Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/499470
"The capital funds are what we capitalize on to maintain funding and cut our costs," Antone said. "Up until the past few years, the Highway Users Tax has been fairly stable as far as what we receive." Between less gas being purchased during what An- tone referred to as the gas tax flop as prices increased and people traveled less, the use of less gas because of fuel efficient vehicles and alternative energy vehicles and funding sources that have outright been taken away, funding overall has been declining, he said. "Our fund source dropped well over $1.5 mil- lion in just this last year," Antone said. "The biggest concern I've had is I see that we're back at 2003- 2004 funding levels and unfortunately our costs haven't gone down, so it makes it difficult to con- tinue on the levels we've been at." While Tehama County has several roads that should qualify for High Risk Rural Roads projects, defined as narrow roads with no shoulders, few have been funded, he said. "We're the perfect poster child for that," Antone said. "We have 80 percent of our roads (that should qualify) and the opposite in fund- ing to take care of it." In addition to the lack of funding for roads, there is roughly a $500,000 gap be- tween the cost for employ- ees, which has gone from a high of 83 employees to around 63 now, and what the gas tax usually brings in. Antone said the department will be undergoing an orga- nizational restructure in the next few months and look- ing at a number of scenarios to come up with a solution. "In prior years, we've never had a problem fund- ing with the gas tax," An- tone said. "The bottom line is we don't have enough funding to maintain what we have. It has a definite impact on what we can do and the level of staff- ing. What all this means is 2015-2016 will focus on repairing storm damage." Damage must be re- paired in a permanent manner, meaning it won't be undone in the next storm, but is something that can be reimbursed with state funds up to 75 percent of the cost, he said. Other areas of focus in- clude safety concerns such as repairing potholesin ma- jor, high volume areas and maintaining bridges, mow- ingroadsidesandtrimming trees. Lower volume roads will receive less or, in some cases, no attention. At least two projects have been shelved for at least a year. On Tuesday, the board voted to delay a well pump replacement project in the C Mainte- nance Yard and canceled a fleet shop heater project due to the reduced funding. "We're looking at over- all a 10 percent decrease in funding," Antone said. "We are prioritizing the work so we can move forward and avidly looking for all avenues available to us." Supervisor Dennis Gar- ton said he hopes the de- partment will be looking for other ways to bring in revenue, even if it means thinking outside the box. "It's a list we certainly need to take a hard look at," Board Chairman Burt Bundy said, speaking of the project priority list. "I know there's no easy an- swer, but I don't like hav- ing the low volume roads not maintained. We need to do everything we can to keep them maintained." Antone said he could as- sure the board that his de- partment would be work- ing where it was needed most and pick up the rest as it is able. Roads FROMPAGE1 "I think we've drawn this process out long enough. It is time sensitive," Mer- edith said, adding that breeding programs re- lated to the Tehama Ju- nior Livestock Auction, which is held during the fair, would have to be al- tered. Lomeli and Long also expressed their desire to put the proposal up for a vote. "I think we've all dis- cussed it," Long said. "We've had the surveys, and I think with all of the knowledge that we've gained at this point, and the research, what else would change our mind." The fair board has ex- plored the move since late last year, speaking with community mem- bers and other fair stake- holders, discussing a po- tential move at fair board meetings and conducting online polling. Those in favor of the move have said a sum- mer fair could boost at- tendance by not compet- ing with youth and high school sporting events. In addition, some have said children who exhibit live- stock at the Junior Live- stock Auction miss school days because of their com- mitments to the auction. Meredith and Lom- eli have previously said the livestock groups they spoke with preferred when the fair was previ- ously held in the summer because the season was tied to raising animals for a September fair, among other reasons. Opponents have said a summer fair could deter people from showing up at the fairgrounds because of the heat. Additionally, some said, the fair's Ed- ucation Day, which pro- vides Tehama County sixth-graders an oppor- tunity to learn about sci- ence, mathematics and engineering through pre- sentations shown at the fair, would be lost. The fair was last moved to September in 2000. Fair