The April 14, 2015 Fillmore City Council Meeting had five agenda items however five presentations and two Public Comment speakers filled the majority of the two hour meeting.

The City of Fillmore was awarded the Platinum Tier Level Status by Southern California Edison (SCE) Energy Leader Partnership Program, presented by Anna Frutos-Sanchez and Sue Hughes.

Fillmore was honored for reducing its carbon footprint through its conservation practices. A check for $122,098.92 representing the cumulative rebates was paid to the City for completing its energy efficiency projects. Fillmore is the first city in Ventura County to receive the SCE Platinum Award. Hughes told the Council, "The Energy Leader Partnership Program helps cities raise community awareness of the importance and impact of saving energy and Fillmore has been a great partner and sustainability leader, retrofitting their own facilities to be more energy efficient as well as providing leadership in the community....It gives me great pleasure to present the Energy Leader Partnership Platinum Award to the City of Fillmore, in recognition of your outstanding energy efficiency achievements."

Since Fillmore began the program it has achieved 1,273,294 in kilowatt-hours, enough to power 121 homes for one year, resulting in the elimination of 878 metric tons of carbon emissions, equivalent to removing 185 cars from the road.

Mark Lawler General Manager of the Ventura Regional Sanitation District (VRSD) presented an update on where the District is today. VRSD manages the 343 acre Toland Road Landfill and a state of the art solid waste processing facility that extracts methane gas for future energy purposes. The landfill processes 460,000 tons of trash each year.

Lawler explained that CONTINUED »

This is the final reminder and invitation to the Fillmore Flower Show, April 18th and 19th at the Senior Center in Fillmore, 533 Santa Clara Street. The theme this year is “Bursting with Beauty.” Anyone, young or old, who lives within the boundaries of the Fillmore Unified School District may enter into the competitive categories. However, others may enter just to display their beautiful blooms and plants. There is also a written composition category for youth. Brochures are available at several merchant locations as well as the library. Or, all information can be found on the website: www.fillmoreflowershow.com

The show is open to the public from 1:00 to 4:00 both Saturday and Sunday. Along with the colorful flowers and lovely plants, the ambiance will be enhanced by piano and guitar music throughout the afternoon. Put the Fillmore Flower Show on the list of things to do as participant or a spectator.

Schoolboard member John Garnica presents Piru Elementary School Principal Diana Vides with the Administrator of the Year award.

The April 7, 2015 Fillmore Unified School District (FUSD) Board Meeting began with recognizing four FUSD Staff and Student of the Year recipients. On the agenda, an update on the Federal Program Monitoring, and discussions on a new Mission Statement for FUSD.

The first to be recognized was Student of the Year David Cadena (who was not in attendance). Cadena, a senior at Fillmore High School (FHS), has been enrolled in every AP class starting as a freshman, and received a 4.0 GPA or higher for consecutive semesters. He was also an elected member of the Student Council and has received numerous awards for his academic and sports achievements.

Classified Staff of the Year was awarded to former FHS graduate Alfonso Martinez. Martinez has worked as a custodian for FUSD for nine years, previously at San Cayetano Elementary School and presently at Fillmore Middle School (FMS). Martinez, who coaches soccer at FHS, was recognized for his positive impact on his school community. School Board Member Scott Beylik spoke of his dedication and remarked that on rainy nights before the roof was replaced at FMS Martinez would drive to the gym at 2am to place buckets in the gym.

Certified Staff of the Year was awarded to Mary Allyn Garcia. Garcia who is presently teaching at Rio Vista Elementary School, has taught at Sespe, Mountain View, and San Cayetano Elementary School. She has four children who have all attended Fillmore schools, and her husband who is also a teacher. School Board Member John Garnica commented he has known Garcia for years and praised her leadership skills.

Administrator of the Year was awarded to Piru Elementary School Principal Diana Vides. Vides is a graduate of UC Davis and the credential program at CSUN. She is the recipient of the ConnectED Apple Award and coordinator for the migrant program.

The Federal Program CONTINUED »

This is the final reminder and invitation to the Fillmore Flower Show, April 18th and 19th at the Senior Center in Fillmore, 533 Santa Clara Street. The theme this year is “Bursting with Beauty.” Anyone, young or old, who lives within the boundaries of the Fillmore Unified School District may enter into the competitive categories. However, others may enter just to display their beautiful blooms and plants. There is also a written composition category for youth. Brochures are available at several merchant locations as well as the library. Or, all information can be found on the website: fillmoreflowershow.com

The show is open to the public from 1:00 to 4:00 both Saturday and Sunday. Along with the colorful flowers and lovely plants, the ambiance will be enhanced by piano and guitar music throughout the afternoon. Put the Fillmore Flower Show on the list of things to do as participant or a spectator.

Enlarge Photo

Enlarge Photo

Dear San Cayetano Elementary School Community:

We are working to make sure that we have healthy classrooms and schools for students. Fillmore Unified is focused on keeping our classrooms and schools free of termites.

Our staff conducted a full inspection of San Cayetano Elementary School with the help of experts and we are now working to implement a treatment plan during Spring Recess (March 30th-April 3rd) We are committed to making sure that our work to address the termites does not disrupt student learning and that it takes place outside of instructional time. As a result, our experts will be working during the week of March 30 to complete a full treatment at San Cayetano Elementary School.

We are using the Spring Recess to complete the treatment and are following all procedures required by state law and Board Policy. The campus will be closed to all staff and visitors during the week of March 30th to make sure that students and staff are not exposed to anything that could be harmful. Staff will work with our experts to prepare our campus for students and staff when they return to school on Tuesday, April 7th. All areas that are treated for termites will be thoroughly cleaned and ventilated as part of this work.

We will continue our work to ensure healthy classrooms and schools for students and staff. Thank you for your continued support and enjoy a well deserved Spring Recess.