Seneca Healthcare District

Please see the portal provided by the Plumas County Public Health Agency to sign-up for the COVID vaccine. Even if you think you are not eligible ow, Seneca recommends that you register. As we have all learned, all mandates and protocols are fluid! 
 

Read Past Town Chatters

Community Meeting Times

Plumas News Weekly Updates

Plumas County Health COVID Updates

Sierra Small Business Development Center Free Trainings & Workshops

SIERRA PACIFIC INDUSTRIES VIRTUAL CAREER FAIR - February 18th
Information in English
Información en Español
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Sierra Institute for Community and Environment in Taylorsville hiring Summer Youth Corps Crew Leaders. Please check link for job description. https://sierrainstitute.us/about/jobs/ 
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Alliance for Workforce Development – Hot Jobs!   https://www.facebook.com/155614034562311/photos/a.221598924630488/2294959243961102/?type=3
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Peninsula Family Dental, Eric S. Dunbar, DDA:
Immediate position available for a receptionist to grow with practice.
Learn more here
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Carol’s Prattville Café 
Dishwasher/$14 an hour
https://www.facebook.com/1701721540115324/posts/2859363917684408/?d=n
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Join our team! Cravings is looking for a dedicated hard-worker to help take our restaurant to the next level.
Dish & Facilities Manager: Responsible for overall cleanliness/organization of all restaurant equipment and storage:
Bring resume to Cravings, 278 Main St., Chester, Thurs- Sun., 9a-2p, or email christichase@gmail.com.
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Sierra Institute for Community and Environment
Please check link for job descriptions. https://sierrainstitute.us/about/jobs/
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UDSA jobs available
Click here to search jobs by location! 
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Plumas Crisis Intervention and Resource Center
Executive Director
Full-time
591 Main St., Quincy
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NAPA Auto Parts - Northern California
Counterperson, Delivery Driver - Chester Auto Parts
Full-time. 445 Main St., Chester
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Dollar General
Sales Associate, Chester
Full-time
376 Main St., Chester
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Almanor Energy Plus
HVAC Installer
Full-time
530.596.3128
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Seneca Healthcare District 
Check out openings 
https://senecahospital.org/careers/
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Best Western Rose Quartz Inn
Job Opening
530.258.2002

Last week we stumped the community with the answer:
One of Lassen Volcanic National Park’s features that no other U.S. National Park can claim. The correct question: What are four types of volcanoes within their boundaries.

This week’s answer: It featured nearly 30,000 acres of lush grass, tulles and willows, and was well-watered by a large number of springs, streams of the North Fork Feather River.

Please send your question to Trivia@lakealmanorarea.com

Thank you, Brenda Lemons of The Coffee Station, for being our first sponsor for Town Trivia. For anyone interested in prize sponsorship for Town Trivia, please contact katherine@sansoneplus.com 

Chamber Board Meetings are at 8:30 am on the 2nd TUESDAY of each month in the Chamber office at 278 Main Street. All are welcome. Zoom is available.

The Chamber's Community Calendar is open to all. CLICK HERE. Go to the bottom of the page and look for SUBMIT HERE.
 

Caltrans Seeks Public Input on Bike/Pedestrian Improvements

Please check out this link for more information on Caltrans plans for the bike and pedestrian trail improvements and access to survey so Caltrans can shape their plans to best serve our needs. Please take the time to participate.

https://www.plumasnews.com/caltrans-seeks-public-input-on-bike-pedestrian-improvements/?fbclid=IwAR0tSs_--z7yi94aCFdwXsCZhjGxc0v3ivtGkLk5ZP1C-AKx49Cm4s3kMnc

 

Virtual Career Fair February 18

Sierra Pacific Industries partnering with Alliance for Workforce Development, Job Training Center and Smartforce Workcent are partnering with Sierra Pacific Industries offering free Virtual Career Fair February 18 from 8am to 10am and 4pm to 6pm. Links below in English and Spanish.

 

SPI is hiring in 10 north state divisions. Over 100 entry-level to highly skilled positions available with wages ranging from $17.50 - $35/hour plus hiring bonuses in some locations!

To register: www.spi-ind.com/careerfair

 

Plumas Bank Donates $25,000

Plumas Bank, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Plumas Bancorp, recently announced that it donated $25,000 to local non-profit organizations to provide food to those in need throughout its service area. A matching COVID-19 pandemic relief grant of $10,000 from the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco (FHLB) helped make the donation possible. “As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to create economic hardship for many, we are inspired every day by local non-profit organizations who are stepping up to support our communities. https://www.plumasnews.com/plumas-bank-donates-25000-to-support-local-non-profits-addressing-food-insecurity/

 

Plumas County Board of Supervisors

Beginning with its next meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 9, the Plumas County Board of Supervisors will be accessible to the public via the Zoom platform. The board voted 4-1, with Supervisors Dwight Ceresola, Kevin Goss, Greg Hagwood and Sherrie Thrall voting in favor of Zoom and Board Chairman Jeff Engel voting no. https://www.plumasnews.com/the-plumas-board-of-supervisors-is-going-to-zoom/

