FFA Sheep Killed by Loose Dogs at HHS

WORDS BY LUKE PHILLIPS

   A family friend contacted me last night with a bit of disturbing news. Apparently several sheep owned by the Holtville High School FFA program were slaughtered by a loose dog or dogs yesterday afternoon. One of the sheep was already dead when the massacre was discovered and another three were injured so badly that they had to be euthanized, including one that was pregnant.

   And if that isn't bad enough, the incident took place during school hours when students were present on campus and could have been harmed themselves. Luckily, the dogs were gone before students arrived in the area, but the kids are also being advised not to walk their sheep around town because of the danger of being attacked.

   The incident also means a big financial blow to the FFA program which made money from selling the sheep to students. One of the sheep was also being rented which means the school will have to pay back the owner too.

   It's a senseless, stupid thing that happened and it could have been prevented. My wife and I have been on a bit of a crusade for the past couple of years to get the City of Holtville to take the problem of loose dogs seriously, but to little avail. City officials listened to us, smiling and nodding, they held many meetings on animal control, they formed a committee and appointed a part-time animal control officer, all with few results. There are still loose dogs everywhere terrorizing citizens and killing innocent animals.

   As I've said, many, many times before, I believe the solution to this problem is education and enforcement. The city already has laws on the books that are supposed to prevent this kind of thing, but they need to be more aggressively enforced. I see people walking dogs without a leash every day. I see people purposely letting their dogs run loose every day. It's quite obvious that it's same people committing these inconsiderate crimes over and over again and it's about time they were cited. Give them a few high-priced tickets and I bet the problem would end very quickly.

   I've been attacked by dogs at least four or five times since I moved back to Holtville about three years ago, and I know tons of other people who have had problems too. Just last year a loose pit-bull somehow made its way into a Holtville girl scout meeting and growled at the children. The way things are going, it's only a matter of time before somebody ends up getting seriously injured or killed, and next time it might not just be sheep.

   If you are one of the many Holtville residents that has had problems with loose dogs, I urge you to attend the next meeting of the Holtville City Council and demand that stronger actions be taken to address the problem. Maybe if enough of us are loud enough, the council will get the message.

Portion of Ninth Street to be Closed for More Than a Month

WORDS BY LUKE PHILLIPS

   The City of Holtville issued a press release this week warning residents that a section of Ninth Street will be closed for more than a month while construction crews work on improvements in the area.

   Ninth Street between Beale Avenue and Slayton Road road will be closed beginning today, November 9, and will remain closed until the project is finished on January 11 of next year. In that time, crews will widen that section of Ninth Street and will also install new curbs, gutters and sidewalks.

    Garbage and recycling pick-ups will take place at the edge of the road closure for residents in the affected area and construction workers will be on-hand to help move the bins during pick-up days.

   An engineer from The Holt Group will also be on-hand to answer any questions residents might have, or they can also call the Resident Engineer at (760) 337-3883.

   This section of the street has been dangerously narrow for as long as I can remember and I'm very happy to see this project get started, but it's a shame that it's going to take so long. I'm sure it's going to be a big pain in the neck for parents who drop kids off at the Middle School and probably for a lot of other residents in the area too. Does it really take that long to lay down some new asphalt and cement?

City Developing Plan to Allow Golf Carts on Holtville Streets

WORDS BY LUKE PHILLIPS

   The Holtville City Council took another step Monday toward changing the law to allow golf carts and other electric vehicles on the streets of Holtville and adjacent county areas.

   The council voted unanimously to give City Manager Alex Meyerhoff direction to draft legislation to allow electric vehicles in the city and adopt a Golf Cart and Neighborhood Electrical Vehicle Master Plan that was drafted by an outside firm earlier this year.

   Meyerhoff also told the council that the city would be working over the course of the coming year to acquire right-of-way on the abandoned Union-Pacific railroad tracks between the city and Barbara Worth Resort, and between the resort the U.C. Davis Agricultural Cooperative Extension on Meloland Road in hopes of someday building an electrical vehicle lane along the route.

   Mayor Jerry Brittsan also mentioned the fact that Barbara Worth Resort hopes to open a new RV Park at some point in the future and pointed out that an electric vehicle lane could bring visitors at the resort into Holtville where they would presumably spend money on goods and services, possibly giving the city a sales tax boost.

