R-Ranch Cafe Rebuild Project

This page is the owner’s source to official information on the rebuild process of the Snack Shack.

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May 31, 2016 – SNACK SHACK – A TOTAL LOSS

From R Ranch Official Page FB Post: Sad news at the ranch this morning. Shortly after 3am, SERENA O’Brien called in a fire at biggies. We called the fire department and they were here within roughly 20 minutes….No one was hurt, and no trailers were in danger. The fire is out and being investigated at this time. The pool and lodge are both closed today… The pool will be closed until further notice. Thank you to a supportive staff for acting quickly to support the fire fighters….and MANY thanks to the Fire fighters for saving any other structures…there is slight damage to the new pergola, melted pool chairs, and the windows to the pool table room blew out. We will keep you updated as we know more…thank you

October 2021 – WHERE WE ARE NOW

The Snack Shack was first built sometime around 1955 to 1956, when the property was known as Napa Valley Ranch Club. It was a simple building, much like Nellie’s store. It was primarily constructed out of concrete block and wood. It had a shed style roof that provided outdoor cover. At some point the building was modified to close in around the cafe to create a conditioned interior space for dining.

Shortly after the fire a group of committed owners formed to begin the design process. The board signed a contract with and Architect and the process began. Designs of the cafe were shown at board meetings, and posted onto the various Facebook groups, and eventually a design was chosen and in July of 2020, the ranch received its building permit. Link to Plans

Now that the R-Ranch has a full set of Construction Documents for the Cafe and a building permit, we could proceed with building. There are several requirements from the County of Napa that are a condition of building the project. Those include, widening the road for Fire Truck access. Grading and Repaving the parking area by the Lodge and Store to meet ADA requirements for access. Improving the walkways around the the cafe area for ADA access to the pool walkway. Changing the Pool bathrooms to allow for access when the pool is closed and provide ADA approved restrooms. This is a large project with many additions that were not originally planned for, however our insurance claim is still open and we may be able to recover some costs for these additions.

The R-Ranch was insured when the loss of the Snack Shack happened, for $180,000 for the structure and $50,000 for the contents. The R-Ranch is now better insured, however, the wildfires we have experienced have certainly impacted those costs which come with high deductibles for any loss .

Section 8 of our CC&Rs Defines how the R-Ranch is to deal with Damage or Destruction. We know that the cost of the project has been estimated upwards of $1 Million dollars to rebuild the project as designed, including the road, parking and ADA required work. Much of this additional cost is due to several factors – high cost of materials due to the multiple wildfires in Northern California and in particular in Napa County, Lake County, Sonoma County and Butte County.

As owners of the R-Ranch the responsibility to rebuild belongs to all of us. In 2020, the ranch set aside $125,000 of our assessment toward the rebuild of the Cafe, adding this to the balance of the current insurance payout we have a total of $214,015.02. We could use these funds to get started with the building foundation, while we raise the balance of the funds needed to complete the building.

We estimate that the next phase of the building will be upwards of $600,000 and the final phase may be as much as $100,000 (or less depending on the final insurance payout). When all is done we will have a very nice asset to the Ranch, that will serve us for years to come. We currently have at this time in Oct 2021 about 850 active owners that pay their assessments on a regular basis. We do need to figure out a way to fund the balance of the project.

Over the years it has been suggested at Board Meetings by owners to work on fundraising from within by collecting donations from members. This is a common type of capital raise. We could begin this type of campaign now. Once we raise a good amount of funds, we may be able to handle a loan for the balance of what is needed, while we continue to raise funds to pay off a loan, if received.

However, we need to know from you – our owners – can we commit to this plan with your assistance?

We will be sending surveys, and may even ask you to vote, if and when necessary. We are also looking for volunteers to conduct this capital campaign and contact members to ask for funds.

We are always available to discuss – you can email bod@rranch.info.