Our view: Important stuff for the public to weigh in on

We need to decide what kind of garbage and recycling pickup service we want in the future.

We need to figure out how to configure our elementary schools for maximum efficiency and effectiveness.

We need to make the best possible use of an extraordinary opportunity to improve the health of our community, especially our children’s.

What do these three needs have in common? They’re all timely opportunities for citizens to speak up and help shape our future in Del Norte County. They don’t provide excuses to wallow in the past, criticize decisions already made and assess blame for why things are the way they are. Instead, they are chances to give public input when it matters most, while plans are formulating.

Members of the Solid Waste Management Authority this week approved a one-year extension of Del Norte Disposal’s franchise for collecting solid waste and recyclables throughout the county. This gives the authority time for a thorough consideration of who should get the next 12-year contract after the current one expires on July 20, 2011.

Picking the right franchisee is important, because it will have a monopoly on pickup service. Equally important is deciding what we expect that franchisee to do. Is the current service sufficient?  Would you rather the pickup company provide its own containers? Do you want more curbside recycling options? Are the rates fair?

The authority’s five-member Board of Directors includes Mayor Kelly Schellong, City Councilman Dennis Burns, county supervisors Leslie McNamer and Martha McClure, and at-large member Jack Reese. The authority’s telephone number is 465-1100, and its email address is This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Meanwhile, Del Norte Unified School District Board members have begun discussion of possible reconfiguration of elementary schools. The issue takes on more urgency as class sizes increase and the budget decreases. When possible, the district wants to avoid combination classes where students of different grade levels meet in the same rooms.

Right now all four elementary schools in Crescent City include kindergarten through fifth grade. This may change. The board might even consider closing a low-enrollment school somewhere in the district. These are issues that affect families and neighborhoods.

District Superintendent Jan Moorehouse can be reached by email at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or by phone at 464-0200. Contact information for the five School Board members appears every Thursday on The Triplicate’s Opinion page. And there’s a public input opportunity at every School Board meeting.

Finally, Del Norte County has a golden opportunity to literally get healthier after becoming one of 14 sites in the state chosen by the California Endowment to share up to $1 billion over the next 10 years. The organization has identified four general areas that it wants to address, including reversing the youth obesity epidemic, ensuring all children have access to comprehensive and coordinated health services, improving school attendance and reducing youth violence.

Just how to accomplish all that is an ongoing discussion, and your input is welcome. The endowment’s Laura Olson will hold a brown bag lunch meeting Monday from noon to 1:30 at the Del Norte School District Office Conference Room, 301 W. Washington Blvd., drinks and cookies provided.

Olson can be reached at 800-449-4149, ext. 4313.

Check it out. Get involved. The time is right.