Salida MAC Newsletter - May 2014

LIKE “Salida MAC” on Facebook and follow on Twitter https://twitter.com/SalidaMAC
and sign up to receive our newsletter via e-mail. ~ Katherine Borges, Editor

Public Works Director
Matt Machado

"Take Back Salida" Program -  The 'Take Back Salida' program launched by Salida MAC in January has been widely successful in combating graffiti. Thanks to Supervisor Terry Withrow and Stanislaus County Department of Public Works Director, Matt Machado for graffiti abatement supplies and support!

Salida Fire District Report - Jerry DeBoer, Chairman of the Salida Fire District relayed a message from Chief Dale Skiles that if residents or their neighbors have any tall grass around their fences or houses to report it to Station 14 as its a fire hazard and we're in extremely dry conditions due to the drought. 

Stanislaus County Sheriff Report - Deputy Jason Braley reported that there were a couple of new leads on the home invasion robbery. There's been a significant increase in suspicious persons calls in Salida. Deputy Braley attributed this to wider distribution of the Sheriff's Non-Emergency Dispatch number (209) 552-2468. 

Salida Sanitary Report - Salida Sanitary Board member Brad Johnson reported that the sanitary district purchased new computers and made a payment on the solar dryer.

Salida Postmaster Report - Nanette Spyksma presented the report on behalf of Postmaster, John Paul Cabral. She reported that three mailboxes had been broken into and replaced and then two more were broken in the previous night - one on Sun Glen and one on Pirrone.

Nick W. Blom Salida Regional Library Report - Library Branch Manager, Diane Bartlett shared that the library Zumba is held on Monday nights at 6 pm in the Community Room, Tuesdays are "Family Days" at the Salida Library at either 4 or 6 pm. Join us on May 20 at 6 pm for Family Dinner and Movie Night, the featured film is Disney's "Frozen".  Children can come in their pajamas. Bring a picnic dinner and a blanket to sit on. The library will provide a beverage and popcorn. Storytimes are Wednesdays for ages under 3 at 10 am and 11 am. Storytime for pre-schoolers ages 3-5 are held on Thursdays at 10 am.

Salida Chamber of Commerce Report - Gary Finch, Vice-President of the Salida Chamber of Commerce shared that the Salida Chamber sponsored a freeway clean-up and graffiti abatement for Love Salida with volunteers from Centerpoint Baptist Church. The chamber also provided over 70 hot dog lunches at Salida Park for Love Salida volunteers. The chamber's kick-off party will be held at the Post Restaurant on Friday, April 25 at 6 pm with lots of prizes. 

Stanislaus County Department of Public Works - Director Matt Machado reported that public works averages about 100 miles of road resurfacing a year. But considering we have 1,500 miles of roads which means that they only get around to resurfacing the roads about once every seven years. There is an average of 2,000 accidents and 30 fatalities per year. 2.5 million miles driven on county roads every day. This year Public Works is projected to replace 120 miles of roadways.

Director Machado shared maps of areas that are scheduled to be chip-sealed in Wood Colony and slurry-sealed in Salida this summer.

Below is a recap of the concerns shared at Salida MAC, with responses / solutions to each by Matt Machado. The item (in red) is still being worked on. 

1. Concern - Failed trenches in ROW, Possible Solution discussed at the MAC - require CDF backfill and 3 year warranty - Our plan is to first verify some locations / complaints to determine if there are trench failures.  If so, then we will pursue the contractor who did the work to make repairs.  If unsuccessful then we will look at our standards to make them more stringent.  Can members of the MAC or the public provide specific locations where they believe there are trench failures? 

2. Commercial property owner, adjacent Vizcaya - contact info shared with Vizcaya residents 

3. Concern - at Ladd / Tully all way stop warrant, accident history – 
Our traffic division is updating their data and will be producing a warrant analysis.  This documentation should be complete within the next couple of weeks. 

4. Concern - Tully, south of Ladd at the canal crossing / vertical curve sight distance. 
Our traffic has furthered reviewed and deemed there is no down side to making this a no passing zone.  A double yellow center line will be painted 1000’ before the canal crossing and 1000’ after the canal crossing. 

