On Wednesday, May 30th, 2018 at 12:00 pm. Fillmore-Piru Citrus Association held a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the addition of an avocado packing line to their citrus packing operation at 357 N. Main Street in Piru, California. County Supervisor Kelly Long joined members of the Board of Directors and management at this event. Also attending were representatives from Del Rey Avocado and Westfalia Fruit Americas.

Chairman of the Board, Matthew Freeman, released the following statement:
“This avocado packing line is the culmination of a vision that began several years ago. It originated as a plan to both pack and market avocados. After conferring with experts regarding the California avocado industry, it was determined that marketing avocados would be better left to existing established marketers. We feel very fortunate to have found two excellent marketers who were in need of avocado packing capacity in Ventura County. Both Del Rey Avocado and Westfalia Fruit Americas have indicated they intend to pack avocados at Fillmore-Piru for the foreseeable future."

President and General Manager, Brett Kirkpatrick, released the following statement:
“The addition of the avocado packing line is the first step in a process that will enable us to relocate our current lemon packing operation and modernize our orange packing line. We would like to thank Supervisor Long and her staff for their assistance in working with the County of Ventura on this project. Fillmore-Piru Citrus Association can trace their roots in the community back more than one hundred years. I am honored to be fortunate enough to be part of the management team as we position the company for the next hundred years."

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Submitted by Lisa Hammond of Fillmore Citizen Patrol

On Saturday, May 12th the Fillmore Citizen Patrol, in partnership with the Fillmore Police Department and the Santa Clara Valley Explorer Post, hosted a public Bicycle and Skateboard Safety Event. The Bike Rodeo was held at the Two Rivers Park and included a safety course, free helmets and fitting assistance, bicycle registration, bicycle tune-ups, raffle prizes and food vendors. It featured displays from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Bomb Squad, SWAT Unit, K9 Unit, Search and Rescue Unit and the Fillmore Fire Department.

The Fillmore Citizen Patrol would like to extend a special thank you to the following sponsors of our event: Rotary Club of Fillmore, Lion’s Club of Fillmore, Fillmore Fire Foundation, TNT, Search and Rescue, Ventura County Deputy Sheriff’s Association, Bike Ventura, Baskin Robbins and Kona Ice.

After two separate injury accidents at the end of April involving a vehicle striking a juvenile who was riding a bicycle without a helmet, events like this are vital to the safety of children in our community.

During the upcoming summer months, the Fillmore Police Department, Fillmore Citizen Patrol and Fillmore Fire Department will be looking for children wearing helmets while riding bicycles, skateboards, and scooters in the community. Each child found to be wearing a helmet will receive one Baskin Robbins certificate for a free ice cream cone. For those children who are found without helmets, they will receive certificates for a free helmet that can be picked up at the Fillmore Police Station during office hours, 8 AM to 5 PM, Monday - Friday.

Public works agencies play a vital role in assisting communities to prepare, respond and recover from disasters. The work of public works professionals is often done behind-the-scenes but serves to protect and enhance the safety, health and quality of life of our community.

To bring to light the important role Ventura County Public Works Agency (VCPWA) plays within Ventura County and to educate the public on the wide variety of services provided, VCPWA will be hosting its National Public Works Day.

This one-day, free community event will be held on Tuesday, May 22, from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the Ventura County Government Center. This year’s event will focus on emergency preparedness and response activities to events such as the Thomas Fire and winter storms.

Attendees will have the opportunity to visit a wide range of hands-on booths, all highlighting the diverse scope of work for VCPWA’s five departments. Tours will feature information on native and drought tolerant plants, surveying, traffic signal technology, composting with worms, its award-winning raptor program, and demonstrations of the latest technology employed by the agency. Along with the county’s activities, the City of Ventura’s public works team will be on-site to host two booths as well as a demonstration of the city’s pothole filler equipment.

The event will also contain several new interactive activities including:

• An updated and enhanced Career Center – VCPWA and County HR teams will be on hand to share information about current career opportunities and the student worker program. VCPWA engineers and field staff will be on site sharing the many ways a STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education could lead to career opportunities in public works. The cities of Oxnard and Ventura will also be joining the Career Center with information about their employment opportunities. Representatives from the American Society of Civil Engineers will be on site with career information.
• Watershed Protection District - GIS/Technology: Will be showing how modern “Geographic Information System” technology has improved map making over time, how data is used to build digital maps and how it’s shared in the GIS community of County departments. Information in GIS maps can depict many features such as parcels, roads, streams, points of interest and much more. It can be assembled from records, gathered in real time, or even remotely acquired from remote weather stations (to derive current rainfall) or airborne (LiDAR to derive topography). The maps can also be viewed on the internet and cell phones.
• Ventura County Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Services (OES) and VCPWA’s Storm Tracking Center will partner to create a simulation Emergency Operations Center where students will be given emergency scenarios to work out! They will also be taught the importance of a “go kit” and what to pack in case of an emergency.
• Bicycle and Pedestrian Facilities: Learn about the work the Transportation Department conducts on county roads for motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians that makes our community safer.
• Traffic Detection Display and Demonstration: Displaying the latest technology utilized in detecting vehicle traffic in order for traffic signals to respond appropriately according to traffic flow. They will demonstrate how the technology can distinguish between vehicle, pedestrian and vehicle traffic to improve safety.
• General Services Agency (GSA): Fleet Services staff will demonstrate how a Chevrolet Tahoe is transformed from an ordinary SUV to a Sheriff pursuit vehicle.
• Manhole Covers: Learn how VCPWA workers safely enter and exit a manhole using a tri-pod wench.