   Council member David Bradshaw voiced his support for the project and said he wants to keep the momentum going.

   "Enough people have talked to me about this that I think it's in our best interest to keep it going," he said.

   In his written report to the council, Meyerhoff also said that the project would help the city meet it's goal of developing a balanced, multi-modal transportation network and could also "positively impact the environment through the reduction of air pollutants caused by combustion engines."

City Council Member Reads Resume Out Loud During Meeting

WORDS & PHOTO BY LUKE PHILLIPS

   At a meeting of the Holtville City Council Monday, outgoing council member Colleen Ludwig inexplicably read her resume out loud to the council during the public comments portion of the meeting.

Colleen Ludwig

   Ludwig told the council that she wanted to share her resume to show that she "has other interests besides the city council".

   Ludwig went on to share a long list of impressive accomplishments including serving as a Den Mother for Holtville's Cub Scouts, co-owning a local antique shop, working for Barbara Worth Country Club, serving on the Imperial Valley Film Commission and the Imperial county Dairy Task Force, and serving as Vice-President of the Chamber of Commerce. Ludwig has also maintained membership with the local Soroptimist Club and the Beta Sigma Phi sorority.

   Ludwig also mentioned her involvement in a deal between the city and Union-Pacific Railroad to purchase a large swath of land along the Alamo river-bottom about nine years ago as another major accomplishment in her career.

   "I just want my message to be clear," Ludwig said. "There is life before and after the city council."

   It was the second-to-last council meeting for Ludwig and her fellow council member Jerry Brittsan, who lost their seats on the council in the November 4 election to newcomers Jim Predmore and Ginger Ward.

    I didn't agree with every action taken by either one of these council members, but I do salute them for their hard work and dedication over the years. It's easy to see that both Mrs. Ludwig and Mr. Brittsan care deeply about this community and gave a great deal of their time and energy to making sure that Holtville remains a great place to live. Let's hope our new council members do the same.

Child Air-Lifted to Hospital From Barbara Worth Resort

WORDS & PHOTOS BY LUKE PHILLIPS

A small child was air-lifted by Care Flight helicopter from Barbara Worth Resort this morning at approximately 10:30 a.m. after reportedly suffering a seizure. No other information was immediately available.

Joe Patzloff Honored by Holtville City Council

WORDS BY LUKE PHILLIPS & PHOTO BY ELIZABETH ENRIQUEZ-PHILLIPS

Joe Patzloff, left,  with Holtville Mayor Jerry Brittsan.

  Holtville Mayor Jerry Brittsan read a proclamation honoring former city council member Joe Patzloff for his years of service at a meeting of the Holtville City Council Monday.

   Brittsan said that the idea to honor Patzloff came from council member Mike Goodsell, but that he wanted to be the one to read the proclamation because of his history serving on the council with Patzloff in the past.

   “You’re how I got started here,” Brittsan told Patzloff. “You were instrumental. I remember coming to council meetings and watching you go round and round with Linda Britschgi because she hated your pipe.”

   The city’s proclamation honored Patzloff for his years of service as a member of the city council, the Centinela Prison State Advisory Committee, the local Optimist Club and as a frequent announcer for Holtville High School football games.

   “It’s been a long time. Thank you for your service,” Brittsan said.

Sheriff's Deputy Randy McCoy No Longer on Duty in Holtville

WORDS & PHOTO BY LUKE PHILLIPS

Deputy Randy McCoy

   As part of his report to the city council Monday, Holtville Police Chief Manual DeLeon announced that Deputy Randy McCoy has been transferred to new duties in El Centro.

   Deputy McCoy has served in Holtville for approximately 2 years and has built a reputation as being somewhat un-friendly. I personally know several people that will be glad to see him go and will say good riddance to his heavy-handed policing style.

Deputy McCoy's favorite hobby seemed to be harrassing the youth of the city, but I also know several adults who had unpleasant encounters with him as well. I'm sure Deputy McCoy was only trying to do his job, but this is Holtville, not Compton, and his over-bearing tactics were just not a good fit for our peaceful little town. Cheers to the leadership at the Imperial County Sheriff's Office for recognizing that fact and moving McCoy to a more suitable assignment.

