Laird's Landing to park panel
Advisory commissioners for the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and Point Reyes National Seashore will decide Saturday, Oct. 26, what to do with Laird's Landing on Tomales Bay.
The site was previously the home of fisherman and artist Clayton Lewis, who died last year. A group of West Marin residents want the historic buildings preserved as an art and ecology center.
Commissioners will meet at 1:30 p.m. at the Dance Palace.
Also on their agenda are plans for the heavily vandalized Jensen Oyster Farm north of Nick's Cove, expansion of the Point Reyes Hostel, undergrounding utility lines in Muddy Hollow on the south side of Mount Vision, and a waste-management project for the Kehoe dairy ranch on Point Reyes.
County officials preparing to rezone lots in Tomales
County planning commissioners on Monday, Nov. 4, and county supervisors on Tuesday, Nov. 12, will hold public hearings to consider rezoning several lots in Tomales in conformance with the just-updated Tomales Community Plan.
C-ARP (Coastal, Agriculture/Residential Planned) lots would be rezoned C-APZ-60 (Coastal, Agriculture Preservation Zone, 60-acre minimum).
C-R-A: B-1 (Coastal, Suburban Agriculture, 6,000-square-foot minimum) lots would be rezoned C-RSP-7.26 (Coastal, Planned Single-Family Residential, 7.26 units per acre). This would not change the number of units per acre.
One C-R-A: B-4 (Coastal, Suburban Agriculture, one-acre minimum) lot would be rezoned C-RSP-1.6 (Coastal, planned, single-family residential, 1.6 units per acre).
A C-VCR: B-3.5 (Coastal, Village Commercial-Residential, 30,000-square-foot minimum) lot would be rezoned C-VCR: B-4 (Coastal, Village Commercial-Residential, one-acre minimum).
And a C-ARP (Coastal, Agriculture/ Residential, Planned) lot would be rezoned C-APZ-60 (Coastal, Agriculture Preservation Zone, 60-acre minimum).
Daughter in Bolinas
A daughter, Colby Diane D'Onofrio, was born Oct. 8 at Kaiser Permanente Hospital in Santa Rosa to Claire Simeone and her husband Tom D'Onofrio of Bolinas. The little girl weighed 8-pounds, 15 ounces at birth.
A former member of the Navy and Coast Guard who coached Toby Giacomini's Little League Team with Fred Rodoni Sr. in the 1960s has died in Kansas City, Kansas.
Ex-coach here dies in Kansas
John E. Skinner, 77, was born in Kansas City. During World War II, he served in the Navy aboard the submarine USS Blower and then enlisted in the Coast Guard, where he served 18 years as a chief engineer.
From 1965 to 1980, when he retired, he worked for Cummins Mid-America as a diesel mechanic.
He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Doris D. Skinner; a daughter and son-in-law, Wendy K. and Brad L. Norman of Michigan; a sister, Mary Hendrix of Missouri; two brothers, James Skinner of Indiana and Charles Skinner of Kansas; and three grandsons.
Inverness weekender dies
A summer and weekend resident of Inverness, Jeanne Huguenin Dana, died Oct. 18 in Orinda. Her sister, Kay Holbrook, lives in Inverness.
Mrs. Dana is also survived by her husband, Charles Harrold Dana of Orinda; a son, Charles H. Dana Jr. of Orinda; a daughter, Katherine G. Osterioch of Walnut Creek; and numerous grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and cousins.
Leonard Grandi dies at age 60
Leonard Grandi, a descendant of the pioneer Grandi family of West Marin, died of a heart attack last Friday at his home in Rohnert Park. He was 60.
Mr. Grandi loved music and played the organ with Lawrence Welk's band, friends said. He was an Arthur Murray ballroom dance instructor in San Rafael, and designed Christmas displays enjoyed by families in Rohnert Park for generations.
"He was a kind and caring person, giving more of himself than he really could sometimes," said son Lenny Grandi. "He lived life on his own terms, the way he wanted to. He didn't have to rely on a job or time off [because of a family trust]. He was a free man."
Born in Point Reyes Station, Mr. Grandi graduated from Tomales High in 1954, moved to Fairfax and later to Rohnert Park, his son said.
Friend and neighbor Dennis Perry of Rohnert Park said he went to Tomales High with Mr. Grandi, and dispelled rumors that Mr. Grandi was involved in putting a cow up on the roof or stoking the shop stove with turpentine.
Mr. Grandi enthusiastically followed high school football, and played saxophone and piano, Perry said. He studied agriculture and was "sharp as a tack" about cattle, sheep and banking, but chose not to go into those professions, his friend added.
Mr. Grandi's relatives, who include the Bianchi family, owned dairy property from Olema to Inverness Park. His grandfather Louis, father Reno, and uncle Ennio founded Bank of Marin and started Point Reyes Station's largest enterprise - the Grandi Company - in 1914, according to historian Jack Mason.
The Grandis built a large brick building at the eastern edge of town which stands (empty) today.
Leonard Grandi reared son Lenny and step-son Leslie Baptiste in Rohnert Park, where he was well loved by neighboring children, Perry said.
"He would never be down on you for doing something foolish," said Roger Robertson of Moss Landing, who grew up next door to Mr. Grandi and considered him a father figure. "He was very forgiving. He was always there."
Mr. Grandi was preceded in death by his wife Mary Lou Grandi in 1992, and by second wife Joanne Grandi several months ago. He is survived by son Lenny of Rohnert Park and grandchildren Nichole, Joshua and Victoria.