April 26, 2005

COMMUNITY SERVICES

Computer Classes at Seniors' Center - On Thursday, April 21, over 60 people attended "Computers Made Easy," a seminar describing the upcoming new slate of computer classes to be offered at the Rodgers Seniors' Center. Recently, the lab was presented with new computers donated by the Huntington Beach Council on Aging. Victor Cohn, a volunteer, and Center Recreation Coordinator Chris Cole have worked on a new curriculum whereby older adults will be offered four levels of computer classes for the beginner through advanced user. The classes begin May 17. Registration and information can be obtained at the Seniors' Center at 536-9387.

Earth Day Beach Cleanup - Even with the threat of rain, there was a surprisingly large turnout of volunteers on Saturday for the Earth Day Beach Cleanup. Over 400 volunteers of all ages combed the city beach picking up debris left over from this winter's devastating storms. Beach Maintenance employees collected the bags for the weigh-in, while Simple Green presented $1,000 checks to participants of the 2004-05 Simple Green Adopt-a-Beach Program. These 19 nonprofit organizations showed up once a week over the past five months to clean their section of city beach. As Tim Dugan, Adopt-A-Beach Coordinator, brought up the statistics of the day's cleanup, long-time participant Eileen Murphy (Bolsa Chica Land Trust) asked how many pounds of trash and debris were picked up. When Tim advised that 680 pounds had been collected, another long-time participant, Don Griswold (Council on Aging), stood up and told everyone that that was nothing compared to what was picked up in early February. He remarked that the trash and debris that the rains carried though the storm channels was so thick, that one couldn't even see the sand. Tim Turner concurred saying that they had filled 73 large Rainbow Disposal roll-off bins in January, compared to 13 in the same month in 2004.

Mother/Daughter Tea - Mothers, Grandmothers, and Aunts, bring the 5 to 14-year-old little girls in your life to a pleasant and relaxing afternoon tea at the Newland Barn this Sunday, May 1, from 2:00 to 4:30 p.m. An authentic Victorian high tea will be served with scones, tea sandwiches, and a variety of desserts. Be sure to dress for the occasion and bring your favorite teacups and saucers. The fee is $35 for two, and $15 for each additional child. Register at the Edison Community Center. No tickets will be sold at the door.

Father/Daughter Date Night - Girls, five years old and up, and their Dads (Grandfathers or Uncles) are invited to a semi-formal evening at Edison Community Center on May 7, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. The $35 fee per couple ($15 for each additional child) includes a full-course dinner followed by dancing, contests, and a keepsake photo. Register now, as tickets will not be sold at the door. Please call 960-8870 for more information.

Ol' Fishin' Hole Derby - Volunteers are being sought for the Ol' Fishin' Hole Derby to be held on May 6 at Chris Carr Park. The Community Services Department and the Huntington Beach Kiwanis Club sponsor this popular event. Approximately 180 children with disabilities are expected, and we want them to have a great time. With your help, they will. Many of these children have never been fishing before, and it has proven to be a fun event for both the children and the volunteers. The Huntington Beach Rotary Club will provide lunch. We are asking that volunteers arrive at 8:30 a.m. and bring a fishing net if they have one. Please call 536-5486 to sign up as a volunteer.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

SeaColony Residential Project - The escrows for the 78 homes in the SeaColony residential project are closed. The Redevelopment Agency's share in the profits is tallied at $10,197,105. Participation payments of 15% of the sale were made as each escrow closed after Christopher Homes met the $3.2 million in sales. This revenue source was created through the Agency's Disposition and Development Agreement with the Robert Mayer Corporation for the Waterfront Project that also includes the Hilton Hotel, Hyatt Resort and Conference Center, and a third future site.

FIRE DEPARTMENT

Arson Fire - On Tuesday, April 19, at 2:47 p.m., 21 firefighters responded to a fire on Steiner Circle and were able to bring the fire under control within 11 minutes of receiving the call. Because of their speed, major damage was limited to part of the garage and some minor damage to the kitchen totaling approximately $20,000. However, effective suppression efforts saved $200,000 worth of the structure and $40,000 worth of contents. The fire is believed to have been intentionally set. A suspect was arrested at the scene for further questioning by Police and Fire investigators.

