SHIRLEY KIMBERLIN Everything I list turns to SOLD! 805-886-0228 skimberlin@aol.com
This week’s listings on the back page
Road fix could cost Carpinteria millions
Sweets for sweeties
By Cat Neushul
Carpinteria is facing the grim reality of roads in need of costly repair, the city council learned at its April 14 meeting. A recent study of Carpinteria’s 28 miles of pavement conducted by Pavement Engineering Inc. indicates that roads are in fair condition now and deteriorating annually. The current PCI (Pavement Condition Index) of 67, or fair, is a step down from the 2010 average PCI of 74, or good. “Pavement goes really fast, when it starts to go,” said Joe Ririe, senior principal engineer for Pavement Engineering Inc. In a crash course dubbed “Pavement 101,” Ririe outlined the factors that contribute to pavement deterioration, which include oxidation caused by exposure to sun and water and fatigue due to heavy loads. He compared a street to a bank account. He said that every trip along a road is like making a withdrawal. “If withdrawals happen too quickly, from heavier loads, then the pavement deteriorates,” he said. City representatives identified several scenarios for future street maintenance. An expenditure of $2.58 million a year would maintain streets at a PCI of 81, or good. For $900,000 a year, the city could have streets that remain in the fair category. At this time, the city spends $300,000 a year for street maintenance. Funding currently comes from the Right-of-Way Assessment District, the Street Lighting District, Measure A, the Gas Tax and the city’s general fund. In a unanimous decision, the city council passed a resolution to conduct a city right-of-way engineering study and appropriate $50,000 for its completion. The study will be used to identify the best strategies for maintaining city streets, and the other items considered a part of the right-of-way, which include benches, trashcans and decorative streetlights. Charlie Ebeling, director of the Public Works Department, said, “The idea behind this (the engineering study) is to start a conversation about where we stand with funding options.” The city council also discussed other ways to fund pavement improvements, such as instituting a trench cut fee for utility companies. When utility companies cut into pavement to install lines, the process leads to pavement deterioration. At the meeting, the council also voted unanimously to advertise for a bid for the Carpinteria Avenue Pavement Rehabilitation Project. By the end of the summer, the Department of Public Works has plans to refurbish the road along Carpinteria Avenue, from Linden Avenue to Carpinteria Creek Bridge, with a grind and overlay.
COUNCIL continued on page 10
GARRETT CoMBS
albertsons employee sarah henry helps Caelan Bos, 3, and sage Bos, 5, decorate a cake during the store’s annual Easter celebration on April 12. The frosting frenzy took place while a friendly Easter Bunny mixed and mingled with kiddos and pint-sized egg hunters roamed the store’s produce section in three, age-specific waves. Albertsons decided to host this year’s egg hunt due to the massive turnout at last year’s inaugural event.
Ground breaks on affordable housing development
After years of anticipation, on April 10, Peoples’ Self-Help Housing broke ground on a construction project that will place nearly 150 low-income residents in new apartments. Formerly the home of Carpinteria Camper Park, a neighborhood known for its squalid living quarters, the property at 4096 Via Real is the future home of Casas de las Flores, a 43-unit affordable housing development. Peoples’ purchased the 2.5-acre property in 2003, when it included 80 households. Those families have been moved off site, many into other Peoples’ complexes, including the recently opened Dahlia Court Expansion. Casas de las Flores, a $15 million project, is scheduled to be completed by fall 2015. The development will include a large youth learning center with classrooms and computer lab, offices for property manager and social workers, clinic space and community meeting room with a commercial kitchen. The complex will also include a playground, walking path, open space and bioswale area.
SuBMITTED PHoTo
Peoples’ self-help housing founder Jeanette Duncan, second from right, breaks ground at Casas de las Flores with members of the Carpinteria City Council and other elected officials.