COMMUNITY SERVICES
Youth in Government Day - The 2005/06 Youth Board is gearing up for 2006 Youth in Government Day. Approximately 150 students from the four high schools in Huntington Beach will pair up with the City Council, elected officials, and city staff on April 20. To date, the nine-member Youth Board has successfully raised $2,800 in cash and prizes to make this a memorable day for everyone involved. Breakfast will include coffee & baked goods donated by Starbucks and Bagelmania. Stone Fire Grill will provide lunch. Congratulations to the Youth Board members on their hard work preparing for Youth in Government Day and for their efforts on behalf of local youth throughout the year.
Art Center Award - On March 23, the Huntington Beach Art Center received one of only two awards for Outstanding Arts Organization from the Arts Orange County (non-profit arts council) at the 7th Annual O.C. Arts Awards at the Balboa Bay Club. Other nominees included Bowers Museum of Cultural Art, The Chance Theater Repertory Company, Festival Ballet Theatre, Irvine Barclay Theatre, KOCE-TV, La Habra Depot Theatre, O.C. Center for Contemporary Art, Orange County Performing Arts Center, Orange County Theatre, Pacific Chorale, Philharmonic Society of Orange County, Santiago Creek School, and South Coast Dance Arts Alliance. This is a huge honor for the art center and the city. It is also an honor for Kate Hoffman, Cultural Services Supervisor, who has worked so hard along with her staff to expand the support base to make the center viable. She has embraced the community and its local artists while still maintaining the facility as a cutting edge contemporary art center. The Council liaisons to the Allied Arts Board, Don Hansen and Debbie Cook, were in attendance as well as several members of the Allied Arts Board, Art Center Foundation, and staff.
Spring Daffodils - The American Cancer Society again donated 24 daffodils and vases to Huntington Beach Senior Services. Social Workers and Meals to the Home volunteers delivered these cheerful bouquets to clients with cancer. The daffodil, one of the first flowers of spring, is a symbol of hope. To the American Cancer Society, the flower represents the hope of a world free from cancer. Senior Services staff and volunteers hope that these bright flowers will give their clients a very good day.
Friday Night Blues - The Huntington Beach Art Center presents The Friday Night Blues featuring the legendary Melvin Eddy Blues Band performing in an intimate cabaret-style setting. Dedicated to preserving the Chicago Blues tradition, Melvin plays the blues the way it was intended to be played - raw, smoky, and powerful! The Melvin Eddy Blues Band performs in festivals throughout the southland as well as the BB King Blues Club, delivering a high energy, exciting performance every time. Join us for a blues-filled evening at the Huntington Beach Art Center on Friday, March 31, 7:30 - 10:00 p.m. General Admission is $20/HBAC Members $15.
Marine Safety - Approximately 60 applicants braved cold ocean waters on Sunday, March 19, in hopes of getting a job as an ocean lifeguard for the city of Huntington Beach. Twelve swimmers were pulled out of the water midway through the first event, a 1,000-yard swim around the pier. After three ocean events, 36 candidates were eligible for the lifeguard-training program that begins on April 8. Only the top trainees will be hired for one of the coveted ocean lifeguard positions.
PLANNING
Update on Home Depot - On March 14, the Planning Commission voted to continue processing the draft Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND) for the proposed Home Depot at the southwest corner of Magnolia Street and Garfield Avenue. Since there was no appeal of their decision, the 30-day public review and comment period for the MND will open on March 30 and end on May 1. Copies of the MND are available in the City Clerk's office, Planning Department, Central Library, and on the Planning Department website. In addition, public notices will be mailed to surrounding property owners and tenants within a 500-foot radius of the site.
Aloha, Wayne Carvalho! - Nineteen-year city of Huntington Beach employee Wayne Carvalho bid farewell to the Planning Department last week. An icon on the 3rd Floor, Wayne began his career as an intern with the city and ended his tenure coordinating the Planning Department Plan Check Section and supervising the public Zoning Counter. Wayne will be spending more time with his family and working from home as a land use and planning consultant.
PUBLIC WORKS
Success of CDS Units - Over the past four years, 13 CDS (Continuous Deflective Separation) units were installed to assist in removing debris and sediment from urban runoff. CDS technology offers an effective method of preventing street litter, trash and debris, vegetation, coarse sediments, and the attached pollutants, including heavy metals and nutrients, from entering the waterways. The units meet Best Management Practices (BMP) and are well suited to treat a large range of storm water flows and conditions. The units are generally located near the ocean and harbor outfalls and in Central Park. They are cleaned every three to six months depending upon the location. In 2005, over 20 tons of floatables were removed from the basins. These include plastic, styrofoam, aluminum, and other litter. In addition, the units trapped approximately 175 tons of sediment. Without the CDS units, the debris would have found its way into the ocean or harbor. The sewer maintenance crew is responsible for keeping these structures, as well as drainage catch basins throughout the city, clear and operational. They perform a difficult task that is key in keeping urban runoff pollutants from the local beaches.
Weekly Report Archive 2006
