for all the equipment, such as installing 12 inches of wood fiber chips all throughout the playground and the new exercise areas. The Veterans Memorial side of the project will also include the newly built
Chico Man Arrested for Arson After Park Fire Burns 368,256 Acres, Becomes Fifth Largest in California History By Chelsea Bacon Smoke came into Modoc County earlier last week after a man out of Chico, Ronnie Dean Stout II, pushed his car that was set on fire into a gully near the Alligator Hole in Upper Bidwell Park in Chico shortly after 3:00 pm the 24th the Butte Sheriff’s Department reports. The vehicle plummeted 60 feet and engulfed its surroundings and started the notorious
Park Fire. Butte County District Attorney, Mark Murphy, said Stout has been found and arrested on July 25th for arson without bail. The Park Fire which ignited on July 24 as of Monday July 29th the fire has reached 368,256 acres and has destroyed 109 structures, damaged 5 structures and threatened 4200 structures with 14 percent containment reported Cal Fire. There
are no reported injuries as of Monday morning. The counties greatly affected by the Park Fire are Butte, Plumas, Shasta and Tehama. CBS news announced that the Park Fire is the second largest fire on record after the fire has proceeded to damage almost half the size of Rhode Island. According to Cal Fire, the Park Fire now ranks between the SCU Lightning Complex
Fire of 2020 that burned 396,625 acres and Creek Fire that same year, which burned 379,895 acres. The August Complex Fire, also in 2020, remains the largest in state history with more than 1 million acres burned. Though the blanket of smoke and ash falling from the sky in Modoc County is unhealthy, we are fortunate to not be one of the counties affected by the Park Fire.
year-round accessible bathrooms, new lighting bollards installed along the center path and a facelift for the large awning picnic cover area to match the courthouse copper roof. The Modoc Chamber of Commerce Building will also be renovated and reopened. Having received no bids for the Chamber Building project, the County will handle the renovation inhouse. The original stone inside will be preserved and displayed in a special “exhibit room” to showcase the craftsmanship of the building, as it is original to the site and ties the building to the N-C-O Railroad administration building (B.P.O.E.) and The Whistle Stop (The Garden Club) sites. For the Dorris Park side of the project, there will be a large outdoor amphitheater that will set the Museum Train as the backdrop for any events being held at this site. The new train cover, requested by the Modoc Historical Society, will allow for the historic locomotive to be protected from the elements and give locals and travelers alike the ability to approach and appreciate it, as intended. The amphitheater will be a “bring your own blanket or chair” setup, which will allow for multiple functions to be held there as the set up will be free flowing. When looking at options for seating in this space, the County had to keep in mind the reality of maintenance in our climate. In doing so, they chose to go the grassy knoll route, which means the sides and back of the hill will double as a sledding hill for more fun in the winter! There will also be a brandnew exercise area for everyone’s use, a new basketball/pickleball court combination and a decomposed granite walkway going all the way around the site, allowing the space to be enjoyed by all. As if those improvements
weren’t enough, the Modoc County Museum parking lot is getting a refresh! The new parking lot will be a drive-through loop, connecting both the museum and train to the Veterans Memorial side behind the Chamber of Commerce building across County Road 56. This will give those driving through access to the parks, bathrooms, museum and train viewing, with directional parking spaces for those staying to visit too. Finally, there is going to be historical informational signage installed throughout the parks and over 120 trees will be planted with new landscaping; replacing what was brought down to begin construction and tie in more of the area’s natural landscape. Junipers will be included, for example, as a nod to the local Native American Kosealekte band of the Pit River Tribe, as Alturas is their actual ancestral homeland. According to the County, there are a few other big pieces to be moved to put final touches in. Incredibly enough, that includes the repurposing of the original bathroom building located on the site! The Likely community members and Modoc County Administration have worked together to coordinate the building being moved to Likely, CA. This will fill a need, and the building will be a part of the new community area being built near the fire hall and Likely church that was recently repositioned. Once that is moved, the rest of the underground work can be completed, like plumbing and electrical for the new bathrooms. While the repaving of Water, South East and Riverside Streets were not officially a part of the grant project, both Modoc County and City of Alturas leadership worked together to get it done. They felt that this way, the entirety of the
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