The Bibby Renaissance is among several barges with dimensions, capacity and amenities that closely match specs provided by local officials. | Image via Bibby Maritime.
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In desperate need of new student housing, Cal Poly Humboldt is looking to the water.
Local officials have been working with the university and state regulatory agencies to explore the potential of temporarily housing around 600 students aboard a multi-story residential barge docked in Humboldt Bay.
“The idea of floating apartments or studios is one of many possibilities the University has been exploring,” Cal Poly Humboldt Communications Specialist Grant Scott-Goforth said in an emailed response to questions from the Outpost. “This is very preliminary at this point and the university does not have further details to share.”
Eureka City Manager Miles Slattery tells the Outpost that the city has been discussing the barge proposal with regulators from the State Lands Commission, the Harbor District and other agencies.
“I think, personally, that this is a great idea,” Slattery said. “It would be a huge benefit to the City of Eureka, our businesses, to have this available.”
Stressing that the concept is still in the preliminary phase, Slattery said city staff have identified two potential dock locations that have the structural capability to host the vessel as well as the necessary water, sewage and electrical hookups.
He declined to identify a specific vessel or manufacturer but said the barge under consideration is 82 feet wide by 320 feet long and includes a cafeteria, a rooftop terrace, a workout room and other amenities.
“They’re nice,” he said. “If I was back at college and went to [Cal Poly Humboldt] I would be the first one to apply. I would live there before living in the dorms,” he added, noting that he lived at the Colony Inn during his own days on campus.
The barge would be a purely stop-gap solution while more permanent housing is constructed, Slattery said.
Amenities on the Bibby Renaissance include a cafeteria, rooftop terrace, dining hall and TV rooms. | Images via Bibby Maritime.
News of this proposal comes as the university finds itself in hot water with the current student body, many of whom rallied in the quad Wednesday to protest plans to house returning students at local hotels north of campus, including a Comfort Inn, Super 8 and Motel 6.
Photo by Andrew Goff
In his emailed statement, Scott-Goforth said, “As in many areas of California, there are simply not enough housing options available either on campus or in the community. The University has been looking into many creative solutions to provide additional high-quality and affordable housing for students. This includes the three hotels in Arcata, which serve to temporarily expand the available housing stock near campus.”
The Lumberjack student newspaper reported yesterday that there were “rumors and apparent email leaks” pertaining to the barge proposal. At least one student at yesterday’s protest objected to the idea, holding up a sign telling Cal Poly Humboldt President Tom Jackson, “Hey Tom! Don’t put us on a fucking prison boat!”
Barges like the ones being considered here have, in fact, been employed as floating prisons, though more often they’re used as temporary housing — or “floatels” — for employees on offshore or near-shore oil, mining and wind projects. During the worst of the COVID pandemic, one barge was used in Singapore to house healthy workers in a restricted area to avoid potential infection.
Slattery said that when the barge idea first came up, city staff reached out to RWE Offshore Wind Holdings, LLC, one of two energy corporations that won bids to develop offshore wind projects off the Humboldt County coast. The barge could work well to house their employees during construction, he said.
While Slattery is excited by the barge proposal, Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District Executive Director Larry Oetker has reservations. Reached by phone this morning he said his agency operates under the Public Trust Doctrine.
“In the Humboldt Bay Management Plan it says residential uses are generally not considered an acceptable public trust use of tidelands, with a few limited exceptions,” Oetker said. “I’m not saying we’ve made that determination, because we have not,” he added, noting that he has yet to see a detailed proposal, “but generally it is not acceptable in the long term to have these kinds of uses except in limited places,” such as live-aboard boats currently docked at Woodley Island Marina and the Eureka Small Boat Basin.
Melissa B. Kraemer, North Coast District manager for the California Coastal Commission, said in an email that there’s not much precedent for this type of thing along the California coast. Her agency would need to consider a number of issues before issuing a coastal development permit, including impacts on marine resources, water quality, parking/traffic/transit service, visual impacts, tsunami hazards and impacts to commercial fisheries and recreational boating.
