COMMUNITY SERVICES
Annual Easter Hunt - The 16th Annual Easter Hunt will take place at Huntington Central Park off Edwards Street. Sponsored by the city and the Huntington Beach Kiwanis Club, the event features a free candy hunt for children up to nine years of age, as well as crafts, game booths, entertainment, and more. Festivities begin at 10 a.m.
Father-Daughter Date Night - The Edison Community Center will hold a special event for girls, aged five and up, and their fathers, grandfathers, or uncles on April 22. Beginning at 6:30 p.m. and lasting until 9:30 p.m., the event is a semi-formal affair featuring a full-course dinner followed by an evening of dancing and exciting contests. All guests will receive a keepsake photo. You may register at Edison, and the fee is $35 per couple and $15 for each additional daughter. Tickets will not be sold at the door.
Reopening of Camping Facility - The Sunset Vista RV Camping Facility reopened on March 29 after a period of closure for the National Professional Paintball Association event. Reservations are once more being taken up to a month in advance. The facility will be open through May 31. For more information, please call 536-5280.
Cookies and Groceries Donated - Project Self-Sufficiency was the recipient of 67 boxes of donated Girl Scout cookies this past week. Three delightful young ladies and their two troop leaders brought the cookies to City Hall and deposited them in the PS-S van. The cookies will be delivered to the PS-S Food Pantry for single-parent participants and their children. Also, Andrea from "Curves" (Magnolia and Adams) donated three carloads of groceries for the pantry during their annual food drive in March. This is their third year of support to Project Self-Sufficiency. Community Services sends its thanks to these very generous community members.
At-Risk Seniors - The city of Huntington Beach, in the forefront of emergency preparedness, has a plan in place to check on pre-identified, at-risk seniors and to assist them in case of a disaster. On March 29, the biannual drill of this plan took place at Rodgers Seniors' Center. In a combined effort of 100+ staff and volunteers from the Huntington Beach Fire Department Emergency Management & Homeland Security Division, Huntington Beach Senior Services, Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), and Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Services (RACES), a command center was established. Teams were mobilized to realistic scenarios of potential situations that may occur at a senior's home in an actual disaster. At the conclusion of the Senior Response Team Exercise, the Huntington Beach Council on Aging hosted lunch for the volunteers at the Seniors' Center. Dick White, COA past president, has been working with county groups that are advocates for seniors, and they are recommending to every city in Orange County that they use the city's plan as a model.
Huntington Harbor Easter Bunnies - The Huntington Harbor Mobile Estates Social Club created 36 Easter baskets for the frail elderly in Huntington Beach. Huntington Beach Senior Services Social Workers will deliver the Easter baskets to clients on their caseload to brighten their day. Each basket is hand decorated and contains thoughtful items such as Brach's chocolate, small stuffed animals, stationary & pens, playing cards, teas, small pantry items and snacks, lotions, & personal sundries. To further personalize the baskets, the social club contacted Fountain Valley Christian Preschool, and the preschoolers colored an Easter picture scrolled with a ribbon for each senior.
FIRE DEPARTMENT
Apartment Fire - On Saturday night, March 25, Fire units responded to a fire located at 724 Clay Avenue. A visiting friend of a neighbor saw the smoke and dialed "911" via his cell phone. He then attempted to extinguish the fire with a garden hose until the Fire Department arrived on scene. Arriving units found a two-story triplex with heavy smoke coming from the bedroom of the front unit. Overall, the $950,000 building sustained approximately $20,000 in structural damage and $20,000 in contents. Fortunately, no one was home at the time of the fire, and there were no injuries. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.
Safety Reminder - Sunday, April 2, was the start of Daylight Savings Time, a time when everyone should have remembered to change the battery in their smoke detector(s). In addition to changing the batteries every six months, the Fire Department recommends replacing any smoke alarm that is more than 10 years old. Smoke alarms should be cleaned at least once a year and tested at least once a month. Batteries should never be borrowed from a smoke alarm to use somewhere else. "The peak time for home fire fatalities is between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. when most families are sleeping," said Duane Olson, Fire Chief of the Huntington Beach Fire Department and President of the Orange County Fire Chiefs Association. "Changing the batteries in your smoke alarm is a simple, effective way to reduce home fire deaths. Children and older adults are most at risk, and a working smoke alarm can give them the extra seconds they need to get out safely."
PLANNING
Newland Street Residential Project EIR Update - A Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR No. 05-01) was released for public review on March 3. Draft EIR No. 05-01 is available for review at City Hall, Central Library, Banning Library, and on the city's website. A public comment meeting was held on March 30 to solicit comments on the adequacy of Draft EIR No. 05-01. Approximately 10 people attended the meeting and discussed issues such as traffic, floodplain, access, and affordable housing. Comments on Draft EIR No. 05-01 are being accepted until April 17.
PUBLIC WORKS
Earth Day/Arbor Day - The city of Huntington Beach Public Works Department and the Huntington Beach Tree Society are commemorating Earth Day/Arbor Day with a project to beautify our city, and they are inviting volunteers from the community to come and participate. Eagle Scouts will be planting 66 trees and dozens of native plants along Goldenwest Street between Ellis and Talbert. The Earth Day/Arbor Day beautification is scheduled for April 22, from 9 - 11 a.m., at 18381 Goldenwest Street (Disc Golf parking lot between Ellis and Talbert). Public Works, the Huntington Beach Tree Society, West Coast Arborists, and the county of Orange will be conducting conservation demonstrations and distributing "green" information to the public. Please stop by to help with the planting or visit the information booths. Volunteers should wear clothes appropriate for gardening, and closed-toe shoes are mandatory (no flip-flops please). Volunteer registration starts at 8:30 a.m. For more information, please contact Debra Jubinsky at 374-5321 or Randy Menzel at 536-5480.
Weekly Report Archive 2006 2005 2004
