During his report at Monday’s Hollister City Council meeting, Mayor Ignacio Velazquez touched on a variety of issues that the council will likely address in upcoming meetings.
Among the topics:
– He said an upcoming homeless census in San Benito County will help local entities find ways to help who he called “the most vulnerable” citizens.
– The city of Hollister will suggest to the county that Fire Station 3 should be located on Flynn Road near the county jail. A trailer could serve as a temporary building at the site. On Tuesday, the San Benito County Board of Supervisors approved spending $700,000 toward an expansion of the Flynn Road. The state is providing $15 in funding for the project.
– Velazquez noted that he wants Gavilan College to be on a future council agenda “so that they can explain what they’re doing with our money.”
– A recent electrical fire affecting the industrial sewer ponds caused a return of the foul aromas that residents have smelled as a result of tomato processing effluent, but the odors were abated once generators were brought in to restart aearators in the ponds.
– He reported on a recent visit to Hollister Hills State Vehicular Recreation Area, which is in the process of building a mountain bike track and adding hiking trails.
– The mayor asked when city crews would do landscaping clean-up work on Union Road soundwalls. City Manager William Avera said crews were finishing work on Ladd Lane soundwalls and he would make a clean-up schedule available to the council.
In other council reports …
– Hollister Police Chief David Westrick said he and his officers and detectives continue to work on the recent murder case in which a suspect is still at large. “We are getting more tips,” he said. ” It’s pretty frustrating right now but we’re still on it 24-7. Hopefully we’ll hear some good words here in the next few days.” Westrick also said that he made a request for additional reward funding from the governor’s office with letters of support from Sen. Anthony Canella and Assemblyman Luis Alejo.
– The council’s next regularly-scheduled meeting is Sept. 2, but with two councilmembers out of town at the League of California Cities meeting, the council will move its next meeting to Sept. 8.
– Velazquez and Councilman Raymond Friend will review two applicants that have applied to fill out the remainder of former Councilman Robbie Scattini’s term in District 2.