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Fidelity & ExcellenceThomas Aquinas College is unique among American colleges and universities, offering a faithfully Catholic education comprised entirely of the Great Books and classroom discussions.
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Thomas Aquinas College Hosts Caltrans Community Meeting to Discuss Mudslide, Road Closure
For more information, please contact:
Chris Weinkopf, Executive Director of College Relations
805-421-5926 | pr@thomasaquinas.edu
SANTA PAULA — Residents of Upper Ojai came to Thomas Aquinas College on Thursday evening to discuss ongoing difficulties stemming from a February mudslide that has closed the highway connecting their neighborhoods — and the college’s California campus — to nearby Santa Paula. At a community meeting in St. Cecilia Hall’s Fritz B. Burns Auditorium, officials from the California Department of Transportation, Ventura County Supervisor Matt LaVere, and representatives of various local agencies considered plans for clearing Highway 150 and mitigating the effects of the roadway’s closure.
“As an educational institution where all classes are taught using the Discussion Method, we strive to have respectful, thoughtful discussions focused on understanding the heart of the matter,” said Mark Kretschmer, the College’s vice president for operations, when welcoming some 100 guests. “I hope tonight we can all come together as a community to have the same type of fruitful discussion to find solutions for dealing not only with the mudslide, but also with its many impacts for folks on both sides of the slide.”
Leading the meeting was Caltrans Public Information Officer Michael Comeaux, who fielded questions and comments about the blockage. The state’s ability to reopen the road, he said, is hampered by the threat of further sliding. Having tested the soil, Caltrans next must complete a geotechnical study and design plan, then build a temporary retaining wall, before it can begin to clear the tons of debris that choke the roadway. “If we start removing slide material by late April,” he estimated, “we can hopefully see something happening to rebuild the roadway to get a lane open by late May.”
In his comments, Supervisor LaVere told guests that the county has taken measures to provide the area with an adequate supply of first responders, especially in times of natural disaster. To alleviate the effects of the road closure — which has extended daily commutes by upward of two hours for some local residents — Martin Erickson, executive director of the Ventura County Transportation Commission, announced plans to begin operating a shuttle bus in the area “as early as next week.” And while many local residents have advocated for a pedestrian pathway around the mudslide, Mr. Comeaux insisted that its creation would not be possible, citing safety and private-property concerns.
Most of the two-hour meeting was dedicated to a question-and-answer period, which included inquiries about the pace of the repair effort, other area highway projects, and efforts to facilitate local mail delivery. “The meeting was a great opportunity for Caltrans to hear the community’s concerns and for Caltrans to share the latest information about the emergency project to reopen State Route 150 as soon as possible,” said Mr. Comeaux. “Thomas Aquinas College generously provided a warm, welcoming environment for an open discussion about this very challenging situation.”
In the night’s closing comment, Cathy Collins, the College’s campus nurse and a resident of Upper Ojai, urged public officials to “keep in mind the overall impact all along the route,” and encouraged all gathered to remain hopeful, as “faith can move mountains.” To which Mr. Comeaux wryly replied, “I would ask you to pray that this particular mountain not move at all.”
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About Thomas Aquinas College
A four-year, co-educational institution with campuses in California and Massachusetts, Thomas Aquinas College has developed over the past 50 years a solid reputation for academic excellence in the United States and abroad. It is highly ranked by organizations such as The Princeton Review, U. S. News, and Kiplinger. At Thomas Aquinas College all students acquire a broad and fully integrated liberal education. The college offers one, four-year, classical curriculum that spans the major arts and sciences. Instead of reading textbooks, students read the original works of the greatest thinkers in Western civilization — the Great Books — in all the major disciplines: mathematics, natural science, literature, philosophy, and theology. The academic life of the college is conducted under the light of the Catholic faith and flourishes within a close-knit community, supported by a vibrant spiritual life. Graduates consistently excel in the many world-class institutions at which they pursue graduate degrees in fields such as law, medicine, business, theology and education. www.thomasaquinas.edu.