Following are responses to the "essay" questions from the 2022 South County Alliance Survey. Not all questions were answered by all community members. To see all other survey answers, click here.
1) Community activities, Trees and greenery. Tressel Trail.
2) The trees and most of my community.
3) Having adequate space to live in. I miss my special sentimental items that were lost.
4) We only lived in the mountain for 3 months before the fire. Grizzly seems like such a tightknit community with lots of community events in chances to get together. There hasn’t been as much since the fire.
5) The old time residents
6) The trees
The church and burger nights
Friends
7) The trees
8) Neighbors, sense of community, the school
9) The school. the whole community
10) The forest
11) My neighbors. So far we're only ones rebuilding on our whole street.
12) The forest . Helping neighbors
13) I miss the green trees. I am tired of looking at burnt trees! I miss my neighbors. I miss the Post Office!!
Quite honestly the only way for me to get through this is not thinking about what I miss but looking forward to new beginnings.
14) My home and fruit trees
15) The sense of community and neighbors helping neighbors. Still get that, but feel more isolated now. The trees...
16) Quiet. Feelings of community. FRIENDLY neighbors. Kids having friends nearby. Kids being able to play safely. Friendly postal workers.
17) Green trees. I miss not being a homeless camp.
18) All the trees, the shade, and privacy they provided, & the cooler temperatures they provided. I’m in the burn scar in a house that survived. We get so much more sun and wind now. It’s just so barren up here, and not much green yet. I also miss some of my neighbors who have not yet returned, or who will not return. I also miss the post office, but I know another one is coming.
19) Worrying about idiot drivers going up the grade in winter instead of is a log truck gonna flip or go all final destination on us. Watching Facebook feeds griping about Kevin vandalizing target rock instead of seeing post after post of people trying to loot the burnt remains of peoples lives. Seeing people moving about their lives, going on walks. A sense of community. It feels angrier, people are still hurting up on the mtn now.
20) The Burger Nights hosted by our local school at the Church.
Our Post Office
21) The trees.
22) The trees
23) The trees
25) Post office, church,fire dept.
26) Trees and animals
27) Having a place that my grandparents built in 74. Also the sound of the wind through the trees
28) Community, neighbors and the historical buildings. Even the old graveyard
29) Post Office and school
30) Post office
31) Trees
32) Some good Nabiors
33) Our beautiful rivers. Convenience of getting our mail without delays. our neighbors. The history of my 50+ years of exploring the woods :) but I am grateful my house of 50 years is still here. View is different, no trees. But grateful.
34) Driving through my community and seeing homes ad families.
35) Green! The trees, plants and wildlife!
36) The trees
38) I miss what grizzly flats used to be. An American community centered on family values and community support.
39) I miss seeing the old few remaining older homes.
40) Burger nights, Walt Tyler elementary school, post office, a sense of community
41) The noise of the wind rustling through the full pine trees, being able to the shade around my home, the post office
42) I moved here after the fire, but it would be the trees
43) Post office and the poor road going down
44) The trees as they were the main reason we moved up here. We only were able to enjoy them for three days.
45) Community, post office, meeting place like the church
46) The post office and friends that had left before the fire.
48) Trees
50) We miss our neighbors, the beautiful trees, our town . They let our town burn together with our lives. Hearing the bird's singing. Our wild life has moved on..
51) The church buding. Our neighbors and their houses.
52) My quiet mountain life ... watching wildlife walk by my windows..
My house and 5 generations of treasures
53) My or neighbors, one and all, including Pastor Bill Brown and his wife Marylyn.. We miss our elementary school and the sweet sounds of laughter from neighborhood kids. We REALLY miss our U.S. Post Office, as well as our once-beautiful church. (All of our priceless forest critters, that are always a good thing for the Soul, is certainly missed! The bear, mountain lion, squirrels, and the many bird species
54) The trees, the post office,
55) The post office obviously but I miss being able to gather together for Burger Nights
57) People
58) The trees
59) The trees and the people. The feel that it is a community.
60) Post office!
61) Being on the mountain! I miss the drive home to reflect on my day, I miss the peace, I miss not hearing sirens and traffic and horns. I miss my home!
62) The tranquility, refuge and escape
63) My neighbors
64) Trees.
65) I miss our neighbors, their homes? I miss the church right on the business center of the Grizzly Flats Road. The trees.
