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SHIRLEY KIMBERLIN Everything I list turns to SOLD! 805-886-0228 skimberlin@aol.com

This week’s listings on the back page

City Council takes action on oil by rail issue

Raising the bar

BY DALE MYERS

If the project gets green lighted, the refinery will be able to handle five train unloads a week, with each train carrying between 1.8 and 2.1 million gallons of crude oil.

The Carpinteria City Council in its April 13 meeting voted unanimously in favor (with Councilman Brad Stein abstaining) of authorizing the mayor to sign and send a letter to the San Luis Obispo County Planning Commission requesting it deny the proposed Phillips 66 Santa Maria Refinery Rail Spur Extension project. If approved, the project will allow approximately 1.3 miles of new track to the refinery and enable Phillips 66 to offload an 80-car oil train from the mainline Union Pacific track, thus paving the way for a dramatic increase in oil by rail transport of highly flammable crude, which would likely pass through Carpinteria—though rail routes have yet to be defined. According to Carpinteria City Manager Dave Durflinger, a Draft Environmental Impact Report on the project identified 11 unavoidable significant impacts of oil by rail. The issue has become highly contentious in part due to catastrophic oil by rail accidents in recent years, most notably the Lac-Mégantic rail disaster that occurred in Quebec, Canada, in 2013 when an unattended 74-car freight train carrying crude oil derailed and resulted in an explosion and fire that killed 47 people and destroyed 30 buildings. “The issue for Carpinterians is the potential for increased accidents on the mainline (that passes through Carpinteria),” said Durflinger. If the project gets green lighted, the refinery will be able to handle five train unloads a week, with each train carrying between 1.8 and 2.1 million gallons of crude oil. Phillips 66 claims that it needs to import crude by rail to the Santa Maria Refinery to offset a drop in local and statewide oil production that is currently delivered by truck or pipeline, and that numerous jobs are at stake if production at the refinery is not maintained at or above current levels. A statement issued by Phillips 66 states, “We understand that there may be opposition to the rail project, and we look forward to San Luis Obispo County providing responses to new issues that are raised and addressing them in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act.” The company also insists that the rail project “is designed with safety as the top priority and with safety measures embedded in the project.”

CITY COUNCIL continued on page 5

BILL SWING

Carpinteria High School pole vaulter Jimmy Graves clears 11 feet, 8 inches to win the event in a dual meet against Fillmore High School on April 9. Carpinteria Valley Memorial Stadium will be a track and field mecca over the next month starting with this weekend’s 102nd Russell Cup, the longest running track meet in the state. The meet on Saturday, April 18, features hundreds of the top small-school athletes from throughout California and promises an influx of sporting families to Carpinteria for the afternoon. The stadium will also be home to the Santa Barbara County Championship, Tri-Valley League Championship and CIF Prelims. For more track and field news, turn to Sports on page 15.

DOBBINS

The two-story office building at 5464 Carpinteria Ave. could be home to an assisted living facility soon.

City to consider 76-bed rest home Steadfast Senior Living has set its sights on converting the office building between Casitas Plaza and Carpinteria Creek into a 76-bed licensed Residential Care Facility for the Elderly. Plans, which are in the city’s preliminary review stage, are to demolish structurally unnecessary interior walls in order to construct 70 living units with private bathrooms throughout the two-story, 51,539 square foot building. On April 16, the Architectural Review Board will consider the plans, which include adding a covered porch area to create a more easily accessible entrance to the facility. Other proposed changes to the 4.1-acre

property include the addition of new windows in the building, construction of a trellis to cover an outdoor dining area and outdoor amenities such as garden, walking paths, courtyard patios and sitting areas. One portion of the building, referred to in plans as the Memory Wing, would include 19 beds and have its own secured outdoor area. The remaining 57 beds would be in the assisted living area. Plans call for a reduction of parking spaces on the site from 187 to 176, still far more than the 80 required by the city for such a use.


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