Slattery said use of tidelands falls under the jurisdiction of the State Lands Commission, which is well aware of this proposal. The city has also consulted with the U.S. Coast Guard and the Army Corps of Engineers about any potential interference with Humboldt Bay’s navigation channels. The barge’s 82-foot width would “barely” extend into those channels, Slattery said.
While Slattery acknowledged that any work done below the mean high-tide line in Humboldt Bay is the purview of the Harbor District, he said that in his estimation there would be no “work” performed on the barge while it’s docked, meaning the Harbor District would be absolved of any responsibility.
City staff have discussed a number of other potential means of housing Cal Poly Humboldt students, including putting them up in the city’s own hotels or in the EaRTH Center housing and transit project being developed downtown. A previous administration at the university explored the idea of housing students on a cruise ship, Slattery said, though he noted that those vessels would be more difficult to accommodate because they have deeper drafts than residential barges.
Jennifer Kalt, executive director of environmental nonprofit Humboldt Baykeeper, said that while the barge idea took her aback when she first heard about it, she believes it could work.
“Humboldt Baykeeper has not seen any proposals, but the concept seems like it has a lot of potential and could be a good temporary solution with very little impacts to Humboldt Bay,” she said.
Below, enjoy a tour of the Bibby Renaissance and, if you’re so inclined, stick around for the mukbang.
Note: This post has been updated from its original version to add information from the California Coastal Commission.
Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:
On Feb. 8, 2023, at about 9:30 a.m., Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputies conducted a probation search of a residence on the 6700 block of West Avenue in Fields Landing.
Deputies contacted nine people at the residence, one of which, 43-year-old Samuel Lee Summers, initially provided deputies with a false name but was later properly identified and found to have an active warrant for his arrest. Additionally, he was found to be out of compliance with the terms of his sex offender registration requirements. Summers was taken into custody without incident.
During a search of all structures on the property, deputies located various drug paraphernalia.
Lance Eric Ostlund, age 34, was cited and released on charges of possession of drug paraphernalia (HS 11364(a)) and violation of probation (PC 1203.2(a)).
Danielle Jean Church, age 25, was cited and released on charges of possession of drug paraphernalia (HS 11364(a)).
Summers was booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility on charges of false identification to a peace officer (PC 148.9(a)), failure to register as a sex offender (PC 290.085(a)), parole revocation (PC 3000.08(f)) and violation of probation (PC 1203.2(a)).
Anyone with information about this case or related criminal activity is encouraged to call the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office at (707) 445-7251 or the Sheriff’s Office Crime Tip line at (707) 268-2539.
Food banks across California are bracing for a feared spike in hunger amid inflated prices after a pandemic-era boost in food aid ends in April.
March is the last month CalFresh recipients will get the additional benefits, as the federal government cuts off the “emergency allotments” that have kept food stamp allowances higher than usual for nearly three years now.
The average household on CalFresh will lose about $200 a month, said Becky Silva, government relations director at the California Association of Food Banks. A single-person household, for instance, could drop from $281 a month in food aid to as low as $23 in April.
U.S. Department of Agriculture documents show that since November, the pandemic boosts have amounted to more than $500 million a month in additional food stamps coming into low-income Californians’ budgets.
“There’s no way to overstate how devastating this is going to be,” Silva said. “Families are going to see a dramatic and sudden drop in their food benefits at a time when food price inflation and the cost of living in California especially is through the roof.”
Food stamps are funded by the federal government, which determines benefit amounts annually based on the nationwide cost of living as well as recipients’ household size and income.
“There’s no way to overstate how devastating this is going to be.” — Becky Silva, California Association of Food Banks
In March 2020, Congress allowed the USDA to give states funding to boost all recipients’ aid to the maximum allowable benefits for their household size, or add $95 on top for those already receiving the maximum. The recent Congressional spending bill passed in December cuts that off this spring in exchange for funding for extra food aid for school children during the summer months.
The state social services department attributes the increase partially to a more flexible application process during the pandemic, while advocates like Silva also suggest the boost in aid made going through an application more worthwhile for eligible residents.
