Next Saturday, West County will turn its attention to Graton, where the town will come alive with live music, parades, pie contests, zucchini races, food, farmers, and local beer and wine. The Town Square will be the focal point, still in its infancy but about to become a reality.
With all that will be happening throughout the winter to open the square, it seems like a good time to examine where our town is and where it will go. Let’s start with the Town Square, where I spoke with Joseph McIntyre, vice president of the board of the Graton Community Services District (GCSD), which owns the square.
Graton Community Services District charts a path to complete the Town Square
Joseph McIntyre has served on the GCSD board for nearly two years, joining after the decision to acquire the town square property — and the funding to do so, largely drawn from Sonoma County Ag+Open Space District grants, had already been made. What he inherited was a project already underway: a vision, championed by GCSD board members Jennifer Butler and Max Wilmarth, to transform the site into a true public gathering space for Graton.
That vision, McIntyre said, grew out of an organic partnership between local residents who saw an opportunity and a public agency — the GCSD — willing to help advance it. The district’s involvement opened doors to support from other government partners, including Supervisor Lynda Hopkins, a steady backer of rural communities like Graton.
But turning that opportunity into a finished town square has meant grappling with a challenge familiar to small districts everywhere: how to fund a large, capital-intensive project without a dedicated revenue source?
A Pay-As-You-Go approach
The remaining cost to complete the Square will be about $1 million, McIntyre said. The district has taken a pay-as-you-go approach, raising funds in stages rather than borrowing against future revenue. That approach is governed by a firm rule: by law, the GCSD cannot use its sewer funds to subsidize the Town Square. The park must support itself.
To maintain that separation, the district created a third budget “bucket” for Parks, which includes both the Town Square and the Graton Green, to track the revenues and expenses of these projects. Ratepayer fees fund sewer operations and cover repairs and maintenance; sewer capital comes largely from connection fees. The Parks bucket is similar: money raised for the Town Square is kept separate from the Sewer budgets. Under the county’s accounting rules, which govern the district’s finances, the account must come close to breaking even each year.
That structure protects the sewer system from being tapped to cover park costs, but it also means the district is constantly balancing cash flow — ensuring enough money is on hand to cover bills as they come due without dipping into funds set aside for utility operations.
“That’s hard,” McIntyre said, “because it means the pace of the project is slower than I think lots of folks would prefer.” Still, he said, the board is committed to living within those limits.
This Year’s Goal: $260,000
To date, the District has raised more than $1,000,000 in donations and grants to purchase the land and complete the initial planning and permitting. Now the board — though it has not yet formally adopted the figure — is working toward a fundraising target of about $260,000 for the coming year, against expected spending of roughly $250,000.
That budget includes: the capital costs of building out the square and the district’s broader park operations, including maintenance of the Graton Green and an innovative landscaping job-training partnership with the Graton Day Labor Center. Roughly half of this year’s fundraising goal is earmarked for permanent construction, with the balance covering administrative and program costs, permitting and technical study fees, utilities, maintenance, and equipment rental.
The immediate priority, McIntyre said, is modest but essential: make the site accessible to the public, remove the perimeter fence, and comply with the district’s use permit. Only after that, he said, does the district expect to begin renting the space — generating the ongoing revenue that would help sustain it and bootstrap the next phase of site development.
“It’s not like our core competency is park development,” McIntyre said. The district’s five board members are unpaid, and while district manager Chad Davisson runs the sewer system day to day, the town square work is largely contracted to ReVillage, which is run by Matt Jorgensen and Tori Immel, who are also principals in the successful Graton Station development. Making that shift — from utility operator to a fundraising, placemaking organization — has been, in McIntyre’s words, “a stretch.”
Looking Ahead
McIntyre expects the capital campaign to wind down once the square is finished, with future costs limited to maintenance and covered largely by rentals and community events — weddings, festivals, and tree lighting.
“We need the thing working,” McIntyre said. “We need to be able to open it up and make it a public space to see what is really possible.”