66) I miss the trees and the church most of all.
67) The community as whole
68) The trees The beautiful little town we all loved so much
69) Community
70) My home, of course. Being in the trees, good neighbors
71) Trees
72) The trees. The Post Office. The Church. The old historic buildings. Some of the people who moved away.
73) My home, the forest an wildlife. The feeling of contentment and serenity.
74) my community
75) Trees
2) The ants. Pine needles.
3) Two trees that were hazardous.
5) The flatlanders who move up the mount and don’t understand mountain life & values
7) The meth heads
8) Traffic on the roads
9) Not really anything
10) Living in the forest
11) Ummmm we miss everything. Our privacy, our lives were erased
12) Low lifes zooming on their quads .
13) I am sorry - I dont know.
14) The tree that was near my home that I needed to get rid off
15) Loud dirt bikes ;)
16) Shoveling snow. Power outages. Being affected by either extreme of fast/wreckerless or slow drivers on GF road.
17) Nothing
18) Nothing I can think of.
19) Idiot drivers (seriously, we still got plenty of those) Potholes-pretty sure some of them were big enough to swim in.
20) The properties that looked like junk yards.
21) NA
22) The fire danger.
25) All the brush and thick trees on all the lots
27) The sound of ATVs
29) Na
30) Nothing
31) Snow
32) Filthy property
33) The trash that got burned with the fire.
I don’t miss the anxiety of fire threat we had EVERY late summer.
34) The irresponsible drivers to and from grizzly flats.
35) We’ve lived in Grizzly Flats for 29 years. We’ve raised our kids here and now our son in law and daughter are raising our grandchildren here. There is nothing we do not miss. We have roots here and it is still we’re we will live.
36) The pineneedles.
38) All the big money people that moved in and claimed it as their "forever home" but yet never contributed a single thing to the fire safe council effort, burger nights, CERT, or the school.
39) Properties with 40 cars on them.
40) People at each others throats comparing life situations. I miss the sense of community that GF once had
41) The “undesirables” drug dealers and thieves (but they are slowly returning
42) I moved here after the fire, so I can not answer this question.
44) We are new to the community but we were told drugs were starting to be an issue up here and that now the people that were causing the issue are gone.
45) Bad apples in the community
46) The noise of aHoles racing up and down Sciaroni, barking dogs constant traffic at all hours on sciaroni
48) Pine needles
50) Raking pine needles.
51) Dog barking and running lose. Do not miss motor bikes.
53) We DO NOT miss developers, gas stations, strip malls, and traffic signals, etc.. There is very little crime of any sort, wo we don't miss crime, like there is down in the "flatlands". (Most Grizzly residents are very well armed, as there is no police station within about 45 minutes to an hour. My signs out front say "We don't call 9-1-1", and "Nothing inside is worth dying for"!. (That first sign melted in the Caldor FIre, the second one made it.)
54) I do not miss the drug dealers and people who took no pride in their properties by filling them with trash.
55) Not much
57) People
58) The drug addicts and bay area transplants
59) The truck traffic and bad roads.
61) Driving in the snow!
62) Driving in the snow!
63) Traffic
64) Traffic on the roads.
65) I don't miss the dirt road motor bikes on the county road.
66) I loved Grizzly. Every bit. There’s really nothing I didn’t like.
69) Pine needles
72) Some of the people who moved away. "Rush Hour" on GF Rd! ; ) The food bank - it attracted homeless who do not live in our community.
73) Raking pine needles! LOL.
There isn't really anything I d I need miss
75) Fire
1) Tressel Trail, Grizzly Pond, Dog Walking, Burger Night and The BBQ
2) Santa breakfast at Walt Tyler church for the kids on Wednesday. The pure beauty and quiet away from the city.
3) None
4) We did not have a chance to participate in many activities before the fire.
5) Hiking, relaxing at home, helping neighbors, volunteering
6) Atv riding
Swimming
Waking
Watching the kids play in the snow
Lemon aid stand across the street from me held by local kids every year
7) Hiking, visiting the local watering holes and rivers
8) Hiking, running, community gatherings
9) Swimming burger nights Easter at the school our Halloween in the park
10) Hiking, the quiet.
11) The pure surroundings. The nature, the happy community
12) Hiking. Walking the dog
13) Going to the river. Taking our dog for walks, riding our offroad vehicles.
