Petaluma Argus-Courier from Petaluma, California • 3

PETALUMA ARGUS-COURIER, Petaluma CA, Tuesday, September 16, 1997 3 A City to join pool for electric power It's time to sign up healthy community for the summit Neighbor honored by council for heroism III Policy rJfl-mnmuniCvlll Makers Hi III Services III By SUSAN LAUER Argus-Courier Staff The city stands to save at least 4 percent on its electricity bill next year by pooling with other public agencies for electric power. The City Council authorized Monday the city to join a purchasing program through the Association of Bay Area Governments. ABAG formed the power pool to take advantage of the deregulation of the electric utility beginning next year in which customers can contract directly with the power supplier of their choice. The savings during 1998 is estimated to be at least 4 percent compared with bundled rate service. Specific rates for the city will be set this fall after it purchases the needed power.

Councilman Matt Maguire called the city's joining the program an "important decision" but wanted assurance the city wouldn't be purchasing electricity generated from a nuclear power plant. However, because electricity will be bought from a conglomerate of sources, an ABAG representative couldn't guarantee power wouldn't come from a nuclear source. The city will have a representative serve on the Joint Powers Agency which oversees the program, and Maguire said that person could express Petaluma's preference not to include nuclear power as an energy source. Under ABAG's program, energy will be delivered through the system. Participants in the program will make payments to an overview of the goals of the summit and introduce keynote speaker Joe Flower, an active participant of Larkspur's The Change Project.

He will give examples of the Healthy Community movement and describe efforts around the world to achieve them. Tammy Cotter, also of the HC2 Leadership Council, will give a brief history of the consortium. Alanna Brogan, vice president of operations at Petaluma Valley Hospital, will then present the findings of the recent community health assessment survey. The evening concludes with a summary of and introduction to the Saturday session by Carl Wong, the new superintendent of the Petaluma School District Saturday, Sept. 27 The Saturday session kicks off at 8:30 a.m.

with a continental breakfast People will then form small groups to discuss particular elements of the assessment survey or other suggested changes. Each group will come up with a list of things they want to do and how best to accomplish those goals. Later, all the groups will look at each other's ideas and work out a master goal list of things to be accomplished and an action plan for them. There is no charge for the event it is free to any citizen living in the Petaluma Health Care District, which covers the 94951, 94952, 94953, and 94954 zip codes. More than 2,000 green brochures with registration forms were mailed out on Sept.

5. If you don't have one, call 766-7945 and ask for one to be sent. By SUSAN LAUER Argus-Courier Staff Mike Madias redefined what being a good neighbor means last month when he rushed into a neighbor's burning home and saved the man's life. The city acknowledged his heroic efforts Monday, with Mayor Patty Hilligoss calling Madias "a hero who we are very proud of." Madias rescued James Johnson, 31, after an Aug. 26 propane blast set off in Johnson's rented San Rafael Drive home.

The painting contractor, who lives across the street, heard the explosion, saw the flames and ran barefoot to Johnson's home. Facing a locked front door, Madias climbed through a window pane shattered during the initial blast. In the front bedroom, he forced his way through another locked door blocked by Johnson's unconscious body. Grabbing a towel from a nearby bathroom, Madias doused flames on Johnson's body and carried him outside. Johnson remains in serious condition at the burn center at Alta Bates Hospital in Berkeley.

Madias received a standing ovation Monday from about 100 people attending Monday's City Council meeting. He did not make a speech, but Fire Battalion Chief Dan Simpson praised his heroic efforts, saying he "put his life on the line" to save another person. By JAY GAMEL Argus-Courier Staff Everyone will have a chance to participate in a community-wide forum this month that will shape the future of Petaluma as a healthy, well-rounded place to live. Potential participants have until Friday to sign up for the two-day Petaluma Healthy Community Summit at Lucchesi Park's Community Center. Sponsored by a group of civic organizations, the two-day forum will examine the results of an exhaustive study and listen to citizens' ideas of what needs to be done to make Petaluma a better place to live and work.

