Photo By: Emily Aguilar
The WRELP Group awards Eastvale for achieving the Gold Level in energy efficiency.

By Emily Aguilar

Eastvale – The July Council meetings for the City of Eastvale covered an array of topics, ranging from future construction sites, upcoming events, and special recognitions.

The first meeting on July 8 began by introducing Gilmar Tenes, an Eastvale resident who recently became a volunteer as a Code Enforcement Officer.  Tenes has completed his certification, and looks forward to working with the City.

Next, Jeff Sims of the Western Municipal Water District presented a plan to expand waste-water generation to keep up with the many new neighborhoods in Eastvale. Sims also spoke of air quality management to create an “industrialized Febreze system” with specialized neutralizers that will reduce odor.

During Public Comments, Manjee Dhiman-Rios of the 88impact Foundation announced upcoming events such as “Breakfast with our Heroes” on Sept. 11, and the “Walk with a Hero” walk-a-thon on Nov. 7, at American Heroes Park. The proceeds will be distributed to local families and charities. Dhiman-Rios also mentioned the “Women Behind the Badge” event, recognizing women who served or supported law enforcement. Later, Eric Henry from the Foundation took the microphone to award City Manager, Michele Nissen, for her public service.

Moving onto New Business Items, the Council motioned three items. The first was a potential cell tower to be located next to the Fire Station at the northeast corner of Chandler Street and Selby Avenue. While there is currently only one provider willing to assist in the process of creating the tower, the Council emphasized their willingness to work toward beginning construction in the near future. The next item motioned was the approval of adding Chapter 110.4, Title 110 to the Eastvale Municipal Code permitting residents to install small solar energy systems. Lastly, the Council motioned the passing of relocating the proposed Emergency Operations Center to a local area, which was decided to be at City Hall.

The City Manager’s Report walked the Council through the City’s dedication to improving the condition of its streets.  The resurfacing was recently completed on Hellman Ave. to Chandler St. and River Road; and on Schleisman Road.  Certain parts of other upcoming street projects will be funded by CDBG.

An update on the construction of a new City Hall facility was provided.  Project design is set to be completed this December, with the expectation that the building will be completed by March 2017. Other announcements brought up included construction on the Goodman Commerce Center and the opening of a new pizza restaurant in the Eastvale Gateway Shopping Center.

Before the meeting ended, the Council welcomed Joan D. Roberts as the new director of JCSD, who was described as a dedicated leader.

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The July 22 Council meeting began with excitement as the City was awarded with the Gold Tier Participation Plaque. The award was presented by WRELP (Western Riverside Energy Leadership Partnership), a group that collaborates with gas companies and Edison to work toward the conservation of energy. Eastvale partnered with WRELP in 2014, and quickly rose to the Silver level in its efforts to conserve energy.  Eastvale then jumped from Silver to Gold – an accomplishment made in just a year. WRELP’s Tyler Masters stressed that the City must continue its efforts in spite of its accomplishments.

Next, Deputy Deanna Myers from the Eastvale Police Department was introduced.  She will be in charge of Crime Prevention, Safety, and Neighborhood Watch. Also, the Eastvale Community Foundation announced they have set up four new banners to recognize local citizens who have given their service to the military; also, they are looking to place new banners recognizing other individuals who have served their country.

Julia Sung was not present to give the Student Liaison Report.

For the Public Comments section, Hari Dhiman – who recently became President of the Eastvale Chamber of Commerce – spoke about the evolution of the Chamber since 2010, and his goal of reorganizing and expanding for the benefit of the community. Board meetings will now be held on the second Friday of each month, and networking meetings will be held the third Thursday of each month.  The next speaker was Jeremy Hutman, a representative of CaliforniaFIRST, a group dedicated to sustainable energy management.

The Council motioned to approve all the items from the consent calendar, including the regular meeting minutes from the June 24 and July 8 meetings, and ordinances on Recreational Vehicle Parking and Solar Panel Regulations.

Moving on to New Business, the Council approved the purchase of a 2015 Ford Focus Electric as the new City Hall vehicle, the redesigning of the ShopEastvale website, and the preparation to select an alternate council member to represent the Economic Development Committee in the event neither Mayor Bootsma nor Councilman Rush can fulfill the obligation.

The City Manager Report stated that the median cost of Eastvale homes has increased to $480,000. Council will discuss the possibility of placing a stoplight at the intersection of Sumner Ave. and 68^th St.  And finally, for the time being, a Public Library cannot be built near the future City Hall due to a lack of available space.

It was also mentioned that in the past month, the Eastvale Police Department received more than 1,000 phone calls – half of those calls were regarding car thefts. A DUI/License Checkpoint was initiated on July 17 at Archibald and River Rd.  36 field sobriety tests were conducted, and 7 citations were written for unlicensed drivers.

The meeting ended with Council Communications, where the City staff was complimented for taking the initiative to lower their flags for the victims of the Chattanooga Shooting. Mayor Bootsma then took the microphone to address cigarette regulations for public places, such as parks; the topic was referred to the Public Safety Committee.

The meeting adjourned with plans to meet again on Wed., Aug. 12, at Rosa Parks Elementary.