COMMUNITY SERVICES
Simple Green Adopt-A-Beach Program - Saturday, November 6, marks the beginning of the 2004-05 Simple Green Adopt-A-Beach Program. There are 19 nonprofit organizations that are responsible for cleaning a designated section of the beach, covering the entire area from Beach Boulevard to Goldenwest Street and the four harbor beaches. After completion of this five-month program which ends March 31, 2005, Simple Green will award each group $750 with an extra incentive of $250 if the organization participates in the annual Earth Day Beach Cleanup. Adopt-A-Beach Managers Tim Turner and Tim Dugan, who have coordinated and helped develop the program since the city and Simple Green teamed up 18 years ago, are now seeing a third generation of Adopt-A-Beach volunteers. They say the program is not only a great way of keeping the beach clean during the winter months when staffing is at a minimum, but also for the message of environmental awareness that is being promoted and carried on from generation to generation by the tens of thousands of volunteers who have helped clean Huntington city beach.
Senior Santa and Friends Program - The Senior Santa and Friends Program collects and distributes gifts to low income elderly and disabled clients of the Orange County Social Services and Health Care Agencies. Last year, they were able to provide 1,136 clients with gifts. Huntington Beach Senior Services has assisted with this fantastic project for the last several years and has received many generous gifts from employees, seniors, and other city residents. Gift suggestions and collection boxes will be located on the 5th floor of City Hall, Rodgers Seniors' Center, and Seniors' Outreach from November 5 to December 10. Items should be unused and unwrapped. All donations are tax deductible, and every donor who provides a name and address will receive a thank you letter. Grocery certificates and monetary donations are also accepted.
On the Road - Have you ever wondered how much the drivers for Huntington Beach Senior Services get around town? In September, these drivers provided 1,266 rides to Rodgers Seniors' Center, 801 rides to medical appointments, 325 rides for grocery shopping, and 202 rides for other purposes such as hair appointments, bank errands, and visits to loved ones. They drove a total of 11,559 miles. The Huntington Beach Senior Services Transportation Program is a model for senior transportation throughout the county. Through these miles driven, Huntington Beach gives its senior population mobility, the number one need of seniors throughout the country.
The Huntington Beach Art Center Presents - Performing raw, smoky, and powerful blues from the south side of Chicago, The Melvin Eddy Blues Band carries on the Chicago Blues tradition, delighting crowds across the southland with their authentic blues sound. "I believe that anyone can make music, but to play the blues you have to feel it. You've got to be passionate (Eddy)." Melvin Eddy is passionate every time he takes the stage to sing the blues. Presented in an intimate cabaret style setting, the Huntington Beach Art Center is proud to present The Friday Night Blues with the Melvin Eddy Blues Band on November 5, from 7:30 - 10:00 p.m. General Admission is $20, and for HBAC Members it is $15.
Marine Safety - A 16-Foot Bayliner ran out of gas and ran aground near the Huntington Beach Municipal Pier at 11:30 p.m. on Halloween. The five passengers on board were unharmed. Marine Safety Officer Eric Dieterman was contacted by Orange County Sheriff's Harbor Patrol and responded to the scene. Beach Maintenance personnel towed the vessel to safe ground on the beach prior to salvage by Vessel Assist. This was the third boat rescue by Marine Safety this month. The Toes on the Nose Surf Contest was held on the south side of the Municipal Pier on October 29-31. Marine Safety statistics for the month of October were as follows: Attendance - 302,117; Public Contacts - 12,130; Rescues - 2; Preventative Actions - 472; Law Enforcement Contacts - 1,310; Medical Aids - 35; Wildlife Calls - 2; Public Education Lectures/Students - 3/255; Suicides - 1; Drownings - 0.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Papa Joe's Pizza Building Demolished - Last week the building formerly occupied by Papa Joe's Pizza on Pacific Coast Highway was completely demolished to make way for the city's new project "The Strand." If the weather cooperates this week, ongoing work will be taking place to relocate utilities in the alley backing Main Street. Some electrical lines have already been changed, and further work on water and sewer lines is in the future.
