Hello Gualala Community Center (GCC) members
 
It is hard to believe that we are entering the last month of 2025, the years seem to be flying by.  Time is such a curious commodity, we either have too much time on our hands and suffer from boredom or too little of it which can make us cranky and irritable.  But time is all we have and we need to make the most of it, like taking a walk in the forest and foraging for mushrooms; photographing birds on the cliffs; having a sundowner as we watch one more gorgeous north coast sunset or curling up with a good book.  If you ever have extra time on your hands and want to make it count, consider becoming a Pay n Take volunteer.  You will be doing good work and having fun at the same time with other dedicated GCC volunteers.

Gualala Community Center has been through a challenging year but with the help of the many GCC volunteers and community support, good things are happening.  You may have heard that the project, Gualala Community Center Rebuilding part of the House Appropriations Committee Agricultural Bill, was approved for $1,000,000 by congress!  The GCC project money has been appropriated, and we should receive the funding in the next four to six months. The funds will be dispersed by the Department of Agriculture, Rural Development.  Congressman Huffman’s office stated that we should hear from the USDA by the end of January.  His office also stated that the money had been “appropriated, budgeted and signed into law.” However, it should be noted that the money is not real until we have it in our bank account. This Federal grant was applied for by the previous GCC Board, and we are all grateful for the work put in to submit this grant.

The Rebuilding of the Community Center continues to move forward.   Construction plans for the building were submitted to the Mendocino Building Department on November 12, 2025. Applications for permits for the necessary containers have also been submitted. The property will be surveyed, and property lines staked within the next month.

I mentioned in the last Board Briefing that GCC had received a challenge grant for $300,000.00 which will double any gift to GCC of $25,000.00 or greater from private individuals. This challenge grant has already produced $75,000. Remember, donations can be made by cash or check, through a Charitable Trust or with appreciated securities. 

GCC would like to raise additional funds for items not included in the original estimate of the building costs such as a solar energy collection system, tables and chairs, portable risers for a stage, and landscaping, etc. To this end, GCC is developing a wish list which will be published on the Website in the near future. This list will provide a great way for donors to pick and choose where they want their money to go.

Thank you, all, for supporting Gualala Community Center Gualala Community Center Volunteers and Board of Directors wish you and your family a very Happy Holiday Season.
 
Janet Pierucci, President
Board of Directors
Gualala Community Center
 
GCC Board Members:
Vice President: Darla Buechner             Member: Paul Cupich
Secretary: Laverne Hancock                   Member: George Provencher
Treasurer: Colby Bibb                              Member: Whyte Owen

Hello Gualala Community Center (GCC) members
 
Welcome to November, the month of giving thanks.  We all have so much to be grateful for living on this beautiful coast. Being able to see the ocean every day as it moves in ever-changing rhythmic patterns, watching the migrating pelicans between the sand bar and the cliffs as they beat the water with their wings to drive fish to the shore are just a few of the reminders of the wonderful place in which we live.
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The volunteer appreciation event that was organized by Darla Buechner and underwritten by Adrian Adams was a great way to say “thank you” to the GCC volunteers who put in countless hours at Pay n Take, not only at the twice-a-month Saturday sales at the Annex located at 47950 Center Street and the weekly sales at the Clothing Store located at 39175 S. Highway 1 but also every Tuesday morning at the annex and Clothing Store; accepting, sorting and pricing donations from the community.  Steering committee members and Board members were also honored as volunteers who make a difference in our community.

The Rebuilding Project continues to make progress. The grading and compaction permit has not yet been received so we are playing hurry-up- and-wait, hoping the rain will hold off so that part of the project can be completed as soon as we receive the permit.

November is the time that individuals begin to think of actions they can take to reduce their taxes for the year by making donations to their favorite charities. GCC has received a challenge grant for $300,000.00 which will double any gift to GCC of $25,000.00 or greater from private individuals. Donations can be made by cash or check, through a Charitable Trust or with appreciated securities.

GCC would like to raise additional funds for items not included in the original estimate of the building costs such as a solar energy collection system, tables and chairs, portable risers for a stage, and landscaping, etc. To this end, GCC is developing a wish list which will be published on the Website in the near future. This list will provide a great way for donors to pick and choose where they want their money to go.

Gualala Community Center Volunteers and Board of Directors wish you and your family a very Happy Thanksgiving.
 
Janet Pierucci, President
Board of Directors
Gualala Community Center
 
GCC Board Members:
Vice President: Darla Buechner
Secretary: Paul Cupich
Treasurer: Colby Bibb

Hello Gualala Community Center (GCC) members,
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Fall is definitely here with our first rain of the season. I’m already seeing patches of green pop up in the meadow behind my house. The deer are loving it.

If you haven’t driven by the Gualala Community Center (GCC) plan to do so soon. The
demolition is nearly complete, and the Grading and Compaction phase of our rebuilding project will start as soon as we have the permit in hand. I want to give a big shout out to John Bower & Bobby Baker for their very hard work on the demolition. They donated time and equipment and expertise to get the job done. Ray Feeny, a member of the GCC Steering Committee, paid all labor costs that were not covered by donations of in-kind
services.

Some of you have asked about the rebuilding process going forward. The first step is to get the ground cleared, graded, and compacted. Once that process is completed, the foundation/slab can be poured. We are hoping to have that completed before the rainy season starts in earnest. If not, it will have to wait until the end of the rainy season.

