Angels among us; Oxnard School District keeps the kids fed! See Story, more photos, Page 5 VOL. XXVIII NO. 31, JULY 31, 2020
Cool weather doesn’t deter beachgoers
Finance & Governance okays APT Exeloo Prefabricated Restrooms
Public Works & Transportation approves amended resolution for seawall funding By Chris Frost chris@tricountysentry.com
Assistant Public Works Director Brian Yanez. (File photo by Chris Frost) By Chris Frost chris@tricountysentry.com
Oxnard--The Finance & Governance Committee, July 28, approved the purchase of prefabricated self-cleaning and flushing automatic restrooms for future park projects unanimously. Prefabricated restrooms will be the new city standard is it moves forward with future projects as they replace or add new restrooms with a minimal footprint. The city chose APT Exeloo, a prefabricated restroom company for $214,739. They outbid the Public Restroom Company, which are also prefabricated restrooms and cost $247,884. A build-in-place standard cinder block restroom costs 448,000. The Parks and Recreation ad-hoc committee supported the item. Oxnard has 36 park restrooms in the city that are maintained by public works. The general fund pays for upkeeping 27 of those restrooms while nine get funded by assessment districts. n Exeloo, see page 6
Oxnard-- The Public Works & Transportation Committee, July 28, approved an amended resolution for seawall funding in Mandalay Bay and committed to 50 percent funding unanimously. The committee also directed the city staff to work with Mandalay Bay and iron out all the details of the funding mechanism. The original resolution committed the city to share 50 percent of the cost if the Mandalay community forms a community facilities district (CFD) to satisfy its obligations for the other 50 percent. Committee Member Tim Flynn suggested the compromise for the time-being. The cost for the project carries an estimated $200 million price tag, which includes replacing the seawalls during the first 25 years and maintenance beyond those 25 years. The original motion drew the ire of the Channel Islands Waterfront Homeowners Association, and
they accused the city of stonewalling Mandalay Bay, not communicating with the group, withholding engineering reports, and other problems that kept the group from supporting the item. Between 1968 and 1973, Oxnard approved developing 743 attached and detached single-family homes, along with 37 greenbelts, that made up the Mandalay Bay community. The developer installed reinforced Boise and Zurnstyle walls that created lots for residential development. Those walls were constructed in the 1960s, and at the time, followed building codes. There have been significant changes to the code regarding seismicity and retaining walls. There is much more knowledge about earthquakes and ground movement today—the last building code change for this was in 2019. The city started seeing wall degradation in the first 20 years, because of their adverse reaction to the marine environment. “There are two reasons for that,” Public Works Din Seawall, see page 16
By Chris Frost chris@tricountysentry.com
Oxnard-- It was an overcast and chilly day, July 26, but when you factor in Covid-19 cabin fever, that negated the need to get out and enjoy the beach at Silver Strand.
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large crowd gathered at the kids’ beach, just down the block from the big beach, and despite the weather, they took the plunge and decided to take a swim. Kids played in the sand and had a blast in the water while parents sat on the sidelines and tried to keep warm. Deborah Bernhardt braved the weather, and she was dressed in a jacket and a pair of shorts. Regardless, she still wanted to take the trip to the beach. “We just wanted to get away from being cooped up in the house,” she said. “We were looking for a change of scenery. That’s what we were trying to do.” As events continue to be canceled, she hasn’t given up on 2020, but she does want to get outside and start doing things again. “I do love seeing the restaurants having all that open seating,” she said. “I like that a lot.” Deborah had no plans to take the plunge into the water and laughed at the idea. “Definitely not,” she said. “The only ones out there are the kids, so no, no, no. It’s still beautiful, even though it’s cold. It’s a nice change of scenery, and it’s still beautiful. We’re fortunate enough to live close to the beach, so why wouldn’t you want to take advantage of this.” n Beachgoers, see page 7