October 27, 2011
VOL. 126, ISSUE 6
Ramona Sentinel
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THURSDAY, MARCH 29, 2012
District may ask voters for more money for fire
Inside 20
By KAREN BRAINARD
Dreams in the air Once upon a time, a young girl with a dream of flying took to the skies, and she set a world record.............6
Index Our Town....................7 Opinion......................8 Worship Directory.....10 Music Fest..................12 Ramona’s Trainer........ 15 Sports........................23 Classifieds.................26
Sentinel photo/Maureen Robertson
$10,000 DONATION—Ramona Food and Clothes Closet Manager Carlos Murcia, left, presents Steve Albanese, Young Life Ramona area director, a check for $10,000 to help pay for area teens to attend a weeklong Lost Canyon camp in Williams, Ariz., in July. Expressing thanks for the donation are Young Life participants Jose Pilar, Guillermo Flores, Forrest Riley, Cory Thomas, and Shea Loska. “It’s a wonderful program that benefits Ramona kids and keeps them off the streets,” Murcia said before presenting the money. “That’s what we do at the Ramona Food and Clothes Closet. We help out our community. I wish we’d had something like this when I was growing up.” Young Life, an international program, is open to all high school young men and women. Young Life Ramona meets Mondays at 7:27 p.m. at 2553 Boundary Ave. A total of 35 will attend Lost Canyon camp: 31 teens and four leaders. For more information about Young Life Ramona, contact Albanese at 760-330-7660.
With nearly half of property taxes Ramona Municipal Water District receives going to the Fire Department, the board plans to explore other funding options, which could include seeking voter approval to raise the fire EDU (equivalent dwelling unit) charge. RMWD General Manager David Barnum told the board that the district’s fiscal year 2011-12 budget estimated fire and paramedic services to cost the district approximately $5.5 million. Just over $2.6 million of that was paid for by customers’ annual $188.52 fire EDU charge, according to Barnum. Ambulance charges, fire prevention fees, and other revenue added another $775,000, leaving a shortfall of about $2.1 million, he said. That shortfall was covered by about half of the district’s allocation of
property tax revenue, said Barnum. The fire EDU has remained the same for approximately 17 years. It is a charge mandated by law and must go to a vote of the people to change it. Previous attempts were unsuccessful. “It was soundly rejected by voters,” said Director Kit Kesinger. Board President Bryan Wadlington noted that the district faces a shortfall for fire every year in the budget. Last year during the budget process Director Joe Zenovic suggested increasing the fire EDU. Barnum recommended that the board review the funding mechanisms to determine if the current methodolgy to fund the fire and paramedic services is still approriate. The board agreed to have its fire EDU ad hoc See FIRE FEE on page 14
Director strives to break beauty stereotypes
425-A 10th Street Ramona, CA 92065
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By JESSICA KING On April 28, a new Miss Ramona and Teen Miss Ramona will be crowned. But don’t let their shiny tiaras and sashes fool you. These girls will be more than pretty faces — much more, says Pageant Director Jill Fleming. This year marks Fleming’s second consecutive year of directing the Ramona scholarship program
and her 28th pageant overall. She also directs pageants for Lakeside and Julian. Fleming, a retired San Diego police officer who owns her own investigative service, is all about empowering girls to be stronger women. “If they have a voice, why not show them how to use it,” said Fleming. “Pretty is great but if they have a voice, they never really need that crown in the first place.”
As far as Fleming is concerned, she doesn’t work with beauty queens, she works with volunteers — volunteers who spend a year after the pageant promoting Ramona through public appearances that often consist of hard work, from serving meals to the needy to fundraising for good causes. They also learn about chambers of commerce, service clubs, and other facets of a community often overlooked by most of their peers.
“I have a great drive for these girls to understand what makes their community tick,” said Fleming. The girls learn how to build a resume, and interview and public speak skills. They also get volunteer credit that they can use to their advantage when applying for colleges or jobs. “It doesn’t just knock on the See PAGEANT on page 14
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