HomeMy WebLinkAbout2009-02-06 - Public Information-Technology Committee Meeting Agenda PacketYorba Linda
Water District
PUBLIC INFORMATION-TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE MEETING
Friday, February 6, 2009, 3:30 p.m.
1717 E. Miraloma Avenue, Placentia, CA 92870 - Tel: (714) 701-3020
AGENDA
COMMITTEE STAFF
Director Ric Collett, Chair Ken Vecchiarelli, General Manager
Director Michael J. Beverage Pat Grady, Information Technology Director
Cindy Mejia, Management Analyst
INTRODUCTION OF VISITORS AND PUBLIC COMMENTS
Any individual wishing to address the committee is requested to identify themselves and state the matter on which
they wish to comment. If the matter is on this agenda, the committee Chair will recognize the individual for their
comment when the item is considered. No action will be taken on matters not listed on this agenda. Comments are
limited to matters of public interest and matters within the jurisdiction of the Water District. Comments are limited to
five minutes.
ACTION ITEMS
This portion of the agenda is for items where staff presentations and committee discussions are needed prior to
formal committee action.
1. Recommendation for Education Program Collaboration with the Fullerton
Arboretum
DISCUSSION ITEMS
This portion of the agenda is for matters such as technical presentations, drafts of proposed policies or similar items
for which staff is seeking the advice and counsel of the Committee members. This portion of the agenda may also
include items for information only.
2. Electronic Imaging System Update
3. Fire Related Media Overview and Response
4. Fire Related Customer Comments Update
5. 2009 Public Relations Plan
ADJOURNMENT
The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Public Information-Technology Committee
will be held March 3, 2009 at 4:00 p.m.
Items Distributed to the Committee Less Than 72 Hours Prior to the Meetinq
Pursuant to Government Code section 54957.5, non-exempt public records that relate to open session agenda items
and are distributed to the Committee less than seventy-two (72) hours prior to the meeting will be available for public
inspection in the lobby of the District's business office located at 1717 E. Miraloma Avenue, Placentia, CA 92870,
during regular business hours. When practical, these public records will also be made available on the District's
internal website accessible at http://www.yiwd.com/.
Accommodations for the Disabled
Any person may make a request for a disability-related modification or accommodation needed for that person to be
able to participate in the public meeting by telephoning the Executive Secretary at 714-701-3020, or writing to Yorba
Linda Water District, P.O. Box 309, Yorba Linda, CA 92885-0309. Requests must specify the nature of the disability
and the type of accommodation requested. A telephone number or other contact information should be included so
the District staff may discuss appropriate arrangements. Persons requesting a disability-related accommodation
should make the request with adequate time before the meeting for the District to provide the requested
accommodation.
2
ITEM NO. I
AGENDA REPORT
Committee Meeting Date: February 6, 2009
To: Public Information- Technology Committee
From: Ken Vecchiarelli, General Manager
Staff Contact: Cindy Botts, Management Analyst
Reviewed by General Counsel: N/A Budgeted: N/A Total Budget:
Funding Source: N/A
CEQA Account No: 124580 Job No:
Compliance: N/A Estimated Costs: $30,000 Dept:
Subject: Fullerton Arboretum Water Conservation Garden Partnership
SUMMARY:
The Fullerton Arboretum, part of the California State University, Fullerton campus, consists of
twenty-six acres on the northeast corner of the University, and includes four main plant
collections: Cultivated, Woodlands, Mediterranean, and Desert. Tours of the Arboretum are
conducted in conjunction with the Children's Environmental Education Program (CEEP), a state-
approved educational program for third graders utilized in a large number of schools throughout
Orange County. The Arboretum is funded mainly by sponsorship through the Friends of the
Fullerton Arboretum, with additional partial funding from the University and the City of Fullerton.
All grounds maintenance and improvements are provided by volunteers.
DISCUSSION:
Through sponsorship by the District, the Fullerton Arboretum Education Department will work
with Staff to develop a general education program for the community related to water
conservation. The program would tentatively begin September 1, 2009 and would cover a three-
year period with expert instructors from around the Southern California area. It is currently
estimated that the program would cover 6 classes per year, two in the Fall, two in the Winter
and two in the Spring of each year during the three year period. Yorba Linda Water District
customers would attend these classes free of charge, contingent upon the showing of a recent
water bill, and each class would allow for 30 to 100 attendees, depending upon the subject
matter. Additionally, the program would entail contributions on native plants and water efficient
gardening to District newsletters and bill stuffers.
