COMMUNITY SERVICES
Ballroom Dance - Friday, February 10, at 7:30 p.m., the monthly ballroom dance will be held at Rodgers Seniors' Center. Participants enjoy live music, snacks, and a beverage, all for the small entry fee of $5. Call the center at 536-9387 for more information.
One-Class Workshops - There are still a lot of workshops available this season. On March 18, there will be a Crochet Purse Workshop at Murdy Community Center. This class is designed to give beginners all the tools they need to start making these fun purses for themselves or for gifts. Also look for a Sushi cooking class on February 28 or get your workout off to a great start with the new Bootcamp Blast offered on February 18 - both at Edison Community Center. Check the winter SANDS for more details.
Birthday Toy Closet - The Project Self-Sufficiency Program launched a Birthday Toy Closet in January. If you are a community member, or belong to a service organization in the community, and would like to donate a new toy to the Birthday Toy Closet, please call Susan Edwards in the PS-S office at 536-5439. It works this way: when a Project Self-Sufficiency participant's child has a birthday, the PS-S participant may use the Birthday Toy Closet to find a gift for their child's birthday. If you or your organization wishes to participate, please give Susan a call.
Annual Youth Track and Field Meet - The Annual Youth Track and Field Meet is scheduled for Friday, March 10, at Huntington Beach High School. Youth born from 1991 to the present are invited to participate in traditional events like the long jump, high jump, running races, and the 12" softball throw. Once again, the ever-popular "Diaper Dash" will be part of the festivities. The meet will start at 4 p.m. The cost is $10 per participant and $1 per spectator. Huntington Beach Track & Field T-shirts will be available for $6. There is no charge for the Diaper Dash. All participants must have a waiver signed by a parent or guardian and are subject to the following guidelines:
**Athletes may enter any two events**
Only the top four finishers advance to the Orange County Meet
Participants must compete in the division that compares with their year of birth
No bare feet or track shoes with cleats, spikes, or metal protrusions allowed--waffle shoes are legal
Ribbons will be awarded at all city meets for 1st through 8th place--certificates will be awarded for all city records broken at the city meet
Due to no events being offered at the Orange County and SCMAF levels, no relay races will be offered this year. Rain date for the track meet is Sunday, March 12, starting at 1 p.m. Track flyers and information are available on the city's website.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Welcome Aboard, Nova! - The Economic Development Department recently hired Nova Punongbayan as its new Development Specialist. Previously, Nova was employed with the county of Riverside, Economic Development Agency, Workforce Division. Nova graduated from UCI and interned for the city of Costa Mesa in the Planning Division and Community Development Department. So far, Nova is working in all divisions - Business Development, Redevelopment, Real Estate, and Housing. Please join our staff in welcoming Nova to Huntington Beach!
Ocean View Estates - Rules & Projects - Ocean View Estates, the 44-space city-owned mobilehome park located at the corner of Ellis and Goldenwest, has been operating with the same park rules and regulations since inception. Together with the park residents, Real Estate Services has been working to revise and update the rules and regulations to be more reflective of the current park's needs. Two meetings were held, and a final draft is being mailed to the residents this week and will be sent to the City Council for their consideration in 2006. In addition, a few improvement projects were completed during 2005. The streets and driveways were slurry sealed, several signage and marking projects were completed (subjects: fire-lanes, animals, and dumping), and a chain link fence was installed between the park and Sully Miller Lake. After the streets were red-striped for the fire-lane designation, the need for additional parking was recognized. Additional parking will soon be installed within the park. These projects could not be done without the assistance of the Maintenance Operations Division of the Public Works Department. They have exemplified the highest level of customer service.
PLANNING
Affordable Housing In-Lieu Fee Study - The city's affordable housing ordinance allows residential projects with three to nine units to pay an in-lieu fee to satisfy their affordable housing requirements. On February 1, the city distributed copies of an Affordable Housing In-Lieu Fee Study that calculates such a fee for projects in the city of Huntington Beach. The city's consultant will provide an overview of the study and respond to questions at a public information meeting on February 16 at 2 p.m. The meeting will be in the Maddy Room at the Huntington Beach Central Library. The comment period for the study ends March 3. It is anticipated that the item will be scheduled for City Council action in April or May.
Update on Home Depot - The Environmental Assessment Committee (EAC) determined on February 2 that the Home Depot will require a Mitigated Negative Declaration to meet state environmental review requirements. The project, located at the southwest corner of Magnolia Street and Garfield Avenue, involves the demolition of the former K-Mart and construction of a new Home Depot store. The EAC approved release of the document for a 30-day comment period, in lieu of the required 20 days. The comment period will begin on February 16 assuming that no appeal is filed on the EAC's decision.
POLICE
KOCE-Television Airing a Special Report on Driving Under the Influence (DUI) in Huntington Beach - Recently, a reporter from KOCE television spent a Friday night riding along with the Police Department's DUI enforcement team. With funding received from a Transportation Department Grant, the Police Department deploys additional officers on weekend evenings to enforce the DUI laws. KOCE contacted the Police Department after hearing about our program and learning about Officer Dale Shields' exemplary performance in this area. KOCE staff filmed actual contacts being made with alleged DUI violators and conducted interviews with several of the officers. The special report is scheduled to be initially aired on February 6 at 6:30 p.m. The Police Department commends all the officers for their diligent work in keeping the citizens safe from intoxicated drivers.
PUBLIC WORKS
New Traffic Signal in Operation - A new traffic signal has been installed and put into operation at the intersection of Nichols Street and Slater Avenue. The site was selected through an established process that determines new traffic signal priorities. The signal at this T-intersection will assist in traffic flow near the Rainbow Disposal facility. The signal will also provide benefits to the high volume of pedestrian traffic in the area. Traffic Impact Fee funds were used for the project.
Water Usage for January 2006 - Conservation Tip - Mulch your garden. A layer of bark, gravel, compost, sawdust, or low-growing groundcover evens out soil temperature and allows better water retention.
Weekly Report Archive 2006 2005 2004