   DeLeon also announced that McCoy will be replaced by 15-year Sheriff's Office veteran John Higgins, whose father once served as a police officer in Holtville.

"Full circle," Higgins told the council with a chuckle.

Holtville Keeps the Axe, Wins 35-19 Against Calipatria

WORDS & PHOTOS BY LUKE PHILLIPS

   The Holtville Vikings dominated over the Calipatria Hornets on the gridiron at Holtville High School Thursday night, winning the annual Axe Game 35-19 to keep the axe in Holtville for another year. After a scoreless first quarter, Holtville made three touchdowns in quick succession in the second quarter, followed by one touchdown from Calipatria, putting the score at 21-7 going into half-time.

   The Hornets managed one more touchdown during the third quarter, but couldn't hold off Holtville as the Vikings scored twice more in the fourth to put the final score at 35-19.

   The game was a rough one with two of the Vikings sustaining minor injuries and one Calipatria player being taken off the field in an ambulance after suffering an apparent neck or back injury.

   It was also a treat to see a military osprey aircraft fly low over the game with green tracer lights on the tips of their propellers, creating giant green circles in the sky. Guess they must be Vikings fans!

El Centro Police Chief: Halloween Disguises Won't Work on Cops

   BY LUKE PHILLIPS

   The El Centro Police Department just issued a statement warning drunk drivers to stay off the roads of Imperial County this Halloween to avoid DUI checkpoints and saturation patrols, but the statement is kind of oddly-worded, warning Halloween revelers that their "disguise won't make them invisible to the Police," and the ECPD Police Chief actually says, "If you really want to be scared this Halloween, try getting pulled over by a police car that suddenly appears out of nowhere." Is he actually suggesting that we need to be afraid of the police? Wow. Just wow. Here's the rest of the statement:

   [El Centro, CA]— If you think a Halloween costume will disguise your drunk or drug impaired driving, the Avoid the 8 – Imperial County DUI Task Force has a message just for you – “keep the party off the road.”

   The Avoid the 8 - Imperial County DUI Task Force will be deploying additional officers on DUI Saturation Patrols supplementing routine patrols in several communities in the county.  

    “Local revelers should be aware that their Halloween disguises won't make them invisible to the Police, Sheriff or CHP officers who will crack down on drunk and drug impaired drivers throughout the region with an aggressive Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over enforcement effort,” said Police Chief Jim McGinley.

In fact, Chief McGinley noted, its law enforcement officers who are more likely to be ‘invisible’ to partygoers who have had too many drinks or take drugs to be driving.  “If you really want to be scared this Halloween, try getting pulled over by a police car that suddenly appears out of nowhere,” Chief McGinley said.  “Of course, one thing is for sure, the police arresting drunk or drug impaired drivers this Halloween will be visible enough, and they won't be mistaken for treats by folks who may think they are fine to drink and drive,” he added.

   Nighttime is always a dangerous time on the road, but Halloween can be particularly scary if you get behind the wheel drunk or find yourself around a drunk driver.  According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 41 percent of all highway fatalities throughout the nation during the Halloween period in 2010 (6 p.m. Oct. 29 to 6 a.m. Nov. 1) involved a driver or a motorcycle rider with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 or higher. 

   “The scariest parts of Halloween aren’t the spooky costumes and scary pranks,” said Christopher J. Murphy, Director of the California Office of Traffic Safety. “It’s a fact that too often drivers don’t plan ahead and end up turning reality into something much worse than the worst horror movie.”

   To keep safe this Halloween, The Avoid the 8 Coalition recommends these simple tips:
            
• Plan a safe way home before the festivities begin.
• If you are taking medication or using drugs; beware! They can impair your driving, and 
especially never mix with alcohol.  
• Before drinking, designate a sober driver, and leave your car keys at home.
• If you’re impaired, take a taxi, call a sober friend or family member, or use public 
transportation so you are sure to get home safely.
• If you see a drunk driver on the road, Call 911!

   Funding for this operation is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Holtville Girl Scouts Learn All About Bullying, Pizza

Imperial County Sheriff's Office Crime Prevention Coordinator Aide Flores-Gallegos teaches
Holtville's Girl Scout troop how to prevent bullying at their meeting today. 

