One more item: Demise of Project Calero

[Mark Wagner]

Unless someone else wants to pick up the ball and run with it, I'm done trying to lasso Calero County Park into making astronomy local and easy.  The SCC Parks on this one has been a model of entrenched bureaucracy, with endless hoop after hoop.  I do recall years ago (TACo Denny W) was able to navigate them through a personal friend on the inside.

Anyway, to me the idea is dead.  The annual insurance, fees and paperwork are very discouraging.

I say "Coe instead".

[Akarsh Simha]

Thanks for trying!

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[Brad Templeton]

What were the fees and insurance?

Paperwork, however, can't be solved with money...

[Mark Wagner]

The fees are not high, $160/yr, but still need to be collected in order to pay.  As a regular park user, I pay no fees there (they are collected for boat ramp lot parking at the other entrance though).  Insurance is a $2M/$1M requirement - again, horseback riders, mountain bikers, hikers all use the park without such requirement.  We might be able to use LCO insurance (basically, TAC), but it might be a rider costing $$ or just an unwanted hassle).  The paperwork I'd be happy to send you, Brad, if you wanted to look over it.  My eyes glazed over just looking at the cover letter descriptive paragraphs.  IIRC it wanted collected names of all,  maybe at each event, and (I think) get nit-picky.  Mid-Pen and other agencies simply and quickly give permits - like no questions asked.

Its been over 5 months (glacial) getting to this point.  My gut says they are looking for ways to discourage.  I believe an astronomy once had permitted use of the lot, maybe it was a bad experience. It could be nice for quick local astronomy though.

[Brad Templeton]

No, I don't want to take it over.  Just was curious at the level of bureaucracy.    I think we all would love a place you can just "show up" at without having to arrange in advance, if the sky looks good and the time is free.  Planned events are fine, but more informal is also great.   Calero is just a 33 minute drive while Coe parking lot is a 55 minute one (more at rush hour for both) and that's not a small difference in round trip.

Calero shows 20.56 SQM estimate on lightpollutionmap, Coe shows 21.23 so while both are Bortle 4, Coe is a fair bit better.       Coe is good to the east, Calero would have some dark skies to the west though the SW has Santa Cruz and all the north would be washed out, though I recall it's not too bad.  (SJAA has their public dark sky nights in that area.)