Coffey Park neighbors forge ahead together for second year of recovery

Oct. 27--When the fateful date returned, Coffey Park stood together.

On the first anniversary of the neighborhood's destruction, hundreds of Coffey Park residents returned where their homes once stood in a suburban residential area of northwest Santa Rosa.

Together the neighbors reflected upon their losses from the most destructive wildfire in state history. They also looked forward to a second year of recovery that would include stronger ties with those who had shared hopes and hardships over the past year.

For many residents, October marked the end of the most disorienting year of their lives.

"Everything that's familiar is gone," said Mike Baker, whose family lost a home on Keoke Court.

The North Bay wildfires began on the night of Oct. 8, 2017. The most destructive blaze, the Tubbs fire, reached the Coffey Park neighborhood early the next day. There the fire killed five residents and destroyed 1,321 single-family homes.

In the days leading up to the first anniversary, residents shared how they took small steps forward. Many said they plan to persevere based on a hope they and their neighborhood will recover.

"I long for the day I can say to those who ask, 'I'm fine. I'm great,'?" said Velma Guillory, a retired Sonoma State University professor whose home burned on Hilary Court. For now, when asked how she's doing, her stock response is: "One day at a time."

On the evening of Oct. 9, about 500 people gathered for the anniversary observance near Hopper Avenue and Coffey Lane. Many had parked cars by their old home lots and walked through the neighborhood to the gathering spot.

Once there, neighbors mingled, exchanged hugs and offered animated updates on their lives.

"I'm hearing joy and chatter," Sonoma County Supervisor James Gore said in Coffey Park. "I get the chills, what I'm feeling here."

The observance was different than the more reserved gathering the night before at the countywide commemoration in downtown Santa Rosa on Old School Square.

The neighbors in Coffey Park silently listened to the names of the five residents who had lost their lives in the Tubbs fire. Coffey Strong President Pamela Van Halsema told residents they should acknowledge the past year included plenty of sadness and difficulties "and it's taken a toll on each and every heart in the space."

The audience cheered and applauded when Van Halsema spoke about the future of a place they were rebuilding together. A day was coming, she said, when neighbors would walk past rebuilt homes and "greet each other by name, because we know each other now and we can call each other friend."

Here is a recap of Coffey Park news from October:

New utility lines installed

More than half of Coffey Park property owners have started construction or have the green light from the city to break ground and rebuild their homes.

As of mid-October, workers had started to rebuild 552 single-family houses in the neighborhood. Property owners had received building permits but not yet started construction on another 162 lots.

The city was processing 133 more building permits. And 26 homes had been completed. That accounts for 875, or nearly twot-thirds of the burned single-family houses there.

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