Examples of the types of classes the educational program would include are as follows:
• Selection & Care of Native Plants (Residential Use)
• Drought Resistant & Fire Retardant Plants (Residential Use)
• Small Space/Indoor Water Efficient Gardening
• "A Water Wise Garden Kit To Go% instruction and selection of plants arranged in a kit,
ready to take home and plant
• Residential Irrigation Design
• "Catching the Rain% creative and attractive ways to catch and use rainwater for gardens
• Water Efficient "Victoria Garden" Design
The financial sponsorship breakdown is as follows:
• FY 2009/2010 $10,000
• FY 2010/2011 $10,000
• FY 2011/2012 $10.000
TOTAL $30,000
This project, if approved, will be included in the Public Information budget for FY2009-FY2011.
STAFF RECOMENDATION:
That the Committee supports Staff's recommendation of funding a partnership with the Fullerton
Arboretum in the amount of $30,000 in $10,000 installments over the next three years for water
efficient gardening classes.
ITEM NO.
Fire Related Media Overview and Response
(Following January 8, 2009 Board Meeting)
• OC Register
0 1.09.09: "Reservoir Ran Dry, Pumps Shut Down During Fire"
■ Multiple inaccuracies regarding which BPS pumps to which
area via which reservoir.
0 1.12.09: Corrections made with Erin Welch via phone with KV &
CB
0 1.15.09: Corrected story ran in YL Star (Thursday)
• LA Times
0 1.12.09: "Yorba Linda Reservoir Languished for Years"
■ Multiple inaccuracies and misleading comments regarding
YLWD negligence on HH Reservoir.
0 1.12.09: Letter to the Editor written by KV refuting story
0 1. 17.09 Letter to the Editor published in LA Times
0 1.19.09: Corrections made to Tony Barboza, Stuart Pfeifer & Steve
Marble (City Editor) via phone with KV, CB & AM
o No Corrections Have Been Published To Date
• Associated Press
o 1.12.09: Ran LA Times story as "OC Reservoir Project Languished
For Years"
0 1.12.09: Correction made to Editorial Desk by AM
0 1.12.09: Corrections published
• LA Weekly Blog
0 1.12.09: Ran Associated Press story
0 1.12.09: Correction made to Editorial Desk by CB
o 1.12.09: Corrections published
• Brown & Cauldwell's WaterNews
0 1.12.09: Ran LA Times story
0 1.12.09: Correction made to Editorial Desk by CB, requested they
use Associated Press'corrected version
0 1.12.09: Corrections published via Associated Press
ITEM NO.
Fire Related Media Overview and Response
(Following January 8, 2009 Board Meeting)
• OC Register
0 1.09.09: "Reservoir Ran Dry, Pumps Shut Down During Fire"
■ Multiple inaccuracies regarding which BPS pumps to which
area via which reservoir.
0 1.12.09: Corrections made with Erin Welch via phone with KV &
CB
0 1.15.09: Corrected story ran in YL Star (Thursday)
• LA Times
0 1.12.09: "Yorba Linda Reservoir Languished for Years"
■ Multiple inaccuracies and misleading comments regarding
YLWD negligence on HH Reservoir.
0 1.12.09: Letter to the Editor written by KV refuting story
0 1. 17.09 Letter to the Editor published in LA Times
0 1.19.09: Corrections made to Tony Barboza, Stuart Pfeifer & Steve
Marble (City Editor) via phone with KV, CB & AM
o No Corrections Have Been Published To Date
• Associated Press
o 1.12.09: Ran LA Times story as "OC Reservoir Project Languished
For Years"
0 1.12.09: Correction made to Editorial Desk by AM
0 1.12.09: Corrections published
• LA Weekly Blog
0 1.12.09: Ran Associated Press story
0 1.12.09: Correction made to Editorial Desk by CB
0 1.12.09: Corrections published
• Brown & Cauldwell's WaterNews
0 1.12.09: Ran LA Times story
0 1.12.09: Correction made to Editorial Desk by CB, requested they
use Associated Press' corrected version
0 1.12.09: Corrections published via Associated Press
Fire Related Customer Comments Update
(Following January 8, 2009 Board Meeting)
• 10 Customer Comments
o 8 positive
negative
related to pressure issues
1.13.09:
Thank you for the update, I was surprised to hear the papers reports of the hydrants not working. My
neighbors never really complained of that but were concerned. I was amazed and pleasantly pleased
with my neighbors pulling together to cover what was needed and help in anyway possible. Banding
together we made sure some of the neighbors with older shake roofs were protected and we kept
watch on them.Now to the main part, after all the fires and news articles, I was watching one of the
broadcasts and they interviewed a firefighter saying that this seem to lose control rather quickly. The
firefighter made the statement that they couldn't respond because most of their equipment was up at
sylmar on an assist outside agency, so they didn't have the normal equipment on hand. I never heard
this repeated and was surprised when all the newcasts talked about the hydrants not working, but no
one talked about proper equipment not being available in high burn areas. Why would huntington
beach, santa ana, and the cities on that end of the county have loaned more equipment than taking
them from a high possibility area.) was extremely disappointed no one ever questioned this or repeated
the broadcast. I did realize they were very quick to condemn the hydrants but we all know you can't say
something negative about the heroes at the fire dept, but this isn't about the line guys. It's about the
adminstration and some of their decision, so when they wave a finger and say you didn't have water
there, remind them there wasn't enough equipment since it was being loaned to other fire areas,
abandoning YL.Just a thought, thank you for your efforts, with the size of this and how well the overall
system worked, I'd say you should be praised.Thankful in YL
I think you folks are doing and have always performed a great job. The comments critical of your
operation is consistent with the typical finger pointing and blame laying that so often permeates our
grossly dysfunction society. Best regards
