Recently we adopted a pup from the City of Redding Dog Pound and he has become my new running buddy. Boomer can hardly wait to get out the door each morning and get a little exercise while exploring our local trails. Fortunately we live very close to Lema Ranch and the backside trails are open to dogs and very convenient for our 7 AM runs.

There are actually quite a few trails in our area that are dog friendly and we enjoy checking out new places whenever we can. Healthy Shasta provides a list of dog approved trails around Redding.

Most of these trails require your dog be on a leash but a few of them provide some off-leash time. Either way, please clean up after dog so others don’t have to run through mine fields.

By the way, I only know of the 1 dog park at Placer and Benton where your dog can run off leash and socialize. Hopefully an eastside park will open someday, certainly a need.

Just in case you were planning a visit to our office, we moved. Real Estate Professionals GMAC is now located at 1647 Court St., Redding, Ca. 96001. Thats the corner of Court and Placer Streets on Reddings Westside. We are now located just a couple of blocks west of the Lorenz Hotel and Marketfest at Library Park. We are really looking forward to serving our clients from this downtown location. We are now walking distance to the Riverfront Playhouse, Cascade Theatre, Market Street Steakhouse, Jacks Grill, Carnegie’s, The Post Office, Yaks, Deja Vu, Johnny’s, Bombay and many other dining, drinking and entertainment venues. We are looking forward to a great 2009 in this vibrant location!

While out for my morning jog at Lema Ranch I had the chance to talk to the guys from J & J pumps who were there installing a pump in one of the 2 new wells the McConnell Foundation had drilled recently. The well they were working on will produce about 150 gallons a minute (enough to provide service to 40+ homes) and be used to keep the ponds filled. It could eventually be used for irrigation or even drinking water as it was built to provide potable water. They mentioned that they were also finishing up on a 200 GPM well across the street at the new Redding School of the Arts. This should reduce or possibly even eliminate the need for metered water from the Bella Vista Water District. Its a good thing too.

The Bella Vista Water has declared a water shortage emergency. If you receive water from the BV water district or are planning on buying a home located in its supply district you better read this release. I have pasted it below.

A RESOLUTION OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE

BELLA VISTA WATER DISTRICT ENACTING STAGE IV OF THE

DISTRICT’S WATER SHORTAGE CONT1NGENCY PLAN

WHEREAS, the Bella Vista Water District has contracted with the U.S. Bureau of

Reclamation for a water supply from the Central Valley Project via the Sacramento River in the

annual amount of 24,578 acre feet; subject to shortage provisions;

WHEREAS, California is experiencing dry conditions for a third year and 2009 has been

designated a “critically dry” year type by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation for Central Valley

Proj ect Water Allocation Purposes;

WHEREAS, the U. S. Bureau of Reclamation has notified the Bella Vista Water District

that the District will likely receive no Irrigation water and only 3,194 acre-feet of contracted

Municipal and Industrial (M&I) Project Water from the Central Valley project during the 2009

water year, defined as March 1, 2009 through February 28, 2010;

WHEREAS, the District used a total of 15,559 acre feet during water year March 1, 2007

to February 28, 2008 and, without cutbacks by District customers, would expect to use more

during the 2009 water year due to dry conditions;

WHEREAS, the Board of Directors has determined that voluntary water conservation

measures will not be adequate to accommodate the anticipated demand for water without

depleting the water supply available to Bella Vista Water District to the extent that there would be

insufficient water for human consumption, sanitation and fire protection.

NOW, THEREFORE, be it resolwd by the Board of Directors of the Bella Vista Water

District and hereby declared that there is a water shortage emergency and that the following plan

to manage the emergency, numbers I through V, shall be enacted and shall read as follows:

PURPOSE

The purpose of this Resolution is to establish a Water Shortage Contingency Plan to

equitably distribute the available water to the District’s customers and to ensure an

adequate supply for human consumption, sanitation and fire protection. This Resolution

is adopted pursuant to Water Code Section 350 and following, and Section 375 and

following.

For all stages of this plan, the Water Allocation Year is from March 1 through February

28. The Water Consumption figures of the 2007 water year will be the base year figures

used for allocation throughout this water shortage.

RESTRICTIONS, PROMBITIONS AND SURCHARGE

Beginning March 3, 2009, all District Rural and Residential customers shall be charged a

drought surcharge of $2.04 per hundred cubic foot for all water usage above sixty seven

percent (67%) of the amount used by that customer during the same bimonthly period

during the base year (March 1, 2007 through February 28, 2008).

Beginning March 3, 2009, all District Commercial and Public Institutional customers

shall be charged a drought surcharge of $2.04 per hundred cubic foot for all water usage

above eighty percent (80%) of the amount used by that customer during the same

bimonthly period during the base year (March 1, 2007 through February 28, 2008).

Beginning March 3, 2009, all District Agricultural and Aquacultural customers will

receive no Irrigation water; however, they will receive at a charge equal to current M&I

rates an allocation of M&I water for public health and safety use purposes equal to the

amount set forth below for new residential customers. As a result they shall be charged a

first tier drought surcharge of $0.41 per 100 cubic feet for all water usage up to the

amounts set forth below for public health and safety use purposes. All usage above the

allocations shown in the table below shall be charged an additional surcharge of $2.04

per 100 cubic feet at the second tier of the drought surcharge for a total surcharge of

$2.45 per 100 cubic feet (a total cost of $2.50 per 100 cubic feet). In addition, all

consumption vvill be charged in 100 cubic feet increments.