14) Peace and quite
15) Walking the dogs, enjoying nature
16) Bible Study/church. Hiking. Photography. Walking dog. Homeschooling.
17) Off road riding
18) Riding the forest trails, exploring the area, walking into the forest behind my house, and meeting people I didn’t know before. I enjoyed going to the river in various places before homeless people came in and built shantytown everywhere, destroying our beautiful slice of heaven.
19) We were new and still getting to know the area. Going down the hill a bit on Sunday for church, not having to go all the way to diamond springs to get my mail—ups service still sucks with Amazon 😂
Walks—we were looking forward to doing some hiking and finding local swimming holes before Caldor came, haven’t gotten back to that yet—damaged trees and pushing a wheelchair don’t really go together.
20) Hiking, really miss the trails and swimming hole.
21) As a former member of the Quick Response Team for the fire department at Station 35, my husband would enjoy handing out candy at the station on Halloween, responding to calls and helping our community, and many more functions up there for the community. We also loved hiking and just sitting on our porch.
22) Hiking, dirt biking, swimming holes.
23) Jeeping, hiking, driving around in the forest. When I was younger I used to do a lot of horseback riding out in Caldor, Pipi area.
25) Hiking walking and seeing all the critters at grizzly pond
26) Fishing hunting
27) I enjoyed hiking and going down to the river, and finding the butterflies drying their wings after hatching and the thousands of ladybugs that came out after they hatched. Just bring in nature
28) Hiking, off reading and fishing
29) Burger Nights, Breakfast with Santa at the school.
30) Hiking Grizzly Pond
31) Snow boarding
32) Hunting, shooting, wood cutting. Dirt roads and peace and quiet
33) Rivers…burger nights….. having our old timers up here.
I’m sad that the graveyard hasn’t gotten any attention even though it still there but not getting rejuvenated like it should be. It’s the ONLY thing left of historic value. And I’m hoping that we can continue to grow as a community without judgement or drama. We are all together and all want the same thing, the beauty of our Moutain to start rejuvenating itself. I believe that is why most of us live up here is because we love nature. I think a community garden would be pretty cool too. Maybe an orchard?
34) Driving out the back ways snd done of the hikes. The availability of a post office with out driving to somerset.
35) Hiking, swimming, and attending Grizzly Flats Community Church.
38) I enjoyed hiking, bonfires and drinking with close friends, hunting, and fire safe council efforts such as the graveyard cleanup and community cleanup days. I also enjoyed burger nights and the ensuing after party's at many residents homes. Founders day at the school has been gone a long time but that was a pleasure to participate in as well.
39) Hiking to the Steely Fork, still do. Fresh air and the small town feeling. Still do.
40) Hiking, fishing, walking
41) Finally had retired and didn’t have to drive down the hill everyday. So got to fully enjoy just the simple outdoors, the beauty in the history of Griz and area, hiking, walking through the forest on old long forgotten logging roads.
But that was cut short
44) We looked forward to hiking, camping, nature photography, and riding our side-by-side in the National Forest which was next to our property. Now it is a forest of death and not safe.
48) Walking in the forest.
50) Visiting with friends at the post office. Miss our community church. Meeting new friends. So beautiful here.
51) The local activities in the central Grizzly Flat Rd. The Grizzly Old Town Riad. The church on Sundays.
The church BBQ. The church activities, Easter, 4th of July, Hallowing, Christmas dinners. Fire council meetings. Location for annual clean-up. Burger night on the main Grizzly Flat Road.
52) Retired life .
53) We are now retired, so our back deck and BBQ'ing is about it! lol
54) Quad riding in the forest. Hiking in the forest.
55) Hiking, walking dogs, swimming, BBQ with friends, playing with the dogs at the Pond
57) Nature
58) Peace and quiet
59) Off roading in the forest.
60) Walks, hikes,
61) My home was across from the pond, I miss going there. Walks, trails,.
62) The River, small get together at the church or firehouse.
63) Walking my dogs and meeting my neighbors.
64) Hiking, OHV, fishing, swimming, family gatherings.
65) The centralized location of the church, church BBQ, church burger nights, church women Christmas dinner.
66) We enjoyed walks through the woods and the chores that come with having a mountain home such as; collecting firewood, gardening, and the quiet neighborhoods.
67) Swimming hiking camping burger nights church Halloween Easter at the school
69) Hiking, swimming.
