By this time next year, the pump station that delivers water up the hill to Ramona could have a backup power source for emergencies, according to Ramona Municipal Water District’s contracted engineer.
“We will have a better idea once design is completed,” Mike Metts told the water board at its Feb. 12 meeting.
Friday, Feb. 22
Supervisor Dianne Jacob’s Coffee with Constituents, 8:30 to 10:30 a.m., Ramona Town Hall, 729 Main St. Opportunity for public to share ideas, problems or concerns with the District 2 county supervisor.
County Supervisor Dianne Jacob was the lone dissenter in the Board of Supervisors’ 4 to 1 vote on Feb. 6 to approve a major use permit for Sol Orchard’s proposed 42.7-acre solar energy project at Warnock Drive and Ramona Street.
At least 15 Ramonans spoke out against the solar farm at the meeting.
Jacob said she had not heard from any Ramona residents in support of the project, and she listed faults with county staff’s major use permit findings.
San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 today to deny appeals and grant a major-use permit for a proposed 42.7-acre solar energy plant at the southern end of Ramona.
Sol Orchard Ramona Solar Energy, slated for 1650 Warnock Drive, would use 8-foot-tall solar panels to produce 7.5 megawatts of power for delivery to San Diego Gas & Electric using an existing distribution line.
San Diego County Board of Supervisors have approved the rezone and specific plan for Cumming Ranch subdivision.
The project creates 125 residential lots and 457 acres of biological open space on 683 acres, approximately one-quarter of a mile northwest of the Route 67 and Highland Valley Road intersection. The lots range from one acre to 3.1 acres.
Wading through the proverbial red tape got a little easier this month for some Ramona residents who plan community events.
In all, 28 people representing local nonprofits attended a Jan. 22 meeting in the west wing of Ramona Town Hall. They attended to better understand the somewhat arduous process of applying for community event permits through the San Diego County Department of Environmental Health.
After receiving nearly 30 letters, emails, and phone calls regarding the San Vicente Road improvements, with slightly more in favor, County Supervisor Dianne Jacob has agreed to meet with San Diego Country Estates representatives on Jan. 22, said a spokesman from her office.
The San Diego Country Estates Association (SDCEA) board has circulated a petition opposing the county’s project to widen and straighten curves on San Vicente Road between Warnock Drive and Wildcat Canyon Road to improve safety. Plans include adding a bike lane and pathway.
With the start of a new year and the seating of two new directors on Jan. 8, the Ramona Municipal Water District Board elected its 2013 officer slate that will be headed by Darrell Beck as president. The board also agreed to ad hoc committee appointments and by a 3-2 vote kept the 2 p.m. time slot for meetings.
Meetings are held the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month in Ramona Community Center, 434 Aqua Lane.
Sewer connection and mitigation fees that have been blamed for stifling business growth could possibly be reduced if the Ramona Municipal Water District conducts a fee study, said its general manager, David Barnum.
At its Jan. 8 meeting, the water board authorized Barnum to obtain estimates from qualified third party consultants to conduct a fee study as the next step in the long term master planning process for the Santa Maria Wastewater Reclamation Plant. Barnum said he hopes to bring the estimates to the board by early March.
“We’re hoping that through the fee study there’s the potentiality the fees may actually come down in the future,” he said.
A $20,000 per equivalent dwelling unit (EDU) fee is required for all new sewer connections within the Santa Maria boundaries to help pay for the plant’s expansion. Of that, $5,432 per EDU is a connection fee and $14,568 per EDU is a mitigation fee.
The plant was targeted for a three-phased $34 million expansion to handle additional capacity due to growth forecasts and because the plant exceeded flows during a wet weather time period in 2005.
In June 2012, however, Mike Metts, the district’s contracted engineer, told the board that the expansion may not be needed in the near future because of slow growth. He also said the overflow in 2005 was probably due to stormwater infiltrating the system.
Improvements are still needed at the plant, he said at the board’s Jan. 8 meeting, but at an estimated cost of $16.5 million.
A proposed medical marijuana facility elicited the most discussion and public comments at the Ramona Community Planning Group’s Jan. 10 meeting, which had a full agenda that also included a skatepark proposal, modifications to an AT&T Mobility mono-tree, and State Route 67 and Highland Valley/Dye Road intersection funding.
Lance Rogers, a San Diego attorney representing Mother Earth Alternative Healing Cooperative, presented a preliminary proposal for a medical marijuana co-op at 1339 Walnut St. — a location that had many questioning whether it fit within the county guidelines.
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