 

Sierra Hospice Shop and Save Discount Cards

Our 2021 Shop and Save Discount Cards are now available for purchase. Receive year-long savings at participating merchants in The Chester, Westwood, & Crescent Mills areas.  The services donated by the participating business are used to sell a discount card that can be used throughout the year. The money raised is used to provide hospice care, medical equipment, resources, and community events supporting hospice patients and their caregivers. To purchase a $10.00 Shop and Save Card, you can contact Sierra Hospice at 530.258.3412, visit For-Get-Me-Not Thrift Store in Chester and Crescent Country in Crescent Mills. We are very grateful for your donation.

 

CRAB & GO!

Get your ticket for the Peninsula Firemen’s Association “Crab & Go!” drive through Crab Feed hosted by Tantardino’s Pasta and Pizza on February 20 from 4:00 to 7:00pm.  

Tickets can be purchased at Fire Station #2 – 801 Golf Club Rd. 530.259.2306; Tantardino’s Pizza and Pasta, 401 Ponderosa Drive, 530.596.3902; and Rouland’s Insurance Agency, 650 Main St., Chester 530.258.2218. Click for link.

 

Winter Shopping -- ❄️❄️❄️

Lassen Gifts -- New days and hours! Open Wednesday through Saturday from 10:00am to 4:00pm and closed Sunday through Tuesday. We will let you know of any other changes during this winter.

Giggling Crow -- February hours are now Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 10:00am to 4:00pm. 

 

Stover Mountain

If you have a decent 4x4, there is a trail open to the Stover Mountain Sled Hill. Be safe, have fun, and don’t get stuck!

 

Food Pantry Welcomes Helping Hands 

Helping Hands will join the Food Pantry location at 386-A Main Street in Chester, though run independently from them. Their first day of operation will be Thursday, February 18th from 12:00pm to 4:00pm. Regular hours are Tuesday and Thursday from 12:00pm to 4:00pm. Helping Hands welcomes all residents of the Almanor Basin. helpinghandschester@yahoo.com

Pictured here is Chris Sellers whose volunteer legacy started with her parents who began Helping Hands.

 

Mount Lassen Theatre Remodel Update

Mount Lassen Theater's remodel is back underway. Click here for photos of the remodel back underway!

 

Coopervale Ski Area Is Stalled

The poma life caught fire and needs to be rebuilt so they are going to be opening later. They are fixing motor as fast as they are able so they can possibly open in the near future. Some good news is they are running the rope tow for kids and beginners. Tickets are $15. Rentals $10.

Sunday is Valentine’s Day and we all need “some love”.  Help Seneca “share the love” by sending Valentine’s Day Cards to those in our nursing home.  We have 11 guests.  Show them we care!

2/7/2021

It’s another chilly morning up here in the mountains as our nighttime low dipped into the teens.  Shallow areas of Almanor remain frozen and we saw freezing in the flats between Prattville and the Peninsula this past week. Water temp remains in the upper 30’s and visibility are unchanged at 5-8’. We will see a few more days of cool sunny weather before snow returns later this week. Lake level rose slightly.  We currently sit at 4480’ down just a couple of feet from last year at the same time.  

 Both boaters and bank fishermen have been taking advantage of the sunny weather. The main parking lot at Canyon Dam has been full with trailers the last couple of days with a few vehicles in the overflow lot. Bank fishermen struggled this past week with both the ice and fish, as Hamilton Branch continues to clear, it will offer your best shot at catching a mature fish. The trail from the parking lot can be treacherous this time of year. Trollers continue to target their efforts around the dam and along both the east and west shorelines. Yesterday’s bite was slower, the grade of fish made up for the slow bite with reports of Browns exceeding six pounds. Rapalas, flies, hardware and gulps/crawlers will all work. Target fish in the top 30’ of the water column. 

The Lake Almanor Area Chamber has been working closely with Clint Koble of the Sierra Small Business Development Center in offering our members and community assistance with COVID Relief funds available to them.  Clint has been great at working one on one with our businesses, and is a resident of Lake Almanor. If you have questions or problems with the COVID-19 Relief Grant or the PPP, please contact him at clint.koble@gmail.com or 775.84.4081.

News from Clint:

The State of California is offering $475 M for Small Business COVID-19 Grant Relief!  These are grant awards of $5,000, $15,000, and $25,000 depending upon your gross income.  The first round ended on January 13, 2021, but the second round will open on Feb. 2, 2021 and close on Feb. 8, 2021.   These grants are available for small businesses and non-profits 501 c (3) and 501 c (6); they are not loans, they are grants! To apply on February 2, 2021, go to https://careliefgrant.com.
 
In addition, a round of the Payment Protection Plan (PPP) began the week of January. 11, 2021.  Contact your nearest bank to see if they are participating, or talk to me.  These are first-come, first-serve. 

