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Covelo after the fire

Round Valley Center for the Arts, two weeks after the fire in Covelo.

The fire that burned down four buildings in Covelo early in the morning on July 18th has  devastated the community, but also galvanized it to think about what local residents want in their small downtown.The North Fork Cafe and Round Valley Auto Care had been thriving for years, while the Round Valley Center for the Arts had just gotten off the ground. It’s the one structure that might be salvaged, though, two weeks after the fire, owners Jenna Sebastian and Holly DeLaughter had not had an engineer examine it yet. 

But rebuilding is very much on Covelo residents’ minds. People are sharing their ideas on multiple community Facebook pages, and a recent special meeting of the Round Valley Municipal Advisory Council (MAC) drew thirty people, among them several county leaders. Suggestions included public art and gardens, a park with public restrooms, a shared work space, and major infrastructure improvements.

Lew Chichester, who’s active in several civic organizations in the area, including the MAC, Friends of the Round Valley Public Library and KYBU, the Covelo radio station, says there’s local precedent for the kind of civic investment that doesn’t always result in huge financial returns, but has a significant impact on the community. The example he offers is Library Commons, which the Friends of the Library bought about ten years ago, after a massive fundraising effort.

Steve McCormack is the owner of Covelo Western Auto, the auto parts store and tire shop that’s still standing next to the burned down mechanic shop. The roof of the parts store was singed and the soda machine is a little charred, but business was steady on Saturday morning as big trucks roared through town. McCormack said his shop burned down once across the street 25 years ago, and arson has been a problem in Covelo this year.

Jenna Sebastian and her mom, Holly DeLaughter, are in the process of buying the old federal building where they’d had a few fundraisers for the art center, just before the pandemic hit. Sebastian attended the special virtual MAC meeting, and she says the art center was supposed to be a civic institution, too.

 

58745_aug_6_covelo_2.mp3
Covelo after the fire, part 2.

Local News