Foothills Sentry June 2021

Foothills Sentry Page 7 June 2021 North Tustin couple celebrate 50th anniversary On June 19, 1971, Margy Claire Richards and Terrill Wes- ley Price were married by Rever- end John Binkley, before family and friends, at the Norwalk First United Methodist Church. Margy and Terry set up house- keeping in a small apartment in Norwalk, and eventually found themselves residents of North Tu- stin, where they have resided for the last 35 years. Their union was blessed with two children: Scott born in 1976, and Elizabeth in 1981. They spent many happy years watching their children grow and become successful adults. Scott mar- ried Mary Cachet, and Elizabeth married Nicolas Caniglia, giving Margy and Terry five grandchil- dren: James Price, 15; Nathan Price, 13; Carly Price, 8; Claire Caniglia, 12; and Nolan Caniglia, 9. The grandparents could not be prouder of their family. Terry retired from the City of Santa Ana as the fleet manager, after 37 years of service. Margy retired from Fullerton School District as principal of Ladera Vista Junior High. The couple have been retired for almost 12 years, and enjoy travel, grandchil- dren and their activities, their dog Wesley, Kansas State women’s basketball (go Wildcats!), family and friends. Margy and Terry thank their many friends and family for their kindness, encouragement and love! They look forward to a future full of adventures, more anniversaries, and making many more memories. The Woman’s Club of Orange has been holding “socially distanced” sales to fundraise for its philanthropies. A plant sale, held at a mem- ber’s home in May, generated $2,000. To learn more about the Wom- an’s Club of Orange, call (714) 744-6469. Chrissi Gadegbeku of Tustin High School has been named Young Woman of the Month by the Tustin Area Woman’s Club. Gadegbeku is a member of the Tustin High girls volleyball and basketball programs, which have taught her the principles of team- work, community and leadership. She is also enrolled in multiple AP classes, which have helped her learn time management. She plans to study either mechanical or electrical engineering at Uni- versity of California, Berkeley. The riparian area behind the Villa Park Dam was drained by about four feet by OC Public Works before a resident uproar encouraged the county to stop. It’s nesting season and the wildlife and habitat are protected by California’s Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Dam draining stops when citizens react Neighbors of the Villa Park Dam discovered early on the morning of May 11 that OC Pub- lic Works was draining the ripar- ian wetland behind the dam to allow for scheduled maintenance on the structure. Since the Oroville Dam failed in 2017, dams statewide have been subject to increased inspec- tion and maintenance. Someone in public works determined that now was a good time to attend to the Villa Park Dam, even though it is nesting season and fledgling waterfowl were abundant in the area. The wetlands behind the dam are a major habitat for egrets, ducks, geese, herons and bitterns. Residents were outraged at the county’s timing, and began a barrage of phone calls to pub- lic works and Supervisor Don Wagner’s office. “We just wanted the draining to stop,” said dam neighbor Katrina Kirkeby. “Pub- lic works was destroying an im- portant habitat.” The calls went directly to answering machines. One caller reported contact with an actual person. “I con- tacted OC Watershed and spoke to someone who said a team went out there before any work could be done,” she said. “Mitigation measures would have been indi- cated and permits required. When I asked who made the request and the purpose, I was instructed to call Development Services. I called the number she gave me and got an answering machine. I left a message. Then I called OC Operations and Maintenance and got the same answering machine. I then called the deputy director of OC Public Works and spoke with someone who said she had just received a report about the drainage. She stated that their department wasn’t responsible, transferred me to Infrastructure Works. Got a different answering message and left my own mes- sage there.” Don Wagner’s office returned a Sentry reporter’s call early that afternoon. He said he’d check with public works and report back. Hours later, Shannon Widor from public works called back to say that the draining activity had stopped about 3 p.m., and it would not resume until a county environmentalist had assessed the site. He advised that the wa- ter was never going to be drained completely, just enough to allow for the maintenance. Asked why public works was doing this dur- ing nesting season, he could not say. “Why does it always fall to citizens to make sure the county is doing the right thing?” a frus- trated resident sighed. “Isn’t any- body in the county paying atten- tion?” Photo by Jim Philipp