Santa Paula: East Area 1 Schedule and Behavioral Health Pilot Program

By Sheryl Hamlin

East Area 1 Schedule

Tim Jones, project manager for the East Area 1 project now called “Harvest”, presented the status of the project with emphasis on the Hallock & Telegraph intersection during the September 19, 2018 Santa Paula Council meeting.

This road work has been described in two previous articles: 6-Lane Railroad Crossing and Phased Road Work.

East Area 1 Schedule as of 9/19/2018

Per the above schedule, work on the Telegraph & Hallock construction will commence on 9/24/2018. The project is now in three phases with each phase estimated at four weeks. The goal is to keep traffic flowing at all times during construction.

There is a 7 foot drop from Hallock Drive to Sawyers on Telegraph and another 7 foot drop to the Hallock gas station as the new road approaches SR 126. There is fill on either side to create a berm.

Padre Lane has been renamed Limoneira Lane. Historic Palm trees are still visible in the picture. Historic Pump House will be renovated, says Jones.

Mayor Gherardi asked about the bridge over the Santa Paula Creek. Mr. Jones said that after repeated trips to Washington, NMFS denied the application. Limoneira/Lewis resubmitted the application. There may be another decision in six months. Mr. Jones did not indicate what the backup plan would be if the bridge was denied again and how it would impact the schedule.

Although the schedule indicates Models in May of 2019 and Move-ins during August of 2019, there have been no announcements as to a signed purchase agreement with any homebuilder for the lots.

Click here for the updated project update.

Ventura Behavioral Health Pilot in Santa Paula

There is a perceived lack of service provided in Santa Paula by Behavioral Health, according to Dr. Sevet Johnson, who was recently hired.. Dr. Johnson indicated that her department had been working with LULAC and Latino Town Hall. Dr. Johnson spoke of procedures for follow-up and language proficiency for the Spanish speaking residents.

Council Member Crosswhite asked about access to the third floor. Dr. Johnson said they put signs in the building. Mayor Gherardi asked about a crisis situation. Dr. Johnson said that they will find the right person to service the crisis immediately, part of which could be access to psychiatrist or therapist.

What Dr. Johnson appeared to be describing is a situation where a person self-registers for mental help. There was no mention of the screaming transients who roam the city, who are obviously not self-directed to ask for help nor did anyone on council ask her about such services.

The clinic is located at 725 East Main Street with hours M,T,W,Th (8 to 6) and Friday (8 to 5). Children may come up to 7:pm on Wednesday.

In Public Comments, Dr. Henry Villanueva mentioned an outreach to the Latino Community started several years ago, saying the data collected was impressive. He also said the Proposition 63 monies had been made available to the county.

A striking statistic was the number 1150, which Dr. Villanueva gave, as the number of “seriously mentally ill people in Santa Paula, of which 50% are being served”.

To watch the meeting and download the materials, click here.

For more information on author click sherylhamlin dot com

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