FROM PAGE 1 This year, the event will run from 9 a.m. to midnight and feature a variety of ac- tivities in addition to live music throughout the day. Saturday's event, ac- cording the mayor's proc- lamation, will take place in honor of more than 100 lo- cal cancer survivors. The Relay for Life event features a survivors lap to honor the victories against cancer, a caregivers lap to recognize those who have cared for someone with cancer and a luminaria cer- emony to remember those lost to the disease. Strack also proclaimed April 2015 as "Relay for Life Month" in the city. Relay for Life events raise more than $400 mil- lion per year, according to the American Cancer So- ciety. For more information, visit relayforlife.org/corn- ingca or the group's Face- book page. The Relay for Life event in Red Bluff is scheduled for May 16 at Vista Middle School. Relay FROM PAGE 1 All the weapons and ma- neuvers are as authentic as possible; only the casualties are imagined rather than real. When the battle ends, you can tour the aftermath in the surgeons' tents. Most important, you'll come away with a better understand- ing of the war that shaped modern America." The park opens to the public with a $5 admission charge at the gate. The Cen- tral Tehama Kiwanis Club will be selling food and beverages throughout the weekend. Shuttle service is being provided free to the public, courtesy of The Home De- pot. The main event park- ing area is at The Home De- pot, 2650 Main St. The pub- lic is urged to make use of this official event parking and shuttle, as parking will not be allowed at either Dog Island or along Main Street in front of the park. Limited handicap parking will be available in the Dog Island parking lot for vehicles dis- playing disabled placards or license plates. Travel back in time to the 1860s and relive an ex- citing part of the nation's shared past. For more in- formation, visit www.racw. org and www.72ndnewyork. org or look on Facebook for "Civil War Days—Red Bluff." Battle FROM PAGE 1 Aguiree:LauraAguiree,49, of Red Bluff died Tuesday, April 21at her home. Ar- rangements are under the direction of Blair's Crema- tion & Burial. Published Wednesday, April 22, 2015 in the Daily News, Red Bluff, California. Dominick: Lorraine Mary Dominick, 87, of Red Bluff died Tuesday, April 21at her home. Arrangements are under the direction of Red Bluff Simple Cremations & Burial Service. Published Wednesday, April 22, 2015 in the Daily News, Red Bluff, California. Lobao: Jackie Blak Lobao, 93, of Corning died Tues- day, April 21at Kindred Care Transitional Care & Reha- bilitation - Canyonwood. Arrangements are under the direction of Blair's Crema- tion & Burial. Published Wednesday, April 22, 2015 in the Daily News, Red Bluff, California. Mendonca: Phyllis A. Mendonca, 84, of Red Bluff died Tuesday, April 21at Red Bluff Healthcare Center. Arrangements are under the direction of Hoyt-Cole Chapel of the Flowers. Pub- lished Wednesday, April 22, 2015in the Daily News, Red Bluff, California. Mills: Andrew William Mills, 58, of Red Bluff died Sun- day, April 19at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Martinez. Arrangements are under the direction of Hoyt- Cole Chapel of the Flowers. Published Wednesday, April 22, 2015in the Daily News, Red Bluff, California. Deathnoticesmustbe provided by mortuaries to the news department, are published at no charge, and feature only specific basic information about the deceased. Paid obituaries are placed through the Classified advertising department. Paid obituaries may be placed by mortuaries or by families of the deceased and include online publication linked to the newspaper's website. Paid obituaries may be of any length, may run multiple days and offer wide latitude of content, including photos. Death notices The Associated Press REDDING A pilot killed himself by intentionally crashing his plane into a field in California a day af- ter pleading not guilty to domestic violence charges, authorities said Tuesday. Zachary Cain Stickler, 34, entered the plea on Fri- day in Shasta County Supe- rior Court to a felony count of making criminal threats and a misdemeanor battery charge, Chief Deputy Dis- trict Attorney Stephanie Bridgett said. The charges stemmed from an argument in Feb- ruary in Redding that es- calated and became physi- cal, Bridgett said. The vic- tim was dating Stickler, and the two were living together. She declined to pro- vide more detail, saying she wanted to protect the victim's privacy. Stickler killed himself by crashing into a pas- ture on Saturday morn- ing, Shasta County Sher- iff's Deputy Dustin Reyn- olds said. Sheriff's officials re- sponded to a report of an explosion around 8:30 a.m. and found a small de- bris field at the site where the single-engine Cessna crashed. Reynolds said text messages Stickler sent to friends and family be- fore he crashed indicated he was distraught and planned to kill