San Martin fire burns nearly 10 acres near airport
Firefighters contained a grass fire near the San Martin Airport before it spread to the nearby animal shelter Monday afternoon, according to authorities.About 2:15pm June 11, CalFire received a call reporting a fire on the southbound side of U.S. 101, opposite the northbound CHP scales, according to Battalion Chief Jim Crawford. When crews arrived they determined the fire was burning vegetation on the county airport property, spreading south toward the animal shelter located at 12370 Murphy Ave.“Crews were able to do structure protection on the animal shelter—no damage there,” Crawford said.Although the animal shelter was briefly threatened, no structures burned in the Monday afternoon fire. A little more than nine acres of vegetation burned before firefighters contained the blaze, according to Crawford.Some employees at the animal shelter suffered “minor injuries” while they hurried to rescue some of the animals housed at the county facility, Crawford added. No firefighters were injured.
Volunteers get dirty to clean up San Martin
San Martin is a cleaner and greener city today than it was last week, thanks to the efforts of about 80 South County residents who participated in the local chamber of commerce’s inaugural Trash Bash and Veterans Day Flag Raising event.
Rymer to be interviewed for Minn. city admin post
Morgan Hill City Manager Steve Rymer, who has received glowing evaluations from the city council and a number of salary raises since he was appointed to his current position in 2013, has applied for a similar job in his native state of Minnesota.Rymer was one of three finalists chosen by the Rochester, Minn. City Council to interview for their City Administrator position, according to a news report from the Rochester Post Bulletin. Rymer and the other two candidates will be interviewed by the Rochester City Council in public July 14.“Like Morgan Hill, Rochester is a progressive city with an exciting future,” Rymer said in a statement to the Times. “Being their next City Administrator would provide me an opportunity to work and live in a nationally recognized community and for us to be closer to our family.”Rochester’s City Administrator is the city’s top staff job and highest-paid position, with an annual salary of $170,625 as of the end of 2016, according to the city’s website.Rochester, which is located about 80 miles southeast of Minneapolis, has a population of about 107,000.Rymer, who is originally from Minnesota, has worked for the City of Morgan Hill since 2006, starting in recreation services. The council appointed him to city manager in 2013. At a May 3 meeting, the council voted to raise his annual salary in Morgan Hill from $233,700 to $248,000.In 2014, the council offered Rymer, a Morgan Hill resident, a low-interest $950,000 home loan, plus a $110,000 home improvement loan in 2015.
