The Press Democrat from Santa Rosa, California • 11

AFJTA ROSA The Press Democrat State officials unveil new Medi-Cal plan 3 ISJKflUfJUiiglS, JIXJ Rescue mission's Ruth Gross dies Santa Rosa, California, Saturday, April 3, 1993 By ROBERT DIGITALE Staff Writer -Bypass spells relief in Cloverdale 1 Ruth Cross, who went from a career as an East Coast night club singer and showgirl to work with homeless and imprisoned women for Santa Rosa's rescue mission, died W. A Highway 101 project enters final phase Cross tin, i iMrtaai i wto rii Wmr m-J 1 1' i 's- i Friday at her home. She was 63. Cross once dated singer Tony Bennett and played such venues as New York City, Boston and Miami. But locally she was better known for serving 16 years with her husband Dick Cross at the Redwood Gospel Mission, formerly the Santa Rosa Rescue Mission.

She was a vice president. He was president. "Ruth Cross lived up to her biblical name, which means compassionate," said her pastor, the Rev. John Warren of Christian Life Center. "She loved music, she loved to sing, but most of all she loved to serve people." She was found by family members in the bed of her Santa Rosa home on Friday morning.

A doctor suspects she may have died of congestive heart failure, family and friends said. "She was a very giving person and I am going to miss her very much," her husband said. See Cross, Page B2 r- tft. I -V'" t- Engineer Dale LeGallee keeps an eye on construction. By STEVE HART Start Writer CLOVERDALE When Dale LeGallee was growing up in Sonoma County, he heard lots of talk about the Cloverdale bypass.

The state's massive construction project, designed to eliminate a bottleneck on Highway 101, had been on the drawing boards since the early 1960s. When LeGallee later studied engineering at Chico State University, he did a college paper in 1984 on the Sonoma County project. LeGallee wrote the bypass was badly needed, but would have to be carefully designed to avoid damaging impacts on Cloverdale. Today, LeGallee is the state Department of Transportation's resident engineer for the Cloverdale bypass and he's seeing some of his ideas become reality. Work is well under way on the last phase of the bypass, a $23 million construction job that should be finished next year.

"We're moving along pretty well right now," said LeGallee, watching giant earthmovers chew away at a hillside just east of downtown Cloverdale. He said workers are taking special precautions to protect the environment, like installing an elaborate system of "silt fences" to control runoff. Besides the 4 miles of four-lane freeway, construction crews will build frontage roads, freeway interchanges, freeway bridges and railroad spans. Cloverdale bypass Highway 101128 separator 4 Burglars hit three bicycle shops in SR Planned SilHiliflffllllil Central It Cloverdale I imterchange SUB? JE) Planned I Plfl NWPRR if I We're moving along pretty; well right now. DALE LACALLEE, ENGINEER FOR BYPASS S.

Cloverdale 1 Blvd. rm interchange PRESS DEMOCRAT GRAPHIC By CRAIG ANDERSON Staff Writer Burglars hit three Santa Rosa bicycle shops early Friday, stealing expensive mountain bikes worth an estimated $23,000. The front windows of all three shops were broken by bricks, rocks or water-main cap and thieves took the most expensive bicycles, according to store owners and managers. Police did not know whether the burglaries were committed by the same thieves, but store owners and managers said they had little doubt. "They knew what they wanted," said Mitch Giem, service manager of Cycle Connection, the Montgomery Village bike shop that was burglarized just before 5 a.m.

Friday. Six bikes worth $10,000 were taken. Burglars took two mountain bikes after throwing bricks through the front window at Dale's Schwinn at 2:39 a.m Friday. The losses included a fully-suspended, alumi-1 num, mountain bike that owner Mike Hewitt said was worth $3,100, as well as another bicycle worth $2,100. "This sounds more organized," Hewitt said.

"I wouldn't be surprised if (the burglars) had been in the store a few days before to see what they wanted." Burglars also took eight to 10 road and mountain bikes from Rincon Cyclery on Sonoma Highway after smashing the window earlier in the night Russ McCrack-en, the owner, said they were worth about $8,000. 5 fl Vl "if 5 -wirfXfc'i, iimii'T" i i iiimimi imr i JEFF KAN LEEPRESS DEMOCRAT Giant machines chew away at hillside east of downtown Cloverdale. The bypass will bring welcome relief for downtown Cloverdale, where Highway 101 traffic is a major headache. More than 25,000 cars and trucks travel through downtown every day, causing traffic congestion, air pollution and noise. Some merchants worry they'll lose business when most of the traffic is diverted to the bypass.