5. Apparently the worst roads in Salida are off Zinfandel, such as Westwood, Parks, Edgewood, Driftwood. 
A field review was completed in the area around Zinfandel Avenue, an AR Cape would be the best solution at this point in time.  The pavement is pretty cracked up, but has limited base failures.  It's just old.  The rubber chip would do well in holding it together and the slurry would help make the riding surface acceptable for residential use.  This project scope will be looked at the next time we plan to conduct a resurfacing project in Salida, tentatively planned for 2015. 

6. On Murphy near Green Knoll Rd apparently there is a patch that county crews have placed, yet apparently it is in bad shape. 
This location was repaired (twice at least) and staff spoke to the person regarding his complaint. That section of Murphy has been settling for several years. All of the low spots are in line with the sewer trunk, so it appears the sewer line may be causing the problem.  We made need to discuss with the Sewer District regarding some leaking sewer pipe joints. 

7. On Kiernan west of the tracks there is a large pothole. 
This was patched with hydro-patch, due to the cold weather at the time it appears. It has settled some since then so has been touched it up. The work is complete. 

8. Old Paint from HHW for use of graffiti removal -  Keimi called and coordinated with John Martin. 

9. On the corner of Pirrone and Hammett the inside corner is rutted out, cars are tracking dirt and gravel. Will possibly fill with AC.  Apparently the paved corner is a sharp curve / corner - There is a drop off, even though it appears to be pretty wide so we will pave it out with the patch truck.

10. Large pothole on Commons near Harding (MAC member drives to Turlock each day) - Patched 

11.  Status of new signs for Salida and Wood Colony – 

The traffic division and sign division have been swamped with work, roadway safety has taken priority over these signs.  We hope to have them installed within the next couple of weeks. (Sign installation completed on May 15, 2014) Read Ken Carlson's article about the signs in the Modesto Bee, "Wood Colony, Salida welcome signs added"

Salida Annexation Update - At the Modesto City Council voted and approved a comprehensive general plan and EIR update on April 8, 2014. For further information, please see the May 21st EIR meeting info below.

Announcements
May 21, 2014 at 5:30 pm - The City of Modesto is holding a presentation of their draft EIR (Environmental Impact Report) for their city's general plan update. The reason that you are being notified of this is because they are still including Salida in their general plan. 

May 21, 2014 at 7 pm - Salida residents are invited to the Salida Fire Protection District Board meeting for an update and information on the coming changes to Salida's fire service as a result of the dissolution of Modesto Regional Fire Authority (MRFA).

Summer 2014 - Streets in Salida on the east side of 99 will be resurfaced with slurry-seal this summer. Check this link to see if your street is included. Streets in Salida on the west side of 99 are currently being assessed for slurry and possible chip-seal in the Zinfandel-Westwood area for 2015. Since many Salida residents travel through Wood Colony to commute, be aware that several streets in Wood Colony have also been scheduled to receive chip-seal resurfacing this summer.

Next Salida MAC Meeting:

Tuesday, May 27, 2014 at 7 pm @ Salida Library Community Room

4835 Sisk Rd. - Salida
Presentation: Salida Crime Update
by Sheriff Adam Christianson

Salida MAC Newsletter - April 2014

LIKE “Salida MAC” on Facebook and follow on Twitter https://twitter.com/SalidaMAC
and sign up to receive our newsletter via e-mail. ~ Katherine Borges, Editor

Salida Fire District Report - Chief Dale Skiles reminded everyone that fire season is quickly approaching and to keep an eye out for fire hazards.

CHP Report - CHP Officer Chuck Leon reported that there were three DUI collisions, one felony DUI arrest for marijuana, and one auto-theft arrest. He responded to a complaint about street-racing. Officer Leon spotted a pickup truck speeding along Ciccarelli Road and doing circles in the dirt while people took pictures. The driver was pulled over and was arrested for reckless driving.

Every time Officer Leon is in Salida, he makes it a point to make at least one pass and back on Wallasey Way. He dressed in plain clothes and sat with a radar gun on Wallasey. He did cite one person for going 37 in a 25 mph zone on Wallasey.

Salida business owner, Craig Coker, brought in a box of bike helmets to sponsor a helmet program at Salida Union School District. Officer Leon offered assistance with this program.

