Forgotten Coast

Being the lost or forgotten coast is nothing new to long time residents of Gualala and Anchor Bay. Parking, traffic, speed limits and local schools were the concerns of the day back in 1984.Today it is parks, town center, support for our business community, funding for our safety services and maintenance of county roads. County Supervisor Norm deVall in 1984, created a small group of residents to gather information and opinions about the community. The group was to serve as an advisory board for Supervisor deVall. Sound familiar?

The Mendocino Grapevine did a story on May 3, 1984 about the “Forgotten Coast” and how our community receives little or no support from the County Board of Supervisors. Same story only the names have changed. A local committee was formed to address the community’s problems. Unfortunately 38 years later, we find ourselves on the outside looking in again. Our infrastructure continues to age, parks deteriorating, safety services stretched and roads crumbling.

The County is proposing a tax measure to increase our sales tax. The original premise for the tax increase was to provide funding support for water and fire safety. The amended version eliminated support for water and provided funding only for fire safety and prevention. Now the final version is to provide revenue for the County’s General Fund that Supervisors will determine the best use of the money. The BOS can earmark some funds towards fire prevention but no guarantees. The preponderance of the new revenue can be used at the BOS discretion. So anyone that purchases products or services in Gualala will be contributing to the increased County Sales Tax revenue. I wonder if any of the new revenue will be directed to help restore Bower Park and support our safety services in Gualala or will history repeat itself.