But city leaders and Chamber of Commerce officials say it will help Cloverdale in the long run, paving the way for downtown redevelopment and attracting new businesses. The city is already talking about life after the bypass, with plans for a visitor-friendly entrance to downtown west of the freeway's Central Cloverdale interchange. The bypass work is complicated by other issues, including protection of wetlands and Indian artifacts. Caltrans is doing $3 million worth of wetland restoration on a Russian River site south of Cloverdale to compensate for the loss of federally protected wetlands along the freeway route. Caltrans also is employing archaeologists and tribal monitors to see that any Indian artifacts or remains uncovered by construction workers are properly pre- served.

There are several archaeological sites on the freeway route. Archaeologist Jennifer Lion, a graduate student from Sonoma State University, said fragments of chert and obsidian, two minerals used by ancient Indians, have already been recovered. Three other agencies, the state Department of Fish and Game, the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, also are monitoring the environmental impacts. Much of the early construction involves relocating utility lines and clearing and leveling the route.

Eventually, stretches of the Northwestern Pacific Railroad will also be relocated away from the freeway. C.A. Rasmussen, a Southern California-based company, is prime contractor for the work. Some 30 subcontractors also are being used. Loss of dam worries Healdsburg Earthmover speeds along Cloverdale bypass project.

nnourjD the coueistv SANTA ROSA Time change poll County government complex in Santa Rosa. Those living near Sonoma can take items to the parking lot adjacent to Arnold Field off First Street East from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. Tentative subjects for discussion are the city budget, which faces a $1.8 million shortfall within two years, and growth.

However time also is set aside for residents to bring their concerns before the council. Councilman Jim Reilly raised the town hall idea during his 1990 campaign. But the first meeting comes in the shadow of a scathing grand jury report and community concern about the way the city does business. But many other Sonoma County residents indicated that lawmakers should stop tinkering with time. "If you want to get off work earlier and have more daylight when you get home, just go to work earlier," said Luella Karutz.

Several others, such as Jim Blackman of Petaluma, said the entire year should be on Daylight Savings Time, or none of it because "it just takes so long to get readjusted." And for those still up at 2 a.m. Sunday, remember to move your clocks forward one hour. Presslnfo call-in The time may be ripe to add three more weeks to Daylight Savings Time. By a 2-to-l margin, respondents to The Press Democrat's Presslnfo phone poll said they favored a Congressional proposal to begin the time change two By STEVE HART SUff Writer HEALDSBURG This Wine Country town is worried about its future water supply, now that Sonoma County is delaying installation of the summer dam at Healdsburg Memorial Beach. The Russian River dam helps provjde water for the city during the summer months.

Healdsburg leaders also wonder abouj the fate of Memorial Beach, a popular swimming spot operated by Sonoma County. Problems with the dam could mean the end of aquatic recreation at the county park. Healdsburg officials have been meeting with the county to talk about the dam, which has been the focus of a long-standing legal dispute. Sport-fishing groups and state wildlife authorities charge the dam illegally blocks fish migration and want the county to build a fish ladder. See Dam, Page B2 Should Daylight Savings Time be expanded? YES 85 NO 35 sonor.iA COUNTY Storm assistance Sonoma County residents and business owners suffering financial losses from winter storms can learn what government assistance is available to them at an all-day workshop today at the Santa Rosa Veterans Memorial Building.

The workshop, which starts at 9 a.m, is being conducted by Dan Nicholas, director of the Sonoma County Office of Emergency Services. Homes and business damaged by flooding, wind or other storm related forces may qualify for disaster relief assistance programs. SANTA ROSA Spring cleaning Homeowners and renters can join their spring cleaning neighbors in getting rid of hazardous household items by taking them to collection sites today in Santa Rosa and Sunday in Sonoma. Residents can drop off materials from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

today at the large parking lot across from the Redwood Credit Union off Administration Center Drive at the Sonoma R02IHERTPARK To hall meeting Rohnert Park council members are holding a special town hall meeting Tuesday to meet city residents and hear their views. The informal meeting will be held in the Community Center on Snyder Lane at 6 p.m. and will be open to all residents of Rohnert Park. weeks earlier in the spring and extend it past Halloween in the fall. Susan Black of Santa Rosa said children going to school would be safer if it was lighter outside.

She also bad a selfish reason. "I know I would benefit from extra exercise in the evening when I would be able to go outside," she said..