PLANNING DEPARTMENT

Westport Drive - Through Lot Block Wall - On April 20, the Zoning Administrator approved a Conditional Use Permit, requested by Shirley Doo, to permit the construction of a combination retaining wall/wood fence within the rear-yard setback of her through lot located at 17041 Westport Drive in Huntington Harbor. The proposed retaining wall measures five feet in height and will be topped with a wood fence measuring six feet in height for a maximum height of 11 feet. On April 21, the Conditional Use Permit was appealed by a member of the Planning Commission based on the potential impacts to the surrounding neighborhood. The appeal will be scheduled for a hearing before the Planning Commission in the near future.

Toyota of Huntington Beach Reconstruction - The Toyota of Huntington Beach reconstruction project, approved by the Zoning Administrator on April 13, was appealed by a member of the Planning Commission on April 25. The appeal will be scheduled for consideration at a hearing before the Planning Commission (date to be determined). The project, which consists of a new Toyota vehicle sales and service facility at the site of the existing dealership (Beach Boulevard just north of Garfield Avenue), will remain on hold until decided by the Planning Commission. The proposed facility features an approximately 39,500 sq. ft. sales office, showroom and service building, attached multi-level parking structure, service canopy, and grade level parking.

PUBLIC WORKS

I-405 Expansion Community Meetings - The public is encouraged to participate in a community event to learn about expansion alternatives for the I-405 Freeway and fill out a survey regarding the proposed alternatives. Meetings will be held in local communities throughout May.

Wednesday, May 4	Wednesday, May 11	Monday, May 16
Costa Mesa	Huntington Beach	Fountain Valley
Community Center	Main Street Library	Fountain Valley Library
1845 Park Avenue	525 Main Street	17635 Los Alamos
5:00 - 7:00 p.m.	5:00 - 7:00 p.m.	5:00 - 7:00 p.m.

Additional meetings will be held in Seal Beach and Westminster. This is the final planning phase of the I-405 Major Investment Study. OCTA, in conjunction with local cities, traffic engineers, and community residents, has collaborated to create these proposed solutions to improve traffic flow on the I-405. Residents are invited to be part of this study to improve mobility on the I-405. Attend one of the open houses and talk directly to one of the experts. Surveys are available at the meetings. Interested persons may call OCTA at 560-5378 to request material by mail, or 560-5972 to request a presentation to an organization or homeowners' association. The project is outlined on OCTA's I-405 project Web page at www.octa.net/405MIS.asp.

Newland Street Closure - Beginning Monday morning April 25, the city of Westminster closed Newland Street from Heil Avenue to Edinger Avenue. Westminster has an urgent need to expedite their street rehabilitation project on Newland Avenue in order to meet strict grant funding deadlines. The city of Huntington Beach's project to construct a water transmission main on Newland overlapping with this area delayed Westminster from beginning their project as planned. Complete closure of this street segment is the only viable alternative for completing our project and allowing Westminster to complete the reconstruction within the necessary timeframe. The street is scheduled to reopen to through traffic on approximately May 16. Huntington Beach and Fountain Valley staff have reviewed the traffic control plan, including the detours required. No Huntington Beach residents or businesses will have access restricted as a result of this street closure. Detours will be set up to move traffic around the closure to Beach Boulevard or Magnolia Street. Advance electronic signs will be posted on Newland to advise motorists of the closure and the detour routes. Huntington Beach staff is making the necessary arrangements to retime the traffic signals at Newland/Edinger, Newland /Heil, and Newland/Warner to accommodate the changed travel patterns. Both Huntington Beach Fire and Police Departments have been notified of the closure and have indicated that they do not anticipate any significant problems from the closure. Each of the area fire stations has been notified to enable them to plan their response routes accordingly. It is our understanding that Westminster has also provided similar coordination with their emergency services as well as those in Fountain Valley. Huntington Beach staff will continue to monitor conditions as the project progresses and will make any adjustments as necessary to maximize safety and limit public inconvenience. If you have any questions, please contact the city of Westminster Public Works staff member Jake Ngo at 898-3311.

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