QUESTIONS?

QI read the article about the California Highway Patrol conducting a traffic and pedestrian safety operation in Seeley and was very pleased to hear to it, much needed. What about the county issuing citations to homeowners who have a mess visible from the street? Seeley is a quiet town to live in; unfortunately, it has been neglected by the county? Sidewalks were put in, but some streets have sidewalks, while others don’t. When it rains, the children have to walk across mud or through water because the streets in every intersection are completely flooded. El Centro California Highway Patrol, my gratitude to you for caring about my little town. Hope the county is the next one to step up. — We Need Sidewalks, Seeley

AThe good news is, new sidewalks will be coming to the community of Seeley in the near future, said county Intergovernmental Relations Director Rebecca Terrazas-Baxter. This past year, Imperial County Department of Public Works (ICDPW) has been successful in securing future sidewalk funding through federal Congestion Mitigation Air Quality (CMAQ) and Active Transportation Program (ATP) grants for the Seeley area she said.

Over the next two years, the ICDPW anticipates moving forward to design and construct sidewalks on the south side of Rio Vista from Heil Avenue to Holt Avenue, which will occur in two phases through the CMAQ grant. Additionally, existing sidewalks will be connected to new sidewalks at Alamo Street from Haskell Road to Imperial Avenue, Rio Vista Street from Holt Avenue to Imperial Avenue and Rio Vista Street from Mount Signal Road to Haskell Road with the ATP grant.

This is in addition to more than 7 miles of road improvement work that was completed four years ago in the community. Roadways in Seeley were overlaid with Prop 1B funding, as well as the completion of two sidewalk-improvement projects funded through Safe Routes to Schools grants. These projects were an investment of just over $2 million.

In regards to your questions about ordinances enforcing lawn maintenance, there are several sections in Imperial County Land Use Ordinance Title 9 that set standards and restrictions for property that is currently zoned as “R-1,” also known as Low Density Residential. There are Divisions of Title 9 that regulate the abatement of abandoned vehicles (Division 26), weeds and other vegetation (Division 18), yard and property maintenance (Division 5) and other prohibited uses or storage, Terrazas-Baxter added. To file a complaint or request an inspection of a property in an unincorporated area of the county, please contact the office of the Imperial County Planning and Development Services at 442-265-1730.