Salida Postmaster Report - Salida Postmaster, John Cabral reported that three more community mailboxes have been broken into: on Sisk between Wessex and Wallasey, Trowbridge. and one on Salida Blvd. Postmaster Cabral said several of the boxes have graffiti on them and he has supplies to remove the graffiti, just come and see him. 

Postmaster Cabral gave an update on Senate Bill 1486, its still in the senate and should go through the House quickly. The chief vice-president of the postal service testified before congress that without postal legislation, the USPS is in dire straits. Postmaster Cabral met with Congressman Jeff Denham who expressed his support for the USPS. He gave a brief summary of the local mail routes being consolidated and downsized. He recommended visiting savethepostoffice.com for additional info on changing hours, closures, etc.  Postmaster Cabral shared his article featuring Salida in "Save Our Rural Post Offices" on page 9 of the National League of Postmasters California Branch.

Salida Chamber of Commerce Report - Gary Finch, Vice-President of the Salida Chamber of Commerce shared that the chamber would be participating in LoveSalida on April 5 with a Highway 99 cleanup at Hammett. The Salida Chamber will be sponsoring the hot dog lunch after the project for the participants at Salida Park on Broadway. The chamber's kick-off party will be held at The Post Restaurant & Bar on Friday, April 25 at 6 pm. For more information and to reserve your free ticket, click here. 

Nick W. Blom Salida Regional Library Report - Library Branch Manager, Diane Bartlett shared that the library is collecting snuggle blankets for animals awaiting new homes. Crochet, knit, quilt, sew or tie blankets in the following sizes 14"x14" for cats and small animals, 24"x24" for cats and small to medium dogs, 36"x36" for medium to large dogs. These are guidelines, they don't need to be exact. Materials should be washable, such as cotton or acrylic. Leftover scraps of yarn or fabric are fine. Yarn ends should be double-knotted and woven in well to prevent unraveling. Make them thick for comfort and warmth, but do not use battling. For pattern suggestions: www.snugglesproject.org  Bring completed blankets in during library open hours. Deadline: April 30, 2014 Questions? Call Cindy @ the Waterford Library (209) 874-2191 Donations may be dropped off at the Salida Library.

Zumba has started on Monday evenings and is held either in the Community Room or the Storytime Room. April is Poetry Month and and the library will have a "Poet Tree". You can write your poem on there, either one you've written or one that you like and the library will hang all the poems on the tree. The Book Club for Adults meets on the 2nd Tuesday of the month. 

Día de los Niños, Día de los Libros ~ Day of the Child, Day of the Book, Día for short, is a nationwide celebration of children, families and reading will be held Saturday, April 26 at Salida Library @ 10:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. Features a Bilingual Story Time, world music, crafts, Friends of the Salida Library will be giving away free books and more! 

Stanislaus County Planning Department Report - Javier Camarena gave a presentation on his department and projects they are working on. There are grant funds available for low and moderate income families for home improvements. Current projects they are working on are: Empire storm drains, Parklawn sewer infrastructure, and Airport sewer infrastructure. Plans get updated every year and have to be approved by the county board of supervisors. Salida received a storm drain grant about eight years ago. The neighborhood stabilization program is starting to wind down.
For more information on Stanislaus County's Block Grant Annual Action Plan.

Salida Annexation Update - At the Modesto City Council meeting on March 11, 2014, Modesto City Councilman John Gunderson made a motion to put Salida back on the agenda for a vote, the motion was seconded but went nowhere, so Salida is still within Modesto's General Plan. Wood Colony was put on the agenda and voted upon at the March 25, 2014 council meeting. The council voted to remove the "ag" section of Wood Colony from Modesto's General Plan Update, but north of Beckwith and the area south of Woodland are still in the plan. The city council will be voting on a comprehensive general plan update on April 8, 2014.

Next Salida MAC Meeting:

Tuesday, April 22, 2014 at 7 pm @ Salida Library Community Room

4835 Sisk Rd. - Salida
Presentation: Public Works Update by
Stanislaus Public Works Director,
Matt Machado

Salida MAC Newsletter - August 2013

The July Salida MAC meeting video is viewable online by clicking this link thanks to Salida MAC Councilmember, Brad Johnson and local Salida Public Radio Station 104.9 FM. LIKE “Salida MAC” on Facebook and follow on Twitter https://twitter.com/SalidaMAC
and sign up to receive our newsletter via e-mail. ~ Katherine Borges, Editor

Nick W. Blom Salida Regional Library Report - Library Branch Manager, Diane Bartlett shared that the library has a new "Reader's Theater" which has met the last few Mondays and performs their favorite stories. 