The loss of emergency allotments will be felt particularly hard by older and disabled people, many of whom have already seen their food aid eligibility reduced after a historic inflationary bump in Social Security checks in January. In addition to wages, Social Security, unemployment benefits and disability payments all count as income for the person receiving food aid.
Tom McSpedden, a 69-year-old Citrus Heights resident with Type II diabetes, saw a nearly $60 decrease in his normal CalFresh allowance last month after getting a $109 increase in his monthly Social Security checks.
But he continued to get the pandemic CalFresh boosts, which kept the total food stamps on his benefits card at $281 that month – the maximum allowable aid for a single-person household.
In April, McSpedden’s monthly CalFresh benefits will drop to roughly $50.
Nearly half of McSpedden’s monthly $1,368 Social Security check goes toward renting a room; the rest is meticulously budgeted for his phone, car insurance, gas, the portion of insulin and medications that Medicare doesn’t cover and bankruptcy payments.
“I don’t have the $230 left over each month to compensate” for the drop in aid, he said. “I’m just not going to be able to afford food. It’s that simple.”
There isn’t any plan to immediately backfill the loss.
The food banks association and other anti-poverty organizations have proposed that the state spend more than $2 billion providing a “ramp-down” of the extra benefits for five months after the federal boosts end.
“I’m just not going to be able to afford food. It’s that simple.” — Tom McSpedden, Citrus Heights CalFresh recipient
Advocates are also calling for the state to add its own funds to the regular food stamps program, to boost the minimum food aid grant from $23 to $50 with corresponding inflationary increases. Other ideas include expanding special CalFresh programs that provide extra dollars for those purchasing California-grown produce, or for certain Central Valley households who lack clean drinking water in their homes.
Those proposals are “nowhere near approaching the $500 million a month that will be absent from people’s budgets, dinner tables and California retailers as well,” said Jared Call, senior advocate at the food policy organization Nourish California. “But our approach is, no tool in the toolbox should be unused.”
The California Department of Social Services says it’s warning households of the upcoming decline in aid and directing CalFresh recipients to food banks, which have received additional funding from both the state and federal governments in recent years.
The state’s network of food banks continues to serve on average 1.5 times the number of clients as before the pandemic, Silva said.
The Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services, which provides food in the county McSpedden lives, averaged 150,000 clients a month before the pandemic, said community resource manager Lorena Carranza. In recent months, that number has been about 275,000.
But food distributions can’t replace the flexibility of food stamps that many residents rely on.
With a special diet to manage his diabetes, McSpedden said food distribution boxes usually only contain a few items he can eat. He’s loath to take a full box when others could use it, he said.
McSpedden worked for nearly three decades as a long-haul trucker until about 15 years ago, when a series of heart attacks ended that career and landed him in a hospital stay that wiped out his savings and retirement accounts.
“I’ve been in predicaments before,” he said. “But this thing here with the extra food stamps, I have no idea. I’m looking into a tunnel with no light at the other end.”
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CalMatters.org is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics.
David Andrew (McKinzie) Bradburn August 29, 1929 –
January 30, 2023
David Bradburn of
Eureka and Willow Creek, California passed away Jan. 30, 2023, at the
age of (93½). He is a descendent of the McKenzie Clan, Willits and
Gordon pioneer families and the historic Benning family of Athens,
Missouri.
David Andrew
(McKinzie) Bradburn was born near Stansfield, Oregon on the Lazinka
Ranch, to Raymond McKinzie and Esther Gordon McKinzie. After a family
breakup in 1930, Dad moved with his mother Esther and sister Joanne
to Willits. Willits is named after his maternal Grandfather Hiram
Willits. In 1936, after his mother remarried to George Alfred
Bradburn the family moved to Willow Creek (China Flats).
The family
settled onto a ranch two miles outside of Willow Creek on Hwy 96, Dad
attend school in Hoopa, Grandpa Bradburn worked for the California
Highway Department, and Grandma was elected as the Justice Court
Judge in Hoopa.