70) Hikes, burger nights, just enjoying the trees and the quiet.
71) Camping, hiking, gardening, snow play, managing my land
72) Riding quads, hiking in the forest.
73) Hiking, swimming, rock hounding .
75) Hiking
1) Clean up Cat Tails, Picnic Tables, evening lighting, events,.
4) I was unaware there was even a pond in Grizzly.
6) Maybe able to have little boats on it or swim in it
More pic Nic tables
BBQ area
8) Picnic area and fishing
9) Pinic tables horseshoes open to public
11) Well for one...lights! Thise of us returning need to feel secure. Unsure of reliable dafe living conditions. We went even a priority in saving community. Want to feel secure w pur surrounding officials. Want security. And want these loud digging tractors to stop working in am hours. It's rude.
12) More picnic tables. Perhaps moving Burger Night there.
13) Would be nice to have a bathroom, kids play area /water play area, designated dog area. Community center where we could rent a hall if needed. Have an area where neighbors can meet.
15) Perhaps a covered picnic area that could be used for birthday parties, etc.
17) Afraid to see any of the above because it will draw more squatters and homeless
18) I wouldn’t want anything that will encourage more homeless people to come up here, or more thieves. It’s been bad since we aren’t well populated to watch everywhere.
19) Not sure about the pond itself, but it would be nice to have some wheelchair accessible play available for my daughter—maybe a wheelchair swing and some level foot/wheelchair paths
20) Places to eat and gather.
22) Na
25) All the debris in the pond cleaned out.
28) Restrooms, covered tables, beach area for kids and sunbathers
31) A real park
32) Fishing, shade structure and dear Resistant plants
33) BBQs…tables… fishing dock…. Maybe horse shoes.
I remember when we had a craft fair there with live music and old cars. It was great!!!
I use to swim there years ago! We had a rope swing and at night ewes go frog giggin! Lol
34) A place that is inviting and welcoming to residence
35) Having a park in Grizzly Flats would require a budget for upkeep which seems likely to eventually come from some sort of tax assessment and I would not want an increase in my taxes!
38) An over all cleaning up of the area, fix the benches, improve trails and dirt parking and get rid of the gate. Also stock it with fish and have a catch and release policy so parents can teach their kids how to properly fish.
39) Really didn't use the Grizzly Pond area in 30 years, so not invested in it's repair or rebuild.
40) People gathering at the pond, no arguing about politics
41) Dredge, dredge.. have it a proper pond again. Redone picnic area, incoming blacktop or gravel improvement.
I still think back to the 70,s, 80’s listening to all the giant bullfrogs at the pond
42) Maybe some commemorative displays.
46) Go to Lafco create a parks district separate from the water district and move forward with improvements like cutting down old trees. Mowing Grass. Fixing picnic areas and allowing organized events. In time a bathroom could be built, maybe covered sitting areas. The Pond belongs to the land owners of Grizzly park, it was given to the people by Thomas Porter land development as a benefit to purchasing property in the Park. We own it, nothing has to be purchased and it is a perfect place for a Park.
50) More play amenities for the children.
51) The Park or Pond was gated and not available to visit. So, it's not missed. Would not care if it didn't exist.
53) These very questions are examples that start to "smell" like developer lingo, trying check maybe on any possible money-making schemes...This is, or was, a pristine natural forest with private homes. Now 2/3's of them are gone.
55) Restrooms (yes there is a risk for the homeless but those with kids would visit more if there were restrooms), trash cans for doggy "issues", more areas to sit down but keep the pond rustic
57) Stocked fish benches park area
61) I’d like to see water stay in the front pond! Maybe a play ground.
62) Make it family friendly, sitting areas with tables and benches
63) Never been there.
64) If there will ever be enough community members again it would ve nice to see a park at the pond. Picnic areas with bbqs. Baseball field. Something like Pioneer Park.
65) Have an ice skating ring and pucknick tables with food truck with hot coco or cider in the winter and tacos in the spring and summer.
66) I would be concerned with costs to the residents to provide something like this. Grizzly didn’t have a pond or park before, it didn’t need one. The community and those who love it are what made the place special.
67) Usable picnic tables
69) Cleaned up
70) I'd love to see a dock you can walk out on. Would like to see it more inviting, maybe climbing structure for kids or more picnic tables, volley ball court or horseshoe pits, etc.
72) Any type of improvement may attract the homeless. I am NOT in favor of anything that will do that.