Salida Fire District Report - Salida Fire Protection District Fire Chief, Dale Skiles, reminded everyone that National Night Out is coming up on Tuesday, August 6 and asked residents to call the fire

Jaden Wenger waves to his dad, Jake, from
a fire truck on National Night Out

department and/or sheriff dept if they are having a block party and would like either department to attend.  

Chief Skiles announced that Salida Kountry Kitchen will be hosting a National Night Out block party in conjunction with the Salida Chamber of Commerce between 6-8 pm. 

Salida Fire Fighters Association will be hosting their annual chicken bar-b-que on August 24th. Tickets on sale at the fire department.

Renovations will continue for some time in and around the fire station and the contractors have been phenomenal to work with.

Salida Sanitary Report - Salida Sanitary Board member Brad Johnson shared that the Sanitary District has received a proposal for a solar array to be placed on the property.

Salida Chamber of Commerce Report - Amanda Sorensen, Secretary of the Salida Chamber of Commerce shared that there existed a previous Salida Chamber of Commerce, which brought such improvements as the Salida Lighting District and Salida Park to the community of Salida. The new Salida chamber has plans to improve the quality of life for Salida's residents in addition to supporting and promoting business and commerce in Salida. The Salida Chamber of Commerce will have a booth at the Salida Town and Country Festival on August 24 so stop by and see us. We will also be participating in National Night Out at Salida Kountry Kitchen on August 6. Applications to join the chamber are on the back table and if you have questions, see Amanda after the meeting. 

Stanislaus County Planning Department Report - Javier Camarena gave a brief overview of the Community Block Grant funds and Emergency Solutions grant funds. CBG funds are to benefit low to moderate income people to prevent and minimize blight and urgent community needs. He shared some highlights of the programs over the past year like the allocation of approximately $2.1 million. Some of the funds were allocated to Parklawn and Airport sewer infrastructure projects. Funding was also provided to fifteen non-profit programs which provided services to low and very low-income families. Over the last year, about 1,300 individuals were assisted in the county with emergency shelter grants. 

CHP Report - CHP Officer Chuck DeLeon researched that as far as the trucks parking on Elm, he issued warnings and next time, he will issue tickets. As for the trucks parked on Gateway, they are parked legally. 

Special Presentation - The Modesto Chamber of Commerce's "Pathways to Jobs and Prosperity" - Modesto Chamber CEO, Cecil Russell introduced fellow presenters, Brad Hawn, Craig Lewis and George

George Petrulakis and Craig Lewis
present Modesto Chamber of
Commerce growth plan.

Petrulakis.  Craig Lewis noted that there were more attendees for this meeting than at the Planning Commission meeting. He went on to say that there's a lack of shovel-ready land in Modesto for jobs.

George Petrulakis stated that the plan is in draft form and they visit groups like Salida MAC looking for input and ideas. Most groups presented to so far have been in Modesto and are co-sponsoring the plan. Mr. Petrulakis mentioned the book, "The Coming Jobs War" by Jim Clifton and cited several of the key factors for job creation, and it needs to occur at the city level. The Modesto Chamber's presentation only deals with two of the key factors: a modern freeway transportation network and shovel ready land. They looked at the Modesto area-proper to the city limits and what the current condition is. The shaded blue areas are in the Modesto City limits and the Beard Industrial tract is outside the city limits. The conclusion they drew is that Modesto does not have a lot of large sites for job creators, and no sites along Freeway 99, and without Beard, they would be in real trouble. 

Modesto's job centers are in three areas: the Beard tract, downtown, the area straddling 99 north of downtown. He reviewed the various freeway transportation routes that lead into Modesto. Highway 132 does help the Modesto route as well as go into other communities. Mr. Petrulakis then reviewed the other local cities and their available land that bordered freeways. One of the problems that Modesto has is a lot of land for business parks but almost none of it is shovel-ready. 

