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PALOMAR SWIM TEAM DOMINATES
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The Palomar women’s team placed second behind Grossmont in conference with the men’s swim team finishing first in the conference • Page 14
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the telescope Palomar College’s Independent Newspaper
the-telescope.com
Vol. 68, No. 14 • Monday, April 27, 2015
Retirement incentive delayed for employees, need further analysis SUSAN WHALEY THE TELESCOPE
Miller said they shut the water off in the south area and because the trees were stressed out they ended up being killed by bark beetles. To lose the trees in the Arboretum “would be a real tragic loss for the community,” Miller said. One thing that sets Palomar aside is their own water well. The well, located at the south end of campus, accounts for one-third of irrigation water used on campus. Miller said they are looking into two more wells on campus: one in Lot 12 where the new parking structure will be located and one by the baseball field in the new athletics complex by Lot 9. “Our goal right now is to do all our irrigating with well water,” Miller said.
Many faculty, staff and administrators at Palomar College were looking forward to getting a hefty bonus for retiring early at the end of the semester. This may not be the case any longer. During the April 13 Governing Board meeting, the board decided to postpone the approval of the Supplementary Early Retirement Plan, also referred to as the SERP because it might not save the college money. The board will make its final decision whether to approve the SERP on April 28. The SERP is a bonus incentive of 75 percent of a person’s annual salary offered to those who chose to retire early. It was approved by the board on Sept. 9, 2014, under certain conditions; one being that it would save Palomar money over a period of five years. Across Palomar a total of 89 people signed up to retire, while the District only projected 68 people would. Governing Board President John Halcon said the board decided to postpone the approval of the SERP because they didn’t have enough time to look over the documents carefully. He said they are very complex documents concerning the analysis over how it would affect the district financially and didn’t want to rush.
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JUMP TO RETIRE PAGE 3
A sprinkler turns on in the Palomar College Arboretum to water vegetation around 3 p.m. on April 15 • Belen Ladd/The Telescope
How Palomar College is conserving water on campus SUSAN WHALEY THE TELESCOPE
California is suffering through an extreme drought which is why Gov. Jerry Brown imposed mandatory water restrictions. This includes not only residential and commercial, but school campuses as well. Palomar College officials say they are adhering to the restrictions and conserving water on campus as best they can. Although the most recent restrictions were not announced until April 1, Palomar has been implementing ways to conserve water since Spring 2014, according to Facilities Director Chris Miller. The college uses around 40,000 units of water per year, Miller said. According to the Vallecitos Water
District, the company Palomar goes through in San Marcos for its water services, one unit of water is 100 cubic feet or 748 gallons. Miller said irrigation is where Palomar can do more in reducing water use. He said Palomar doesn’t waste much drinking water or water for flushing toilets. What Palomar is doing to reduce its water use: • Dropped irrigation run times to three times a week except from November to May only once per week. • Replaced old sprinklers with newer technology that saves water better. Older style, rotary sprinklers that haven’t been replaced yet use a half gallon of water per minute. Miller said they only run these for 10 minutes. • Limited irrigation times to before 10 a.m. and after 6 p.m.
• Grounds department began to inspect for overspray. • Looking into replacing lessused lawns for synthetic turf. The grass between the HS and MD buildings has already been replaced. A big challenge for conserving water is the Arboretum and all the construction on campus, Miller said. Construction takes a lot of water and Palomar has a significant amount of construction happening now. A new library, parking structure and athletics complex are all big projects. He said the Arboretum is a difficult area to meet some of the restrictions because without water the plants and trees may die. The school is already seeing how the impact to the area as a byproduct of the restrictions.
Palomar student dies in car accident leaving behind girlfriend, daughter STEVEN BURIEK THE TELESCOPE
Palomar College student Andrew Truesdell, 23, died in a car crash in Rancho Bernardo on April 6, leaving behind his longtime girlfriend and 3-year-old daughter. According to CBS News, Andrew lost control of his vehicle, hit a curb and then slammed into a tree near Bernardo Heights
Parkway and Avenida Venusto. Police said he was speeding when he lost control of the car. Andrew’s girlfriend Alexandria Stolle, 23, told reporters the tires on his car were bald and that he was on his way to get them replaced. Between the two of them, they at times had five jobs. Both attended Palomar College and were doing everything they could to make ends meet. During their last
conversation, they talked about getting married. On Stolle’s Facebook page, friends wrote and shared poems to pay tribute to their lost friend, father, son and future husband. “Always in our hopes and never left behind Dreams unattainable, A friend like Andrew is one we must all find Another life gone now, So lost and confused,
But in all our hearts he will always be there.” -Travis Hamilton Facebook messages with condolences from friends and family covered Alexandria’s wall. Messages were even sent from strangers such as Allan Evens, a bystander from the houses near the accident posted a song, Wiz Khalifa’s, “See You Again” with a message. “I didn’t know you at all, but
this all happened on my street. I want to tell you my heart is with you and your kid. Andrew is looking down smiling and no longer in pain! Just know that he will be there for when you see him again.” Stolle and her daughter have a gofundme.com account under the name Andrew Truesdell’s Daughter started to help raise money for support. SBURIEK@THE-TELESCOPE.COM