WORDS, PHOTOS & VIDEO BY LUKE PHILLIPS

   Holtville's Girl Scout troop learned all about how to prevent bullying at school from Imperial County Sheriff's Office Crime Prevention Coordinator Aide Flores-Gallegos. Flores-Gallegos taught the girls different tactics for dealing with bullies and how to stand up for themselves. 

   The girls also tried their hand at making their very own personal pizzas under the supervision of troop leader Georgina Camacho. Check out the video below for a short photo slideshow of the girls' activities, followed by footage of Flores-Gallegos giving her talk:

$24K Turbine Pump at Holtville Waste-Water Plant Broken Again

BY LUKE PHILLIPS

   A high-water alarm was sounded at Holtville's wastewater plant on Kamm Rd. last week after a turbine motor shorted out and stopped working inside one of the water filtration wells at the plant, according to City Manager Alex Meyerhoff.

   Meyerhoff told the city council Monday that the turbine pump started smoking and had to be shut down and temporarily replaced by a rental pump from Rain for Rent. Meyerhoff also informed the council that the plant's current pumps are only 2 years old, but are unfortunately no longer under warranty.

   Turbine pumps have had a troubled history at the plant, having to be re-built several times after they were first installed in 2003 and then eventually having to be replaced in 2010. With a $24,000 price tag for each pump, the problem is a costly one and city officials are now looking at how to circumvent the problem when planned upgrades to the plant are being constructed.

   City Engineer Jack Holt told the council that pumps could be placed closer to intakes in the new wells to prevent damage from vibration, which is what has caused most of the problems in the past, or the wells might possibly be removed altogether.

   Holt says that a different treatment system may be used for the new plant, eliminating the need for turbine pumps, and bypassing the current system in favor of an ultra-violet light disinfection process. Holt says that the turbidity of the water coming from the plant would have to be very low for the plan to work, but it could also save the city on electrical costs as well.

   The item was for information only and no action was needed by the council.

Flooded Mess at Holt and 10th to Finally Be Fixed?

WORDS AND PHOTO BY LUKE PHILLIPS

The Eternal Flood at the Corner of Holt Ave. and 10th Street.

   Anybody who's lived in Holtville for any amount of time (and has been paying attention), will know that the intersection of Holt Ave. and Tenth Street gets flooded fairly frequently. Recently, however, the intersection has remained flooded almost constantly.

   Holtville City Council member Richard Layton brought up the problem at a council meeting Monday, saying that the construction of the nearby Holtville Gardens apartments and all the landscaping that goes with it have exacerbated the problem by keeping the ground saturated and further preventing proper draining.

   Layton also told the council that one group of concerned citizens has been considering solutions to the problem. Layton reported that local residents Harry and Jim Nelson have been working with County Public Works Yard Supervisor John Burnworth to find a way to fix the problem and have agreed to supply all the necessary equipment and labor if the county is able to supply the materials.

   "They're willing to do all the work and that's commendable," Layton said.

   I also find the civic-mindedness of these men to be commendable and I hope they're able to find a solution to the problem. The gathered storm waters that sit in this intersection and grow stagnant and stinky have been a problem ever since I can remember and it's about time it got fixed. Stagnant water is stinky and gross, but it's also a public health hazard considering that several cases of West Nile Virus have been confirmed in the county this year and the mosquitoes that carry the virus love stagnant puddles.

City's Newly-Reconstructed Water Tank Nearly Ready to Go Online

Members of the Holtville City Council, along with City Manager Alex Meyerhoff and Water Dept. employees
gathered to break ground on the city's 4.5 million-gallon water tank earlier this year.

WORDS AND PHOTO BY LUKE PHILLIPS

   More than two years after Holtville's reserve water tank was knocked off line by the Easter Sunday Earthquake in 2010, City Engineer Jack Holt is reporting that the tank's replacement is ready to go into operation.

   At a meeting of the Holtville City Council Monday, Holt said that contractors will be finishing the last of the construction work on the tank's new ultra-violet light filtration system this week and inspectors from the Department of Public Health will be making their final checks before the system is brought online.

   Holtville City Manager Alex Meyerhoff told the council that the city will be planning a "valve-opening event" to celebrate the tank's completition.

   "The project is pretty much right on schedule," Meyerhoff said. "I think it was a monumental accomplishment that was made in record time."

