Council OKs new falconry contract

The falconry program will wing its way back to Avalon.

The Avalon City Council on Tuesday, Jan. 21, approved a new professional services agreement with On The Wing falconry service. The agreement was a Consent Calendar item and approved without discussion along with 10 other items by a 4-0 vote. Councilmember Oley Olsen was absent that night.

The contract will last for three months, starting Jan. 28.

The city manager had already approved the agreement, but his decision had to be approved by the council in turn.

The falconry program will wing its way back to Avalon.

The Avalon City Council on Tuesday, Jan. 21, approved a new professional services agreement with On The Wing falconry service. The agreement was a Consent Calendar item and approved without discussion along with 10 other items by a 4-0 vote. Councilmember Oley Olsen was absent that night.

The contract will last for three months, starting Jan. 28.

The city manager had already approved the agreement, but his decision had to be approved by the council in turn.

Under the new agreement, the cost of the pest bird abatement program will be shared by the city, the Santa Catalina Island Company and the Catalina Island Chamber of Commerce.

The original agreement with On the Wing expired in October 2013, according to the staff report by City Manager Ben Harvey.

The report said that while city officials were pleased with the work of master falconer Rocky Post wasn’t financially sustainable. From 2012 to 2013, Avalon paid Post $120,000, which included the cost of crossing  the channel, provided Post and his birds with housing and allowed Post to use a city vehicle.

Harvey’s report also said that the falconry program had reduced pest birds and positively effected Avalon Bay’s water quality.

According to Harvey’s report, when the On the Wing contract expired, city officials encouraged Post to find other contracts with Avalon stakeholders.

Post came back with an agreement to have the Island Company, the Chamber and the city share the costs of the program. Each party will pay $2,200 a month for three months to On the Wing, according to Harvey’s report.

Under the new agreement, the city will not provide the falconry service with housing, transportation or a cross channel travel reimbursement, according to Harvey’s report.

The pest bird abatement program will be on the Island three days a week.

After three months, everyone will review the program to see if it is working.

City to launch grease abatement program

Avalon will begin a program to minimize the fats, oils and grease going into the city’s sewer system. The so-called FOG program is a requirement of the cease and desist order that has compelled Avalon to upgrade the city’s sewer system and contributed to the city’s deficit.

During phase one of the FOG program, the city will have restaurants install grease traps under their sinks—which Avalon’s Jordon Monroe described as the least expensive method for dealing with the grease issue.

According to Monroe, staff estimates that at least 109,200 pounds of fats, oils and grease enter the Avalon sewer system each year. He called the estimate conservative.

Monroe said phase one of the FOG program would be completed by December of this year.

According to Monroe, there are 64 “food service establishments” in Avalon. Of those, 16 don’t require a grease control device. Forty-two, however, need them and don’t have them.

Mayor Bob Kennedy asked if Avalon had analyzed how much grease comes from residences.

Monroe said it was hard to get specific numbers on residential grease.

Dennis Jaich, who runs Avalon’s Sewer Lateral Inspection Program and has described himself as a Public Works associate for the city, said that the city catches a lot of residential grease issues during sewer inspections.

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