CLEARLAKE OAKS – A community gathering place came full circle on Friday, with Clearlake Oaks residents joined by state and county officials to celebrate “the miracle on The Plaza.”

The afternoon ceremony dedicated the rejuvenated Clearlake Oaks Plaza, now resplendent with a gazebo, new sidewalks and crosswalks, parking spaces and landscaping. At its center is a rock fountain that punctuates the center of a brick labyrinth, which Supervisor Denise Rushing explained is symbolic of the community's journey.

Assemblyman Wes Chesbro and his field staff attended the dedication, along with Rushing, District 1 Supervisor Jim Comstock, County Administrative Officer Kelly Cox, Redevelopment Deputy Director Eric Seely and Andy Peterson, the now-retired redevelopment deputy director under whose tenure rebuilding The Plaza began.

During the afternoon ceremony Seely, lay minister Ken Young, Clearlake Oaks-Glenhaven Business Association President Margaret Medeiros and others shared how the effort came together – from community members forming groups to host events, to speaking about their idea with county officials, including former Supervisor Gary Lewis, to receiving funding assistance from the state Housing and Community Development Department.

Seely gave credit both to community involvement and the Board of Supervisors' “unwavering support” for bringing the project to fruition. He also recognized the Clearlake Oaks-Glenhaven Business Association and the Clearlake Oaks Community United Methodist Church for their work.

The Plaza in Clearlake Oaks has long been a meeting place for community members. Situated back off the highway and next to the senior center and the church, it was the little town's heart and center beginning around the 1920s and for decades afterward.

But, as Young explained Friday, by the 1990s The Plaza had become a very different place, abandoned by the community at large.

Rather than a spot for fellowship with friends and neighbors, it was a place for drugs deals, with its perimeter ringed by meth houses. Stray dogs roamed the crime-ridden area, where no street lights were to be found at night. People didn't feel safe, so they stayed away.

A vision was key, and many at Friday's ceremonies recounted two people who wrapped their hearts and energies around bringing new life to the community – Pastor Bill Thornton and his wife, Pastor Ruth Canady.

Both Thornton and Canady have since passed – Thornton in 2005 and Canady last year – but their presence and work are very much in evidence.

Young recalled standing on the nearby church steps with Thornton eight years ago. He said Thornton turned to him and asked him, looking out at The Plaza, what he saw. What Young said he saw was neighbors afraid to come out and talk to each other and an area badly in need of help.

What Thornton saw was a revitalized place “like we have today,” said Young, with gardens, nearby senior housing – in the form of the Eskaton development just down Highway 20 – and community coming together.

“The miracle is finally here,” said Young, who offered a blessing of the unity and diversity that rebuilt the place.

Rushing told the assembled community members, “Look what love has done.”