Foothills Sentry Page 2 FEBRUARY 2026 Learn more at eocwd.com LOVE WATER. SAVE WATER. Thank you for your conservation e orts, you’ve done a tremendous job! Continue to commit to save water as a lifestyle change. It’s the right thing to do. Miller site, across the street from Nicky Way. The remainder of the route crosses the former landfill, traverses Santiago Creek via a temporary landbridge, and then on to the acreage slated for development. The landbridge has been approved by the Army Corps of Engineers; the fill operation needed to construct the road has been approved by the Santa Ana Water Quality Control Board and the Local Enforcement Agency (LEA). Mabury misgivings The alternate route follows the same path from the 55, turns on Cannon to Serrano, then down Yellowstone through Mabury Ranch to the construction site. The builder estimates the hauling operation will take 240 truck trips (maximum) per day for up to six months. Trucks will work from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Despite the council’s expected approval of the routes, the decision was not without stumbling blocks raised by the public. Residents of Mabury Ranch attended the council meeting and sent emails urging councilmembers to reject the route through their neighborhood. “Our community will be drastically affected by this,” Kelley Herbeck said. “There are health and safety issues and noise pollution. Please don’t approve this.” “Our residential streets were never designed to handle 240 truck trips a day,” Adam Howard pointed out. “There are insufficient safeguards for our neighborhood. There will be houses shaking and risks of collision.” Mabury HOA President Nathan Swanek advised council members that they should, as a priority, protect the residents of Orange. A road not taken Mayor Pro Tem Denis Bilodeau and Councilmembers Jon Dumitru and Ana Gutierrez separately "Dirt" continued from page 1 Scenario 1 Haul Route Scenario 2 Haul Route Alan Velasco named City of Orange Fire Chief Alan Velasco will serve as Fire Chief for the City of Orange, effective Jan. 30. He replaces Sean deMetropolis, who retired Jan. 29 after three decades of service. Velasco previously served as a battalion chief and has been with the Orange City Fire Department for 25 years. As Fire Chief, Velasco will oversee eight fire stations providing all-hazards emergency response across 27 square miles. Each year, Orange City Fire responds to more than 18,000 incidents, including residential fires, traffic accidents and medical emergencies. “It’s a privilege to be selected to lead the department I’ve called home for nearly 25 years,” said Velasco. “I’m committed to building on Chief deMetropolis’s legacy and continuing our focus on readiness, professionalism, and service to the Orange community.” Orange seeking sponsors for nation’s 250th birthday event As America approaches its 250th anniversary, the City of Orange is planning a Semiquincentennial Celebration in the Park on July 3 at Hart Park. The celebration will feature live music, entertainment, family activities and a special commemorative ceremony. The city invites businesses, organizations and individuals to help make USA 250 Celebration in the Park successful by becoming a sponsor of this free community event. Sponsorship opportunities range from $20,000 to $500 and provide meaningful recognition while directly funding the celebration. Full sponsorship details, benefits and contact information are available at cityoforange.org/250sponsor. assured Mabury residents that they had read all of their emails and agreed with them. Dumitru advised that the Mabury Ranch scenario was the second option that would be triggered only by extreme circumstances. “The goal is not to go down Yellowstone,” he said. “but there has to be an alternative.” D.R. Horton Vice President Daniel Boyd emphasized that having a Plan B is necessary for any project and that’s what the Mabury route is. “We detest that route,” he said. “I hope we never have to go there. I agree with the community 100 percent, but we need to get this thing done and built.” The primary route also had its critics. Villa Park Mayor Jordan Wu and Mayor Pro Tem Robert Frackelton reported that they had just learned about the route down Villa Park Road that morning, and asked the council for a continuance to give them time to speak to the builder and work out traffic and road damage issues for their city. Be nice to your neighbors “We have a number of concerns,” Frackelton said. “Noise, traffic, road wear and tear. This haul route goes right through Villa Park; 240 trips per day is one truck every one to two minutes for six months. We have residents and an elementary school there. You have provisions for safety inspections, street sweeping, hot patch repair for your own roads, but nothing for Villa Park. “In 2019, for a different development, we came up with a plan together, which included a crossing guard on Villa Park Road,” Frackelton recalled. “Villa Park was part of the conversation. This time we weren’t invited to the party. At the very least, we should be added to the indemnity agreement. But what we’d really like is to be part of the conversation.” Mayor Wu reiterated Frackelton’s points. “Orange has developed this route going through Villa Park, and we were not invited to discuss it. Please continue this item to allow Villa Park to be part of the conversation. Allow us to talk to the developer. “ Good will Denis Bilodeau subsequently asked if the traffic, road clean-up and pothole concessions granted to Orange applied to Villa Park. The answer was no. In that case, he said, we should ask the builder to extend that courtesy to our neighbors. Milan representative Christopher Nichelson was quick to advise the council and Villa Park officials that it would certainly extend the same conditions to that city. He exchanged handshakes with Wu and Frackelton, indicating the deal would be made. Boyd went a step further. He assured the council and the audience that his company’s priority is to do things right and be sensitive to the needs of the community. “This is the first project we’ve had in Orange, and we want to be invited back,” he said. “If we need a crossing guard at that location, we’re there.” Contaminates considered Dru Whitefeather took a second shot at the primary route. He is part of a group of East Orange residents who have stayed in touch with LEA and the Water Board to monitor contaminants in the mounds of debris that populate the Sully-Miller site. He expressed his concerns that portions of Stockpile H, which was found to contain some contaminants, was going to be used to build the haul road through the property. He advocated the Mabury Ranch route to avoid the risk of airborne particulates and impacts on Santiago Canyon Road and Salem School. He also noted that agencies have not finished testing the mounds on the site. The Water Board did, however, approve moving the top portion of Stockpile H to other areas on the site. The lower 10 feet of the stockpile will not be disturbed because it contains asbestos. While the Water Board said it preferred clean fill to construct the earthen bridge, it will allow 1,275 cubic yards from the upper portion to be used to construct the on-site route. The board requires that no visible dust is observed during grading and relocation, that material from Stockpile H is prevented from migrating offsite, and that “regardless of where the fill material is sourced from, the board may require sampling of the haul route fill area in the future.” With the council fully behind protections for Villa Park and assurances that the route through Mabury Ranch is a last resort, it gave its unanimous approval to both haul routes. Chief Alan Velasco Preferred haul route from 55 Freeway to Sully-Miller property. Alternate haul route goes through Mabury Ranch.
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