2023.03.15 | March Flood Damages FFRP Restoration Nursery and CCSD Facilities

The restoration nursery of FFRP was damaged by the Santa Rosa Creek floodwaters last week but not destroyed.  Prior to the flood, all seedlings and much of the nursery materials were moved to higher ground where they remained above water.  

     After the flood much of the remaining nursery materials were retrieved from the East Ranch, although the storage shed was irreparably damaged.  Santa Rosa Creek also inflicted serious damage to Cambria Community Services District’s (CCSD) Facilities and Resources Department (F&R) yard, shop, and offices, but damage was minimized due to the advance preparation and efforts of F&R staff including Carlos Mendoza, Alberto Novas, and Martin Garcia.  Knowing that more flooding was likely, they had moved all equipment, power tools, computers, files, and vehicles out of harm’s way.

     At a height of 21.24 feet, the reek inundated the shop and offices, damaged the structures with floating debris, overturned a storage shed, nearly floated away the large propane tank, and destroyed a shade structure.  Damage to water facilities, the generator, and gas pump is still being assessed.  The damage is apparently more severe than in 2021 when creek also flooded the yard, shop, and offices, and took a year to rebuild and restore.  As a current stopgap measure, offices were moved to the Veterans’ Memorial Hall, but there is no back up location for the shop, a necessary part of the Department’s work.

     Last Monday, F&R staff proactively regraded the emergency access road across the West Ranch in preparation for this week’s additional rainfall.   These efforts quickly restored the road to once again function as emergency egress from Park Hill and Sea Clift neighborhoods should the Windsor Street bridge be blocked.  The F&R Department manages all CCSD properties, buildings, grounds, open space, and recreational facilities, as well as supporting Parks and Recreation in Cambria.

     The Department manager Carlos Mendoza has more than 20 years of experience working for CCSD, including 11 years serving as the Fiscalini Ranch Preserve manager.  Alberto Novas has worked for the Department for more than 10 years, while Martin Garcia was added to the staff four years ago.  FFRP works closely with all three on conservation and restoration of the Preserve.  FFRP is grateful to Mendoza and his team for their foresight and effort in saving as much of the equipment as possible.  That equipment is essential, not only to keep the Preserve open and safe, but also to care for the Veterans’ Memorial Hall, the pocket parks, and other public spaces in Cambria.

Video and bottom photo courtesy of Carlos Mendoza, CCSD

Article first published in https://cambriaca.org/