2014 Newsletters: What's Happening Southern California Residents Friday, February 28, 2014

Hello Friends,

Congratulations to Former Huntington Beach City Administrator Ray Silver who was just highered as The New Interim City Manager of Ketchum, Idaho.

I'd like to start this Newsletter wishing the following people a Very Happy Birthday. They are: Anderson Art Gallery's Yannis Petrakis, Huntington Beach Resident Jill Selby, Seal Beach Ask Erik Computer Services Owner Erik Dreyer-Goldman, Huntington Beach Gibbs Park Restoration Coordinator Leslie Gilson and Huntington Beach Event Fusion Partner Paulette Wilhelmy.

The Huntington Beach Police Department has no new items of mention.

The Huntington Beach Public Works Department Construction Manager Eric Charlonne says: FREE Residential Landscape Classes Are you eager to spruce up your gardens with California friendly or native drought-tolerant plants? Having trouble with your irrigation system and need some advice? Mark your calendars to attend our FREE California Friendly Landscape Workshop series.

Come discover ways to change your landscaping from a water-intensive lawn to beautiful and beneficial plants that are well adapted to our lovely Mediterranean coastal climate. Low water use plants save 43 gallons of water per square foot per year in comparison to turf.

On Sat., March 15, explore irrigation systems, watering guidelines, and garden maintenance. Learn about the different types of irrigation systems and how they should be installed and operated, as well as general garden maintenance. Classes are at the "Water Conservation Section" of the City's Utilities Division, located at 19001 Huntington Street, H.B, from 9 a.m. to noon. 

Brookhurst Street/ Indianapolis Sewer Siphon Repair The intersection of Indianapolis Avenue and Brookhurst Street has been partially closed due to the discovery of 'voids' (air pockets) under the pavement found during routine maintenance of the sewer lines. In order to better understand the situation, the City hired a geotechnical firm to investigate the extent of the voids prior to designing a fix. Once the geotechnical information was reviewed, a plan was prepared for contractors to bid on. City staff proceeded with an emergency procurement by soliciting bids from two qualified contractors. Bids were publicly opened on February 12.

Crews will work Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The intersection will remain partially closed for a period of approximately six weeks and the work should be completed early April. The complete scope and nature of this work cannot be completely defined until the actual work starts the week of the February 24, beginning with the excavation of the intersection. The work will be to fill the voids and strengthen the ground, as well as replace a damaged sewer line. Motorists will still have access to Indianapolis Ave. and Brookhurst Street in both directions, except left turns.

Save Our Water On Feb. 11, the Metropolitan Water District declared a Water Supply Alert throughout its 5,200 square mile service area as part of a set of comprehensive actions to address the State's unprecedented dry conditions. Water is essential to our everyday lives. In support of the statewide drought declaration by Governor Brown on Jan. 17, each of us can change our water-use habits. Even small changes could save millions of gallons of water. Here's how you can help (many are included in our Municipal Code):

What you can do outdoors: How much you can save: Water your lawn 1 to 2 days a week instead of 5 days a week Saves up to 840 gallons per week Check your sprinkler system for leaks, overspray and broken sprinkler heads and repair promptly Saves up to 500 gallons per month Use a broom instead of a hose to clean driveways and sidewalks Saves up to 150 gallons each time Install a smart sprinkler controller that adjusts watering based on weather, soil type, amount of shade and plant type Saves up to 40 gallons per day Water your plants in before 9 a.m. or after 5 p.m. to reduce evaporation and ineffective watering due to wind Saves up to 25 gallons each time

What you can do indoors: How much you can save: Wash only full loads of laundry and dishes Saves up to 50 gallons per week Fix household leaks promptly Saves up to 20 gallons per day Spend only 5 minutes in the shower Saves up to 8 gallons each time Turn off the water while you brush your teeth Saves up to 2.5 gallons per minute Install water saving devices like high-efficiency toilets and clothes washers. Saves many gallons per day

 Leslie Gilson Huntington Beach Gibbs Park Restoration Coordinator would like to Inform you of this: On 2-24-14 vandals caused major damage throughout Gibbs Park spray painting graffiti. 
Huntington Beach Planning Commission Chairman Erik Peterson says: The Springhill Suits is a new Marriott brand. It is on the middle to upper end of their business/visitor hotel. I feel it is a great fit for the area and for the City. It will bring in a fair amount of revenue to the City and will not impact the traffic in the area as much as a retail store would have. It is one of the last project remaining from the old redevelopment agency. I think the the City staff hit a home run with this one. Many Thanks to Mike Adams & Associates for his great presentation at the meeting.

 
Here are some Events happening in Your Area:

Saturday:

More than 60 Vendors are at The Peters Landing Local Harvest Farmers Market at 16400 Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach from 9am to 2pm. Bring your kids to the petting zoo, ride the ponies, eat fresh foods, shop for crafts and arts. Listen to Live Entertainment. Some vendors Include: Winks Lobster Rolls, Olive Wood Pizza, Sunset Bay Candy Company, A Myriad Of Ideas, Stella Magnetica, Mumbi's Designs and much more.

Meet Long Beach Mayoral Candidate Robert Garcia. Join us for Soup, Salad, Sundae Saturday for a great lunch and make a few calls to help get our word around. They'll be serving soup, salad, and ice cream sundaes. Yum. Join us for this fun and important campaign event. You are a key part of the dynamic coalition of local leaders and hard working community members who will make the difference in this election. Robert's Campaign Office is at: 210 East Third Street in Long Beach.

Sunday:

Join us this coming Saturday as the San Pedro Historical Society presents Mona Dallas Reddick as part of our First Sunday Speaker Series. The topic of the talk titled: The Great Pt. Fermin Slump: Early Accounts of Sunken City”. The event is being held at the Muller House Museum from 1:15 – 2:30 pm. Admission is free. 

Monday:

Watch The Huntington Beach City Council Meeting Live at 6pm on HBTV3. You can also attend the meeting in person and voice your comments to the Council Members.

Tuesday:

Visit Huntington Beach invites you to see Their New Office at 301 Main Street, Suite 212 in Huntington Beach from 4:00pm to 6:00pm. They'll be a ribbon event at 4:00pm. 

Wednesday:

Meet The New Huntington Beach Police Chief Robert "Rob" Handy at The Huntington Beach Art Center (538 Main Street) at 6:00pm. This event is brought to you by Kim Kramer and The Huntington Beach Downtown Residents Association.

Thank you very much for reading this Newsletter.

I appreciate any comments.

Sincerely, Chris MacDonald Website: calcoasthomes.com E-Mail: justlisted@yahoo.com