This week progress was reported on drinking water and debris clean up while mold issues continue to delay Paradise’s Building Resiliency Center from opening.
The Paradise Irrigation District reports it has lifted do not drink advisories from another 50 properties and is urging those living in temporary structures on their properties to join a waiting list for new service laterals — work necessary before do not drink orders are rescinded.
Meanwhile, officials are again delaying the opening of the Building Resiliency Center — a one-stop shop for those seeking to return to the burn zone. The center — in a former Bank of America branch — will be a town and county permit center and will have official navigators helping counsel people through the process. Paradise spokeswoman Colette Curtis said the center will also be staffed by advocates, who will “sit down with residents and walk through the rebuilding process to help make that as easy as possible.” Slated to open in early November, officials are now shooting for December.
With debris removal pretty much wrapped up and an agreement in place to pay for cutting down and removing dead or severely injured ‘hazard’ trees, officials are spreading the word about signing up for this pending service. Butte County spokeswoman Casey Hatcher said the goal is to reduce the chance a tree could fall onto or across a publicly owned street or other facility. “We have about 1,000 properties signed up, but nearly 12,000 parcels that need to get enrolled,” she said. The program will work like debris removal, with state-sponsored crews doing the work at no cost to homeowners, along with the option of hiring a private contractor to perform the work.