Water
conservation, landscaping costs, a “black box” theater facility
and a contentious petition drive merit attention from Yorba Linda
residents this week.
--The
city's Landscape Maintenance Assessment District and landscape areas
maintained by the Parks and Recreation Department have met the 36
percent conservation goals for the six months since a sustained
effort began in late July 2015, according to a recent city staff
report.
And,
noted Public Works Director Mike Wolfe, the city is testing
water-saving granules at two 3,000-square-foot locations, near the
intersection of Camino de Bryant and Kodiak Mountain Drive and off
Via Del Coyote. They'll be watered twice weekly to evaluate granule
benefits.
The bid
process has started on a $207,100 project for upgrades to 66
irrigation controllers in 19 of the city's landscape maintenance
zones that have reserves to fund the “smart” devices.
--Property
owner votes in the last of three rounds of balloting on increasing
annual fees to maintain deficit-ridden Landscape Maintenance
Assessment zones will be announced at a May 17 City Council meeting.
Proposed increases range from $161 to $754 (61percent to 846
percent).
This
time, three zones, with 361 single-family homes, are in the city's
central area, and one zone, with 745 homes, is in the northwest. The
hikes would include a yearly consumer price index increase and be
added to 2016-17 property tax bills.
Three
zones with 1,930 residences approved increases in January, and five
zones with 1,847 residences rejected hikes earlier this month. Of the
city's 21,142 single-family and 1,083 multi-family residences, 12,149
and 624, some 58 percent, are in a total 32 local landscape zones.
--One of
the facilities proposed for a 15,000-square-foot arts and community
center under consideration to be built alongside a 50,000-square-foot
library on the vacant “strawberry field” site near Lakeview
Avenue and Lemon Drive is a 125- to 225-seat “black box” theater.
Black-box
theaters are often painted black because the absence of color can
give audiences “a sense of being anywhere,” according to a city
staff report. Lighting is critical in creating atmosphere, since
props and background scenery are limited.
Primary
uses would be for theater, dance and musical performances. Other
uses: classes; rehearsals; film festivals; training sessions; and
corporate, fund-raising and special events.
--Dueling
political action committees, “robo” phone calls and roadway signs
are dominating a drive to gather 9,520 signatures on each of two
petitions to qualify recalls for water board directors Bob Kiley and
Gary Melton for a future ballot.
Citizens
to Protect Our Water, organized last month by Ric Collett, a director
since 2004, opposes the effort, and Yorba Linda Taxpayers
Association, active since June 2015 and chaired by Jeff Decker, a
recall and regular election council candidate in 2014, is in favor.