Foothills Sentry March 2021

Foothills Sentry Page 10 March 2021 ORANGE UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT • WWW.ORANGEUSD.ORG • 7146284000 WWW.ORANGEUSD.ORG/ENROLL 7146285424 • SCSORANGEUSD.ORG the orange unified edge INTEGRITY • EQUITY • RESPECT • EXCELLENCE NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED SCHOOLS IMMERSION PROGRAMS COLLEGE & CAREER READINESS JOIN THE ORANGE UNIFIED FAMILY AND INSPIRE OUR LEARNERS OF TODAY TO BE PURPOSEFUL LEADERS OF TOMORROW. PARTTIME • FULLTIME • ENTRY LEVEL • UPPER MANAGEMENT • TEACHERS • COACHES • BUS DRIVERS • CLERICAL • FOOD SERVICE • GROUNDSKEEPERS • VARIOUS SKILLED TRADES enroll now FOR 20212022 OUSD FOLLOWS PUBLIC HEALTH GUIDANCE. ENHANCED HEALTH & SAFETY PROTOCOLS ARE IN PLACE DISTRICTWIDE. Variances derail VP council meeting By Andie Mills Normally, requests for building variances are a “ho-hum” portion of Villa Park City Council meet- ings, with council usually taking staff recommendations. But at the Feb. 23 meeting, two agendized variance requests caused a ker- fuffle. When it was announced that the first variance item had been pulled by the owner, Councilman Robert Collacott decried the waste of staff and council time. The item (a request for a variance after an above-height ballister had been built), had been continued from the January council meeting, as Councilman Vince Rossini was absent, Mayor Crystal Miles recused herself, and a unanimous vote was not reached. Miles asserted that it was now a “win- win,” as the resident will work with city staff to fix the issue. The second variance request included architectural plans, sup- portive letters from neighbors -- and was submitted prior to build- ing. However, Rossini took issue. Not depending solely on staff information, he had driven to the residence and photographed two unpermitted structures behind the fence. He urged his colleagues to hold approval of the variance until those unpermitted structures were corrected. The city needs to better police building, he railed, as too many homeowners simply build, then seek forgiveness, instead of seeking permitting in advance. Staff and councilmembers could not identify the two ille- gal structures Rossini described, so the homeowner was contact- ed. She and her architect were patched into the Zoom meeting. Both tried to visualize the offend- ing flat-roofed building or other structures ascribed to the proper- ty, but couldn't. Rossini forward- ed his photos to City Manager Steve Franks who shared them on screen for all to see. Viewing the photo, the homeowner quietly stated, “That is not my house.” Oops. The mayor apologized to the resident for the confusion; the variance was approved. Staff is working on an info-sheet to remind residents of permits re- quired. Dollars for roads Following the announcement that the Villa Park Community Services Foundation donated $75,000, previously earmarked for a community center, to the Villa Park Knowles greenbelt project, Collacott suggested that the foundation take over the coordination and expense of the Winter Wonderland. That event had been approved as a $10,000 city budget expense. The funds set aside for the greenbelt and wonderland could, he suggested, be used to repair Dodson Street. He reported that a resident had reminded him that Dodson had not been resurfaced in 50 years. Collacott noted that streets near other councilmembers’ residences had been resurfaced or slurried. Staff and councilmembers were taken aback. Street projects are prioritized using a Pavement Condition Index rating, updated each year, utilities updates and budget data, Franks explained. Irene Serna was bestowed with the Heart Award during the Woman’s Club of Orange monthly Zoom meeting. Serna was hon- ored for her caring and generous volunteer work, and for starting the club’s Meal Train. Through Meal Train, Serna organized din- ners to be brought to members in need. Helping its members and the community is a primary focus of the Woman’s Club of Orange. Tustin Democrats focus on COVID and the community The Tustin Democratic Club got off to a rollicking start in 2021, with programs to aid busi- nesses and residents. FOODBOMB! is a community- wide, nonpartisan way to celebrate and support Tustin’s restaurants. The club is asking community members to order take out from establishments that are going that extra mile to keep citizens and their employees safe and healthy. The club’s website and Facebook page are the source for the latest restaurants, currently Rutabegorz, to bomb with love. Building a stronger and healthier community during these challenging times is also a focus of Tustin Dems. Club volunteers are making calls to Tustin citizens who need extra help accessing COVID services. Other activities include a food and funding drive for Families Together of Community Health Center. Representative Katie Porter will be the featured speaker at the meeting on Tues., March 23. Club meetings will be conducted on Zoom until the community is widely vaccinated, making it easy for anyone who is interested to at- tend the meetings, held at 7 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday of every month. See Tustin Democratic Club on Facebook or TustinDemocratic- Club@gmail.com . The 2021 graduating class of the Greater Orange Chapter of National League of Young Men (NLYM) is shown here with their mothers: Lef to right, front: Jack and mother Lisa Oakes; Aidan and Melissa Murphy; Jake and Karen Goldberg; Preston and Tami Hayden, Ethan and Beverly Bell; David and Karen Fuchs; David and Marie Huff; Second row: Blake and Lori Newkirk; Jake and Beth Cipres; Ethan Harris and Dina Johnson; Lucca and Deborah Pracilio; Aiden and Tracy Maureen; Maddox and Jennifer Ber- skon; Emilio and Barbara Spadaro. Not pictured: Thomas Choi, Bryan Sparacino, Patrick Ward, Lucas Weisenberg. NYLM is a non-profit or- ganization for young men in grades 9-12, which provides a unique program that promotes the development of young men into community leaders through charitable and community service, cultural experiences and protocol education while, at the same time, strengthening the mother-son relationship. Photo by Rey Obrero for Michelle Alexander Photography