Padre Dam Water District Rescues Teen Center

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.

Cost-sharing Agreement Reached on Fanita Parkway Repaving Project

A pothole-scarred private street in northwest Santee that has annoyed residents will soon be a smoother ride, thanks to a cost-sharing agreement reached between the city of Santee, a local water district and a private developer.

The agreement calls for the city of Santee, Padre Dam Municipal Water District and HomeFed Corporation to contribute equally to finance a $454,000 road resurfacing project along a stretch of Fanita Parkway.

“We’re fortunate to gain the cooperation of all three parties to make this much-needed project happen,” said Santee City Manager Keith Till. “It’s a great example of inter-agency cooperation and of government working with business for the benefit of the public.”

Construction is expected to begin in August and will include new street striping to accommodate a bicycle lane. The bulk of the project involves patching and applying an asphalt overlay on 1.3 miles of Fanita Parkway from Mast Boulevard to Ganley Road. The work will result in a smoother surface and should extend the road’s lifespan until the long-term plan to demolish it and reconstruct a new road can be achieved.

The road surface been steadily deteriorating, with the pothole problem becoming especially acute in the past two years, Till said.

The previous owner of the road, BarrettAmerican, planned to rebuild the street and dedicate it to the city as part of its development of the proposed 1,400-unit Fanita Ranch project, which the City Council approved in 2007.  But maintenance of the road was curtailed and the development plan went into limbo as BarrettAmerican slipped into bankruptcy in 2009.  HomeFed Corp. acquired the 2,600-acre property at a foreclosure auction in January and is now pursing the development of Fanita Ranch.

"I hope this agreement is just the beginning of a long and mutually beneficial relationship for HomeFed Corp. and our two partners, the city of Santee and Padre Dam Municipal Water District," said PaulBorden, HomeFed president and CEO. "HomeFed has always been willing to pay its fair share of the costs for its development projects.''

Fanita Parkway also borders the 190-acre SanteeLakes facility, which is owned and operated by the Padre Dam Municipal Water District. On Tuesday, May 24, the district’s board approved the cost-sharing agreement.

Fanita Parkway has been a road without an owner for decades," said Allen Carlisle, General Manager of Padre Dam Municipal Water District. "Padre Dam funded improvements to the road in 2005 and we're contributing now because it's important for Santee Lakes and it's important to be a good neighbor.”