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City efforts reduce water use by 12 percent
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By CaT NeuShul
The city’s water reduction hasn’t hit the 20 percent target requested by the Carpinteria Valley Water District; it was estimated to be at about 12 percent by the end of this fiscal year.
the drought throughout California has affected water use in the local area in many ways. Carpinteria residents have been asked to reduce their water consumption by 20 percent, and the city is doing its part as well. During this week’s city council meeting, city staff detailed measures taken to reduce water use, such as installing a well at el Carro Park and irrigation control devices in local parks, and discussed water conservation plans for the future. erin maker, environmental coordinator for the city, said “the city has worked closely with other agencies on water conservation.” she added, “We have reduced water use in all roadways and public parks.” the city’s water reduction hasn’t hit the 20 percent target requested by the Carpinteria Valley Water District; it was estimated to be at about 12 percent by the end of this fiscal year. Parks and recreation Director matt roberts said that weather conditions had made water conservation tricky. roberts, also current board President of Carpinteria Valley Water District, said that the city had adopted a number of conservation techniques before the drought emergency was declared, but that dry conditions had increased the need for watering and made implementation of some conservation methods problematic. He said, “this last winter we had a total of 4 inches (of rainfall). It didn’t allow us to use those tactics,” he said. adding, “It was exceptionally dry.” In fiscal year 2013-2014, the city used approximately 33,700 units of water, mostly in local parks. The previous fiscal year, when there was greater rainfall, 31,450 units of water were used. roberts said the city spends about $100,000 a year for water use. “We’ve always been cognizant of water use and water waste,” he said. When the CVWD declared a stage one drought in
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Garrett Combs
From left, Michelle Gonzalez, Krystal Juarez and Kendra Roldan hang on tight as the Sizzler spins out gales of laughter during opening night of St. Joseph Festival on July 11. The wellloved annual fair, which serves as a fundraiser for the church, came to town for the weekend, bringing its dance and musical performances, amusement park rides, famous food and games. For more photos of its bright lights and big thrills, see pages 9 and 10.
500 block of Maple purchased, improvements planned By lea Boyd
escrow closed last week on a real estate transaction that encompasses the entire east side of the 500 block of maple avenue. baker bradford Holdings sold the property, which includes several residences, a large warehouse and two commercial buildings, to thom Vernon, the recently retired co-founder of Fresh Produce clothing company, who sees his purchase as a “fun” opportunity to convert the patchwork block into a spruced-up, mostly residential neighborhood that pays respect to the “history and charm of Carpinteria.” Vernon and his architect, Carpinterian Dylan Chappell, submitted conceptual plans to the City of Carpinteria to complete the multi-phased project. the first phase would convert a two-story, 9,600 square foot commercial building at 550 Maple Ave. into two multiunit residential buildings. Vernon hopes to achieve this by, essentially, “cutting a swath through the middle” and remodeling the remaining two pieces into a fourunit building and a six-unit building. the structure was built in the 1960s. “It’s a pretty good building,” Vernon said, “It’s just ugly.”
Vernon plans to improve the cluster of four cottages on the corner of Maple Avenue and 6th street without any changes to their structure. “they just need a little tender loving care,” Vernon said. He added that the cottages are longterm rentals, and he will likely make improvements one by one as tenants turn over. the third element of the plan is the demolition of a commercial building and a single family residence in the southeast corner of the property and construction of a triplex of one-bedroom residences. the large warehouse facing the railroad tracks, which was part of Vernon’s purchase, is not included in the plans submitted to the city. Vernon said that improvements to that building would be a final phase that might be years down the line. “In the long term, I would like to see some type of industrial use with a retail piece to it. the view from the dock is pretty incredible,” he said of the warehouse. Vernon emphasized that the large torrey pine on
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