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Thursday, February 23, 2012

Public Workshop on Housing Element

Thursday, February 23, 2012

The public is invited to attend a public workshop at Monday, Feb. 27 to discuss potential changes to the section of Santee’s General Plan that addresses goals, policies and objectives related to housing.

The meeting will be held at Santee City Hall, Building 7, 10601 Magnolia Avenue.

More information is available by calling the city’s Development Services Department at (619) 258-4100 ext. 167.

Candidates Sought for Commission Opening

The city of Santee is seeking candidates for an opening on its 5-member Manufactured Home Fair Practices Commission.

Candidates should be able to contribute from one to four hours per quarter to attend regular and special meetings of the commission, which oversees administration of Santee's Manufactured Home Fair Practices Ordinance governing mobilehome space rents and rent increase requests.

The commission holds regular quarterly meetings at at City Hall.

The position is open only to Santee residents. To be eligible, applicants may not be residents or owners of manufactured homes, or anyone with an identifiable economic or professional interest in the rights of mobile home park owners or residents.

Members of the commission, who receive a $50 per meeting stipend, are appointed for a 2-year term by the mayor with the approval of the city council.

Anyone interested may obtain an application at the city clerk’s office at City Hall, Building 3, 10601 Magnolia Avenue, or on the City's website.

Addtional information is available by calling (619) 258-4100 ext. 114.

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Padre Dam Water District Rescues Teen Center

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Action Wednesday (Feb. 15) by the Padre Dam Municipal Water District has saved Santee’s Teen Center, which was threatened by budget cuts triggered by the city’s loss of redevelopment funding.

The water district’s board approved a rent reduction for the teen center building from $1,036 per month to $1 per month, which will result in annual savings to the city of more than $12,400.

The rent reduction means local youths like Tyler Heskett, 12, and Kayla Slinkard, 11, can continue to use the center for after-school activities, including finishing their homework.

The city, which operates after-school and leadership programs for adolescents and teens, has leased the building at Santee Lakes from the water district since 2006.

The teen center was placed on the chopping block after the state on Feb. 1 took control of tax revenue previously used for municipal redevelopment programs, forcing Santee to scramble to make up for the loss of $1.2 million.

"We’re grateful to Padre Dam Water District for stepping up to preserve the site of a valuable program that nurtures young people and gives them a place to socialize in a supervised setting," said Bill Maertz, Santee’s director of community services.

The new lease is effective March 1 and runs through June 30, 2013.

The district’s CEO and General Manager, Allen Carlisle, said his board of directors "recognizes the benefits of recreational activities for the youth of Santee."

Carlisle added: "They also appreciate and seek to foster the positive working relationship between Padre Dam Municipal Water District and the city of Santee for the benefit of our residents.  It's good government when agencies work together and find solutions like this one."

Annual membership at the Teen Center is $20 per year for youth from grades 6 through 12 who are Santee residents; the fee for non-residents is $30 annually. After-school transportation is provided for grades 6-8 for $10 per week. Contact Teen Services (619) 258-4100 ext 222 for more information.

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

City Wide Paving Project Update

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Carlton Hills Blvd.
All concrete repair work has been completed and pedestrian ramps have been installed at each street intersection in advance of the storm drain and pavement repairs.

The next phase of work after the concrete work will be the replacement of storm drains along Carlton Hills Blvd. During utility conflict investigation for the storm drain construction, two conflicts were discovered at waterline crossings that had very minimal clearance. Padre Dam Municipal Water District is currently working on lowering the waterlines to avoid the conflict. The waterline work will begin during the week of February 27.

After the waterline relocations and storm drain replacement work is completed, asphalt patching and a final asphalt overlay will be completed on the entire length of Carlton Hills Blvd.

Construction schedule dates will be updated as construction progresses on each phase of work on Carlton Hills Blvd.

If you have any questions, please contact Toby Espinola, P.E., City Project Manager at (619) 258-4100 x 174.

Monday, February 6, 2012

Santee Host Workshop for Teen Center Staffers

Monday, February 6, 2012

The city of Santee’s Teen Center recently hosted a regional training workshop attended by 30 part-time youth workers from Santee, Lakeside and Spring Valley programs.  These teen and recreation clubs serve youth who range from 6th grade to seniors in high school.

The multi-agency training focused on dealing with behavioral challenges, communicating with teens, team building and suicide prevention.

“This approach created a cost-effective way to ensure that the front line staff who make a daily impact on the lives of the youth in our communities are well trained and prepared to handle the variety of situations that arise,” said workshop organizer and Santee recreation program supervisor Aliah Brozowski.

The Santee Teen Center, located at Padre Dam’s Santee Lakes, offers a daily after school program in addition to summer day camp and leadership training for teens. For more information on the programs and schedules offered visit Teen Services.

Thursday, February 2, 2012

No ifs, ands or butts, please

Thursday, February 2, 2012

There’s a simple solution to keeping cigarette butts out of our waterways: Don’t toss them on the ground.

Seems like a no-brainer, right?  The message is worth reinforcing because there are still too many cigarette butts that end up along our rivers and beaches.

Last year, cigarette butts were the most common item collected along the county’s beaches, with more than 50,000 reported in 2011 compared to about 35,000 five years ago.

Cigarette filters are made from cellulose acetate, a hardy plastic that takes 15 to 20 years to decompose. Discarded filters contain chemicals that can harm aquatic life. They often end up on beaches because they’re flicked out of moving vehicles or dropped on sidewalks then travel to storm drains and streams.

So if you’re a smoker, please use portable ashtrays to store cigarette butts until they can be properly disposed of in a trash can.