1.14.09:
I received your assessment letter with respect to the recent Yorba Linda fires. It seems the media (as
usual) sensationalized the isolated incidents of lost water pressure during the fire crisis. Your evaluation,
that our system (overall) performed well, seems to be in order. My house, on Paseo Panorama was
close, but fortunately not directly on the fire path. Still, I have a shake roof and felt the necessity to try
to keep it as damp as possible to avoid possible embers. The water pressure, as one would guess during
this high usage, was in fact low, but not as much as I expected. Quite frankly, I experience low water
pressure under normal conditions more than during that occurrence. Compared to some other cities,
where I have friends and family, it seems our water pressure is quite low on any average day. I have
heard that our City (or YLWD) has an overall plan to increase our pressure. In fact, I remember seeing a
chart that actually included my street as a pressure improvement area. This would certainly be a
welcome improvement. I'm sure you are striving to keep up with the constant increased demand. Thank
you for the update.
I received your letter about the performance of our water system during the Freeway Fire. I read the
report on the web, and found that the report addressed almost all of the concerns that I had heard from
other residents: the lack of the construction of the planned reservoir, the hydrant failures, the station
failures and the lack of pressure in Hidden Hills. I was out of town when the fire hit and my residence
was not damaged or destroyed by the fire. The potential of fire response is a great concern to me, along
with the availability and quality of our water.ln a pervious professional career I was a disaster recovery
planner and I found the timeline most useful in understanding the Districts response. As a resident I
thought the Report was helpful in understanding the capability capacity and timeliness of your
response. Based on my background I understand that you cannot engineer for every eventuality. There
are economic limits to what can be done. What I did see missing from the report was any independent
participation in your assessment? Was this Report entirely the work of the Department? Will this
report be updated (if needed) when the Fire Authority issues their report in March 2009? 1 think that
inter-agency and independent participation is the one thing lacking from the report. In short, will other
professionals agree with your assessment?
1.16.09:
Thank you for the update on Freeway Compled Fire. However, I don't believe it is necessary to use slick
paper and colored ink for correspondence sent to the masses. In this economy, use regular paper with
regular black ink and use the monies saved for other purposes.
1.19.09:
Dear Yorba Linda Water District Staff: I am commenting on the letter I received on 1/18/2009 from
Kenneth Vecchiarelli, General Manager of the Yorba Linda Water District, regarding the performance of
the water system during the Freeway Complex Fire. It was good to hear that the water system
performed as well as it did, and the information about the improvements made to the water system
over the last 10 years was reassuring. However, I felt that the statements made in the letter concerning
the building of a reservoir inside Chino Hills State Park were misleading. It is because of the misleading
nature of these remarks that I have written this reply. In his letter, Mr. Vecchiarelli urges his customers
to lobby the state legislature to encourage them to approve the building of a reservoir within Chino Hills
State Park. The letter also casts the environmental concerns of the State of California in a negative light
by drawing attention to the long, complex, and challenging permitting process for the reservoir which
Mr. Vecchiarelli has stated is so badly needed by the residents of Hidden Hills. How did the city and the
Yorba Linda Water District get into this situation in the first place? Why did the city approve
development and allow homes to be built in Hidden Hills that relied on a reservoir in Chino Hills State
Park before approval had been obtained from the state? It seems that the common sense approach is to
not build the homes until the land and/or approvals have been obtained on which to build the
associated infrastructure. Rather than lobbying our state legislators to lower the standards for our
protected lands, maybe we should instead lobby our city council to reign in the real estate developers in
our city and limit them to development that can be sustained by the city's resources. I too live in a
neighborhood in the hills of Yorba Linda. Homes in my neighborhood were also burned in the Freeway
Complex Fire. I have noticed over the last two years that the water pressure at my home has been
decreasing. Sprinklers that used to cover my lawn no longer provide the same coverage. I have replaced
sprinkler heads and examined pipes. I found no explanation other than the water pressure had
decreased. I wondered if this had anything to do with the large number of new homes built in our area
in recent years. Mr. Vecchiarelli's letter only increases my suspicion that this is the case. Sincerely, Yorba
Linda Water District Customer
1.22.09:
Dear Mr. Vecchiarelli, Just today I had the opportunity to read your 3 page letter to the community with
respect to the recent fire as well as past and future improvements. Your letter was much appreciated. I
personally found it to be a well written letter that addressed many questions I had about our local water
system. Being a resident myself (an evacuated but fortunate resident) I would encourage you to
continue this type of communication to keep your users and residents up to date on the progress of the
district and its ongoing improvements. Thanks for the letter.
