Public safety watch: CSD plans only one project in next five years

The Cosumnes Community Services District Fire Department plans to build only one capital improvement project in the next five years.

The new fleet maintenance facility at the district's fire training campus on East Stockton Boulevard is among the 11 projects in the department's five-year capital improvement plan. But, it's the only one that will be funded and built.

Construction of the remaining 10 projects in the plan, which the district board approved earlier this month, won't start until after 2013.

The district has been unable to find funding for the 10 projects, in part because of the slow economy. The slower pace of development means fewer fees to help pay for new projects, according to the district.

The capital improvement plan lays out the facilities and infrastructure needs for the department, said John Ebner, senior management analyst for the department, who prepared the plan.

"It's a planning document we have in place to plan for the future," he said.

The plan, which currently includes 11 projects totaling $42.3 million, lays out the project, location and timeline for each project. Three projects don't even have cost estimates yet.

Ebner said construction of the new $8.3 million fleet maintenance facility is scheduled to start in August, with completion in summer of 2009.

The facility includes a new shop building and an annex that will serve as a temporary home for Station 78. The station will provide emergency services that need to be available when the Elk Grove Promenade center at Grant Line Road and Highway 99 opens in fall of 2009.

According to the capital improvement plan, there are no construction dates set for fire Stations 77 and 78 because of the lack of development in the areas they are to serve – Laguna Ridge for Station 77 and the Promenade and Sterling Meadows areas for Station 78.

The earliest completion date for the two new stations would be June 2015. Station 77 is projected to cost $5.9 million, while Station 78 is estimated to be $8.2 million, the plan states.

The timelines could change if development accelerates again, Ebner said.

Pizza robbery thwarted

Elk Grove police arrested a 17-year-old boy Saturday night for allegedly attempting to rob a pizza delivery person.

Police responded to a call about a suspicious person near a vacant home in the 8700 block of Mesa Brook Way at 10:05 p.m.

Police spotted the teenager, who ran away and jumped several fences of nearby homes before being caught. A search of the area uncovered an abandoned firearm, according to a police report.

Officer Christopher Trim, spokesman for the Elk Grove Police Department, said while officers were investigating, a pizza delivery person approached with a delivery called in for the address of the vacant home.

Trim said police believe the boy ordered the pizza for delivery to the vacant home. Officers think the teen intended to rob the delivery person.

The boy was arrested on suspicion of attempted robbery, carrying a loaded firearm with intent to commit a felony and carrying a concealed firearm.

Police seek information

Elk Grove police are looking for anyone who may have seen a 68-year-old woman wandering under a bridge at Laguna Creek last week.

The woman was found uninjured about 9:56 a.m. Friday under the bridge at Bond and Elk Grove Florin roads. The woman, who doesn't drive, had somehow gotten from her home two miles away, said Officer Christopher Trim, spokesman for the Elk Grove Police Department.

Police are unclear how the woman arrived at the bridge and want to make sure no crime was committed. Officials are hoping someone saw the woman that morning.

The woman is described as Asian, 5-foot-5, with black curly hair. She was wearing a white shirt and black pants, and carried a cane, Trim said.

Anyone with information is asked to call the police at (916) 714-7115.

Firefighters battle blazes

Firefighters from the Cosumnes Community Services District Fire Department battled two grass fires June 19.

Crews were called out to a wildland fire at 4:04 p.m. in the Stone Lakes National Wildlife Refuge near Hood Franklin Road.

The blaze, which blackened about 5 acres, was difficult to fight because of the terrain and lack of roads, according to district spokesman Steve Capps. The second fire occurred at 4:17 p.m. in the 9600 block of Harvey Way in Galt. The fire covered only about 1 or 2 acres, but it threatened some outbuildings and a barn, Capps said. In the Stone Lakes fire, agencies that provided aid included the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the California Department of Fish and Game. Firefighters from the Liberty, Thornton and Woodbridge fire districts helped fight the Galt fire.

House damaged by fire

A fire caused $150,000 in damage to an Elk Grove home on June 18.

Firefighters from the Cosumnes Community Services District Fire Department responded to a call about 8 p.m. to a house in the 9800 block of Kapalua Way.

With help from the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District, the fire was knocked down in about 15 minutes. A vehicle parked in the driveway was damaged by the flames, according to district spokesman Steve Capps.

No one was injured, and all the residents in the house got out as the fire blazed through the attic.

There was $75,000 in damage to the home and $75,000 in damage to the contents, Capps said.

The cause of the blaze is under investigation.

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