Since Salida is not a city, the Modesto Chamber used light grey to show the current boundaries based on the Salida Sanitary map and the dark grey distinguishes the Salida Community Plan boundaries.

 
Mr. Petrulakis noted that Salida was the first outside (of Modesto) group they had visited so requested that attendees share any transportation priorities they might have. 

Craig Lewis gave an overview of the taxes that fund transportation projects. About eight-five cents of the price we pay at the gas pump goes to a transportation tax. However, Stanislaus County is not a "self-help county" which means that only 20-25% of the eight-five cents comes back to our county for improvements. The rest goes to other counties in the state. Eighty percent of the population in California have a 1/2 percent self-help tax. For every penny that is put into the tax, two pennies come back to the county in self-help counties. We are helping to fund those improvements in other counties like the Arch Road improvements in San Joaquin County. Part of the Modesto Chamber's plan is for Stanislaus County to become a self-help county. 

George Petrulakis then resumed the presentation and provided descriptions for the color-coded areas on the map. Three broad areas have been defined as "study areas" as the best land for job creation: one to the west (Beckwith Triangle/Wood Colony), one north of Kiernan, and one east of Modesto for housing. Modesto already has a lot of land within its sphere of influence for housing in the east so it may never need the land that's within the study area.  Mr. Petrulakis then explained that the words "Salida Self-Determination" is the Salida Community Plan area and Salida is in charge of that.  

The west (Beckwith Triangle/Wood Colony) area was compared to business parks in other cities with an overlay adjusted for population. Mr. Petrulakis then addressed the adoption of 'Ag Investment Zones' that will not be converted to urban uses. Some of these areas include land between Waterford and Modesto and Dry Creek and the river. He also mentioned that Salida residents have attended Modesto General Plan update meetings and requested Salida to be removed from the General Plan. Another concern regarding the Modesto Chamber's plan is that it "boxes Salida in" or "landlocks" Salida which the Modesto Chamber will take back to their commission and address. 

Watch the Q&A portion of the presentation online.

Next Salida MAC Meeting:

Tuesday, August 27, 2013 at 7 pm @ Salida Library Community Room

4835 Sisk Rd. - Salida

Presentation: The Salida Town & Country Festival
and Salida Civic by Salida Civic President,
Debra Allen

Salida MAC Newsletter - July 2013

The June Salida MAC meeting video is viewable online by clicking these links:
Part 1 and Part 2. – thanks to Salida MAC Councilmember, Brad Johnson and local Salida Public Radio Station 104.9 FM. LIKE “Salida MAC” on Facebook and follow on Twitter https://twitter.com/SalidaMAC
and sign up to receive our newsletter via e-mail. ~ Katherine Borges, Editor

Nick W. Blom Salida Regional Library Report - Library Branch Manager, Diane Bartlett thanked everyone for participating in the "Day of Play". She also reminded everyone that there are reading programs going on all summer, along with movie nights, book clubs, and a magician is coming. 

Salida Fire District Report - Capt. Gregg Bragg from "C" shift at Salida's Station 12 reported there were 137 calls for service in the month of April. The reports are always a month behind because they are compiled statistically for the whole month. Station 12 ran 93 calls, 14 of those were fires; 57 calls were EMS. There was a vegetation fire near the river which Salida aided the Woodland station in combating the fire. Ripon also had a fire on their oleanders at the Main Street 99 exit in which Station 12 aided in extinguishing the fire. Capt. Bragg reiterated that with the 4th of July coming up that a lot of illegal fireworks are brought in. Additional crews will be on hand on July 4th.  A resident asked Capt. Bragg about the Modesto Regional Fire Authority's budget issues in the newspaper and he was happy to report that they have a balanced budget without any staffing reductions in Salida. 

CHP Report - CHP Officer Chuck DeLeon gave an update on last month's home burglary and subsequent chase. The driver of the car crashed at Kiernan and Sisk and fled on foot. The driver, David Escamilla, was captured a few days ago after another chase in a stolen car in a two vehicle head on collision at Ciccarelli and Toomes.  Other CHP stats for the month of June were 4 non-injury collisions, 3 injury, 3 hit and run, 1 DUI arrest, 1 warrant, 2 fleeing from police, and 2 hit and run.

