Crew Cleaning Brush, Debris From Roadway

Eight workers from the California Conservation Corps fanned out along Harbor Boulevard on Tuesday to clear brush and debris that had scattered during several El Nino-fueled storms.

The crew worked from 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the east side of Harbor between Seaward Avenue and Spinnaker Drive, said Rick Herriott, a city public works supervisor.

“It was very helpful because it relieved our maintenance workers to do other things they needed to do,” he said.

The seven-man, one-woman crew started the job on Harbor on May 18 and is expected to be finished Friday, Herriott said. The assignment also includes weed abatement--such weed removal is mandatory before the upcoming fire season.

Herriott said the crew cleared storm drains last week on Kellogg, Cedar and Main streets. The city can use the crew for jobs through June 5.

California Conservation Corps members are paid minimum wage from state and federal funds managed by the corps’ Sacramento office. The Ventura County office in Camarillo has about 50 workers, said Susanne Levitsky, a corps spokeswoman.

The corps is made up of men and women between the ages of 18 and 23. Work crews are made available, in some instances for free, to cities needing cleanup work after major storms. Ventura is not paying for its crew, Herriott said.

Young adults can learn different trades, work ethic, job skills and earn a graduate equivalency degree in the corps.

For information, call (800) 952-JOBS or see the California Conservation Corps’ web page at www.ccc.ca.gov.