4 minute read
Mower Meltdown
A lawnmower and surrounding dry grass are charred after firefighters were called to put out a backyard blaze involving a riding lawnmower Tuesday in Pilot Hill. El Dorado County Fire Protection District Engine 72 and Division 7704 crews as well as Cal Fire personnel responded to the fire just after 10 a.m. Fire officials remind foothills residents equipment such as weed whackers should be used in place of lawnmowers in areas with dry grass, that yard work involving dry vegetation should be completed before 10 a.m. and to wait for equipment to fully cool off before refueling. Equipment with spark-arrestorequipped mufflers is recommended as well as making sure equipment is in good working order and maintaining all fluids before operation.
Photo courtesy of El Dorado County Fire Protection District
Water line work coming for Pollock Pines area
Michael Raffety
Mountain Democrat correspondent
Doug Veerkamp General Engineering was the low bidder of three construction bids to replace the El Dorado Irrigation District’s leaking cement and steel pipes in the Pollock Pines area.
At a cost of $4,171,246.80 crews will replace 3,576 linear feet of water line on Forebay Road. That includes replacing 53 service lines, replacing a below ground pressurereducing station and adding seven fire hydrants. Replacing 1,700 linear feet of waterline on Dropoff Road is planned. That includes 11 new service lines, a below ground pressure-reducing station and adding two fire hydrants.
The funding was approved by the El Dorado Irrigation District Board of Directors on a 4-0 vote June 12, with Director Brian Veerkamp recusing himself.
The total cost for the two waterlines is $5,020,406, which includes the construction bid, $201,000 for construction management and inspection by MCK Americas Inc., $41,760 for on-call geotechnical services, $150,000 for El Dorado County Department of Transportation inspection fees, $150,000 for capitalized labor and $441,400 for a 10% contingency.
Work on the Forebay Road water line will be completed between July and October, according to Kailee Delongchamp, EID project engineer.
The Dropoff Road waterline replacement will be done between April and June 2024.
In other action June 12, EID General Manager Jim Abercrombie noted employee Matt Heape won a prestigious safety award from the Association of California Water Agencies Joint Powers Insurance Authority. Heape was recognized with the H.R. Bounty Safety Award for training EID flume crews on rope work and rappelling down steep slopes. Heape, who is the hydro operations supervisor, hired a certified trainer to help the crews practice using ropes inside a tall building. He has worked for EID 26 years.
El Dorado Transit posts online community survey
Mountain Democrat staff
El Dorado Transit management is asking El Dorado County Residents for feedback on how they can better serve the community.
An online survey has been launched
COMiCS
n SHOE by Jeff MacNelly at survey.sogolytics.com/r/EDTSurvey to analyze transportation services on the West Slope.
The survey will be up through June 27 and those who complete the survey will have a chance of winning a $50 gift card.
Sentenced Continued from A1
A victim of Slominski’s acts, whose identity will not be revealed given her age, read an impact statement to the court prior to sentencing. She shared how the events drastically changed her life. She also showed the court a piece of artwork she created to n TUNDRA by Chad Carpenter express how she felt.
“I made a painting to show that it’s still my body and that I should be the only one that should choose what happens to it,” she said, handing the art over to Judge Mark A. Ralphs via the bailiff.
Baby death Continued from A1
A hospital employee, unidentified, made the report, Sorey told the Mountain Democrat. He did not release the name of the hospital due to the ongoing investigation.
Van Streefkerk was booked into the Placerville jail where inmate records n RUBES by Leigh Rubin list charges of heinous and intentional murder in the first degree and assault of a child younger than 8 years old resulting in death. Sheriff’s officials said Van Streefkerk is not eligible for bail. n SPEED BUMP by Dave Coverly
ARIES (March 21-April 19). Optimism is faith plus sunshine. You’ll abandon good ideas for better ideas as you start to see new potentials on the horizon. Bring your imagination to today’s opportunities; you are creating the future.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20). You’ll try new things. It won’t be necessary to pay for this now. You can learn, eat, exercise and organize yourself quite well without buying anything new. Make your own plan. Trust in your executive function.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Knowing what you want out of life won’t be a problem. Wanting what’s good for you might be, though. It might help to see wanting as a process. You can always narrow down your choices and set appropriate goals later when things have calmed down.
CANCER (June 22-July 22). You won’t be able to do your thing and their thing at the same time. So, who should go first? The first position isn’t always the best one. Good boundaries and careful time management are called for.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). It’s quite natural for you to pass up the easy pickin’s and cheap thrills to play for higher stakes. Winning without challenge doesn’t feel like winning at all to you, so what’s the point?
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Your loved ones may not give you a showy kind of attention, but stay attuned to the quieter ways they support you, accept and love you for who you are and generally let you be you. If this is not the case, seek a better support system.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Your feelings are like the engine light of a car. One generalized alert could have hundreds of meanings from “get an oil change soon” to “pull over now.” With calm discernment, whatever the case may be, you’ll handle it.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Good communication, mutual respect and reasonable expectations lay the foundation for good relationships. As for passionate relationships, all bets are off. No one knows what they’re doing in love, which will involve large margins of error.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). You aim yourself well. You picture success and position yourself to head straight for it. Once you’ve established your desired trajectory, any other direction you go is a function of fear. Don’t let fear win. Steer straight.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Sit back and absorb the story unfolding before you. Additionally, know that while it seems like it would be cool to get the insider’s scoop, without a solid understanding of the big picture, the details won’t matter.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). It’s an honor to fit into certain groups but however admired the circle may be, you do not wish to match so well as to turn invisible. A simple fact becomes relevant: The only person who can make your mark is you.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). You’ve played the odds and had favorable results. Now you’re onto something so meaningful, you’ll forget about your chances of success altogether. There are some things worth doing whether you win or lose.
