Mendocino County residents get key funding pledge to boost rebuilding after fires

It was a cruel twist after the October fires that much of what stood in the way for hundreds of Mendocino County homeowners seeking to rebuild were fire-safety measures that required them to install sprinklers.

Nearly all had older homes that lacked such systems. But the new plumbing needed to support the upgrades penciled out at a costly ?$7 million for the small water district that serves more than half of the 314 homes destroyed in the Redwood Valley fire.

The insurmountable sum - far in excess of the district’s reserves - raised the prospect that property owners would have to acquire, at a cost of up $10,000 per home, water tanks capable of supplying adequate pressure for the sprinklers. Many in the rural area north of Ukiah were already struggling with the decision to rebuild or relocate.

“This is the biggest challenge when it comes to Mendocino County’s rebuild,” said state Sen. Mike McGuire, D-Healdsburg. “And it’s unacceptable. This is public infrastructure that needs to be fixed so that those who lost everything can rebuild their lives.”

Those rebuilding efforts took a large step forward this month when the state agreed to help replace Redwood Valley’s aging water system.

A $2 million allocation in the state budget will allow the Redwood Valley County Water District to install larger pipes needed in modern water systems. In turn, residents served by the district will be able to rebuild their homes with fire sprinkler systems, mandated by the state for new homes since 2011 - and without having to shoulder the cost of individual water tanks.

“This budget represents good news for the North Bay,” said McGuire. “There are a series of unprecedented investments. This $2 million was elevated because there is such a significant hole in the rebuild and recovery.”

The remainder of the funding, about $5.3 million, is slated to come from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which agreed to pay for up to ?three-quarters of the project’s cost if state and local partners provided the rest.

The state Legislature adopted the budget on June 14, and Gov. Jerry Brown has indicated he approves of the funding for the project, said McGuire and Assemblyman Jim Wood, D-Santa Rosa, who began lobbying the governor’s office in November to close the $2 million gap. The Mendocino County Board of Supervisors, state Office of Emergency Services and the Redwood Water district were also active in the initiative.

Much like the costly water contamination problems that have faced parts of Santa Rosa since October, the sprinkler upgrade has clouded rebuilding progress in this corner of Mendocino County, where nine people died in the fires and more than 36,000 acres were burned.

“The mood at our fire recovery meetings was really kind of dismal, and we were thinking we’ll never get this $7 million we need to get bigger pipes,” said Cassie Taaning-Trotter. The 3-acre property where she lives with her husband, Marvin Trotter, was overrun by flames.

As they plan their home project, the couple are staying in a 400-square-foot studio with their three dogs. They’re especially thankful the cost savings will allow them to rebuild their home rather than pick a less expensive prefabricated option.

“It was possibly going to change how we do everything and what we can live in affordably,” said Taaning-Trotter. “So it’s just a huge relief. And it’s peace of mind, too, being able to have enough water pressure to keep it green for defensible space around our home in case of another emergency.”

Had the state not stepped forward with funding for the project, residents seeking to rebuild would have faced additional delays and added costs - a challenge that some, who were underinsured, may not have been able to overcome.

While the district’s current system could have served the first homes rebuilt, it does not have the capacity to serve all 187 homes, said Tamara Alaniz, general manager of the Redwood Valley County Water District. She added that a timeline for the expansion project is still being finalized, but rebuilding Redwood Valley homes is a top priority for both residents as well as the water district.

Bree and Kevin Klotter, who live on their Redwood Valley vineyard property off Foothill Drive and lost several structures in the fire, chose not to wait out the water funding. By using their agricultural water line, they found a workaround and have already begun building their new home and a storage shed while living in a fifth-wheel camper with their adult son, Pete, and cat, Frankie.

Still, the Klotters are hopeful the money will help others get back into new homes. They look forward to connecting to the water system when it is completed and welcome it as valuable safeguard for the small community.

“We so desperately need it,” said Bree Klotter. “Even if it hasn’t come in time to truly help us with our rebuilding, at least it’s coming and I’m really, really grateful for that. It’s going to bring us into the 21st century.”

You can reach Staff Writer Kevin Fixler at 707-521-5336 or at kevin.fixler@pressdemocrat.com.