Dad had a very
interesting life, working as a young man for the forestry department
fighting fires, working for the phone company running phone wires
across the Valley. He also raised a long horn steer while belonging
to the Future Farmers of America.
Dad was drafted
into the U.S. Army in 1950 and was sent for service in Korea where he
served with the First Korean Infantry Division, TDY with Charlie Co.
45th Division, NCO in charge of the detachment and squad leader. He
was presented the Purple Heart by U.S. Army Col. Slaughter. He was
also awarded the Republic of Korea War Service Medal, United Nations
Korean War Service Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense
Service Medal, Army Korean War Service Medal, Asiatic Pacific
Campaign Medal, and the Korean War Presidential Unit Citation
Dad
returned to Willow Creek in 1952 and started working for the
California Highway Department in their lab department before he moved
on to his final career with the Humboldt County Department of Public
Works as the Resident Engineer, where he retired after 38 years. Dad
was the Lead Engineer for road and construction work from one end of
Humboldt County to the other and he also oversaw all work on the
Arcata Airport.
He was a lifelong
member of the VFW Eureka Chapter and the Disabled American Veterans
(DAV).
He is preceded in
death by his mother and stepfather George and Judge Esther Bradburn,
his daughter Joy Tears and sister Joanne Nachand, his niece Bernice
Jacobs, and nephew George Jacobs of New Jersey.
He is survived by
his wife of 31 years, Judy Bradburn, his son Kent Bradburn of Eureka,
son and daughter-in-law Brett and Myra Bradburn of Gainesville, VA, 4
grandchildren, Victoria Bohling and husband Rhett, Olivia Bradburn,
David Bradburn all of VA and Honey Bell and husband Carlos of
Sacramento; four great-grandchildren, Gabrielle and Noelle Bradburn
and Avery and Rocky Bohling; six step-grandchildren Lacy Regalo,
Landon Regalo, Michael and wife Melissa McClurg, Mariah McClurg, and
Mason and Evelyn Snow; Judy’s children and spouses Kim and Carl
Regalo, Jamie and Rod Boone, all of Eureka; and Ben and Jessica Snow
of Watsonville, and a newly found half-brother, Raymond McKenzie of
Idaho.
Dad especially
appreciated the Eureka and Redding VA clinics, the VA hospital at
Fort Miley and the Eureka Vet Center. Much thanks go to the VA Home
Based Health, especially PA Vicky Cushing and team, Mad River Home
Health nurses and Hospice of Humboldt especially nurses Mia and
Sadie, and Robert, who kept David looking handsome as ever in his
last days. Special thanks to Trent and Agape care givers, Tabatha and
Bonnie.
Dad is
appreciated for his dedication and loyalty to his family and
stepfamily. We will miss his presence, humor and affection.
The family will
hold a private memorial service.
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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of David Bradburn’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Paul Owen on February 4, 2023. Paul was born on October 5, 1945 and raised in Eureka, California. He was a 1963 graduate of St. Bernard’s High School and from there, he went on to Santa Rosa Junior College. Due to a family issue, Paul had to drop out of college to move home and help his family’s business. Once he dropped out of school, he immediately received a personal invitation from President Johnson to join the Army for an all-inclusive vacation in scenic Vietnam. Paul was a front-line grunt that walked point through the jungles of Vietnam. He proudly served his country from 1966-1968 and survived the Tet Offensive of January 1968.
Paul came back home and began his career in the bar business. He worked at many local bars (Powderhorn, OH’s Townhouse, Fat Alberts, and Alley Cat to name a few) and then purchased White Distributors in the early 70s, a bar supply business that provided non-alcoholic supplies to local bars and restaurants. He then spent the next 50 years driving his white van around to Humboldt County bars and restaurants, always wearing shorts, a T-shirt and a cap regardless of the weather. It could have been 35 or 75 degrees and Paul would always wear the same outfit.