Meanwhile, our construction team is hard at work completing the working drawings for the building. Structural engineering, measuring, computing and assessing drainage issues, underground equipment locations and site parameters are also taking place. Our landscape designer has been spending a lot of time at the GCC campus, laying out ideas for hardscape, planting, traffic flow and outdoor lighting. Two local architects have also been providing guidance regarding design and materials. As soon as the working drawings are finished, local contractors will be asked to bid on the project.

We hope to get started with the actual building just as soon as the weather permits.
Other news: Our annual Volunteer appreciation event will be held on October 11th from 4:00 to 7:00pm at the GCC annex. This event honors all the volunteers who spend countless hours working at Pay n Take, participating on the Steering Committee and the Board of Directors. GCC is run by volunteers who are dedicated to the Gualala community and strive to make GCC a successful community resource.

Our next Board meeting will be held on October 8th at 6:00PM at the Gualala Baptist Church at 37300 Church Street, Gualala. We hope you will attend. There will be reports

by various members of the Construction committee and a chance for you to ask questions or make comments.
There are GCC Board positions vacant, and we request anyone who is interested in
serving on the GCC Board to send an email to [email protected]. Please include your reasons for wanting to be a GCC Board member, your interests and skills that would
benefit GCC and your resume or just a bit about yourself, your work and/or volunteer experiences. You must have been a member of GCC for three months to serve on the GCC Board. We would like to receive any inquiries no later than October 24th.

We are very sad to announce that the Pay n Take Bakery is closed for the foreseeable future. Our Bakers are working with Mendocino County to secure an appropriate permit which would allow the Bakery to reopen. The Health Department understands our issues and has been very helpful. Our bakers are an integral part of Pay n Take and contribute well over an average of $1,000.00 a month in profit to benefit the Gualala
Community Center’s philanthropic activities.

Don’t forget Pay n Take this Saturday October 4th from 9:00 to 12:00. Come find that treasure you can’t live without!

I would be remiss if I didn’t give special thanks to Bill Mathews, the GCC facilities manager. He is the glue who holds us all together. He is there, rain or shine, directing, helping, and supporting all the volunteers.
Finally, I and the Board welcome your feedback and suggestions!
 
Janet Pierucci, President Board of Directors
Gualala Community Center Thursday, October 2, 2025

Hello Gualala Community Center (GCC) members
I have received emails from several GCC members who were confused by my letter and attachments of August 29th. I hope the following clarifies the invalid election situation and answers questions about the status of the GCC Board.
 
Our attorney, Eric Gorovitz, spelled out the procedure for correcting the invalid election in paragraphs two and three of his email which accompanied the Board Briefings emailed to members of GCC on August 29, 2025, and follows here:
 
“ 1.  The most recent election was not validly conducted, and no directors were elected.

1. By operation of law, the current Board consists of four directors: two whose terms have not yet expired, and two* whose terms expired on June 30 but who remain in their seats because their successors have not yet been elected. Those four directors constitute a quorum for the conduct of business under the current bylaws, and any action they take by majority vote at a meeting of the directors at which a quorum is present, or by unanimous written consent in the absence of a meeting, constitutes the act of the Board of Directors.
2. The Board has the authority under both the Corporations Code and GCC’s Bylaws to fill any vacancy on the Board for the remainder of the term applicable to that seat. If the current Board, consisting of the four directors described in Item 2 above, holds a meeting at which all four are present, and votes to fill any vacancy on the Board with approval of a majority of the directors present, that vote effectively fills the vacancy for the remainder of the applicable term. Any person so elected becomes a director upon their election, and the number of directors currently serving increases accordingly.”

 
*Mr. Gorovitz' letter has one error. There were not two but rather three directors whose terms expired on June 30th: Paula Smith, David Fouts and Karen Russell. Due to the invalid election, and according to the CA Corp Code, these three remain in their seats until successors are elected or appointed.
 
The two directors whose terms had not expired, Barbara Pratt and Whyte Owen, and two of the three members whose terms expired on June 30th but who remain in their seats because their successors had not yet been elected/appointed**, Karen Russell and David Fouts, met in a special Board meeting on August 25th. They appointed Michael Combs and me to fill the seats of Kevin Evans and Leslie Bates. These are both one-year terms, ending June 30, 2026.

 
On August 27th in another special Board meeting, Barbara Pratt, Michael Combs, Whyte Owen, David Fouts and I met and appointed Colby Bibb and Darla Buechner to the Board for two-year terms, ending June 30, 2027, replacing David Fouts and Karen Russell. At this point, David Fouts left the meeting. The Board then elected me President, Darla Vice President and Colby Treasurer. These Board appointments leave the seat Paula Smith held open. The Board will fill that seat, with the term ending June 30, 2027, at the September 10th Board meeting.
 
The current GCC Board members are:

• Janet Pierucci, President
  
• Darla Buechner, Vice president
  
• Colby Bibb, Treasurer                                                           
  
• Whyte Owen, Acting Secretary
  
• Barbara Pratt                                                         
  
• Michael Combs

 
I do hope this answers your questions and that you will attend the GCC Board meeting on September 10th at 6:00pm at the Gualala Baptist Church.
 
Sincerely,
 
 
Janet Pierucci, President Board of Directors
Gualala Community Center