Katherine Borges' Salida Incorporation Presentation

Special Presentation - Salida Incorporation - Katherine Borges, compiled a Salida Incorporation presentation as a member of the Salida Annexation Ad Hoc Committee. She opened with some stats about Salida - when the area was first permanently settled, John Murphy's ferry in the 1860's, the railroad depot established in 1870 which it was the railroad that gave the community the name "Salida". She continued with the history of past incorporation attempts in Salida as well as a past annexation attempt by Modesto in 1996.
Ms. Borges outlined reasons why Salida should incorporate and gave an overview of funding sources. You can watch her presentation HERE. 

Next Salida MAC Meeting:

Tuesday, July 23, 2013 at 7 pm @ Salida Library Community Room

4835 Sisk Rd. - Salida

Presentation:
“Pathways to Jobs and Prosperity” presented by 

the Modesto Chamber of Commerce which includes their development plans for Salida & Wood Colony

Modesto Chamber of Commerce's "Pathways to Jobs" plan map (Image provided by John Gunderson via Facebook)

Salida MAC Newsletter - June 2013

LIKE “Salida MAC” on Facebook, follow on Twitter https://twitter.com/SalidaMAC
and sign up to receive our newsletter via e-mail. ~ Katherine Borges, Editor

Public Comment Period - Jim Bonetti reported that he has turned in reports of several potholes and broken sidewalks around Salida which are scheduled to be repaired as per Gary Heyward at Stanislaus County Public Works. Mr. Bonetti also shared an update from Dennis Turner on two of Salida's wells that are high in nitrates. Well #281 is still shut down and well #299 (near the Vizacaya neighborhood) is near the limit for nitrates so is being monitored.

Participants learn compression-only CPR
at Salida's Station 12.

Salida Fire District Report - Vince Bowman, 'A' Shift Captain at Station 12 reported that there were 137 responses, of those, 10 were fire calls. 67% of the calls were for EMS, and the rest were for car accidents, alarms, etc. There's been a small increase in calls about grass fires. Captain Bowman also reported on the Compression-only CPR training that took place last Wednesday at Station 12. There were a total of 3 fire stations in the Modesto Regional Fire Authority that were participating and trained 148 citizens and of those, 65 were trained at Station 12 in Salida. Captain Bowman was very happy about the good turnout for the event which was sponsored by AMR.
     Capt. Bowman and Capt. Bragg will be out servicing fire hydrants around Salida, testing pressure and flow. He asked that we wave or stop by and say "Hi! to them.

Stanislaus County Sheriff Report - Salida Community Deputy Lloyd MacKinnon shared some details about the recent burglary chase and apprehension. Deputy MacKinnon and a 911 dispatcher presented a program on how 911 calls are processed. Wallet cards were distributed to attendees with the following

contact phone numbers: Non-Emergency Dispatch (209) 552-2468, Sheriff's Department (209) 525-7114, County Animal Control (209) 558-7387 (Note: Listen to recording and select choice for "Unincorporated Area") California Highway Patrol (209) 356-2900, Cellular Phone Emergency (209) 558-HELP

Salida Sanitary Report - Salida Sanitary Board member Brad Johnson reported that the Sanitary district is still discussing solar options and had to replace some pump motors that went out. He also mentioned that no residents attended last month's Salida Sanitary Board Meeting and said it would be nice to have some attend. Mr. Johnson additionally mentioned that there is one more rate increase coming from the three that were originally passed. Meetings are held on the 2nd Thursday of each month at 6 p.m.

Salida Postmaster Report - Salida Postmaster John Cabral reported that the Stockton plant has been shut down and the 60 clerks from that plant will be rotated to work at local post offices throughout the region.  Mr. Cabral also shared that the bolted down mailboxes at the Kearney Post Office in Modesto were stolen.  Eight more community mailboxes in Salida have been broken into: Solero, Beard Point, Trailwood, Cypress Creek Way, Edgefield, Gardenview, and Sun Glen. Postmaster Cabral asked that residents never leave mail in their mailboxes over night and if you have a security camera on your house to please point it at the mailbox. That is how the last mailbox thieves were caught.