1.24.09:
Thank you for taking the time, effort, and energy necessary to write a cogent, fact filled explanation of
the District's handling of the Freeway Complex Fire event. Way too often in this day and age,
explanations tend to be full of non-information, sound bites and double-speak. I applaud you for not
succumbing to the road-most-traveled.
2009 PR Plan
Januarv
April
♦ PR Prep- Allocations
♦ PR Prep- Rate Increase
1 ♦ Create Press Kits
1 • Zone Rec. Press Efforts
I • Press Release- Zone Rec.
1 ♦ Arboretum Pre Prep
♦ Communications Mte
I
Julv
• CUWCC BMPs
1 ♦ Arboretum Ed. Program
♦ Press Release- Allocations
I February
I ♦ Create Email List
♦ Fire Video
1 ♦ Conserv. Resol. Review
I • Bill Stuffer- Billing Change
16 Uodate Website- Eng.
1 ♦ Press Release
1 ♦ Communications Mte
16 PR Prep: Billing Change
I Mav
1 • PR Prep- Allocations
♦ Communications Mte
October
NDDD Campaign
1 ♦ PR Prep- Allocations
1 • PL Parade
♦ Press Release
♦ Communications Mtg
1 • PR Prep- Rate Increase
1.2008 Annual Report
16 HH Res. Groundbreak
1 • Create PR Budget
I ♦ Press Release- HH Res.
1 ♦ Arboretum Pre Prep
1 • Communications We
16 Email List Update
I August
1 ♦ PR Prep- Allocations
16 Email List Update
16 Press Release
16 Communications Mte
I
I
I November
16 PR Prep- Emergencies
16 Email List Update
1 ♦ Press Release- Allocations
1 ♦ Communications Mtg
I
ITEM NO.
I March
16 Newsletter - Hvdrants
16 Memo- SmarTimers
1 ♦ City of YL Presentation
♦ Conserv. Resol. Review
♦ Muzak Changes
1 ♦ Press Release
16 Communications Mte
I June
1 ♦ Newsletter- Allocations
1 ♦ PR Prep- Allocations
1 • PR Prep- Rate Increase
16 2008 CCR
1 • Arboretum Pre Prep
1 ♦ Muzak Changes
1 • Press Release
16 Communications Mtg
I
I September
1 ♦ Newsletter- Alloc. & HH
1 ♦ PR Prep- Allocations
1 ♦ YL Parade
16 Muzak Changes
16 Press Release
16 Communications Mtg
I December
1 • Newsletter
1 ♦ Muzak Changes
1 ♦ Press Release
16 Communications Mtg
I
I
I
15~
2009 PR Plan Costs
Est. Cost Breakdown
Newsletters (4)
PR Prep- Allocations & Rate Increase (10)
Emergency PR Book (LP&A)
Emergency PR Book (Staff)
Fullerton Arboretum Edu. Programs
Billing Change PR (2)
CCR
Annual Report (200)
TOTAL
FY 07-09 PR Budgeted
FY 07-09 PR Spent
(Left in 07-09 PR Budget)
FY 07-09 Laer Pearce Costs
FY07-09 Dedication Costs
60,000
18,000
10,000
750
10,000
3,000
2,000
750
$93,000 to $104,000
174,195
189,316
0
60,300
15,200
Mesa Consolidated WD (23,500 accts)- 1 yr budget $ 200,000.00