DOWNIEVILLE — On April 30th, Joyce White stepped down as the Dispatch Supervisor for the Downieville Fire Protection District. White has been with the district since 1985 and, over her 39 years, has served as an Emergency Medical Technician, District Commissioner, Fire and Medical Dispatcher, and Fire and Medical Dispatch Supervisor, all in a volunteer capacity. Though her service as supervisor will be missed, White will continue her work as a dispatcher.

The Sierra County Board of Supervisors recognized White’s service on Tuesday with a Resolution of Appreciation. The Supervisors‘ Chambers were filled — an unusual sight for board meetings — with community members there to support and congratulate White. Frank Lang gave a glowing retrospective of White’s years of service, saying that he doesn’t think there is anything about the fire department that White doesn’t know. Lang noted that White had been a part of almost all of the county’s emergencies in the last 39 years, managing them expertly.

White was thankful for the support of the Board and community, saying that the district is always looking for help and that her service was the “heartfelt thing to do.” Her role as dispatch supervisor has been taken over by Stephanie Aufdermaur, who herself is a long-time volunteer with extensive experience and expertise. Supervisor Lee Adams presented White with the Resolution of Appreciation.

After the celebration wrapped up, the Supervisors’ Chambers returned to its regular empty state, and the Board continued discussing the following issues…

Behavioral Health Asks for Bulletproofing

Recently, threats were made toward county employees (by someone now in jail), which caused alarm about employee safety. Prompted by this and other longstanding concerns, Behavioral Health Director Sheryll Prinz-McMillan implored the Board to consider funding the installation of bullet-resistant glass in her department’s Loyalton building. The director had secured a quote for the replacement of glass in the reception area and for two doors in the amount of $27,080.

Though the Board agreed that employee safety should be a priority and that hardening government buildings against attacks would be a good idea, Sheryll’s proposed implementation raised some concerns. In particular, Supervisor Adams believes that the hardening of buildings should be handled at the county level, not that of Behavioral Health. Additionally, the plan of replacing glass doors and windows alone would provide only the illusion of safety, with an attacker still being able to shoot straight through the walls. It was noted that in the hardening of the Downieville Courtroom, walls had been filled with kevlar in addition to the installation of bullet-resistant glass.

The concern will be brought to the county’s Government Committee, which will attempt to create a more general plan for hardening government buildings. Supervisor LeBlanc also hoped to explore the possibility of securing grant funding. Prinz-McMillan’s request for glass replacement in her building was not approved by the Board.

Board Questions Sierra County Chamber of Commerce’s Use of Funds

Cindy Hauble, Vice President of the Sierra County Chamber of Commerce, asked the Board on Tuesday to provide an extra $5,000 in funding for the printing of the Sierra County Visitor’s Guide. The guide is unique, containing fifty pages of high-quality information, pictures, and maps. However, as digital mediums become ever more common for distributing information, the printing of the free guides is an expense the supervisors seem to no longer support.

Supervisor Adams hopes the Chamber will provide more robust online resources and change from a complete guide to a small three-fold pamphlet, which could direct visitors to those online resources via QR codes. Adams also argued that distributing the guide within the county may be ineffective, as those already here likely have some familiarity or knowledge with the county. His point was further justified by the fact that the Chamber no longer has a presence at the state fair, which had accounted for significant distribution in years past.

Although Supervisor Heuer did support the guide’s printing, noting that the lack of internet and cell service in the West made printed maps useful, offering downloadable and printable maps may negate her concerns. The Chamber is also asking for an annual funding increase from $35,000 to $45,000 in the next fiscal year, which seems unlikely to be approved. Despite the criticism, Supervisors Adams and Heuer voted to provide the $5,000 for printing, not wanting to put an extra burden on the Chamber for already ordered guides. However, Supervisors LeBlanc and Dryden voted against, and since a four-fifths vote was required, the request was denied.

Public Works Updates

Bryan Davey, Director of Transportation, gave two welcome updates. The first is that, though delayed by last weekend’s snow, Gold Lake Road is expected to open as soon as this week. The second is that the Downieville Community Center remodel is still progressing without delay.