CARMICHAEL, CA (MPG) - On April 29, amidst the beautiful scenery and cooling shades of immense, regal oaks, the folks at Aegis Living of Carmichael hosted an assisted living vendor day to educate and inform the community.

In socially distanced booths, industry professionals presented informational and promotional materials for those considering a transition for a family member, a friend or loved one.

Steffany Jamison, Marketing Director for Aegis Living of Carmichael, stated, “Seniors, who have been most affected during the COVID-19 pandemic, are now slowly returning to a more normal experience in assisted living communities.”

The assisted living community at Aegis Living of Carmichael had their first dining hall meal about eight weeks ago said Margaret Gomes, Aegis Living of Carmichael Life Enrichment Director. “Previously, they were served individually in their own quarters, but now they began to come out like children and interact with others after vaccinations became available and administered,” she said.

Jamison expressed, “We are so happy that none of our residents have tested positive for COVID-19, and if anyone interacting in the facility tests positive, for some reason, all our residents are tested.”

Observant of all COVID-19 guidelines, getting regular temperature checks and other safety precautions, Life Enrichment Director Gomes said, “Our residents are very happy now that the pandemic is more under control, enjoying scenic drives in our bus, live music, minister visits and smaller groups are being allowed to gather.”

For more information about Aegis Living of Carmichael visit www.aegisliving.com or call (916) 231-9427.

RIO LINDA, CA (MPG) - This year marks the 26th Annual Farm and Tractor Days event for the Rio Linda/Elverta Historical Society and is co-hosted by Branch #13 of the Early Day Gas Engine & Tractor Association. School children and families come to watch the tractor demonstrations and parades as well as gathering around to see the various hit and miss engines perform their actions and make their funny noises. Large draft horses perform a little plowing, and everyone can take a hayride pulled by an old tractor.

The Dry Creek Ranch House is open for tours on both days and there will be vendors and food for sale provided by the Food Closet. Normally we ask for a $3 donation at the gate, but this year due to Covid, we are asking people to just donate whatever they feel they can afford. This is the society’s only fundraiser for the year, but we realize that many have lost their jobs and cannot afford to spend a lot. 2021 is also the society’s 30th birthday and a celebration will be held during the summer months.

Farm and Tractor Days takes place on Friday, May 14, and Saturday, May 15, starting at 9:00 a.m. and closing at 4:00 p.m. each day, at the Dry Creek Ranch located at 6852 Dry Creek Road, Rio Linda, CA 95673. There will be a swap meet on Saturday, May 15, starting at 7:00 a.m. Spaces are available for $20 each. The Boy Scouts of America will have their Pinewood Derby and also perform the flag raising ceremony on Saturday.

For general information and the Swap Meet, contact Jason Green at (916) 991-1482. For information on the tractors and engines, contact Deacon at (209) 810-5913. All attendees are requested to wear face masks and practice social distancing.

No insurance or proof of U.S. Citizenship or legal residency is required for the COVID-19 vaccine

The vaccine clinic at Liberty Towers in Foothill Farms will now be administering Johnson & Johnson one time single doses and 2^nd Pfizer doses tomorrow, Wednesday, May 5, 2021. Pfizer doses will only be administered to those who have already received their first dose.

If you have been confirmed for a 2nd Pfizer vaccine appointment, no further action is necessary on your part. If you have not yet registered for an appointment you can do so on the Equivax website. 

Walk-ins welcome after 10 AM

DATE: Wednesday, May 5, 2021

TIME: 9:00 A.M. - 1:00 P.M.

LOCATION: 5132 Elkhorn Boulevard, Sacramento, CA 95842

Eligible participants can register for an appointment on the Equivax website or by calling/texting (916) 583-8877. The clinic is open to all eligible participants. Pfizer 2^nd doses are available for those 16+ and previously received the 1^st dose and single Johnson & Johnson vaccines for those 18+.

No insurance or proof of U.S. Citizenship or legal residency is required for the COVID-19 vaccine. Thank you to Liberty Towers for hosting this clinic and helping our communities stay safe. 

If you would like to volunteer to assist at the clinic you can sign up on the Equivax volunteer webpage.

Audit reviewed District Documents from 2010 through July 2020

CARMICHAEL, CA (MPG) - At the April 20 meeting of the Carmichael Water District Board of Directors, the Board received the Special Procedures Audit Report completed by Richardson & Company. The Audit was authorized last July to review employee benefits provided by the District that were never authorized by the Board.

The Audit reviewed District documents from 2010 through July 2020, finding that various Employee Benefits Packages were implemented over the years, providing unapproved benefits to a number of employees. Additional benefits not outlined in the unofficial benefits packages were also granted to some senior management staff.

