Heal the Ocean is celebrating the news that the contract for sewer construction in the Sand Point community of the South Coast Beach Communities Septic to Sewer Project will be approved by the Carpinteria Sanitary District board of directors on September 6!
According to CSD general manager Craig Murray, the district will give the contractor Travis Agricultural Construction, Ventura, a Notice to Proceed order on that date, and actual construction will proceed “several weeks after,” or by the end of September 2011. CSD has put in a purchase order to buy all the pumps for the 21 Sand Point homes, and the arrival of this equipment will start the construction project.
Sandyland is moving forward, too. CSD is advertising for construction bids for the construction of sewer to this group of coastal homes during the week of August 22, 2011. Craig Murray expects the construction of both Sand Point and Sandyland septic-to-sewer projects to proceed almost simultaneously.
As for the Rincon part of the project “all of this is good news,” Murray says. “We have just finished another addendum to the (Rincon) EIR to locate the pump station in the (upper) County park area, and are revising other aspects of the project using the same CEQA document.”
Heal the Ocean has spearheaded the septic-to-sewer conversion of all 171 homes along the coast in this south coast area since our organization began in 1998. HTO’s pride and joy of our environmental work is actual infrastructure replacement and/or upgrade that removes or reduces sources of ocean pollution. In addition to paying for consultants, lawyers, DNA tests and engineering plans, HTO has also been instrumental in finding outside funding to help pay for the South Coast Beach Communities Septic to Sewer project. We helped CSD write the Prop 84 grant for $2.1 million, and then lobbied for this grant at the State Water Resources Control Board level. These funds will be applied to the South Coast Beach Communities Septic to Sewer project, in the form of a 25% rebate to homeowners who have paid to build it.
During its September 6, 2011 meeting, the CSD board of directors will also give Notice of Proceed to Sierra Construction, Carpinteria, to move CSD sewer pipes off Carpinteria Bluffs, an environmentally sensitive (and eroding) cliff area. HTO successfully assisted CSD in lobbying for $2 million in SWRCB Proposition 84 funds to help pay for this project.
With Julia Louis-Dreyfus serving as Fantasy Chair, HTO’s Annual Gala this year had the theme “Stay Home! No attire required!” Sponsorship levels ranged from “Dream Tables” and “Phantom Tables” to “Invisible Seats and Make Believe Seats.” With invitations going out at the beginning of July 2011, and with a deadline of August 1, 2011 to make deadline for full-page tributes to our sponsors in the Montecito Journal and Santa Barbara Independent (to appear Thursday, August 17, 2011), we are ecstatic to announce that our support surpassed our goal of $100,000! The fundraiser got a tremendous kick-start with the instant Dream Table sponsorship of Scott & Ella Brittingham/Brittingham Family Foundation, and culminated with a Thursday August 18, 2011 cover story in Montecito Journal with Julia Louis-Dreyfus and HTO executive director Hillary Hauser in conversation with MJ publisher Jim Buckley.
On Thursday, August 18, one day before our 13th birthday, HTO flags went up on State Street! We love being part of the Downtown Organization’s State Street Flag Program, and we love Stan & Cheryl Tomchin/Tomchin Family Foundation, for taking out a full-page ad in the Montecito Messenger to salute our birthday and our flags! In addition, the Tomchins sponsored a Phantom-Dream Table at our Imaginary Gala.
Thank you, one and all!
