[Accrs] Fwd: An Update - From NVMRHS President, Dan Jonas

[Alameda County Central Railroad Society]

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: 	An Update - From NVMRHS President,  Dan Jonas
Date: 	Wed, 3 Jan 2018 18:05:16 +0000
From: 	Napa Valley Model Railroad Historical Society 
<management-team at nvmrc.org>
Reply-To: 	Napa Valley Model Railroad Historical Society 
<management-team at nvmrc.org>
To: 	<lewis2 at earthlink.net>



As the new year begins, we wanted to bring you up to date on the latest 
news regarding our tenancy at the Napa Valley Fairgrounds.
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  *A letter from Dan Jonas, President,
  Napa Valley Model Railroad Historical Society*

JANUARY 3, 2018


Dear friends of the NVMRHS,

As the new year begins, we wanted to bring you up to date on the latest 
news regarding our tenancy at the Napa Valley Fairgrounds.

NVMRHS filed suit on Friday December 29 in the Alameda County Superior 
Court. The case challenges the actions of the Napa Valley Expo to 
precipitously evict the Society from its decades-long tenancy at the 
Napa Valley Fairgrounds. The suit alleges that the Expo Board violated 
the California Environmental Quality Act, known as CEQA. Along with 
protecting the natural environment, CEQA also protects the built 
environment, including an important educational, cultural, recreational, 
and historical resource like the Model Railroad. The Model Railroad 
interprets the agricultural and industrial heritage of the Napa Valley, 
and is enjoyed by thousands of visitors each year in a 
multi-generational setting.

The Expo Board published a Draft Master Plan for the Fairgrounds in 
February 2017, acknowledging that the Plan would not be implemented 
until after a public environmental impact report (EIR) process was 
complete. The EIR must study the Plan’s environmental impacts and 
consider feasible alternatives and mitigation measures. The Expo Board 
instead began implementing parts of the Plan in piecemeal fashion, 
without any CEQA process. The proposed eviction of the Model Railroad 
Society is only one of the unlawful actions taken by the Board. Other 
actions include approval of demolition of Expo buildings to make way for 
a new pavilion contemplated by the Draft Master Plan and installation of 
five acres of sod without studying significant water supply impacts.

The California Supreme Court has made clear that compliance with CEQA 
must be complete before a public agency moves forward with any aspect of 
a project with impacts on environmental resources. In a landmark case 
known as Save Tara, the Supreme Court called out the eviction of tenants 
as an unlawful action when CEQA review had not yet occurred. So it is 
with the Expo Board’s action to evict the Napa Valley Model Railroad 
Historical Society.

We brought this lawsuit only after the Expo Board refused to listen to 
our requests to comply with CEQA. We know there is a way for the Model 
Railroad to continue to serve as a cultural and recreational asset to 
Napa County families while developing a viable new Master Plan.

We will continue to keep you updated on this situation.  In the 
meantime, thank you for your support of the NVMRHS.  We value your 
partnership in preserving our ability to serve the Napa County community.


Sincerely,

Dan Jonas
President,  NVMRHS


  How You Can Support NVMRHS


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/Copyright © 2018 Napa Valley Model Railroad Historical Society, All 
rights reserved./
You are receiving this email because you signed our protest letter to 
keep our organization and the railroad layout at the Napa Expo Fairgrounds.

*Our mailing address is:*
Napa Valley Model Railroad Historical Society
PO Box 2614
Napa, Ca 94558

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