   Holt also told the council that work will begin on November 5th on a project to fix a leaking pipeline that's located underneath one of the filtration structures at the city's water treatment facility.

   When asked by Mayor Jerry Brittsan whether or not the leak was also caused by the earthquake, Holt said that the earthquake was not the original cause of the leak, but might have made it worse.

   "The earthquake could have aggravated it, but this has been going on for a long, long time," Holt said.

Preview of Tomorrow's Holtville City Council Meeting

The Holtville City Council will meet Monday, October 22 at 6 p.m. at City Hall to discuss the following items. (My explanations appear in Red):

- Discussion/Related Action To Authorize The Emergency Repair Of A Collapsed Manhole At Kamm Road. Manhole collapses have become a very common occurrence along Kamm Rd. as the city's sewer outfall main continues to deteriorate. The 80+ year old pipeline, which runs approximately three miles from Holtville to the city's waste water treatment plant on the Alamo River, badly needs to be replaced. The city has been working for years to secure funding and easements for the project and construction should begin sometime in the next few months.Ultimately the residents of Holtville will probably be paying for the project through increased sewer rates. If the city decides to adopt recommendations in a recently-completed Sewer Rate Study, residents could see their sewer bills almost doubled by 2017.

- Discussion/Related Action To Adopt RESOLUTION 12-60 Awarding The Ninth Street (Between Slayton And Beale) Project’s Construction Contract. This project will widen the small portion of 9th Street that runs between Slayton Rd. and Beale Ave., an improvement that has been badly needed for some time. The thin strip of street has presented a safety issue in the area as traffic bottlenecks during high-traffic times, especially when parents are picking up/dropping off their kids at the nearby Holtville Middle School. I'm glad to see that something is finally being done about it and I hope the west end of ninth street (between Cedar and Melon) gets the same treatment soon because it's just as dangerous, if not more so.

- Discussion/Related Action To Adopt RESOLUTION 12-61 Awarding The Fifth Street Sidewalk Project’s Construction Contract. I must admit that I don't know a lot about this project, but it seems to be a simple sidewalk improvement. I'll have more info after the meeting. 

- Discussion/Related Action To Adopt RESOLTUION 12-62 Accepting APN 045-600-003 Sanitary Sewer Pipeline Grant Of Easement And Approving The Certificate Of Acceptance. Both this item and the next concern the city's final approval of  two easements for the new sewer outfall main that the city obtained through eminent domain, meaning an agreement couldn't be reached with the property owners. The land will now be used to build a portion of the pipeline and the property owners will be paid fair market value for the land.

- Discussion/Related Action To Adopt RESOLUTION 12-63 Accepting APN 045-080-056 And APN 045-080-002 Sanitary Sewer Pipeline Grant Of Easement And Approving The Certificate Of Acceptance See above.

Holtville Fire Chief Honored At Burn Institute's Fire Ball

Holtville Fire Chief Alex Silva holds up a plaque he received from Mayor Jerry Brittsan at the
Burn Institute's annual Fire Ball event yesterday at Barbara Worth Resort.

WORDS & PHOTOS BY LUKE PHILLIPS

   I had the pleasure of attending the Burn Institute's annual Fire Ball event at Barbara Worth Resort last night and had a wonderful time talking with all the firefighters, participating in the silent auction and showing off my lovely wife Liz who bought a pretty new dress just for the occasion.

Holtivlle Mayor Jerry Brittsan reads a prolamation
honoring Fire Chief Alex Silva.

   A handful of Imperial Valley firefighters were honored with 'Distinguished Service Awards' (including Holtville firefigher Ivan Gonzalez)  and it was great to see these hardworking men and women get the recognition that they deserve (especially our friend Rosa Hernandez!), but the highlight of the evening for me was a proclamation read by Holtville Mayor Jerry Brittsan recognizing the hard work and dedication of Holtville Fire Chief Alex Silva.

   Chief Silva does a great job for the city of Holtville and it's not hard to see how dedicated he is to the community. He's always busting his butt at city events, lending a hand where he can and serving as a great mentor for Holtville's younger firefighters. He always has a warm demeanor, a great attitude and truly seems to be concerned about the well being of those around him.

   Congratulations Chief Silva, this proclamation couldn't have gone to anyone more deserving.