NEW GENERATOR AT RAMONA COMMUNITY CENTER

Ramona, CA – Power outages have been an issue for the Ramona Community Center and its primary renter, the Ramona Senior Center. The Ramona Senior Center provides daily activities for seniors at the Ramona Community Center along with lunch. The Meals on Wheels program is also operated out of the Community Center. When there is an unplanned power outage or a planned Public Safety Power Shutoff, not only can the Senior Center program not operate, but the community cannot use the site for meetings and activities and the Senior Center risks losing thousands of dollars in food.

“When the community center’s power is lost, it greatly affects our food supply and operations,” said Ramona Senior Center Executive Director Lora Yule. “We have a walk-in refrigerator and freezer in addition to several other commercial-size freezers and refrigerators. These are all full of either frozen or refrigerated food, along with meals packaged for our 175–200 home-delivered clients. In the past, we have lost power, and it resulted in having to throw away over $15,000 worth of spoiled food each time.”

If an extended outage is predicted, such as for more than four hours, a portable generator is sometimes rented; however, this cost is approximately $1,000 per day or $3,000 per week. “The District’s park operations funds are very limited, and the unexpected thousands greatly impact our park budget,” said Erica Wolski, the General Manager of Ramona Municipal Water District.

In November 2023, the Ramona Municipal Water District partnered with the Ramona Senior Center to submit a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) application to the County of San Diego for a permanent generator. The generator would help prevent power loss during planned or unplanned outages and ensure that the Senior Nutrition program and other community services can continue without interruption.

The District was notified in February 2024 that the project was selected for funding and received the grant award contract in December 2024. The District ordered the generator and received it in September 2025. The generator pad was constructed by District staff. Somer Electric was hired to connect the generator to the automatic transfer switch in the community center. As of December 1, 2025, the generator has been operational.

Erica Wolski, the District’s General Manager said “We are grateful to the County of San Diego and the CDBG funding program for providing funds to make this project happen. The grant covered approximately 80% of the project cost and the District only had to provide approximately $35,000 from limited District park funds to complete the project. The community will now be able to continue activities uninterrupted, and the generator can also power the site as a cool zone during power outages.”

Executive Director Lora Yule said, “The Ramona Senior Center is so grateful to the Ramona Municipal Water District and the County for getting and installing this generator at the community center. Now the Senior Center has a generator, and we feel a great sense of relief. The Ramona Senior Center is confident that we will be able to continue to serve the seniors in our community during a power outage.”

The County of San Diego’s Housing and Community Development department administers CDBG funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD, for the region. The amount the federal government allocates to the region each year varies, and the funds must be used for community improvements or affordable housing in low- to moderate-income areas. More information on the County’s CDBG program can be found on the program website:

https://www.sandiegocounty.gov/content/sdc/sdhcd/community-development/cdbg.html