himself. There was no indication he wanted to hurt anyone else, Reynolds said. Sheriff's officials said they did not know what, if anything, triggered Stick- ler to kill himself. Stickler worked as a flight instructor in 2014 at AFT Center Flight Train- ing in Long Beach, Cali- fornia, said Jason Lam- berton, the company's chief operating officer. He was a skilled trainer who had a good rapport with students, Lamberton said, adding that he offered to provide Stickler with a reference when Stickler said he was leaving so his girlfriend could pursue an opportunity elsewhere. " I ' m a b s o l u t e l y shocked," Lamberton said when told about the do- mestic violence charges and crash. "There was nothing like that whatso- ever in his behavior. The young man was very pro- fessional with what he did here. We were really happy with him." The Federal Aviation Administration has as- signed two inspectors to the crash, one of whom may conduct an on-site in- spection, FAA spokesman Ian Gregor said. REDDING Authorities: Man facing charges intentionally crashed plane COURTESY PHOTO BY ROSS PALUBESKI CalFire, Tehama County Fire, St. Elizabeth ambulance and Enloe Flightcare were dispatched around 6:30p.m. Monday to a reported vehicle rollover with fire on Tyler Road, north of East Chard Avenue, in Gerber. The first unit on scene reported a pickup truck on its side fully involved in flames and one patient with major injuries. The fire was extinguished in about 10minutes and the driver, Noe Ramirez, 33, of Red Bluff was transported to Enloe Medical Center in Chico via helicopter. Tyler Road was closed for at least an hour during California Highway Patrol investigation. Ramirez lost control and overcorrected. He was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, according to a CHP spokesman. The CHP website showed Ramirez sustained major injuries, including severe head injuries. TRAFFIC 1 PERSON REPORTEDLY HURT IN GERBER CRASH, FIRE ThePassingParadeisbroughttoyoubyMinchPropertyManagement, 760 Main Street specializing in commercial leasing and sales. 530 527-5514 THE PASSING PARADE Thiscolumn,acompaniontoourFridayeffort,was designed to tell Daily News readers about people we knew but were no longer with us in body, but certainly remained in spirit. However, as the years rolled by, we ran out of subjects. So, in lieu, I began inserting "I Say" columns written by my late father Dave Minch which seemed to have found an audience that appreciated his insights. But now, as Pogo would have put it, "Horrors Greeley!" We've run out of his columns! With author's permission we might have re-run stuff from other DN columnist, but they were often hard to digest the first time around. And then came a vanity fair thought: Why not re-print my own I Say columns which began shortly after father died in 1964? Knowing I could not duplicate his business acumen, I started writing in this and other venues until finally a 3 dot pattern emerged…and now it is some 50 years later! So, while awaiting a friend or business associate lamentably going to their reward, I shall re-run some columns that will hopefully never be boring...but possibly informative. .They might even provoke Letters to The Editor from poor devils who never seem to realize their heated works produce fodder for cannons and grist for mills. Anyhow, here follows an I SAY from June 1965: Bill Dalby, local stockbroker and investment counselor does get around (his yellow Mustang auto has the license plate 007). Last Wednesday he brought M.E. "Bud" Jones to see our new "on the rail" set up at the plant. Mr. Jones is a Vice President of Diamond National. In fact he is the only Vice President of that prestigious firm and I was duly impressed with his visit. We used to think we were a big outfit in this area until Diamond got rolling. When they built their huge complex south of town in 1958 they had already changed their name from Diamond National to Diamond Gardner…and then in 1959 to Diamond International to reflect the scope of their activities. Last year the Diamond National Holding Company was formed with net sales of over $300,000,000. The local subsidiary will still be called Diamond National and is listed under the Molded-Pulp Prepacking & Plywood Division. I asked Bud about the volume at the Red Bluff plant. He replied they manufacture two and a half million egg cartons in a 24 hour period. Mr. Jones is a man who definitely knows where he is going. … I think the main reason for that questionnaire on the sports page is to help the editor decide whether to have Cliff Larimer continue his column…or assign him to picking up papers in the elevator shaft. I read the Benchwarmer column and enjoy it. He constructs clever phrases that I could emulate if I had as much time on my hands. Robert Minch 1929- WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22, 2015 REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM |NEWS | 7 A