May 09, 2006

CITY TREASURER'S OFFICE

Welcome to New Employee - The City Treasurer's Office has recently welcomed Dana Gabel who will be working as a Customer Service Representative. When you have an opportunity, please stop by and meet our new staff member.

COMMUNITY SERVICES

Ol'Fishin' Hole Fishing Derby - The city will hold its Ol'Fishin' Hole Fishing Derby for special education children on Friday, May 12, at Chris Carr Park. Registration has been taken, and approximately 180 children are expected.

Monthly Ballroom Dance - The Rodgers Seniors' Center will hold its monthly ballroom dance on Friday, May 12, beginning at 7:30 p.m. Participant fee is $5 with live music, snacks, and beverages provided.

Meet the Artists - The Huntington Beach Art Center invites you to enjoy an evening of complimentary wine and hors d'oeuvres as you Meet the Artists on Friday, May 12, from 7 - 9 p.m. As a preview of the Art Center's Sixth Annual Art Auction, the celebration includes an opportunity to mix and mingle with the artists who have contributed to the auction. Those participating include local, regional, and nationally known artists working in a variety of media. Bidding begins that evening and continues until Friday, May 19, when the auction party comes alive with silent and live auctions, fabulous foods, wines, and entertainment. Collecting art not for you? Just come for the party! The annual fundraiser provides support to the Art Center's exhibition and education programs. Admission for the May 12 Meet the Artists is free. Call for details at 374-1650.

SCMAF-OC Youth Track Meet - The city of Huntington Beach was well represented at the annual Southern California Municipal Athletic Federation's Orange County Track Meet. The event was held on Sunday, May 7, with nearly 100 participants from the city of Huntington Beach competing in a variety of events, including distance races, long jump, high jump, and the softball throw. The city's participants did very well with many advancing to the finals scheduled for Sunday, June 4, at Veteran's Stadium in Long Beach. The top four finishers for each event at the SCMAF-OC meet qualified to advance to the final level of competition. They have earned the privilege to compete against qualifiers from other regional meets held throughout Southern California.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Santa Monica Promenade Workshop/Tour - City Council Members and the Downtown Business Improvement District participated in their first joint meeting held at the Bayside District for a workshop and tour of the heart of Santa Monica's thriving Promenade on May 3. Huntington Beach city officials are revisiting the possibility of closing automobile traffic downtown on Main Street and transition into a promenade. Santa Monica's Third Street Promenade is a successful street closure model in a coastal city that is closest in proximity to Huntington Beach. City officials, staff, and business members had the opportunity to engage in dialogue with Santa Monica stakeholders who shared their challenges and benefits of closing a busy street to automobiles. After the workshop, meeting attendees toured the Third Street Promenade to observe physical space, types of shops, public art, demographics, density, mixed-use developments, and traffic circulation in a pedestrian-friendly environment. The tour continued to the National Resources Defense Council's (NRDC) Green Building, a facility utilizing environment-friendly materials and efficient energy resulting in numerous economic and environmental benefits. The NRDC in Santa Monica received the highest certification available for green building design in the Nation, a Platinum rating from the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) program. Currently, the Santa Monica NRDC rates third worldwide in green building design.

FIRE DEPARTMENT

Every 15 Minutes - On April 25 and 26, the 10th annual "Every 15 Minutes" program was held at Ocean View High School to educate students about the dangers of drinking and driving. The program began with students being pulled from class by a grim reaper, followed by a police officer who announced that students were killed in an alcohol-related accident. During the noon hour, a simulated traffic collision was staged in front of the high school where three students were killed in an accident, and a fourth student was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. Students were taken to the Westminster Justice Center where they participated in a mock DUI court trial and then went to Pacific View Cemetery where they viewed the funeral home and Orange County Drunk Driver Memorial. Later that evening, students were bused to the Waterfront Hilton where they participated in a workshop, discussed the day's events, and wrote "Goodbye" letters to their families. At the same time, the parents were at Ocean View High School writing "Goodbye" letters to their children. The next morning, the students were reunited with their families and classmates at an assembly held at the high school. A video presentation of the accident was played, and several of the parents and students read the letters they wrote earlier. The program involved several members of the Fire, Police, and Public Works Departments, as well as several private corporate sponsors. The program is held every year and rotates among the city's four high schools. The event will be held at Marina High School next year.

PLANNING

Home Depot Update - The 30-day public comment period on Draft Mitigated Negative Declaration/Environmental Assessment No. 04-10 ended on May 1. The draft document analyzes the potential environmental impacts of the proposed 130,536 sq. ft. Home Depot project at the southwest corner of Garfield Avenue and Magnolia Street. The project is proposed in replacement of the now vacant K-Mart building. There were 36 comment letters received during the comment period regarding the proposed Home Depot and the draft environmental document. The Planning Department is preparing responses to each comment in each letter as required under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The Conditional Use Permit and Mitigated Negative Declaration are tentatively scheduled for Planning Commission study sessions in June and a public hearing before the Planning Commission in July.

POLICE DEPARTMENT

HB1 Stats for April - The aircrews assisted the Fire Department twice during the month by observing fires in the city and notifying them. One fire was in the grass area behind Beach and PCH, and had the aircrew not alerted the Fire Department, it could have potentially grown into a much larger grass fire. The aircrew was the first on-scene responding to a strong-arm robbery and saw the suspect running from the location and then fighting with the store clerk in the parking lot. They were able to keep him in sight until ground officers arrived who made the arrest. They responded to 340 calls during the month and were first on-scene 97% of the time. They made 6 felony arrests, wrote 18 citations, and were able to cancel the response of ground units 95 times.

PUBLIC WORKS

New Universal Waste Rules for Household Battery and Electronics Disposal - Don't toss those batteries, fluorescent bulbs, and consumer electronics in the household trash! The collection of these items (and a number of other consumer items known as "Universal Waste") is no longer allowed with the regular trash. Universal Waste is a category of hazardous waste reserved for common items that contain toxic components but pose less risk to people and the environment than typical hazardous wastes. For many years, households and small-quantity generators have been exempt from the regulations regarding proper disposal of Universal Waste. However, that exemption recently expired. As a result, the following items may no longer be discarded in the regular trash collection:

• Batteries (alkaline, rechargeable, and button-type)
• Mercury thermometers
• Fluorescent bulbs (tubes and compact types)
• Consumer electronics, such as:
• Flat panel TV's and monitors
• DVD players
• VCR's
• Microwave ovens
• Cellular and cordless phones
• Computer hard drives (CPU's)
• Computer peripherals (keyboards, mice, printers, scanners)
• Game consoles (Nintendo, Playstation, Gameboy)
• Any other consumer electronic items with a screen and/or digital controls