By Bruce McPherson, Santa Cruz County Supervisor, 5th District
Nurse-Family Partnership
I’m excited to tell you about a program being planned for our smallest, more vulnerable residents — newborn babies. The Nurse-Family Partnership program can significantly improve the lives of low-income first-time moms and their children, and also, provide long-term benefits for the County as a whole.
This program has shown incredible success in dozens of communities across the nation. Each mother served by a Nurse-Family Partnership is partnered with a nurse early in her pregnancy and receives ongoing nurse home visits that continue through her child’s second birthday.
This highly effective program serves babies and toddlers during a critical window of opportunity for human brain development, resulting in dramatic reduction in abuse, neglect, arrests, injuries, behavioral and intellectual problems.
We hope to approve funding for the program in June to initially serve 100 low-income, first-time moms, and their babies. In the coming years, I hope that the program will be able to serve all low-income first-time mothers and their babies in Santa Cruz County.
Quiet Skies Coalition Meeting
If the new flight paths have affected you, please join me for a discussion of possible regional solutions. The meeting will be on Wednesday, March 2 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Zayante Fire Station, 7700 E. Zayante Road, Felton. Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian as well as representatives from the offices of Santa Cruz County Supervisor John Leopold, Congresswoman Anna Eshoo and Congressman Sam Farr will join me. The Quiet Skies Coalition will be presenting a collaborative proposal aimed at resolving the new flight path impacts.
Sheriff’s Trailer
You might have noticed a Sheriff trailer at the Felton Covered Bridge Park recently. This is a temporary site to discourage loitering and camping at the park. Volunteers are staffing the trailer and so far it has been very effective.
AmeriCorps crews, who are staying at Highlands Park, have been busy on a number of projects in County parks. They’ve built a new bridge at the Senior Center at Highlands … I’m looking forward to cooking dinner for them later this week, along with volunteers from the Valley Women’s Club and Parks Department staff.
Radar Speed Signs & Traffic Improvements
Radar speed feedback signs will be installed soon on Graham Hill Road as part of a grant to improve school crosswalks. Two signs will be installed near Treetop Drive to improve safety for students at Brook Knoll Elementary School.
I would like to acknowledge some road and traffic improvements in Scotts Valley implemented recently under the direction of Scotts Valley Public Works Director Scott Hamby. New roadway paint, pavement reflectors, and signage have been added to the dark section of Mount Hermon Road between Lockhart Gulch and Lockewood Lane. This will make it easier to see the road at night, especially during inclement weather. A number of illuminated overhead street name signs have also been added on traffic signal mast arms in Scotts Valley, making it easier to read street names signs at night.
Boulder Creek Business Association Board
Congratulations to the new board officers and directors of the Boulder Creek Business Association: President Justin Acton; Vice President Chris Currier; Secretary Janet Coit; Treasurer Ann Marie Conrad; Board members Jeff Angell, Nancy Currier, Tamara O’Kelly, Abigail Rohrbough and Doris Splettstoesser.
Prop 47 Workshop
Another important workshop is scheduled to provide legal assistance and information to people with criminal records. Under Proposition 47, felony reductions, dismissals, certificates of rehabilitation and sealing of juvenile records are possible. To find out if you are eligible for record changes, attend the clinic on Saturday, March 5, 2016, from noon to 5 p.m. at the Scotts Valley Library, 251 Kings Village Road, Scotts Valley.
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Contact me at 454-2200 if you have any questions or comments.