FIRE DEPARTMENT
Fire at Beachcombers Surf Shop - On October 27 at 6:09 a.m., the Fire Department responded to a second alarm fire at 207 Main Street, a retail surf shop known as Beachcombers. The fire had originated in the rear of the store, which was an office and storage area. A total of six engines and two trucks carrying 34 firefighters responded on the fire. An aggressive fire attack kept most of the fire limited to the back area of the store. Firefighters also prevented the fire from completely spreading to the upper story. The estimated loss to the structure alone was preliminarily estimated at $100,000, but firefighters were able to save over $1 million dollars of the property. An exact figure for the contents lost was not established. This was due in part to damage to some very expensive vintage surfboards. Fire Department investigators are determining the cause of the early morning fire.
Volunteer Fireman Award - Recently, the Huntington Beach Masons Lodge No. 380 instituted its first annual Volunteer Fireman Award to honor the "Firefighter who has displayed exemplary community spirit and dedicated such time and effort to this community." They noted that to honor and recognize one special firefighter, would be to recognize and honor all those Huntington Beach firefighters of a similar character. This year, Captain Bob Culhane was chosen as the recipient and was feted at a special dinner and formal presentation ceremony on October 27. All his family and friends were invited to attend.
PLANNING DEPARTMENT
New Starbucks Coffee Shop - On October 14, the city's Design Review Board reviewed and approved plans to remodel the small drive-through restaurant building at the northeast corner of Adams Avenue and Brookhurst Street for use as a Starbucks Coffee shop. The remodeled site will include a trellis-covered outdoor dining patio, new landscape planters, and a canopy over the one drive-through lane to be retained. The building itself will feature architecture, which is compatible with the adjacent to-be-remodeled shopping center. Along with the building remodel, the project includes site improvements designed to facilitate a new right-turn lane for north-bound traffic, planned and designed by the Public Works Department. The new lane, in conjunction with the closure of both driveways providing direct access to the site, will improve traffic circulation at this busy intersection.
POLICE DEPARTMENT
New Police Officer Sworn In - On Tuesday, October 26, Officer Shawn White was sworn in as a Huntington Beach Police Officer. Shawn joins the department as a lateral transfer from the Fountain Valley Police Department. He spent the rest of the week in orientation and will begin his field training on November 1.
Officer Deployed to Active Military Duty - Huntington Beach Police Officer Dave Dereszynski has been ordered to active duty with his Army National Guard unit. Officer Dereszynski departed on October 24 and expects to be on active duty for approximately 19 months. He is unsure of where he will be assigned but expects to be deployed to somewhere in the Middle East. Officer Dereszynski joins Officer Shanona Gregozek, who is also on active duty and currently stationed in Iraq. Margaret Bowman, who is a communications operator, is also on active duty stationed in Virginia. Our thoughts are with all of these officers as they serve their country.
PUBLIC WORKS
Construction Bidboard for Projects - The Public Works Department has been successfully using http://www.ebidboard.com to provide project information to potential bidders. The website is free to public agencies. This national service contains a large cross-agency database of project information and bid results. It allows agencies to communicate detailed project information, respond to questions, and post bid results. Member contractors access the site to search for jobs in their field, to find subcontractors, and to view competitor bidders. Highlights of the service include access to current and historical project costs and competitive information. Benefits to the city include better communication with bidders, a central location for project information, and customized reports. This service reduces the need to fax addendums or updates to plan holders in the event of a change. The time-consuming faxing of plan holder lists and bid results is also eliminated.
Weekly Report Archive
Oct 26, 2004
Oct 12, 2004
Oct 05, 2004
Sep 28, 2004
Sep 21, 2004
Sep 14, 2004
Sep 07, 2004
Aug 31, 2004
Aug 24, 2004
Aug 17, 2004
Aug 10, 2004
Aug 03, 2004
July 27, 2004
July 20, 2004
July 13, 2004
July 06, 2004
June 29, 2004
June 22, 2004
June 15, 2004
June 08, 2004
May 25, 2004
May 18, 2004
May 11, 2004
May 04, 2004
Apr 27, 2004
Apr 20, 2004
Apr 13, 2004
Apr 06, 2004
Mar 30, 2004
Mar 23, 2004
Mar 16, 2004
Mar 09, 2004
Mar 02, 2004
Feb 24, 2004
Feb 17, 2004
Feb 10, 2004
Feb 03, 2004
Jan 27, 2004
Jan 20, 2004
Jan 13, 2004
Jan 06, 2004
Dec 30, 2003
Dec 23, 2003
Dec 16, 2003
Dec 09, 2003
Dec 02, 2003
