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.

Restaurant Review: The Fields Steakhouse at Barbara Worth Resort

WORDS AND PHOTOS BY LUKE PHILLIPS

Caprese Salad

   Note: In the interest of Full Disclosure, I must mention that I am now employed by Barbara Worth Resort. However, I wrote this review of the resort's Fields Steakhouse several weeks before I was even considered for my current job and I can assure you that this review presents a completely unbiased opinion:

   My wife Liz and I finally had the opportunity last week to try out Holtville’s newest eatery, The Fields Steakhouse at Barbara Worth Resort, and we were quite frankly blown away. The food was beyond amazing, the service was friendly and prompt and the environment is elegant and relaxing. I really think it’s wonderful that we now have a restaurant of this caliber in our little town.

   The Fields is definitely an upscale place, but considering what you get for your money the prices are very reasonable. They have plenty of meals under $20 and none cost more than $30. I applaud the management for keeping the prices fairly reasonable which makes the restaurant much more accessible to more people in our community.

Double Bone Apple Brandy Glazed Pork Chop

   The Fields food is undeniably great, and we’ll get to that in a minute, but for me it was the little touches that made my dining experience truly great. A single red rose and a lit candle adorned our table along with cloth napkins, fine china, and a real table cloth, unlike the cheap plastic ones found at most restaurants in town. Big band music played softly in the background the golf course and nearby pond make for a lovely view from almost anywhere in the house.

   My amazement with the quality of the food began when our bread arrived. Freshly baked, soft on the inside with a nice flaky crust, the bread was to die for. It was quickly gone and we moved on to our salad. We ordered the Caprese Salad, one of my old favorites, and it also was outstanding. The tomatoes were perfect, red and flavorful, and the basil was nice and pungent. The only thing lacking at all was the mozzarella which was good, but not as fresh as it could have been.

Shrimp Scampi

   On the chef’s recommendation I had ordered the Double Bone Apple Brandy Glazed Pork Chop and as soon as my meal arrived, I knew I had made the right choice.

   I don’t hesitate in the least to say that this was by far the best pork chop I  have ever had in my life. Every bite was tender and flavorful. The glaze was perfect, not too sweet and it didn’t overpower the wonderful flavor of the meat. In fact, the Apple Brandy Glaze almost reminded me of pork chops with applesauce, one of my favorite parings. I offered Liz a bite of my pork chop and she was instantly sorry she hadn’t ordered it too, although she did enjoy her Shrimp Scampi. At $17, this piece of pork is worth every penny.

Mashed Potatoes and Mixed Greens

   We both ordered the same sides, mashed potatoes and mixed veggies, and they too were delicious. The vegetables included collard greens with shredded carrots and squash with a hint of lemon added.

   For desert, Liz had a New York Style Cheesecake which she enjoyed very much, and that’s coming from a genuine New Yorker. I had the chocolate ice cream, because I am an unrepentant ice cream addict, and it was awesome. Real, rich, delicious ice cream, not that cheap soft-serve crap found in most restaurants.

   If you’re tired of the restaurants in Holtville and looking for something different, and you don’t mind paying a little more, check out The Fields. I personally can't wait to go back and try a few more of the dishes.