Friends of the Alba Schoolhouse

06/23/2025

Just in time for the Fourth of July, one of the schoolhouse community projects is complete!

Here is John, the Chairman of the Alba Recreation and Park District board, raising the flag at the schoolhouse site.

Thanks to all the amazing volunteers who made this happen.

Consider donating to the cause to help fund future projects through this link: https://givebutter.com/Bv1yYo

06/23/2025

It's impossible not to tap your toes to the tunes of Joshua Lowe and the Junos!

We owe these folks so much for helping to make our event a success each year.

Check them out - buy an album! Support our amazing local musicians.

Joshua Lowe & The JuncosSanta Cruz, CAwww.joshualowemusic.com

06/23/2025

Check out Nels Andrews, who will be sharing his musical vibes with us on the Fourth of July!

Artist - Nels AndrewsSong - "South of San Gregorio"Nels Andrews - Vocals, GuitarDorota Szuta - Violinhttp://www.nelsandrews.comhttps://www.facebook.com/nelsa...

06/23/2025

We are so excited to have Allyson Makuch and Rory Cloud of Echoes & Artifacts play at the Fourth!

Recorded By: Jonny Himsel of A Song Catcher www.asongcatcher.org Insta: Music owned by: Echoes & Artifacts Allyson Makuch Rory Cloud Insta: ...

11/20/2024

We had a great feedback session regarding the Alba Schoolhouse site and the programming offered!

For programming, folks shared that they enjoy the 4th of July Celebration and appreciate the FireWise program. There was a lot of enthusiasm to bring back the neighborhood potlucks! And, some interest in activities targeting kids.

For the site location, it was such a great discussion, and so many great ideas were shared!

People are hopeful that a permanent structure can eventually be
rebuilt. There were comments regarding ensuring that anything
we build there takes into account a future building. There was an interest in keeping the space as natural as possible.

Lastly, there was a lot of discussion about what the space means to the community: how can we keep our community connected, and
how we facilitate this through the space and programming.

If you look through the PDF - you can find the starting point for the project on page 18 and 19. Our plan is to start here at the basics, then, as we assess the budget we are hoping to add more and more of the other interesting and exciting ideas that were shared by the community!

We are aiming to get started on the project in 2025!

https://albarec.specialdistrict.org/files/1ab655088/Alba+Schoolhouse+Park.pdf

09/25/2024

Please join us for the Alba Schoolhouse Park - Community Feedback! event on October 19th at 1pm.

The good news is that the project has secured funding through California State Parks for almost $178,000! We invite our local community to join us in shaping the future vision of Alba Schoolhouse Park.

If you can't attend these meetings, there is still a way for you to share your feedback! You'll find a survey linked, here: https://forms.gle/7sqMqfEsnjmWp1uA7

Together, we rebuild!

07/04/2024

Thanks to the volunteers who helped us set up for an amazing day tomorrow! We have the best community ♥️

Can’t wait to see folks tomorrow and celebrate an amazing 4th of July! We are so excited for all the great bands! 🎶

Hope everyone will come in down and check it out. The event is from 11-3pm!

🇺🇸 🎆 🔔

06/29/2024

I wanted to give a little update on this project as we get closer to the 4th of July!

In June 2024, the San Lorenzo Valley Unified School District very graciously donated the parcel of the schoolhouse to the Alba Recreation and Park District - the fully volunteer group that has always operated the schoolhouse.

The good news with this change is that now the complicated insurance situation we found ourselves in has been removed and we can break ground anytime! The bad news is that any work we do for the schoolhouse will be funded 100% from donations and grants. We are already working with California State Parks for a grant we qualified for to cover some basics.

We would like to augment our grant with donations! All donations we receive are fully tax deductible through the non-profit, Friends of the Alba Schoolhouse. Now, you can donate to the non-profit electronically though this link: https://givebutter.com/Bv1yYo

Please consider attending our annual July 4th event (it will be super fun!). We will also be hosting some community in-person and virtual events to solicit feedback on what people would like to see at the schoolhouse lot. So keep an eye out.

Join us as we start a new journey to rebuild!

Join us as we rebuild this piece of mountain history back from the ashes

12/11/2023

Thank you, Dan for writing this great opinion in Lookout.

From the start, the SLVUSD Board voted not to spend district dollars on our project - a decision of which we agree wholeheartedly. When it was discovered that SLVUSD was underinsured, leaving likely a gap of up to $300k, our organizations were prepared to explore funding options to cover the gap. However, in the last Board meeting SLVUSD made it clear that they do not want to mix any streams of funding between the agencies. So, any option to rebuild is no longer possible.

If we can’t rebuild, the hope is that SLVUSD will allow the land to continue to be available to the public. Please consider attending their next meeting or writing them a note to advocate for this option!

Ben Lomond’s historic and beloved Little Red Alba Schoolhouse was lost in the CZU fire of 2020 and was supposed to have been rebuilt. Now it appears it won't be. Daniel DeLong considers the implications of legacy being sacrificed for money, and makes a humble request.

11/16/2023

SLVUSD votes to not rebuild the Alba Schoolhouse.

The SLVUSD had a meeting yesterday with an agenda item regarding a cost analysis report they had requested to estimate the total Alba Schoolhouse rebuild cost. Though the item was listed on their agenda to be specifically about covering the cost of that report. Instead, the vote was framed as a vote on the overall project. 4 of the 5 Trustees voted not to rebuild the schoolhouse. Thank you to the one trustee who saw the Schoolhouse as we do and voted yes!

It was also discussed that they were not supportive of the Alba Community covering the uninsured portions of the cost. Not wanting to “mix the streams” of the organizations was mentioned multiple times. The vote was centered around whether or not the school district should spend its money to cover the costs outside of insurance. Given that they were also not open to the Alba community covering any cost, it makes sense that their vote was as it was. The School District had not indicated in the past that they would not accept any Alba community funds, but this new mindset had come up in the last month. The school district had negotiated a higher payout amount (should they not rebuild) with their insurance recently, upping their payout amount to $900k from the original $550k. The district will pocket that money.

Saying we are disappointed is putting it lightly. We are regrouping to see how and if we proceed. A community meeting will be put on the books in the next month so we can gauge interest on other alternative projects at the site. One option we are hoping for is to have SLVUSD donate or allow us to purchase the land. This may or may not be possible, but we are hoping to receive more information regarding that option.

The next SLVUSD board meeting is scheduled for December 13th at 6pm and is open for public comment. It’s worth noting that their board meetings are not accessible remotely via Zoom. You also must attend the meeting in person to deliver public comments or send your note via another member of the community attending on your behalf.

If you would like to voice your concerns or support to the SLVUSD immediately, you can do so by contacting the Trustees and Superintendent directly. Their contact information is below:

Mark Becker - Board President - [email protected]
Stacy Newsom Kerr (the lone yes vote) - Trustee - [email protected]
Grace Pollak - Trustee - [email protected]
Gail Levine - Trustee - [email protected]
Jackqi Rice - Trustee - [email protected]
Christopher Schiermeyer - Superintendent - [email protected]