“National Public Works Week has been a very successful and important event to help us connect with our community,” said Ventura County Public Works Agency Director Jeff Pratt. “It’s a great opportunity for us to educate and it will give the community a chance to get an in-depth look into the vital organizations that are dedicated to providing and sustaining the county’s infrastructure and environment while enhancing the safety, health and quality of life for them.”

VCPWA’s NPWW event has grown tremendously since launching in 2012. In 2017, more than 700 were students out of the 1,000 attendees in attendance. VCPWA anticipates a similar turnout of youth, parents and teachers to participate at this year’s education event.

To encourage an increase in bicycle safety in our community, the Fillmore Citizen Patrol will be holding a bicycle and skateboard safety rodeo from 9 AM to 12 PM on Saturday, May 12th. The event will be near the BMX track at Two Rivers Park and will feature a safety course, free helmets and fitting assistance, bicycle registration, raffle prizes, and food vendors. The event will also feature displays from the Sheriff’s Bomb Squad, SWAT team, K9 Unit and Fillmore Fire Department.

On April 20th, 2018 and on April 25th, 2018, the Fillmore Police Department responded to two separate injury accidents involving a vehicle striking a juvenile who was riding a bicycle without a helmet. Both juveniles suffered non-life threatening injuries as a result of the collisions. The cause of the accidents is still under investigation, but alcohol or drugs were not a factor.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, “Millions of Americans ride bicycles, but less than half wear bicycle helmets. For example, a national survey conducted in 2001-2003 found that only 48% of children ages 5-14 years wore bicycle helmets when riding. Further, older children were less likely to wear helmets than younger children. In 2010 in the U.S., 800 bicyclists were killed and an estimated 515,000 sustained bicycle-related injuries that required emergency department care. Roughly half of these cyclists were children and adolescents under the age of 20. Annually, 26,000 of these bicycle-related injuries to children and adolescents are traumatic brain injuries treated in emergency departments.” (http://www.cdc.gov/healthcommunication/toolstemplates/entertainmented/ti...)

The Fillmore Police Department encourages all riders, regardless of age, to take advantage of modern safety equipment, and for parents to ensure their children are wearing helmets while riding bicycles and skateboards.

The safety of our children is a top priority in the city of Fillmore, and we encourage parents to attend this event with their children.

Prepared by: Sergeant Kevin Vaden #2241. Approved by: Captain Eric Tennessen

City of Fillmore

The City of Fillmore advises all local non-profit organizations that applications are available Tuesday, April 11th, for 2018 firework booth permits.

Applications will be accepted until 4 p.m. on Thursday, May 31st in the City Clerk's office at Fillmore City Hall, 250 Central Avenue. The fee is $400.00; all organizations must provide proof of non-profit status and complete a “no fee” business license application.

The City’s Municipal Code (Section 15.38.030) requires applicants to be a non-profit association or corporation organized primarily for veteran, patriotic, welfare, city betterment, religious or charitable purposes, having on file with the City of Fillmore proof of non-profit status from either the IRS, California Secretary of State or the State Attorney General, having its principal and permanent meeting place in the City, and having been organized and established in the City for a minimum of three years continuously preceding the filing of the permit application.

A maximum of 25 permits will be issued, and priority will be given to organizations that were issued permits in 2017 and continue to be eligible. If necessary, a lottery will be held in early June to randomly determine which organizations will receive permits in addition to the qualified organizations.

Fireworks sales may occur within the City limits from Wednesday, June 28th at twelve o’clock noon through Wednesday, July 5th at twelve o’clock noon.

IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU COMPLETE THE 2018 APPLICATION – THE CITY WILL NOT ACCEPT APPLICATIONS FROM PREVIOUS YEARS.

Questions regarding applications or eligibility should be directed to the City
Clerk’s Office at Fillmore City Hall between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:00p.m., Monday through Thursday and alternate Fridays, or by calling 524-1500, extension 234 or emailing jlatshaw@ci.fillmore.ca.us.