Salida Union School District Report - Salida Union Schools Superintendent, Twila Tosh, shared that Sisk and Salida Elementaries are getting new HVAC and solar panels. She also reported that land that is owned by the school district on Pirrone will be planted with 40 acres of almond trees donated to the school district and the sale of the almonds will be go to Salida Union School District. August 7 is the first day of school for Salida Union School District.

Male Chinese Pistache

Stanislaus County Parks and Recreation Department - Jami Aggers, Director of Stanislaus County

October Glory Red Maple

Parks and Recreation brought a handout listing the three types of trees which they intend to replace the 98 trees with to be removed on Pirrone, Finney and Sisk roads. The Parks Dept plans to send the project out to bid this summer and begin work in September.

Hybrid Pinkish-Red Crape Myrtle

Nick W. Blom Salida Regional Library Report - Library Branch Manager, Diane Bartlett shared upcoming events at the library and the "Stanislaus Reads" program. Free signs for "Stanislaus Reads" may be picked up at the library and forms for the adult reading program can be downloaded here. 

Supervisor District 3 Report - Supervisor Terry Withrow addressed questions regarding whether the City of Modesto still plans to annex Salida and said that Katherine Borges is working on an incorporation report.

NEXT MEETING: Tuesday, June 25, 2013 at 7 pm at the Nick W. Blom Salida Regional Library Community Room, 4835 Sisk Road, Salida. Featured topic is a preliminary incorporation report for Salida presented by Salida MAC boardmember, Katherine Borges

Be sure to "LIKE" Salida MAC on Facebook and follow on Twitter to keep apprised of the latest information about Salida.

Salida MAC Newsletter - May 2013

LIKE “Salida MAC” on Facebook, follow on Twitter https://twitter.com/SalidaMAC
and sign up to receive our newsletter via e-mail. ~ Katherine Borges, Editor

Nick W. Blom Salida Regional Library Report - Library Branch Manager, Diane Bartlett shared that April 24 is the last day of "Read to a Dog" for "...children to read to dogs who are good listeners." Saturday, April 27 is "Love Salida" day and there will be opportunities to volunteer and help out at the library. Storytime for pre-schoolers starts again on Thursday, May 2nd for ages 3-5. "Wiggle-worms" reading time up to age 3 begins on Wednesday, May 1 with two sessions, one at 10 am and then repeated at 11 am. More theater is coming, SF Shakes will present "Julius Caesar" later in the year and our local community is starting a "Reader's Theater" - no acting experience is required. Call 543-7353 for more info.

Salida Fire (Station 12) Admin bldg demolition

Salida Fire District Report - Vince Bowman, 'A' Shift Captain at Station 12 reported that fire calls have stayed about the same as the previous month. As the weather warms up, there will be more grassland and wildland fires. Water rescue training will begin very soon. A new group of recruit firefighters will be starting in the first few weeks of May. Training will be held at Station 14 on Ciccarelli Road. Also, the administration building at Station 12 will be demolished. On Wednesday, May 22, Modesto Regional Fire Authority is holding a FREE "Compression-only" CPR training. One of the locations where the training will be held is at Salida's Station 12. Call 552-3600 to sign up or for more info.

Stanislaus County Sheriff Report - Salida Community Deputy Lloyd MacKinnon shared some burglary stats - two days that are the most prevalent for burglaries in Salida are Sundays and Tuesdays. Since December 12, there have been 33 reported residential burglaries in Salida. Time frame is 8 am - noon. Door kicks and window smashes are the most common forms of entry. Deputy MacKinnon is still out patrolling and there are two sheriff cars in the area. He started a "Block-watch" program on Oxbow Ct. and about 20 people showed up. Deputy MacKinnon introduced the "Next Door" website and explained how it works as a form of communication. He asked that residents not set up separate ones until he knows more about it. By the next Salida MAC meeting, he can share more about it and additionally, a new program with an emergency text message system.

CHP Report - CHP Officer Chuck DeLeon reported that Salida had 8 traffic collisions (3 of which were on Freeway 99) and 3 were DUI related and 2 were hit and run. One of the hit and run suspects was caught. 6 DUI arrests last month, 3 different drug arrests, 8 stolen vehicles, 1 toy-hauler and 1 license plate theft. One of those vehicle thefts was from someone who started their car, went back inside their house, and came out to their car being gone. Officer DeLeon recommended that residents do not do that. He also recommended not to leave anything inside the cars to prevent smash and grabs. 

