East Orange v Orange Park Acres v Villa Park v Anaheim Hills v Cowan Heights Crawford Canyon v Silverado/Modjeska Canyon Areas v North Tustin
A Monthly Community Newspaper Est. 1969 Tuesday, July 7, 2015 Large temporary animal shelter opens Large animals evacuated dur-
ing wildfire emergencies will have a refuge in a new shelter facility in Silverado Canyon. Located on the north side of the former Silverado Elementary School, the shelter will provide safety, care and comfort for hors- es, goats, llamas, sheep and other large domestic animals trans- ported out of the fire zone when flames threaten. Orange County Supervisor
Todd Spitzer, OC Parks Director Stacy Blackwood, OC Animal Care Director Jennifer Hawkins, DVM, together with OC Fire Au- thority representatives, took part in the ribbon-cutting ceremony on June 24 to open the site. Inter-Canyon League Disaster
Coordinator Joanne Hubble and Large Animal Evacuation Co- ordinator Connie Nelson recog- nized the need for a safe facility that could be used by residents of Silverado, Modjeska, Williams and Baker Canyons. They col- laborated with OC Parks and the Silverado-Modjeska Parks and Recreation District to repurpose a portion of the former Silverado
NEWS INSIDE
No more madding crowd endowed
Chapman neighbors challenge university expansion plans at every turn. See Old Towne, page 2
Fix-it uppers
OC Parks Director Stacy Blackwell (center) introduces the new large animal refuge in Silverado Canyon. The emergency shelter was a collaboration of OC Parks, the Inter-Canyon League, OC Fire Authority, and the Silverado-Modjeska Parks and Recreation District. Photo courtesy Inter-Canyon League.
School property. The refuge is part of an overall
plan to convert the former Sil- verado Elementary School into a library, meeting room and region- al park site. The project was completed on
time between Feb. 23 and May 15. It was built through the com- bined efforts of OC Parks mainte-
nance staff from Whiting Ranch Wilderness and O’Neill Park, OC Parks heavy equipment operators and assistance from the Califor- nia Conservation Corps. Staff trenched and installed a domestic water supply; installed footings and constructed a retaining wall and ranch-style fence railing; graded and leveled the jobsite and
trailer parking area; installed and compacted road base material; installed sand footing for cor- rals; constructed 10 corrals and perimeter fence; assembled and installed a storage
shed.Adequate areas for unloading livestock and parking are available. Use of the safe refuge site will be coordinat- ed by the Inter-Canyon League.
Agencies vie for local sewer system; LAFCO will decide
By Tina Richards Apublic hearing held to collect
input on the future operations and maintenance of the Area 7 sewer system was attended largely by representatives of the two agen- cies who have submitted applica- tions to take it on. The East Orange County Water
District (EOCWD) is vying with the Irvine Ranch Water District (IRWD) to take over sewer sys- tem service in an area covering unincorporated North Tustin, El Modena and portions of Orange and Tustin. The Local Area For- mation Commission (LAFCO) has oversight responsibilities for changes in Orange County governmental infrastructure and boundaries, and will make the decision. The agency invited the public to provide comments at a
The owner of the property host-
June 17 meeting. Area 7 sewer system is cur-
rently operated by the OC Sanita- tion District. It wants to divest it- self of small local sewer systems so it may concentrate on larger countywide facilities. Last year it approached EOCWD and asked the water company if it would be interested in operating the sewers in its area. EOCWD is a small water wholesaler that supplies the four local providers (Orange, Tu- stin, IRWD, Golden State) as well as retail service to 1,179 custom- ers. Its water service area nearly mirrors the Area 7 sewer system footprint.
Is bigger better? Before IRWD had expressed
an interest in Area 7, EOCWD had collected support letters from Tustin, Orange and the Foothills
Dust will settle at dump site
ing the sand and gravel operation on Santiago Canyon Road in East Orange sent a memo to the city reporting its intention to curtail the backfilling, stockpiling and rock crushing activities that have plagued the surrounding neigh- borhoods with noise, dust and small mountains of dirt. Milan Capital says it is willing
to cut back its sand and gravel enterprise as a good faith ges- ture to encourage “constructive dialogue” with the city and resi- dents regarding the long-term use of the property. Milan had pre- viously proposed a medium to high-density development for the 109-acre parcel. The project did
not meet city zoning standards, violated the Orange Park Acres Specific Plan, and was ultimately rejected by the Orange Planning Commission and City Council last year.
From dawn til dust During a heated city council
meeting, Milan consultant Ken Ryan told the community that if the development was rejected, the sand and gravel operation on the site would continue indefinitely. The audience accepted that to mean activities at the “Rio Santi-
See "Dust will settle" continued on page 6
The unwelcome “Rio Santiago dump” may not go away any time soon, but the property owner has promised it won’t get any bigger.
Communities Association, all of which believed that the local con- trol offered by the agency would benefit residents. EOCWD is headquartered in a double-wide trailer in the City of Orange, knows many of its customers by name, and can reach any part of its service area in 20 minutes. Although General Manger Lisa
Uhland has 33 years’ experience with sewer systems, EOCWD it- self does not. IRWD, which ap- plied for Area 7 just days before the deadline, operates sewer sys- tems in Irvine, Lake Forest, por- tions of Tustin, Newport Beach and Costa Mesa, and provides water to 370,000 residents over 181 square miles. It believes its experience and ability to spread costs over a wider customer base trumps EOCWD’s proximity and knowledge of the area.
“It’s David versus Goliath,”
Lisa Uhland said after the LAF- CO meeting. LAFCO’s Ben Legbandt gave
the audience an overview of what’s at stake. The sewer sys- tem operator must assess the con- dition of 170 miles of pipe, clean the lines, prevent spills and regu- late capacity to avoid overflows. It must be prepared to replace piping before it fails. The local system has a 100-year life span and is now about 50 years old.
Close competition Under the county sanitation
district, emergency response time toArea 7 is within 60 minutes; the system is cleaned every 12 to 18
See "Agencies" continued on page 8
A cadre of Villa Park problem-solvers vow to take on high school repairs themselves. See VP dentist, page 8
On the road again
Septuagenarian war- rior on two wheels rides cross-country to raise money for music. See And…. he’s off, page 9
Hit the ground running
OC’s unique wastewa- ter recycling plant puts pure, clean water back into the aquifer, saved for a nonrainy day. See Groundwater, page 12
Fancy facilities fortify feath- ered friends
Deluxe accommoda- tions ensure these chickens won’t fly the coop. See Tour, page 21
INSIDE Canyon Beat
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