Supervisor Peter C. Foy

Chair, Fourth District

Supervisor Foy hosts Town Hall meeting in Home Acres on Thursday, December 4, 2008.

Supervisor Foy called this town hall meeting to hear the concerns of and bring the answers to his constituents living in Home Acres. And he plans to continue meeting with the home acres residents annually to assure their voices are heard.

Issues Discussed:

1)Southern California Edison Moorpark Newbury Sub-Transmission Project

Rudy Gonzales, Region Manager Local Public Affairs, SCE, gave a brief presentation on the proposed project:

  • The new transmission lines will be approx. 45 east of the current location.
  • The new poles will have lowered emissions and the emissions can be tested at any time.
  • The service improvements for this project are primarily for the NewburyPark area. However, there is a general benefit of increased energy availability for the region.
  • Mr. Gonzales said that SCE will be glad to look into the concerns of residents who are not able to receive cable because the current Edison lines won’t accommodate them. Those residents should contact SCE.
  • SCE is planning an energy efficiency workshop in February.

2)Temporary State Route 118 Closure

Butch Britt, Transportation Director, and Captain Cliff Williams/CHP both discussed the “soft closure” of SR 118 December 5 – 8 for road repairs. There is a large dip in the road that needs to be repaired. Closure will begin at 6:00 pm Friday, December 5. It will be a “soft closure” in one direction allowing for residents to get through.

3)118/Hitch Boulevard Traffic and Safety Concerns

Butch Britt, Transportation Director, discussed the ongoing concerns for Hitch Boulevard:

- Long term solutions need to come from Caltrans as far as widening the highway at that point.

- He is working with Supervisor Foy on several options to help these traffic concerns.

4)Highway and Road Safety Issues

Moorpark Police Chief Ron Nelson reported that the City of Moorpark has purchased an electronic message sign to place on the 23 to alert motorists to closures related to the 118.

Several ideas for increased safety along the 118 included: flashing lights at the “curve,” mandatory headlight requirement, better re-striping along highway.

5)Water Tank Project

Supervisor Foy assured the constituents that he is working diligently with the county and parties involved to find a solution to this issue, while seeking to prevent eminent domain. Satya Karra from the Ventura County Public Works Water District discussed the benefits of the project and said the current site was the best one selected. Hitch Road will not be re-paved until this issue is resolved due to the truck traffic during construction.

6)Flood Control Issues

Residents felt the watershed channel near the buffer zone needed to be cleared out. Some residents requested some potential hiking/biking paths along the flood control channels.

7)Fire and Weed Abatement Concerns

There were questions on types of clearance and whether or not debris removal is needed. Fire Chief Roper and Fire Prevention Specialist Larry Williams both agreed that the type of vegetation determines if weed abatement from the site is needed.

Residents were encouraged to contact their local fire station with questions on specific properties.

Fire District wants to host a meeting in the neighborhood regarding to assist people with better fire prevention techniques for their home and what to do if they stay “and defend.” Residents will be notified about the meeting when it occurs.

8)Gates at Buffer

Residents want to be re-assured that the gates will be opened in the event of an emergency, especially a fire evacuation. Sheriff Captain Ron Nelson and CHP Captain Cliff Williams assured the residents that in the case of emergency, the Butter Zone gates will be opened. For the complete printed agreement between the City of Moorpark and the County of Ventura (Home Acres), please see Supervisor Foy’s website.