Camarillo City Council: Special Meeting Called – Camarillo Springs Project: Tuesday, October 20, 2015 at 6:00 pm
By Logan McFadden
At the City Council meeting on October 14th, the Council took under consideration a proposed Agreement among the City of Camarillo, Camarillo Springs Common Area Association, and hillside property owners regarding a project to address the hillside above the Camarillo Springs community. Several homes sustained significant damage from debris flows as a result of a fire in 2013 followed by heavy rains in October and December 2014. The parties have been working to shore up the hillside since December 2014.
A final construction phase was approved on September 16, 2015, to further enhance the three debris flow platforms carved into the denuded hillside and build retaining walls. Up to $1.7 million has been allocated by the City for the final phase of the project.
The attorney for Camarillo Springs Common Association stated that the Agreement was “near perfect”, although not yet signed by the Association and hillside property owners. He stated that the Agreement was complicated and had required several revisions. City Attorney, Brian Pierik, has worked diligently to quickly turn around each successive draft. The Association’s attorney asked the Council to approve the Agreement subject to some minor tweaking. He also informed the Council that a new attorney recently became involved and is in the process of reviewing the Agreement. With the possible exception of any changes requested by the new attorney, all parties have expressed agreement with the “core” elements cited in the Agreement.
Councilmember Charlotte Craven stated that she could not support approving the Agreement until she could review all changes and was in possession of the final executed Agreement. The City is expected to complete final plan check by Monday, October 19th. The insurance underwriter will not give an insurance quote until it receives the final plan. Given these moving parts, Mayor Bill Little stated that the City was “between a rock and a hard place”. Councilmember Kevin Kildee expressed his disappointment that the project is stalled and El Nino potentially could arrive soon. The contractor stands ready to mobilize construction equipment once the City approves the final Agreement.
The Council discussed various options given the urgency of completing the project. It was decided to call a Special Meeting within a tight deadline to keep the parties focused on the issues that need to be resolved to execute a final Agreement and give the insurance underwriter time to review the final plan. The Council set a deadline of noon on Tuesday, October 20th for receipt of the final signed Agreement. Council members will review the Agreement Tuesday afternoon and convene the Special Meeting at City Hall at 6:00 pm. If the final signed Agreement is not available, the Council will consider what alternative action to take.
The damage done by the rains after the Springs Fire www.propertyinsurancecoveragelaw.com
Camarillo Springs www.redfin.com
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Logan McFadden is a Citizensjournal.us city reporter and a recently retired banker, residing in Camarillo. He volunteers for the Heritage Action Sentinel team and serves as the AMAC Delegate to the 26th Congressional District.
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