Plans for a Palomar Pomerado satellite healthcare facility to be built in Ramona are continuing, despite the news of high fees imposed by the county and by the Ramona Municipal Water District.
   The 37,000-square-foot medical building is designated to be built on Main Street between 13th and 14th streets.
   County transportation impact fees (TIF), along with sewer and water connection fees, are expected to total an additional $700,000 to $1 million to the cost of the project. Dr. Marcelo Rivera, director of the Palomar Pomerado Health Board, noted that is a significant amount and said they need to look at the project economically and see if those fees could be mitigated.
   Michael Shanahan, director of facilities planning development for Palomar Pomerado Health,   said they are sending letters to the Ramona Municipal Water District and to the County of San Diego regarding the fees and asking for relief as one public agency to another.

 Gary Gallegos, executive director of the San Diego Association of Governments, received a contract extension that will mean another $10,000 per year in his paycheck for the next five years.
   The SANDAG board approved the pay raise in a 14-5 vote. The raise is not expected to impact transportation projects. Funding for transportation projects from various sources includes administration expenses, and Gallegos’ salary is part of administration spending. The TransNet half-cent sales tax approved by voters authorizes 1 percent of the half-cent sales tax for administration. Other sources funding Gallegos’ salary include Federal Transit Administration and Federal Highway Administration money, Transportation Development Act money from the state sales tax, and money from the California State Planning, Programming, and Monitoring program.

   A variety of special events are planned to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Boy Scouts of America.
   The official anniversary is Monday, Feb. 8, but Kiwanis Club of Ramona plans to celebrate two days early on Feb. 6 and Ramona Cub Scout Pack 692 will have its celebration on Friday, Feb. 19.
   Ramona Kiwanians will host Ramona Cub Pack 679 members and their leaders for breakfast in Sizzler of Ramona at 7 a.m. on Saturday. Kiwanis of Ramona sponsors Cub Pack 679 and the Cub Scouts participate in the flag presentation opening ceremony at the Kiwanis breakfast the first Saturday of each month.
   Under the direction of Cubmaster Kevin Collins, members of Pack 679 will present a skit about the Boy Scout organization after breakfast on Saturday.

Cameron and Aleigha Elston of Ramona are winners in the California High School Rodeo Association’s back-to-back rodeos in Brawley,.
   Cameron, a senior at Ramona High School, won the Tie-Down Roping average for both rodeos as well as  three of the four go-rounds in that event. Aleigha, an RHS sophomore, won the Breakaway Roping average in the first rodeo and the day’s second go-round in that event.
   Cameron rode Matt in Tie-Down Roping. In the Jan. 16 rodeo he had winning go-round times of 13.315 and 9.620 seconds to win the average with a two-head time of 23.135 seconds.  Ranchita’s Timothy Robison had a time of 13.640 seconds to place second in the first go-round, Clayton Van Aken was second in the second go-round at 11.465 seconds, and Justin McDaniel’s average of 31.595 seconds placed him second.

 On a recommendation from District 2 Supervisor Dianne Jacob, the county board of supervisors approved $100,000 for Ramona Girls Softball improvements.
   The money is part of Jacob’s discretionary budget of $2 million per year and will be used to purchase new bleachers, dugout roofs, and backstops. The money also will be used to improve the bullpen and sideline areas of the field off Aqua Lane.
   Each of the county’s five supervisors is allocated $2 million a year to provide grants to nonprofit organizations for public purposes at the regional and community levels. In addition to nonprofit organizations, county supervisors have also funded school and fire department projects, and some supervisors have used the money to supplement other county funding for specific county projects such as parks, roads, and libraries.

   A new and better insurance rating for the Intermountain Fire and Rescue Department could save some residents in that area $1,000 a year in homeowners’ insurance and allow others who have been uninsurable to get coverage.
   For the past 18 years, the department has had the worst rating possible—a 10—issued by the Insurance Service Office (ISO), an independent advisory organization that serves the insurance industry. Living in an area with a 10 rating makes it extremely difficult, if not impossible, to get insurance.
   The department recently asked the ISO to review the rating and has been informed that, as of May 1, those living within five miles of the department’s station, which is eight miles east of Ramona’s town center on Highway 78, will now have a 4 rating, said Chief Cary “Dusty” Coleman. The remainder of the district will receive a rank of 9.

   The January storms created more benefit than damage for San Diego County’s agricultural industries.
   “The damage we had was pretty minimal,” said Eric Larson, San Diego County Farm Bureau executive director. “It definitely all in all was a benefit.”
   The rainfall increased the water supply to interrupt a drought at least temporarily while erosion, uprooting and wind damage were limited.
   Most of the damage was wind-related and involved fruit falling off trees. Larson noted that very little agricultural loss from erosion was reported. 
   “Haven’t really heard much about that at all,” he said.
   The wetter soil was not loose enough to uproot trees or other crops. 

   Citizens gathered in Ramona Mainstage Saturday for a town hall meeting about the proposed national health care plan, Medicare and “common sense.” A couple of protestors gathered outside, holding signs in support of “helping insurance companies,” but proposed solutions to a medical debt quagmire were offered inside. 
   Ramona residents Dan and Susan Summers sponsored the first town hall event on Aug. 29. Saturday’s presentation was sponsored by Ramona TEA’d (Taxed Enough Already) Party. The owners of the Ramona Mainstage, Orrin and Cheryl Day, donated the use of the building for both venues.

   The “State Budget Education Project” prepared by the Urban Counties Caucus has the attention of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors.
Board discussion of the study on the state’s underfunding of county-operated programs warns county residents that the 2010-11 budget being prepared by county staff may reflect those shortfalls.
   “As we look at the governor’s budget, it is loaded with uncertainties,” said Walt Ekard, county chief administrative officer. “The day of reckoning is almost surely coming.”
   Gov. Schwarzenegger released a budget proposal on Jan. 8 that estimates an $18.9 billion state shortfall for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2009-10 and for Fiscal Year 2010-11. The Urban Counties Caucus, which consists of the state’s 12 most populated counties, released a study that ongoing and cumulative state underfunding of programs operated by counties over the past five years has placed a significant burden on counties’ abilities to sustain basic services and to continue serving the public in times of need.
   “It doesn’t really tell us anything we didn’t know,” Ekard said.  “In the end, local governments will find themselves hurt.”