“Are we going to be contemplating a whiskey recycling facility?” Councilman John Procter asked Turner with a smile.Councilman Dr. Gabino Aguirre presented Building and Safety Director Steve Stuart with a proclamation recognizing Building Safety Week, noting that the theme of the recognition is “building and safety where you work and play.” Aguirre noted, “Countless lives are saved” by codes that protect property and those people who ensure that all areas are safe.Stuart introduced three employees, Anita Lopez, Gladys Izaguirre and Nataly Arredondo: “These ladies are out at the counter,” serving those who enter the department and making a good first impression of city customer service. Stuart said that the department also offers a display of the correct installation of a water heater, and numerous handouts on building safety issues.Stuart distributed brochures to the Council: “I know Councilman Procter loves the history of codes, here’s a new one for you,” as well as handouts focusing on environmentally friendly “green” building standards. “The state is in the process of developing new standards” regarding construction to utilize green building practices, which Stuart said would initially be voluntary.Procter noted that building and safety standards have ancient, if not archaic, roots: “If a builder” created a structure that later collapsed and killed an occupant, “that builder should be slain.”
Water, Building and Safety Weeks recognized by City Council
May 23, 2008
Santa Paula City Council
Water and Building and Safety were recognized by the City Council at the May 5 meeting, where they learned more about the operations of the city departments and what they mean to the community.
By Peggy KellySanta Paula TimesWater and Building and Safety were recognized by the City Council at the May 5 meeting, where they learned more about the operations of the city departments and what they mean to the community.Vice Mayor Ralph Fernandez presented the Water Week Proclamation to Interim Public Works Director Jon Turner, noting, “Earth is known as the water planet” and water remains one of its most precious resources.“Whiskey is for drinking and water is for fighting,” said Turner, who noted that the water system “for most of the time in many communities is a silent service... the infrastructure is out of sight, out of mind and often taken for granted.” In Santa Paula the water system produces, treats, moves and stores “right around 1.75 billion gallons of water annually, all from our local groundwater sources.”The city does so with five wells, two treatment facilities, seven booster stations and nine storage facilities. “That water moves through approximately 96 miles of pipelines to get to the end user... 7,153 service connections and 621 fire hydrants.”Turner introduced Water Maintenance Foreperson Tim Martinez, Water System Operator Scott Brown and Water System Supervisor Sam Hutton, and noted that the department has nine employees. People often take for granted that safe water is always accessible to drink, to “wash our clothes, water our lawns, and for a multitude of other purposes,” said Turner, but “when water service is interrupted, we’re all reminded of the immeasurable value of our water resources and service.”
