Weeds are common throughout the city, including near sidewalks where they can mask stop signs. “When you come into town at 10th and Main Streets there are beautiful signs, and on the sidewalk a planter full of weeds. There are a lot of weeds near the Masonic Lodge on Main Street.”Ramirez said that he would volunteer “one day a month to spray the weeds if I have to.... The city is doing a beautiful job with graffiti” abatement, and a similar effort must be directed at weed abatement.Simply spraying the weeds would not do the trick. “If you spray them, you have brown weeds,” which Ramirez said would not solve the problem.Later in the meeting, during the discussion of future agenda items, Councilwoman Mary Ann Krause asked that staff “give us a report on Yale Street and the conditions” addressed by the speakers.Mayor Rick Cook said the pepper trees are overdue for removal, and he expressed concern about weeds including those in the medians. “The beautification of Santa Paula seems to be” failing, if people will not keep median and other areas weed free, said Cook.
Persistent puddles, sidewalk-busting trees, weeds taken up with Council
April 28, 2006
Santa Paula City Council
Persistent puddles of water on a city street, sidewalk-busting trees and an abundance of weeds throughout Santa Paula were issues brought to the attention of the City Council at the April 17 meeting.
By Peggy KellySanta Paula TimesPersistent puddles of water on a city street, sidewalk-busting trees and an abundance of weeds throughout Santa Paula were issues brought to the attention of the City Council at the April 17 meeting. During public comment, Dr. Dora Crouch passed out photographs of the 700 block of Yale Street, where her apartment is located.“We’ve been having a serious problem; whenever it rains” the water collects to become “serious puddles” that do not drain. “Two weeks after it rains, we still had this wide” expanse of water that ran along the street near the curbs. West Nile virus is a concern, and the city should “not provide the perfect breeding area” by not removing the water, noted Dr. Crouch.In addition, a problem for Yale Street residents is the damage done to the sidewalks by pepper trees that have pushed up the concrete and become invasive. “I come to you tonight to plead with you to sweep out the puddles then plan on redoing the gutters,” as well as address the issue of the destructive pepper trees, noted Dr. Crouch. “I hate to ask the city to spend money, but when you consider the alternative,” the issues must be addressed.Another citizen told the Council that the sidewalks are “seriously damaged” and a “major liability,” presenting a danger to the apartment residents, half of whom are senior citizens on fixed income. Al Ramirez told the Council that his concern is the weeds that are “all over the place.... I’m sure every piece of property has an owner” who should address the problem.