Paul learned to barter with the local restaurants and if something “fell off a truck,” Paul was there to catch it and barter for something. A confession as Paul was a dealer… a cheese and fish dealer. Back in the 80s, someone from Nevada came to Humboldt County to sell a few hundred pounds of white cheddar cheese that fell off a truck and somehow, people turned him on to Paul. He bought the cheese low and sold it high to every bar and restaurant in town. Normally, this would have been a cute story, except since the cheese crossed state lines, the FBI showed up looking for Paul. Calamity ensued.
Back in the day, Paul used to hang out at the fishing docks. When a fisherman catches a halibut or salmon out-of-season, by law they’re supposed to take the dead fish and drop it back into the ocean. That’s what they’re supposed to do. In reality, many fishermen take the fish and put it on ice in a cooler, while keeping an eye out for the Coast Guard and Fish & Game. Back at the docks, the out-of-season fish was bartered and many Humboldt County restaurants had fresh halibut or salmon on the menu that their chef “caught that morning”.
Paul was an avid hunter, fisherman and liked to dive for abalone. Please don’t feel sorry for him as he is now out of his misery. He no longer has to suffer through another dreadful season of his beloved Oakland/Los Angeles/Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders.
Paul met his wife Suzie in 1976 and was with her until the day he died. He is survived by his wife, Suzie Owen; his daughter Rhonda Pace and her husband Darin Pace; his granddaughters Kylie Pace, her husband Tyler Clare; and Tawnie (Pace) Gonzalez and her husband Austin Gonzalez; and his great-grandchildren, great-granddaughter Evaleigh Gonzalez and great-grandson Dawson Gonzalez. He is also survived by his siblings: sister Chris Owen, and brothers Marc Owen and Matthew Owen.
A memorial of life is scheduled for Saturday, February 25 at the Moose Lodge (4328 Campton Road in Eureka) from 3 to 6 p.m.
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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Paul Owen’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.
On
Saturday, February 4, Charles (Buddy) Boswell, beloved husband ,
father and papa passed away suddenly at the age of 57.
Born
in Las Vegas Nevada to mother, Ella Cook and father Robert Boswell,
Buddy grew up in many places before moving to Humboldt County,
where he met his wife working as a chef at King’s Table
in Eureka.
They
married in August 1988 and had two daughters.
Buddy,
as most of his friends and family knew him as, spent many years
working in the kitchen as a cook, did roofing, and many other jobs
before starting his own handyman/ lawn business in 2000.
He
was a man of many talents. He could fix and do anything. And always
had a lending hand to help.
Buddy
was a simple man. He loved spending his time fishing, hunting and
gardening. He loved time with his family and hosting Sunday family
dinners. He looked forward to picking up his grand babies from
school. They were his pride and joy. He loved his football SF 49er’s
and the words “You were right.”
His
spirt lives on through his wife,Debbie Rodrigues-Boswell; daughters
Patricia Arneson (Michael Arneson) and Tanishia Boswell-Cole (Kendall
Cole); grandchildren
Ryot Arneson, Roklynn Arneson and Dagger Cole; mother
Ella Cook; sisters Pamela Woron and Trena Freitas; brother Timothy
Hammer; mother-in
law Maria Rodrigues; and
many many nieces,nephews, aunts, uncles and numerous in-laws.
Preceded
by his father, Robert, and sister, Victoria Hauser.
“Gone
Fishing”
I’ve
finished life’s chores assigned to me, So
put me in a boat headed out to sea. Please
send along my fishing pole, For
I’ve been invited to the fish in’ hole. Where
everyday is a day to fish To
fill my heart with every wish Don’t
worry, or feel sad for me We
will miss each other for awhile, But
you will come and bring your smile. That
won’t be long, you will see To
all of those who think of me Be
happy as a go out to sea If
others wonder why I’m missing Just
tell them I’ve Gone Fishin’
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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Buddy Boswell’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.
HUMBOLDT TODAY: Hundreds of Cal Poly Humboldt students gather in protest of new university housing policies, the body of a missing man is found near Orick, plus Mendo cannabis farmers are jealous of their Humboldt counterparts’ ability to get licensed in a timely manner. Those stories and more in today’s newscast with John Kennedy O’Connor.
