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Ramona organizations create Leadership Council to get projects done collectively

Group includes representatives from water and school districts, Planning Group and Chamber of Commerce

By Julie Gallant

An informal group of Ramona community representatives working together as the Leadership Council meets monthly to discuss and tackle issues such as downtown parking and crosswalks, fairy shrimp impediments to development, and improvements at Wellfield Park.

The Leadership Council doesn’t have officers or an agenda, but the group has been meeting regularly the second Monday of the month at the Ramona Chamber of Commerce for the past year.

Bob Krysak, the group’s leader, said the council is a concerted effort to interact with other agencies, including county, state and federal governments.

“We’re just sharing information and coming up with ideas, but we’re not a policy group,” Krysak said. “Each agency has its own governances. If we come up with something we want to pursue, each member of the Leadership Council will take it to their own organizations to see if they want to do that. We’re not acting in a policy-making capacity, just sharing information and coordinating activities.”

The council’s usual participants include the Ramona Municipal Water District’s General Manager Erica Wolski and Director Jim Piva; Ramona Unified School District Trustee Dan Summers; Ramona Community Planning Group member Robin Joy Maxson; Ramona Chamber of Commerce President Paul Zawilenski; and San Diego Country Estates Association General Manager Darren Shaw.

At times, the group is joined by county Supervisor Joel Anderson, state Senator Brian Jones, and U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa.

“They don’t come to every meeting, but we bring them as they’re needed,” Krysak said of the politicians. “Basically, all we do is talk about what’s going on and try to come together with a joint effort. This way we keep each other informed and seek help from each other as needed.”

Items the group has addressed include options for parking, crosswalk and sidewalk improvements to Downtown Ramona, upgrading state Route 67, and land use opportunities for the 40 vacant acres behind Ramona High School, Krysak said.

A priority for Issa’s office is resolving development impediments caused by fairy shrimp — crustaceans that emerge when vernal pools fill with water and are federally listed as threatened, he said. Wolski has been instrumental in having a biologist evaluate water district property to determine if it could be used as a mitigation to allow development to occur on land occupied by fairy shrimp, he said.

Other topics include how to attract and retain teachers at Ramona Unified, what upgrades are needed at Wellfield Park, and how Ramona should respond to the county’s Vehicle Miles Traveled policies, which are intended to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by encouraging development in areas that reduce miles traveled to jobs, markets and services by vehicles.

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Source: https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/ramona-sentinel/news/story/2023-01-24/ramona-organizations-unite-as-a-leadership-council-to-get-projects-done-collectively