Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Letters

Dear Editor,

On several occasions in the past months I have visited the Gurdon School Bus Garage. On these visits I have personally witnessed a few things I find questionable since this garage is a tax supported institution. It has always been my understanding that a tax supported school bus garage was for the sole purpose of providing maintenance on school buses, other vehicles provided for school use and establishing safety practices for the welfare of our district school children and not for the purpose of maintenance and storage of personal race cars. On one visit I witnessed one particular race car in a stall for maintenance and storage from week to week. I also witnessed another race car pulled into the garage on a trailer and maintenance provided.

My question is while this is common practice just how much expense are we as tax payers experiencing for the nuts and bolts of things, that a lot of you are not aware of? If this is standard practive and allowed there are five or six more race car owners in town and each of us would like to know do we qualify for this same treatment at your expense? If this is a school sponsored car why is it green? If the rest of us are allowed these subsidies we will gladly paint our cars purple and gold.

Respectfully, Connie Uchtman

Center Ridge VFD Update

Things are progressing well, although slowly. Everyone who had done this before cautioned me that it was a slow arduous process and patience was a definite virtue.

The donated one acre site is located at the intersection of Center Point and South Fork roads. Thanks to Mr. Jim Knox, of Pioneer Abstract and (Clark County) Judge Grady Runyan, the site has been surveyed and the legal descriptions have been completed. Judge Runyan also allowed us the use of a track-hoe and dozer to clear the land for construction.

Much of our efforts have been unseen, such as the incorporation paperwork, needed to become a fire department. The Honorable Percy Malone and Brent Houston donated all of the extensive legal work and filing fees for our incorporation, and with the help of Jim Burns, OES Coordinator (who is also helping with much of our paperwork) we were incorporated last week.

Mr. Don Moorehead, controller with International Paper Co., donated our turn-out gear and breathing apparatus.

The Center Ridge Fire Department and community would like to extend out sincere thanks and gratitude to these people who have donated what would have cost us a fortune and had been impossible without their help.

Without people such as these who are so in touch with the needs of the community and who are so willing to attain those needs, projects such as this would never become reality. We must all take note of the marvelous accomplishments these people have made possible for not only our fire department but for this entire community.

MARY C. BURNS

PRESIDENT, CENTER RIDGE VFD