HomeMy WebLinkAbout09.09.2024 Board Correspondence - FW_ letter of intent re_ 4.5 appointment of persons to officesFrom:Clerk of the Board
To:Bennett, Robin; Clerk of the Board; Connelly, Bill; Cook, Holly; Cook, Robin; Durfee, Peter; Jessee, Meegan;
Kimmelshue, Tod; Kitts, Melissa; Lee, Lewis; Pickett, Andy; Ritter, Tami; Stephens, Brad J.; Sweeney, Kathleen;
Teeter, Doug; Zepeda, Elizabeth
Subject:Board Correspondence - FW: letter of intent re: 4.5 appointment of persons to offices
Date:Monday, September 9, 2024 4:36:10 PM
Please see Board Correspondence -
-----Original Message-----
From: John S. <john@upperridge.info>
Sent: Monday, September 9, 2024 2:50 PM
To: Clerk of the Board <clerkoftheboard@buttecounty.net>
Subject: letter of intent re: 4.5 appointment of persons to offices
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I have been consistently attending Paradise Recreation and Parks District meetings since July 2019. I am the only
frequent -- and frequently the only -- public attendee. I study the packets and evaluate the items and offer an
educated opinion whether in favor or opposed, just as within your own chambers. And I have often commented on
non-agenda items as well, such as the need for park facilities west of Little Butte, especially in the unburned area of
Magalia where the district's most concentrated population remains unserved.
I have even gone on record to say that PRPD should revive the Magalia Ad Hoc Committee which gathered resident
suggestions for what was then a purely hypothetical park on the Upper Ridge. And further that the board should
include an Upper Ridge resident with a personal interest in the now-funded Lakeridge Park just as it includes locals
invested in Bille Park, the Paradise and Concow Pools, and Crain Park. This has not yet come to pass. Lakeridge
was awarded funding in 2021 and was initially scheduled to be completed by the end of the 2024/25 fiscal year but
has not yet broken ground.
When I learned that there was a forthcoming vacancy on the PRPD board for which no candidate had filed, I told the
Elections Division I was interested. I am glad to do the work myself that I have said needs to be done. I go to PRPD
board meetings and many district events anyway. I am well versed in the numerous projects PRPD has underway,
from grant-funded projects like Lakeridge and the Lake Loop Trail to overdue rebuilds of the maintenance shop and
Aquatic Rec Center to recreational programming in all corners of the district and beyond. And I have built
relationships with and earned the respect of incumbent directors, district staff, and the leadership of many of the
district's partner agencies.
I am uniquely well placed to take on this role. I am passionate about improving access to our public lands and finally
developing Lakeridge Park as envisioned in the Upper Ridge Community Plan. I have been involved in Regional
Trails Workshops and Wildfire Risk Reduction Buffer meetings and other PRPD projects outside the Upper Ridge
as well. I have built the foundation to help shape PRPD policy in many different areas as my appearances in their
minutes and recordings will attest.
I hope that my appearances at your own podium have demonstrated the discernment and diligence to honorably
serve as a director for PRPD.
John Stonebraker
Magalia, CA