The majority of unapproved benefits were received by former General Manager Steve Nugent, who retired at the end of December 2019; former Assistant General Manager Lynette Moreno, who retired at the end of December 2020; and Human Resources Director Lori Kalisiak. The Richardson & Company report states that during the 10 years under review, these three individuals created and implemented unapproved employee benefits packages, through which they each received “tens of thousands of dollars in compensatory time-off, unauthorized insurance premiums, leave pay-outs, and excess reimbursements without the knowledge, authorization, or approval of the Board.”

The report specifies that “while the three members of management staff received the majority of the unauthorized benefits and public monies, seven other employees also benefitted.” It is unknown whether the other employees were aware that the benefits were unauthorized.

In total, the report showed that employees received $640,043.43 in unapproved benefits from 2010 to 2020.

General Manager Cathy Lee asked the Board to accept the report, stating that as a result of the findings, the District will make changes within the organization. The recommended changes include reorganization to establish separation of duties; hiring managers with specialized skills, training, and licensures; implementing an additional special procedures audit as part of the yearly audit; the inclusion of additional pay and benefits details in the annual budget; and the review and revision of existing policies to ensure transparency.

During public comment, David Hanscom said it appeared that “no one’s paying attention to what’s going on in the chicken coop. … You’re responsible for what goes on there. So, you need to be looking at it periodically, and waiting 10 years until we’ve got a problem this big, I don’t know, I’m just discouraged with it.” Hanscom said the Board needs to be looking inward and reviewing the District’s policies and day-to-day operations more thoroughly.

Director Ron Greenwood said, “We’ve discovered things that were wrong, and we’re doing everything we can to correct them, make them right. And that goes from policy to bylaws to our structure. And I think we’re looking inward, because we’re thinking, ‘What can we do to make our District better, keep our water supply reliable and protect it, and ensure quality?’ And I think that’s what we’re elected to do as elected officials.”

But Greenwood said, “I’m concerned that you’re concerned. … because we’re not doing our job right if we’re not keeping our people content with the job that we’re doing for them.”

Human Resources Coordinator Lori Kalisiak also spoke during public comment, stating that she, along with former Assistant Manager Moreno and former General Manager Nugent, “strongly object to the Board approving or accepting the Special Procedures Audit Report.” Kalisiak requested that, if the report related to the Closed Session regarding possible litigation, the Board discuss the item at a later date “so that this report can be reviewed by our legal counsel, and so our legal counsel can provide a formal written response.”

Kalisiak said, “The report wrongly impugns the reputation of three long-term employees, who have spent many years making the District a better place, without sufficient notice or the opportunity for us or the other impacted employees to dispute the faulty conclusions and/or statements made therein. For example, I played no part in the development of these policies and was not even the human resources coordinator until the policies were already in effect. To the extent this Board approves and accepts the report, it does so with the knowledge that there is substantial documentation that refutes the facts, statements, and conclusions therein.”

Nugent and Moreno held the positions of general manager and assistant general manager, respectively, starting in July 2003. Nugent worked for the District for 30 years, and Moreno for 21. Kalisiak started as administrative and human resources support specialist in March 2010, and then took on the role of human resources coordinator in October 2011.

After reviewing the Audit Report during the regular meeting, the Board adjoined to Closed Session. Board President Mark Emmerson later reported that they had “voted unanimously to authorize a special counsel … to file a lawsuit in Sacramento County Superior Court against former General Manager Steve Nugent, former Assistant General Manager Lynette Moreno, and Human Resources Coordinator Lori Kalisiak for the purpose of recovering the value of employee benefits that they obtained for themselves and other employees without Board authorization or knowledge.”

As of April 21, the day after the meeting, Kalisiak was terminated as a District employee.

Wild Life Care Association Sends Animals on their Way

SACRAMENTO REGION, CA (MPG) - The composition roof is on the new aviary, all the wood framing and most of the bird safe wiring. The insides will be finished by the volunteers. Meaning, all natural wood perches, getting the feeders and water bowls mounted inside. Final touch, painting. It was voted on a darker green color, to blend with their wild life theme. 

The second trip to Aviary building site was to get more info on how the building is coming along. I went inside the Care center for pictures of the different kind of animals currently being cared for. First, I heard pith, pith, pith of the air hammer and the generator running hard.  Then I saw Jim Brown taking off some support boards, now that the Aviary could stand on its own. I wanted to know more about how he got the supplies. Jim told me a Facebook group supporting all updates on what is happening with The Wild Life Care Association, had raised the donations. Over $8000 dollars was raised for this project. This would go for the wood, nails, bird wire and whatever odds and ends that would be needed. So they started building. I mentioned last week, the crew building the aviary, are volunteers from Wells Construction Company. They worked SMOOOTTTHH around each other, comfortable!  They bought the wood from 'Homewood' in Rocklin, a huge help with supplies.

Over my shoulder, I told him it was looking very good, and walked into the nursery.

