Sonoma County, National Guard partner for Cloverdale, Geyserville projects

Sonoma County is partnering with Cloverdale — including its mayor — and the National Guard to make infrastructure improvements.

The improvements are being made at the Cloverdale Veterans Memorial Building and along Canyon Road in Geyserville.

According to a county news release, under the agreement, its Department of Transportation and Public Works is overseeing projects and providing materials. The National Guard is providing the labor, giving its members the chance to train in construction and engineering.

“This partnership is a great example of the resourcefulness, ingenuity and collaboration required to get certain projects done,” said James Gore, chair of the county Board of Supervisors. “These are important public infrastructure projects that support our military veterans and the region as a whole, and I’m gratified that we found a workable solution that conserves taxpayer resources while meeting the needs of the Guard and our communities.”

The first projects included the installation of a concrete pathway to access the flagpole at the veterans building and a new concrete pad for the barbecue area.

Mayor Todd Lands did the concrete finish work for the projects.

“Our veterans were willing to put country above self, and for that I am eternally grateful,” Lands said. “I am thankful that I was asked to work with the National Guard and to be able to give back to America’s greatest heroes.”

Another project is the replacement of a roadside culvert on Canyon Road in Geyserville, which has deteriorated to the point of causing sinkholes, and resulted in a temporary road closure, the county said.

The culvert, 4 feet in diameter and more than 200 feet long in a 10-foot-deep trench, is one of four segments in a storm drain system.

You can reach Staff Writer Kathleen Coates at kathleen.coates@pressdemocrat.comor 707-521-5209.