APRIL 2002 NEWS RELEASE

(Stockton, CA) - Austin Road between Arch Road and Mariposa Road will be closed on April 25, 2002 at 9:00 A.M. until work is completed, which is anticipated to be around 3:00 P.M.

Traffic will be detoured. The purpose of this closure is to facilitate construction of the Mariposa Road / BNSF Railroad Grade Separation project and to provide for public safety during removal of temporary bridge supports.

In the event there are questions regarding this closure, please contact Peter D. Martin, Senior Civil Engineer, at (209) 468-3014.

WHAT: Lincoln High School Students Wage a Battle with the Ubiquitous Hyacinth Plant.
Coordinators: San Joaquin County Department of Public Works City of Stockton and Lincoln High School Students take back the waterway. They will attack with a vengeance. Both the Lincoln High Students and the hyacinths are assaulting Five-Mile Slough.

WHY: The Hyacinth plant has choked Five-Mile Slough and other sloughs throughout the Delta since controlled spraying by the Department of Boating and Waterways was halted. The health, flow, and beauty of Five-Mile Slough have been dramatically affected, not to mention the habitat for aquatic and wildlife.

Students have cleaned out litter from this portion of Five-Mile Slough numerous times, but this year they have to clean out the hyacinth to get to the litter.

VISUALS: Students pulling hyacinths from choked waterway, and opportunity for student interviews.
Evidence of trash (bottles, plastic, cans etc.) entangled in hyacinth making it impossible to retrieve for proper disposal.

WHO:

o Lincoln High School
o San Joaquin County Department of Public Works
o City of Stockton, Municipal Utilities District Reclamation District 1608
o San Joaquin County Sheriff's Department - Community Corps.
o Caltrans-Department of Transportation
o DeltaKeeper, Environmental Organization
o Giannecchini Farms

WHEN: April 13th from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

WHERE: Five-Mile Slough on Plymouth Road, just north of Benjamin Holt.
From Sacramento ­ take Interstate 5 south to the Benjamin Holt exit, turn left on Benjamin Holt, stay in left lane, turn left on Plymouth Road about one mile. We will be on the west side of the levee.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 4, 2002, #45-01/02
Joan Mazzetti, Program Coordinator
Health Education
(209) 468-3415

(Stockton, CA) - The San Joaquin County Public Health Department is offering residents an opportunity to help prevent rabies and keep their pets and the community healthy through low-cost rabies vaccination clinics. In Stockton, four clinics are being held, two in April and one each in May and August. Dogs and cats are both welcome; cats in carriers and dogs on leashes. The cost is $5.00 per shot. Pet licensing is available on site. These clinics are part of a series of 12 clinics held around the county from March through August. For additional information, call (209) 468-2265. The Stockton clinic dates and sites are:
-Saturday, April 13, 1 p.m. ­ 3 p.m., Garden Acres, 607 Bird Avenue.
-Thursday, April 25, 6 p.m. ­ 7:30 p.m., American Legion Hall, 2020 Plymouth Road.
-Saturday, May 11, 1 p.m. ­ 3 p.m., McKinley Community Center, 424 E. 9th Street.
-Saturday, August 24, 1 p.m. ­ 3 p.m., Kennedy Community Center, 2800 S. "D" Street.

Vaccinations for pets are important because rabies is an acute and deadly viral infection that can, if untreated, result in death if contracted by humans. Rabies is usually transmitted by bites from infected animals and can be found in both pets and wildlife. Since pets can be bitten by a wild animal, such as a raccoon or bat, it is important that all dogs and cats be vaccinated. Vaccination of pets is the most effective control measure to prevent the disease in animals and subsequently in humans, according to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

In San Joaquin County, according to the Public Health Department, in 2001, 108 animals were tested for rabies. Of the 108 animals, six bats tested positive for rabies. Of the animals tested, 35 were cats and 23 were dogs, the remainder were wild animals ranging from bats to opossums and raccoons. In San Joaquin County, over the past year, the Environmental Health Department has recorded 947 dog bites, 537 of which were in Stockton. Stockton also had over 90 reports of cat bites and scratches in the past year. Cats in particular can carry rabies as cats are not required by law to be vaccinated as dogs are.

According to the Institute, as many as 18,000 Americans get rabies shots each year because they have been in contact with animals that may be rabid. However, rabies in dogs is rare in the United States today due to vaccination of pets.
Sponsored by Northern San Joaquin County Veterinary Medical Association; Public Health Services of San Joaquin County; San Joaquin County Animal Control Division, Rabies Control.

(Stockton, CA) - The San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors voted on Tuesday, April 2, to approve specific site criteria as a guideline for locating property for a county agricultural center. The center is expected to house the Agricultural Commissioner's Office, the Cooperative Extension Office, and other federal and state offices relating to agriculture. It may also house the County Office of Emergency Services. The project is still in the planning stage and the center itself is not approved or funded. Funding for property for the center will be considered in the 2002-03 County Public Improvement Budget.

The property criteria was developed by a 17-member task force consisting of members from the agricultural community; local, state and federal agricultural agencies; county administration and facilities staff; the Farm Bureau; and the Office of Emergency Services. The criteria was based on providing the county with flexibility in considering sites and on meeting the needs of agencies that may use the center. The task force identified, reviewed, and set priority ratings for a list of site criteria. The highest priority ratings for the agricultural center are 1) accessible to the entire county agricultural community, 2) adequate for future growth, 3) easy access from/to major thoroughfare, 4) close freeway access, 5) avoidance of residential areas, and 6) located south of Hammer Lane, north of French Camp Road, east of I-5, and west of Jack Tone Road. Other criteria include avoidance of converting agricultural land, development issues and cost, access from downtown, and compatibility with surrounding facilities.

County staff will begin the process of locating feasible land, from six to 20 acres in size, to consider as a site. Once parcels are identified, staff will review them based on criteria, obtain a task force review, and then return to the Board of Supervisors for additional discussion and/or decisions.