There I was met by Terri Muzik who would be my escort. Before we could see the animals, she mentioned to me, all volunteers who worked around Skunks, Raccoons, Foxes and Bats, must, have a current rabies shot.

Also, stay quiet, “inside voices”, to keep the animals calm. She then took me inside where I met, Zoe Stephens, the nursery supervisor, getting ready to hand feed a baby mourning dove. “Formula to feed animals, comes in a powdered form, mixed with warm water and then fed by syringe. Sometimes though, babies are so new born, the formula has to be fed through a tube that is placed down to their stomach. We get them fed one way or the other!!!” she said.

With the new animal drop offs and then when they are ready to move on you never know what you will see when you come to work. A fun thing. There’s many sized containers for the different sized animals. From newborns to injured animals. From birds to, a current run on opossums. I saw baby opossums that did not even have their eyes open yet, in line to be fed. I also saw a two month old opossum being held before feeding.

There is very, very little interaction between animals being cared for and the caretakers. Their very goal is to get them back in the wild, so as little touching as possible. Heading out of “baby station”, Terri started telling me a funny story that goes along with keeping the animals on the wild side. She told of water misters in the outside aviary. They are hooked up and work BUT, not unless it’s really, really hot outside.

“Why”? I asked. She said, “because there are no water misters in the wild.”

No, of course not.

“We try not to get the birds used to things they won’t run across once released. We don’t want them so happy and comfortable they decide to stay here".

I was laughing as I visualized wild birds kicked back, the water misters going, a full bowl of feed, and water. Would you want to leave? Also, “Do you know what they call a flock of Crow’s”? I shook my head no. “They are called a MURDER of crows!” Guess that’s why scary movies use black crows when something chilling is about to happen.

We went to a little office where we could finally talk with adult voices. She reminded me the volunteers run the day to day. Some have been here for years but, ALWAYS, looking for more people who want the excitement of caring for the young, or sick or injured animals. If you’re out there and want to work around the animals, call us at: 916-965-9453 or come by 5211 Patrol Rd. Sacramento, CA, and ask how you can help. We’ve received animal baby formula in cans, someone sent a whole box of the cans, some give towels, crates, water dishes, food dishes, etc. Especially, we need old newspapers for bottom of cages, and of course, everyone's favorite item: CASH!! What really shows just how much the community supports us, is we get fun gifts through UPS. As, I was saying good bye here comes a UPS guy with a package. She got a huge grin and said, “I just love presents!!” We shook hands and I told her, “Remember me if some extraordinary animal comes in, and I’ll be back.” Please be good and kind to each other, until next week.

CARMICHAEL, CA (MPG) - Good news update: the final phase of Fair Oaks Boulevard’s facelift is inching toward completion. An eight-year bugbear for motorists, work along the one-mile corridor will wrap up in June. The bill for this last stage will top $16 million.

Formulated with community and County input 11 years ago, plans for Carmichael’s ugly-ducking central zone envisioned a main-street feel. Execution began in 2013. Initial work revamped Marconi Avenue and Palm Drive corners; the stretch from Landis Avenue to Engle Road was addressed in 2016. Third-phase construction (begun last year) ties in three-blocks between Marconi and Landis.

Upgrades for all phases have included new sidewalks, bike lanes, street lighting, road surfaces, median landscaping, signal modifications and utility burial. Some storm drains have been rebuilt. Traffic lights were last year installed at the Landis corner; another set now flashes at Robertson Avenue. Beyond improving traffic flow, these signals allow emergency intersection control for Sac Metro Firefighters stationed on Robertson. Within the project, the Grant Avenue corner of Carmichael Park got new sidewalks and an expanded mural garden.

County Supervisor Rich Desmond last week inspected work sites with Principal County Engineer Melissa Wright. Wright noted that while early COVID months crisis thinned traffic and made progress easier, work slow-downs were inevitable. “As in most projects of this nature,” she explained, “We encountered undocumented underground utilities. Dealing with these created schedule challenges.”

The long project has already glamorized mid-town. Though potholes remain in the final stretch, boulevard asphalt is generally satin-smooth. Additional giant palm trees and monuments evoke Carmichael’s colonial history. New sidewalks are much in use and rose-covered medians daub the corridor with spring color. Finishing touches will include an oak-leaf embellished obelisk at Angelina Avenue. Long accustomed to slowdowns, boulevard motorists must endure about seven more weeks of disruptions. Phase three sidewalks, medians and landscaping are yet to be installed. Surfaces will be sealed and stripes painted days before the County’s ribbon-cutting declares mission-accomplished.

Rancho-Cordova-based B & M builders are undertaking remaining work. All three phases – including planning, construction and right-of-way acquisitions – will run up a bill of more than $31 million. Federal, State and County funding is covering costs.  For more information, visit www.sacdot.com