14 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY april 20-26, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com Starting in the late 1960s, Sand City, population 325, established a reputation as a hub for local artists as a place to both work and live. Though the city is almost entirely concrete and buildings—aside from some dune habitat—it possesses a certain industrial-chic vibe that feels light, not deadening. That became even more true in late 2019 with the arrival of now-former city manager Aaron Blair, who catalyzed the conversion of a maintenance yard into the Sand City Art Park, and ushered in the creation of murals that now splash the city with color. City Manager Vibeke Norgaard has built off that momentum. Sand City City Council has been a crucial cultivator of the city’s artistic vibe, perhaps most critically with its unflagging support of the city’s West End Celebration. In that respect, the council has been a force multiplier in the region, and on April 18, the council weighed in on who to appoint to a seat vacated by former councilmember Kim Cruz who, due to medical reasons, last attended a meeting in December. Four candidates each made their pitch at a council meeting on April 4. Two weeks later, on April 18, the council appointed Marilee Diaz, a resident of Sand City for more than 20 years and who has nearly 25 years of office management and bookkeeping experience. Before that, she was a sergeant at Fort Ord. But the biggest news in Sand City right now is that local artist Jayson Fann, who fashions art pieces out of salvaged wooden trunks, roots and branches, is installing a temporary outdoor art installation on a vacant lot adjacent to The Independent building. The project began on April 17. Walking through the lot on April 18, where several pieces of wood have already been trucked in on flatbed trailers, Fann waxes philosophical about the pieces he collects and transforms into art, often percussion instruments. “Each kind of wood has its own shape, its own vocabulary,” he says. One piece on a trailer is a giant hunk of a 1,500-year old redwood, still awaiting transformation, that Fann says the Coast Guard originally thought was a whale (it was later towed into Monterey Harbor). Fann’s vision for the installation is to create a botanical garden from plants (many already on site) that he’s cultivated, and make it a theater for musicians and other artists to gather and perform. While it won’t be fully completed until the West End Celebration in August, he plans to have open hours to visit before then, and is hoping he can get volunteers to help with the buildout. Every year, when cycling enthusiasts from around the world roll to the Laguna Seca Raceway for the Sea Otter Classic, the county-run campgrounds at the racetrack are packed to capacity. But like every year since 2006, campers still have to bring their own water. That’s because the water that comes out of the taps at the campground contains a level of arsenic that exceeds the federal limit of 10 parts per billion—before the law went into effect in 2006, the federal limit was 50 parts per billion. (The arsenic in the campground’s water, and in other places along the Highway 68 corridor, is naturally occurring.) But finally, due to money from the Biden administration’s American Rescue Plan Act, which Congress passed in 2021, the county has the funds for a fix. In 2021, the county allocated $1.9 million toward making the Laguna Seca campground’s water potable—though it’s since been reduced to $1.6 million— and County Parks Director Bryan Flores says a feasibility study has just been completed, but it remains in draft form at the moment. The plan entails installing somewhere between seven and 10 “kiosks” throughout the campground—like one might see outside a grocery store to fill up 5-gallon jugs—that will filter the water at “the point of contact,” Flores says. A facility-wide filtration system for Laguna Seca, he adds, would be prohibitively expensive. A system-wide fix, however, is in the works at the county’s Lake San Antonio recreation area, which is also being built with ARPA funds at a cost of over $3 million. The reason, Flores says, is that the filter of a point of contact system can’t sufficiently filter out the fine particles of mud in the water there. The project at Laguna Seca is expected to be completed next spring, but it’s too early to say if it will be in time for the 2024 Sea Otter Classic. Take Root Sand City, known for its murals, will soon get a different kind of public art. By David Schmalz news Get a Boost This vaccine clinic provides an opportunity to get your Covid-19 booster shot. Bring proof of your previous vaccination; available for those ages 5 and up. 11:30am-3:30pm Friday, April 21. Greenfield Unified School District, 493 El Camino Real, Suite A, Greenfield. Free. 206-0789, bit.ly/ GreenfieldBoosterApril. Community Love Keep Salinas beautiful at the Amor Salinas Earth Day Festival. Volunteer to help with weeding, painting and trash removal to keep Natividad Creek Park clean and accessible. A resource fair kicks off at noon with live entertainment, food and family activities. 9am-3pm Saturday, April 22. Natividad Creek Park, 1395 Nogal Drive, Salinas. Free. 758-7166, bit.ly/ SalinasEarthDay2023. Organic Goodness It’s an Earth Day Fair around the theme of “Fostering Environmental and Sustainable Learning,” presented by Big Sur Advocates for a Green Environment. There are several activities lined up, as well as speakers and organic foods to try. Celebrate plant-based foods and try out interactive plastic pollution awareness activities. 11am Saturday, April 22. Henry Miller Library, 48603 Highway 1, Big Sur. Free. 241-8177, sustainablemontereycounty.org/big-sur-home. Garden Gratefulness Sustainable Pacific Grove hosts an Earth Day celebration at the city’s community garden. Tour the garden area, and watch special presentations about succession planting, composting with earthworms and more. Listen to Appalachian tunes performed by local artists Matt & Lance, and visit a children’s garden hour for story time and crafts. Noon Saturday, April 22. Pacific Grove Community Garden, 210 Ridge Road, Pacific Grove. Free. 521-8196, sustainablemontereycounty.org/events. Recycling Ready Seaside is celebrating its 12th annual Earth Day event, featuring electric vehicle testing and rides, music by Palenke Arts and activities for children. Dozens of vendors and information booths will be available and guests have an opportunity to recycle e-waste. Check out the Trashion Fashion show, where models will show off wearable works of art made of at least 90-percent recycled or repurposed materials. 1pm Sunday, April 23. Seaside City Hall, 440 Harcourt Ave., Seaside. Free. 915-7257, tinyurl.com/seaside-2023earth-day. Arsenic Laced The county has a plan to make Laguna Seca’s water potable again, but it’s a year away. By David Schmalz Though his work often takes him around the country, Jayson Fann is currently at work on two artist-in-residence projects locally, in Sand City and Walden Monterey. e-mail: publiccitizen@mcweekly.com TOOLBOX “Each kind of wood has its own shape, its own vocabulary.” Daniel Dreifuss
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