The Feather River Tourism Association (FRTA) is in the process of writing our 5-Year strategic plan for the promotion and enhancement of tourism to our region which includes Lake Almanor, Indian Valley, Feather River Canyon, Quincy, and Bucks Lake.  

Four stakeholder meetings have taken place to date in order to develop the plan. Those who attended these meetings included representatives of Lodging, Recreation, Arts & Culture, Environment, and Retail. For those interested in being included in this process, FRTA encourages you take the survey located at http://featherrivertourism.com/news.  In addition, subscribing to our news and updates will keep you abreast of our progress. A Subscribe button is located on http://featherrivertourism.com/news as well. 

Meetings of the FRTA Board are open to all.  Upcoming agendas (with zoom links) and past minutes can be found at http://featherrivertourism.com/agendas. 

If you have any questions, we encourage you to contact one of our Lake Almanor Directors:

Sharon Roberts, St. Bernard Lodge
saintbernardlodge@frontier.com

Todd Geer, Plumas Pines Resort 
plumaspinesresort@gmail.com

Susan Bryner, Coldwell Banker Property Management
susan.bryner@gmail.com

If you just go by averages, January in the Lake Almanor basin was not all that exciting.  But if you look a bit closer, our weather was definitely not dull.  Total monthly precipitation registered at the Prattville monitoring site was 4.32 inches, a bit less than our long-term average.  That brought our July-June seasonal total to 11.38 inches by the end of the month, a figure that is 63% of average for this point in the season.  However, the west shore received 46.5 inches of snowfall in January (more than an average January), which brought our season total snowfall up to 82% of average.  Most of that snowfall arrived over a three- day period near the end of the month, keeping residents and snowplow drivers quite busy relocating the white stuff.

January temperatures measured at Chester airport ran slightly warm, with both our average lows and highs coming in nearly three-degrees warmer than the long-term norm.  Still, our mornings were all below freezing, and our extreme low was a bone chilling degree above zero on the 26^th.   

Northstate Assemblyman James Gallagher (R-Yuba City) Leading Coalition for New Legislation to Combat California's Wildfire Crisis

AB 297, the Wildfire Prevention and Forest Resiliency Act of 2021, would allocate $500 million for fire prevention and forest health programs. The money would come from the state's Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, according to the bill's authors.

The coalition that authored and introduced the bill consists of Republican State Assembly and Senate members who say that drastic action needs to be taken to prevent further destruction.

“Catastrophic wildfires have plagued us for years and sadly 2020 was the worst with over 4.2 million acres burned. Clearly, what we’ve been doing isn’t working,” said Gallagher. "We know what the problems are. We haven’t made enough progress clearing fuel buildup and managing our forests. Red tape and regulatory hurdles increase costs and delay work, and there are few options for processing materials from forest health and fuel reduction projects.”

Board Members Present:

Ryan Newell, Sharon Roberts, Matt Staggs, Christi Chase, Carol Franchetti, Susan Bryner, Chelssa Outland, Dawn Gray, Staff

Guests:

Clint Koble, Sierra Small Bus. Dev. Center, Katherine Sansone, LACF, Shawn McKenzie, Seneca Healthcare District

Meeting Highlights:

• The Board approved the appointment of Chelssa Outland as a Director to the Board, representing Seneca Healthcare District.
• Final interviews for the the combined executive director position of the Chamber and Foundation have been completed. The new executive director will be announced next week.
• Update on the development of the Almanor Foundation. Articles of Incorporation have been filed. 501c3 status has been applied for. The Lake Almanor Community Foundation is receiving donations for the new foundation until 501c3 status has been confirmed. The new foundation has received $10,000 in donations to date. Katherine Sansone, Steering Committee, has lined out a 6 month public relations plan that includes engaging the community naming the foundation (that will become its dba).
• Plaza update. The development team for the Plaza is setting up a meeting with Kevin Correia, County Facilities Director, Tracey Ferguson, County Planning Department and Sherrie Thrall, Supervisor District 3, and County Counsel to discuss  options for utilizing Chester Park for the Town Plaza.
• An all County Chamber meeting is scheduled for February 18th. Organized by Clint Koble, SBDC, the goal of the meeting is to develop lines of communication, resources and plans to benefit each Chamber as they work collectively toward enhancing the economic vitality of their regions.
• Feather River Tourism Association (FRTA) update. See FRTA article in this issue.
• Update on PG&E's re-licensing of Lake Almanor. A committee of citizens who were involved in the original Project 2105 agreement with PG&E have been working to respond to additional information regarding the re-licensing of PG&E's management of Lake Almanor. Two letters were sent this week to the Plumas County Board of Supervisors and the Federal Energy Regulation Commission outlining concerns and issues to be addressed. Signees on the letter included the Lake Almanor Chamber, represented by our President, Susan Bryner. Anyone interested in this on-going issue is directed to the Project 2015 site or may call the Chamber.