COMMUNITY SERVICES
Huntington Beach Celebrates "Freedom for All" 2006 - The city's 102nd Annual 4th of July Parade and Celebration will be chockfull of festivities for everyone. The 2006 festivities offer three full days of family entertainment with the Pier Plaza Fun Expo, a Main Street home decorating contest, the July 4th Pancake Breakfast, the Surf City 5K Run and Fitness Expo, and the famed 4th of July Parade on Main Street. And on the evening of July 4th, don't miss a spectacular Fireworks Extravaganza at the Huntington Beach Pier. Following is a schedule of events for your convenience:
| Pier Plaza Fun Expo at Main & Pacific Coast Highway |
| July 2 & 3 | 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. |
| July 4 | 12:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. |
| July 4 |
| Pancake Breakfast in Lake Park, 11th & Main | 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. |
| Surf City 5K Run & Fitness Expo at Worthy Park, 17th & Main | 6:00 a.m. to noon |
| Parade on Main Street | 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. |
| Pier Plaza Fun Expo at Main & Pacific Coast Highway | 12:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. |
| Pier Plaza Entertainment at Main & Pacific Coast Highway | 1:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. |
| Fireworks Extravaganza on Huntington Beach Pier | 9:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. |
Junior Golf Lessons - We know Tiger Woods started at two years of age, but seven isn't too "old" to begin learning the fundamentals of golf: grip, setup, and etiquette. Classes start July 11 on Tuesdays and Saturdays at Meadowlark Golf Course (sign up at Murdy Community Center) for children 7 to 17. The fee is $125 for each four-class session.
FIRE DEPARTMENT
Garage Fire - On June 13, five fire units responded to a reported garage fire located on 12th Street. Prior to the Fire Department's arrival, neighbors had alerted the apartment's occupants who were able to evacuate the premises safely. Witnesses waved one of the fire engines to the alley where they found a two-story, multi-family residential structure located at 208 - 12th Street with a fully involved garage fire. The fire was lapping up above the garage and threatening the apartment above. Firefighters made an aggressive attack and confined the fire to the garage and to an adjoining garage. They then searched and cleared the apartment above the fire to ensure the fire did not extend to the walls or attic of the complex. With an aggressive attack from the 25 firefighters on scene, the only damage to the $2 million dollar, six-unit apartment complex was in the garage area. The total damage was $40,000. The cause and origin of the fire are under investigation.
PLANNING
The Planning Department Has Made Some Staff Changes! - We congratulate Kathy Schooley on her promotion to the position of Code Enforcement Technician. Kathy has worked for the Planning Department as the Code Enforcement Office Assistant for a total of six years. Taking over for Kathy is Office Assistant II Judy Demers. Judy has been a Huntington Beach employee for seven years, four of which have been as the Receptionist for the Planning and Building Departments. Taking over for Judy as our Department Receptionist is Office Assistant II Ann Minnie. Ann has been working for the city for one year and is now a full-time employee. Congratulations to all three on their new positions within the Planning Department.
POLICE DEPARTMENT
New Command Post - The city recently accepted delivery of a new Mobile Command Post (CP) that was purchased with homeland security funds through the Urban Area Security Initiative Grant. This is a joint venture between the Police Department and the Huntington Beach Fire Department. The CP was built by Lynch Delivery Vehicles in Burlington, Wisconsin and is just under 40 feet long. The vehicle has state of the art communication capabilities including wireless broadband. The vehicle can be used to support natural or man-made disaster recovery efforts in Huntington Beach or throughout the county as part of existing Mutual Aid agreements. This command post will provide the Police and Fire Departments the ability to more effectively serve the community.
PUBLIC WORKS
New Hybrid Vehicle in Service - The Public Works Department has taken delivery of the first hybrid vehicle for the city's vehicle fleet. The vehicle is a Ford Escape compact SUV that will be assigned to the Building & Safety Department. This vehicle is manufactured with a full hybrid system that automatically switches between pure electric, pure gasoline, or combined operation to maximize fuel efficiency and performance. The electric portion of the motor regenerates as it is driven, so there is never a need to plug it in. According to EPA estimates, the Escape Hybrid is able to achieve up to 36 mpg in city driving conditions and has a range of between 400 and 500 miles on a single tank of gas. Although this is the first hybrid, the city's fleet is becoming increasingly "green" and already includes several alternate fuel vehicles. Public Works expects to add five additional hybrids to the fleet in 2006/07.
Weekly Report Archive 2006