Salida Sanitary Report - Salida Sanitary Board member Brad Johnson asked that residents attend the meetings. Meetings are held on the 2nd Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m. Mr. Johnson is encouraging solar requirements for new development. There's a photo of the Sanitary District's robot on the back table.

Stanislaus County Parks and Recreation Department - Jami Aggers, Director of Stanislaus County Parks and Recreation brought handouts and stated that they wish to move forward with the Pirrone & Finney Sidewalks and Trees replacement project. Because CSA 10 is a fixed assessment and cannot be increased without a vote approving it, the county has found different ways like not outsourcing the landscape maintenance and installing no-potable irrigation wells in parks to keep costs down. 

Ms. Aggers stated that they have revised their proposal because Salida residents want to keep the trees. There's an update in the proposal regarding a root control system, to not remove trees that are not causing a problem at the moment and could perhaps be spared.  When they sent out the initial notices, they only sent out 475 to the property owners in the immediate vicinity and based on feedback from last month's Salida MAC meeting, they sent out notices to all 2,700 residents in the CSA 10 district. 

Stanislaus County Parks & Recreation Director Jami Aggers
addresses Salida residents about the sidewalks & trees issue.

Stanislaus County of Public Works - PowerPoint handouts from the last meeting are on the back table.  There are 139 trees in the project areas proposed to be organized into two phases. They are grouped in the two phases based on practicality and cost reasons. 97 trees are proposed to be removed as ones that are already causing damage to the sidewalk or ones that will cause damage in the near future. 47 trees are in phase 1 and 50 trees are in phase 2. Public works would like to begin phase 1 this summer and phase 2 will be in 5 years because they need to build funds. Only 9 of the 47 trees could be spared in phase 1. From an engineer's perspective, they feel it would be more cost-effective to remove all of the trees now. The two pictures in the handout do not represent the trees they wish to put in but they do represent the size. They feel the best option is to go with 15 gal trees which cost $475 per tree (estimates are from Grover Nursery but will go out to competitive bid). The cost breakdown is $165 per tree and additional expenses go to root barriers and deep-well watering systems. An additional $102 goes to contingencies and inspections. 

Vice-Chairman Johnson requested that the County bring a list of acceptable trees and a list of banned

Bacon & Royal Windsor
lifted sidewalk - before picture

trees. During the Q&A, a resident complained that there was a big drop in the sidewalk at Royal Windsor and Bacon and asked for it to be repaired. (Salida MAC councilmember Katherine Borges took the photos and Salida Chamber of Commerce Vice-President Jim Bonetti submitted them to Stanislaus County Public Works which grounded down, patched the sidewalk, and removed the tree.)

Bacon & Royal Windsor
sidewalk repaired - after pic

Jami Aggers clarified that the costs presented are just ballpark estimates and they needed to evaluate how much of the project can be done at a time.

Love Salida Report - Councilmember Katherine Borges had this item added to the agenda per the recommendation of Stanislaus County Public Works Director Matt Machado for a proposal to paint murals on the canal walls along Finney Road. Lorenzo Oreglia is heading up the organization of artwork and he commented on it along with plans for teens to help paint the murals. Councilmember Borges also mentioned that Salida Rotary would begin work on the center landscaping strip along Broadway at 8 am and would be accepting donations of mobility equipment. And the new Salida Chamber of Commerce will have a booth at Salida Park and will be accepting new membership sign-ups that day. 

Supervisor District 3 Report - Supervisor Terry Withrow reported that the probation DRC (Day Reporting Center) on Salida Blvd is now closed and has been moved downtown.

NEXT MEETING: Tuesday, May 28, 2013 at 7 pm at the Nick W. Blom Salida Regional Library Community Room, 4835 Sisk Road, Salida. Featured topic is the Pirrone & Finney sidewalks and trees issue. (For more info, read Ken Carlson's Modesto Bee article, "Salida trees are awaiting the ax")

Salida MAC meetings are broadcast on government cable channel 19 in Salida.

Be sure to "LIKE" Salida MAC on Facebook and follow on Twitter to keep apprised of the latest information about Salida.