73) Make it more inviting for picnics and people with pets
74) picnic tables, access to power and water for small events, new fencing, paths, sign
75) More benches
1) Since we are rebuilding , we need to plan to make Grizzly more community oriented, safer and welcoming.
4) I would love to have a play ground and a dog park near by.
7) We did not have a community center before the fire and used the church for burger nights. Perhaps rebuilding the church since that was, in fact, used as a gathering location prior to the fire. Just a thought.
9) No
11) Now that the community slowly comes home, I'd like to kniw we can rely on officials to keep us safe once this process is beginning full speed ahead. I want to kniw whose coming and going. Our mountain is being raped by outside people . Our crystals Our live trees. No chance not knowing what's going on. Keep us safe now were returning.
13) Thank you for taking the time to hear the community. I think this is a perfect opportunity to fix up GF & bring the small town community together.
15) No
17) Crime is up squatters everywhere people living in tents and using the forest for a toilet
18) We need more patrol by county Code Enforcement, and Sheriff. Too many squatters, people living in cars, human waste causing health hazards. The county does nothing when we report these things.
19) Maybe also a fenced in “pet park” to let dogs play off leash?
21) We are saving everything we have to rebuild in Grizzly one day. We own the land still and bought elsewhere in the mean time. Grizzly will always be home.
26) I lost 500,000 board ft of timber and I want to replant some timber but I also want to grow pomegranates. But I need money.
27) It was our second family home and we are not going to rebuild as of right now but will keep the property
33) Just thank you for reaching out to the community for input. I hope you are we’ll rewarded for your efforts! So happy you are taking the lead and working to make it happen and you want the communities input!
35) I believe a community center would be under utilized and potentially cost residents in a tax assessment to keep it open and supported over time. The benefit does NOT outweigh the potential cost to residents!
37) Purchased a previously built lot that burned.
39) Thank you for this survey. I do hope all opinions for and against a Community Center will be heard.
41) Seems like so many permits, fees and hoops to jump through even to get started....delays...
42) I would like to see new business in the area. I personally would like to open a barber shop/ hair salon.
44) We bought our home three days before the fire and lost the main house. We now live in a small granny flat attached to our garage that survived. We don’t really know what we will do next.
50) We need our President Biden to keep his promises to us and our community.
53) I am a Vietnam Veteran (X2 tours), Purple Heart (WIA 23 March, 1971.) My wife of 50 years was my Vietnam penpal that I met when I got home..) We are both good with firearms, and have 2 very good loveable guard dogs
61) My daughter would have started at Walt Tyler this year for kindergarten, I work and husband is disabled and cannot drive. Having the school so close allowed us to not worry about transportation. We would love to see the school back so we can get back to a normal, comfortable, safe life.
65) Are the residents going to be monthly or annual charge for maintaining the center.
Will there be a charge for the events. Will the users be charege if they want to have events. Craft fair, parties, etc.
66) I’ve been in Grizzly for 26 years. There was no need for parks and community centers before the fire. When there was need, the church was often used. People loved Grizzly for what it was: A small community with friendly neighbors. There are even less people living here than there were before and likely will be for some time. Unfortunately, I do believe that a building of that sort would be sorely underused and a potential eyesore if not properly maintained. I for one, would have no purpose for such a facility.
70) I am hopeful for Grizzly Flats return. Incredibly sad and frustrated at some of the delays, lack of support and ways things have played out. On the other hand, there is much to be thankful for and I'm glad to see as many as have been able begin to rebuild and get back to living in Grizzly. We were weekenders hoping to spend some years full time living in Grizzly, all that is up in the air now. It would be so helpful to us if there were a a place to stay up there. As it is, we have to stay in Placerville or Pollock Pines, drive out and while we're in Grizzly there is no place to use the restroom or make a phone call--makes it really hard to get done what needs doing.
72) Be very careful to weigh the downside of any "improvements." Seek out people with radically different points of view and listen to them. Think long-term. What is the ultimate vision for the community and who is creating the vision? Who do you want to attract? Times are going to be getting harder economically and that increases crime. If you build it/offer it/promote it, they will come. Who is the "they" that you want to come? Who is the "they" that you don't want to come? Who are we exposing our community to? Usually, people only think about the supposed "benefit" but there are many repercussions that if not weighed at the beginning, could be a problem in the end.