News Briefs

December 21, 2005

2006 garbage rates approved

Petaluma residents will be paying 36 percent to 47 percent more for their waste disposal next year, depending on the size of their garbage cans.

Final rates under Petaluma's new garbage hauler have been set by the City Council. Green Waste Recovery takes over waste disposal Jan. 1, 2006.

For residents with a 65-gallon garbage can, the cost will be $23.48 a month.

That's a 47 percent increase from the $15.94 charged by current hauler Empire Waste Management for the same size can.

Residents with a 20-gallon can will pay $6.99 and those with a 35-gallon can will pay $12.39 -- a 36 percent increase for each.

The largest can size, 95 gallons, will increase from $26.94 a month to $38.75, a 44 percent increase.

The monthly rates include the cost of recycling and yard-waste bins, which will be emptied every week along with the trash.

The city and Green Waste are encouraging residents to recycle more using the new large blue cans and increased yard waste collection, and switch to a smaller garbage can than they used under Empire Waste.

In that way, residents would see a decrease in their monthly cost from what they currently pay.

City will help pay for fire sprinklers

Petaluma is offering incentives to downtown property owners who must install fire sprinklers in their buildings.

On Monday the City Council approved a program to reimburse property owners up to $10,000 toward the cost of installing fire sprinklers.

The clock does not start ticking down until the city installs new water mains and pipes downtown.

On Kentucky Street, that work is already finished, and businesses there have until the end of 2010 to put sprinklers in their basements and until the end of 2016 to install them in the rest of the building.

The city will reimburse 10 percent of the installation costs, up to $5,000 each for basements and buildings. Money will be paid after the work is completed and inspected.

The city's costs could range from $295,000 to $610,000 in redevelopment funds.

Two people stuck in parking garage elevator

Petaluma firefighters responded when two people became stuck inside an elevator at the Theatre District parking garage on C Street last week.

The elevator's safety mechanism had activated, preventing it from falling in case of a malfunction, Battalion Chief Chuck Goucher said.

The safety mechanism could have activated in response to heavy shaking of the elevator car, he said.

A technician arrived to over-ride the safety mechanism and the two people inside were freed after about an hour, he said. No one was hurt.

A similar incident happened a couple of months ago at the garage, when one person also became stuck in an elevator.

Last month a Petaluma resident reported that on Friday, Nov. 25, the day after Thanksgiving, the lights were out at the garage and security guards were leading people to their cars using flashlights.

The head of the garage's security company, Spartan Protection Services, said the firm doesn't comment on incidents that occur on a client's property.

A representative of the gar-age owner, Basin Street Prop-erties, did not respond to calls for comment on the incidents.

Owner of spa seeks hearing on prostitution bust

The owner of a Petaluma Boulevard North massage service is appealing a city decision to yank her business license.

Following an Oct. 5 arrest of an employee for prostitution at Golden Spa, owner Caroline Kirk was notified by the city that her business license would be revoked for violating a city code against companies that are used for any illegal activity.

Kirk appealed the decision to City Manager Mike Bierman, who upheld the decision, and then appealed to the City Council.

The council appointed assistant city manager Gene Beatty as the appeal officer for a hearing to be held by Jan. 13, 2006. The exact date has not yet been determined.

Accordion stolen

Last Friday night just after 10 p.m., an accordion belonging to Joe Chiesa was stolen from a dance at Hermann Sons Hall on Western Ave., allegedly by two teenage boys seen on the premises at that time.

The Italian-made Concerto accordion was black with red bellows or folds. It was in a soft black rubber case. The serial number is Z66.

Chiesa was performing with the Accordion Club of the Redwoods. Anyone with information about the case should call the Petaluma Police Department at 778-4372 or Mr. Chiesa at 539-1407.

Local pilot dies in plane crash

A veteran commercial pilot who recently began working for Amy's Kitchen in Petalu-ma was killed on Dec. 14 after his small jet crashed in a remote area of Solano County.

Roger Rasmussen, 58, of Windsor, was at the controls of his single-engine Cessna, en route from Angels Camp to Santa Rosa on business for Amy's Kitchen when the plane hit power lines near Travis Air Force Base, near Fairfield, causing it to crash and burn.

Rasmussen had served as a pilot for US Airways for over 20 years before starting his job in April of 2005 with Amy's Kitchen, a producer of frozen vegetarian food with locations in Petaluma and Santa Rosa.