"It's a chance to step up to the plate and get their hands onto the effort to make this the best possible community to live in," Sue Ellen Thompson said. "You tell us and we'll work with you. People in a lot of places don't have the opportunity or potential to change the course their community is on. Thompson, president of the Petaluma Health Care District's board of directors, is one of 11 directors of the Healthy Community Consortium, or HC2, that is overseeing the community survey and developing action plans from information gathered over the past two years. Four principal areas of improvement have been winnowed out of the results of looking at past surveys, conducting a new one, and holding a series of focus-group meetings this summer.

They are, in no particular order: Increase community aware- Sheriff seeks suspect in murder of girl ,12 A suspect has been described in the apparent murder of a 12-year-old Santa Rosa girl whose body found Aug. 22 near the south-1 bound on-ramp to Highway 101 "from Petaluma Boulevard South. The victim, Georgia Lee Moses, last seen at about 10 p.m. Aug. 13 near the intersection of Sebastopol Road and Dutton Avenue in Santa Rosa.

She was -accompanied by an unknown black male. The Sonoma County Sheriff's Department released a description Monday of the man, saying he is I wanted for questioning regarding the disappearance of the child who investigators say looked older than she was. The victim was 5-foot-4, weighed 120 pounds, and wore black shoulder-length braided hair. She was wearing jeans, a white shirt and a white nylon windbreaker. Deputies said the suspect has been described as follows: A black male, 25 to 30 years old, 6-foot-2 to 6-foot-4, about 200 pounds, closely cropped black hair, medium complexion, slight mustache, driving a small white i four-door vehicle.

Anyone with information can call the Georgia Moses Hotline (1-800-286-6808) or call Detective Steve Freitas at 527-2374. Sprinklers extinguish fire quickly A fire of unknown origin at NorBay Ironcraft was extinguished by an automatic sprinkler system, according to the Petaluma Fire Department. The fire started in a storage area of the business at 425A First St. Firefighters received the alarm at 5:18 ajn. Friday and had it under control by 5:22 a.m.

The fire is under investigation, but is not considered suspicious. I GEMMMG account from which ABAG will authorize payment to all suppliers and service providers. ABAG also is looking into the opportunity for citizens to tap into the city's pooled purchasing program to realized electricity savings, too. ABAG first piloted a similar natural gas purchase program, which in 1996 surpassed the estimated 3 percent savings and instead saved 32 public agencies 7 percent on their natural gas bills. Petaluma did not participate in the pilot program, but is joining the natural gas program this year.

Councilwoman Nancy Read initially asked to look into joining the pooled power program to save the city money in its hundreds of electrical needs, ranging from lighting the streets to electricity for the airport, marina and City Hall. f50.00 off Exterior and Interior Painting $500 minimum Hassle Free Fast Licensed Insured Experienced Clean Neat Call for' Appointment 5 763-4422 at the $50,000 Balance Level BANK Corporation 4:30 FDIC INSURED TO $100,000 License hv Health summit Pre-registration for the Petalauma Healthy Community Summit is required by Friday, Sept. 19. Contact the Healthy Community Summit, 1301 Southpoint Suite Petaluma 94954 or cal 766-7945 to make your reservations. 0 Friday, Sept.

26, 7-9 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 27, 8:30 a.m.-l p.m. You must attend the Friday session if you want to go to the Saturday event. ness and education of health risk behaviors, including overweight, lugh-fat diets, smoking, excessive drinking, drug abuse, domestic violence, lead in older homes.

Improve access to health and medical services, especially for low income and undocumented residents, children, seniors and the homeless. This includes access to primary care, dental and vision checks for low income, children, senior services, well- and sick-child care, affordable alcohol and substance abuse services, affordable mental health services, domestic violence services, and more shelter beds for the homeless. Address health hazards affecting teens, including alcohol and substance abuse, sexually transmitted diseases, teen pregnancy and gang violence. Improve traffic flow and provide alternate means of transportation, upgrading bus service and bike lane systems and better cross-town access. Friday, Sept.

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