New service applications may be granted upon the condition that the water shall be used

for internal household purposes only and that landscaping must be delayed until drought

conditions are lifted.

All new Residential customers and existing Agricultural and Aquacultural customers

shall be granted the following allocation for public health and safety use purposes:

19 hundred cubic feet (customers billed March 16 – May 15)

39 hundred cubic feet (customers billed May 16 – July 15)

57 hundred cubic feet (customers billed July 16 – September 15)

62 hundred cubic feet (customers billed September 16 – November 15)

18 hundred cubic feet (customers billed November 16 – January 15)

12 hundred cubic feet (customers billed January 16 – March 15)

(Applicable to all current existing Agricultural and Aquacultural customers, to all

existing services with no previous consumption history, and to all new meter

installations purchased after the date of this Resolution).

The follovving restrictions will apply to all water use:

a. No filling of new ponds or new lakes and no new commercial irrigation or

agricultural irrigation shall be permitted

b. No outside watering during daytime hours

c. No new landscaping for new development

d. Construction and hauled water is $2.50 per hundred cubic feet and limited to

construction activities and use within the District.

e. No water deliveries for any use whatsoever outside the District. This includes

property owners filling up water tanks that do not reside within the District.

For more information visit the BV water district website at http://www.bvwd.org/

Sandee and I made the decision a couple of years ago to purchase a home located at one of the trail heads to Lema Ranch. For several years each morning we had been driving to this McConnell Foundation owned trail system for our daily walk or jog. We enjoy the time spent on the trails so much that when our house came up for sale we knew it was the right choice for us.
With 8 miles of trails set on a combined 380 acres of open space the Lema Ranch and Churn Creek Trail system is an oasis of natural beauty and the ideal place to get a little exercise while enjoying the sights and sounds of nature.

Located on what was once a working mule ranch owned by Chuck and Peggy Lema the trail system and ponds were enhanced and developed by the McConnell Foundation in 1997 and is open to the public daily from dawn to dusk. The 4 paved miles of trails at Lema Ranch take you around several ponds and offer spectacular views of Mt. Shasta and the Western Ranges.
A number of Redding neighborhoods are fortunate to have direct trail head access including Hacienda Heights, Alder Creek, Blackhawk, Edgewood and College Highlands. For those who come from other parts of town the main parking lot is located across from Mt. View Middle School at Hacienda. There is a restroom located at the parking lot as well as on the opposite end of the Ranch at the Lema Road trail head. There are many benches set along the trail for those who need a rest or just to sit and enjoy the views.
The paved trails at Lema Ranch are reserved for walkers and runners only while the gravel trails in the Churn Creek Trail system are open to bicycles and allow dogs on leashes. To access the Churn Creek Trails park at either Minder Park in the Edgewood area or the end of Tidmore at the north end of trails.
The McConnell Foundation has been a great neighbor and the employees who work at Lema Ranch do a wonderful job in keeping the trail system maintained and are always ready with a smile and a wave. Give us call should you decide as we did that living on the trail is the right lifestyle choice for you. We will be happy to send you a list of homes for sale that access Lema Ranch.

Taj Mahal will be performing at Redding’s Cascade Theatre next Friday, Sept. 26th. at 7:30 P.M.

The visit by this multiple Grammy Award winner is further evidence of just how far our community has come as a venue for top level performers. JPR Performace Series Concerts at the Cascade are a true joy. I grew up going to large arena and stadium concerts and while I must to confess to having some great times the intimate nature of a concert in a beautifully renovated theatre is much more appealing. Every seat in the Cascade allows you to see and hear the performers clearly. 

Looking for free Wi-Fi in Redding? Keep looking. There are only a handful of truly free Wi-Fi hotspots in our town.

Searching for a list of Wi-Fi hotspots turns up many more pay for access than open access locations. In that regard we are lagging behind a number of more forward thinking cities in California. The State of California Wi-Fi Hot Spot directory includes a list of towns who have made the commitment to offer their citizens and visitors free public Internet access. Why don’t we have this service in our town? A search of the City of Redding website reveals no mention of Wi-Fi.

Our City leaders have shown tremendous foresight in establishing an expanding system of trails and parks and the redevelopment of downtown Redding is a source of great community pride. We need to take advantage of our commitment to outdoor living and recreation.  Imagine what providing free Wi-Fi at the Convention Center and Turtle Bay, the Downtown Redding Mall, Caldwell Park and South City Park/City Hall would bring to our City.    

Heads up to anyone looking for a cool way to spend a Friday evening in Redding. The first Friday of every month Turtle Bay Museum is open after hours for “Culture Shock“, an eclectic mix of cultural programing including art, music, lively lectures and much more! Tonight’s Culture Shock is titled “CSI Crime Scene (Mis) Information. You are invited to put on your cynic’s cap and join Culture Shock and Crime Scene Technician Mike Darling of The Redding Police Department to debunk misinformation from television crime shows.” Enjoy Original American roots music by the Jim Dyar Band. Hang out at from 7 to 10 PM, only $4 for members and $5 for nonmembers. See you there!