Posted May 13, 2024
Cal Water and Salinas Mayor Kimbley Craig recently recognized a Salinas teen for his work to help his local water system maintain critical infrastructure to make communities safer.
Raymond Luna, a long-time Boy Scout and Salinas high school student, was honored at the site of one of the 40 Cal Water fire hydrants that he painted, which earned him the rank of Eagle Scout. The hydrants are painted regularly as part of Cal Water’s five-year maintenance program, but the water utility welcomed the teen’s assistance, said Brenda Granillo, District Manager of Cal Water’s Salinas District.
“It’s essential that firefighters identify and secure a water supply promptly, which is why we proactively provide ongoing maintenance to our infrastructure,” Granillo said. “It was great to partner with someone like Raymond, who shares our passion of helping the communities we serve.”
Mayor Craig joined Cal Water in honoring Luna for his community service. “In Salinas, we support and encourage our youth to do great things in our community—because they’re the next generation of leaders—and their involvement matters. We are so grateful to Raymond and Troop 60 for giving back to Salinas with this project,” Craig said.
Luna proposed, planned, and executed the community service project, which began last summer and wrapped last month. As a result, Luna is now one of the 6 percent of Boy Scouts to earn the Eagle Scout rank each year.
“It was all about giving back to the community in a meaningful way,” Luna said. “Everybody needs water, and without that, we wouldn’t be able to function as a society.”
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