OPUD board to hold special meeting to approve tree lighting event

David Wilson, Appeal-Democrat, Marysville, Calif.
·2 min read

Dec. 2—The Olivehurst Public Utility District Board of Directors will be convening for a special meeting today to vote on approving a Christmas tree lighting event at Eufay Wood Sr. Memorial Park this Saturday.

The event was brought up during the OPUD Parks and Recreation Committee meeting on Tuesday night. Plumas Lake Properties is hosting the tree lighting from 6-8 p.m. with music and hot cocoa for attendees to enjoy. OPUD staff said there will be an estimated 200 people in attendance.

General Manager John Tillotson said during the committee meeting that because the event is scheduled for after dusk, the event had to be approved by the full board in order to not break a Yuba County ordinance. He said at least three directors have to be present for the special meeting to approve the event. Tillotson advised the board not to allow the event to go forward without full board approval in order to not set that precedent for future events.

The special meeting will be held over Zoom today at noon. For information on how to access the meeting, visit OPUD's website.

In other business: — The Parks and Recreation Committee discussed a request from Plumas Lake Little League to make field improvements to the two baseball fields located at Eufay Wood Sr. Memorial Park. The little league wants to remove the top one to two inches of dirt from the fields and replace it with new dirt. The current dirt is rocky and causing injuries to kids playing on the field, according to the request.

The dirt delivery will likely need to be dropped in the south parking lot and trailer it over with wheelbarrows, the little league said.

Tillotson said the volunteers are well-intentioned but don't understand what having that much dirt in the parking lot will entail. He said there are rules about covering dirt and other factors to consider. On Wednesday, Tillotson said he would be reaching out to the little league representative to discuss the potential issues before the item is brought before the full board. — During Tuesday's Fire Department/Safety Committee meeting, directors received a report on operations and staffing at the department for the period between Oct. 27 and Nov. 23. The fire department responded to 143 emergency calls during that period. Of that total, 74 percent of the calls were rescue and emergency calls and 10 percent were fire calls.