Asked what he’d want Graton residents to know, McIntyre didn’t hesitate:
“This place matters. And the more beautiful we can make this, the more opportunities there are for us to come together, the more resilient we can be and the more joy we can have in our lives. That makes it a worthwhile place to make a small contribution, if you’re able.”
Paying it Forward
In checking in with me for this story, Jennifer Butler, president of the GCSD, wanted me to emphasize “that the board is working on fiscal sustainability for the Town Square and that it is available to rent for private events, and the rental fees will be used for the ongoing fiscal needs of the Town Square.”
Needless to say, fundraising is central to the effort because ratepayer funds cannot be used. So, open your wallets, Graton! The upcoming construction phases will include naming opportunities for everything from seating areas to the permanent stage and the terraced lawn amphitheater. This square will be a generational change for our little town.
Graton Day Festival Returns Sept. 26, 1 pm to 5 pm
Graton is gearing up for a day of music, food, and community spirit as the Graton Day Festival returns to Graton Town Square. Presented by the Graton Community Services District and the ReVillage Foundation, the free festival is both a celebration and a fundraiser — 100% of proceeds benefit the new Graton Town Square, a permanent gathering place for markets, music, and cultural events. All donations are welcome.
The music starts early and doesn’t let up, with local favorite Graton Grass kicking things off before handing the stage to 3 Acre Holler. ALMAS (Alianza de Mujeres Activas y Solidarias), the domestic worker organizing project of Centro Laboral de Graton, will provide food and drink.
True to Graton Day tradition, the festival’s signature contests are back: the zucchini races, where kids and adults alike build and decorate their own racers for a downhill run on a dedicated track, and the annual pie contest, judged on appearance and taste across the Apple, Other Fruit, Non-Fruit/Savory, and Youth Under 18 categories. Pies must be homemade, and after judging, they’re sold to the public, with proceeds benefiting the town square fund. Rounding out the day’s more offbeat entertainment: chicken bingo and a watermelon-eating contest.
Kids will have plenty to do beyond the races, including a second-annual Ceilume tile scavenger hunt, glitter temporary tattoos, a kiddo slackline, and pinwheel crafts. At 1 pm, longtime Graton resident and children’s author Jonathan London will read his beloved book, “Froggy Gets Dressed.” The first 20 families arriving will receive a signed copy.
Organizers credit a wide roster of sponsors for making the event possible, including Gold Benefactor Commons Partners North Coast Organic, Ceilume, and West Yost; Community Steward Sponsors Parliament Brewing Company and Sandborn Tree Services; and in-kind support from Lynmar Estate, Osmosis Day Spa Sanctuary, Lodge at Marconi, Dawn Ranch, and Russian River Vineyards.
Organizers are still looking for volunteers and pie contestants — those interested can sign up online or contact Olivia at 707-395-7360 for the pie contest, or Keith Chamberlain for zucchini race details.
“It’s block party vibes and community celebration,” organizers said, describing the vision for the day. “We can’t wait to see you there.”
Volunteers needed
The effervescent and incredibly organized Lindsey Dyer is seeking volunteers for Graton Day setup. Volunteer to set up on Wednesday, Sept. 23, 5 pm to 7 pm:
Move hay bales
Hang banners
Set up temporary fencing
Organize Museum of the Future
Go to the Eventbrite page and scroll down to find the volunteer link.
Graton Community Club Fall Flower Show, Oct. 16-17
As if the excitement around the Square and Graton Day weren’t enough, our 112-year-old institution, the Graton Community Club, will host its annual Fall Flower Show + Plant Sale on Fri-Sat., Oct. 16-17, from 9 am to 4 pm. The theme, “Growing Our Future,” will honor children everywhere. Student messages and artwork from Oak Grove and Willowside schools will be a major part of the Flower Show. Check out their table at Graton Day to see how you can help.
The work by the "many" of the Graton community is a very heartening story, indeed. I remember a few decades ago when the village was bitterly divided over the governance of its sewer district. Good communication and a new leadership dynamic has dramatically improved things. Would anyone disagree?
This is just so amazing an wonderful, how people can build something like this. It is such a contrast with Sebastopol that relies on consultants, ignores the people and gets nothing done.