Happy 4th of July! Hard to believe how fast this year is moving - next week we celebrate our independence and the 228th anniversary of the USA.

God Bless our troops around the world protecting the freedoms we enjoy everyday.

And with the fast pace of everything going on is one reason why I like to update you in my eNewsletter. It is a chance for me to tell you about issues and events and more importantly, for you to send me your thoughts and comments.  You can write me by clicking on the link.

Utility Lines are Going Under Ground

More and more, throughout the City you see old utility lines being moved underground.

For many years, under-grounding of wires focused strictly on our major thoroughfares. And since taking office, the Mayor and City Council have made residential areas a priority. As a brief update on under grounding in our District, we're pulling up poles and finishing up Del Cerro Boulevard, which should be completed this fall. Under grounding is ongoing on Cowles Mountain Boulevard and Jackson Drive.

Construction has also started in Allied Gardens for the Orcutt Avenue, 50th Street and Twain Avenue project.  By late summer we'll begin design on another major thoroughfare: Park Ridge Boulevard.  And Rolando Park is the first residential neighborhood area in District 7 to undergo the conversion process which is scheduled to begin next year.

In order to accommodate questions and request for information, the City of San Diego has created an Undergrounds Utility Conversion Hotline that is in operation weekdays from 7:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. The hotline number is (619) 533-3841.  Information is also available on my website by clicking this link.
 

Grass Ball Fields

Allied Gardens residents are happy to see progress on the grass youth sports field at Lewis Middle School. Nearly two acres of hearty grass have been planted with the goal of making the sports field ready to use by November. This project took a little longer than expected but my office worked closely with the school, the City and a local developer to keep the project moving towards completion.  As the photo above shows, the new grass has begun to grow!

Also almost ready to go are our new grass fileds at Kumeyaay Elementary School in Tierrasanta.  A ribbon cutting will be happening soon - we'll let you know when these fields are ready.

In the last issue I told you that the high tech artificial turf sports fields at Pershing Middle School are nearing completion.

As you can see from the photos there is green at Pershing as far as the eye can see. A 10-foot wide brown artificial turf running track has been installed around the perimeter of the fields.

It is amazing to see 200 tons of granulated rubber ready to be spread over the nearly 5 acres that will have high tech artificial turf.  In July, we'll have a community celebration to dedicate the new fields. Desperately needed sports fields for our youth are a high priority for me.

Tee Time

The newly upgraded Pro Kids Golf Academy is a real treasure in our district. Now another great recreational outlet for our youth is on the horizon. Recently the City Council approved entering into negations with Paragon Practice Park LCC to develop a golf course and driving range at South Chollas Landfill. The City-owned former landfill site is located in Councilmember Charles Lewis's 4th District, north of Highway 94 and just west of College Grove. I've been very involved in this project over the years and brought it to the Natural Resources and Culture Committee. The project calls for phase one to include a golf and baseball learning center and phase two to include a six-hole full-length golf course.

Residents, the Oak Park Community Council, Councilmember Charles Lewis and I are happy to see more recreational opportunities that this project will create. As always, the needs of our youth come first.

RSVP Program

I regularly attend the graduation ceremonies for volunteers who have completed the rigorous training session for the Retired Senior Volunteer Patrol (RSVP) and June 3rd was no exception. The ceremonies at the War Memorial Building at Balboa Park included one community leader I wanted to make special note of: Jesse Sargent of Islenair (see photo). Most likely you have benefited from this exceptional program. Volunteers help the police department by assisting with crime prevention programs. They make house checks, patrol communities and follow up with residents enrolled in the YANA or "You Are Not Alone" program. My mother became an RSVP volunteer several years ago so I've heard many stories about their contributions to making San Diego a safer place.

City Heights News

I was in City Heights on June 19 for the dedication of the new Safe Routes to School project and street tree planting at Euclid Elementary School. The safety of children crossing the streets near this elementary school has been greatly improved and the beauty of the area has been enhanced with 60 new street trees.

I am pleased to have had the People for Trees organization coordinate this tree planting (they do an outstanding job every time), and thanks to all of the volunteers who helped plant trees for this project. I would like to acknowledge the City staff from Engineering and Capital Projects and the Planning Department for their extra effort they put into this project making it a complete success.

I would especially like to acknowledge District 7 resident Patty Vaccariello.  Patty was instrumental in acquiring the $480,000 CalTrans "Safe Routes to School" grant funds needed to make this project a reality. Patty assisted with each aspect of the day from the planning to the set up to the clean up.  Thanks to Patty's dedicated volunteerism, this project came out on top.

Councilmember Atkins and I were able to support this project by donating community funds for planting approximately 60 street trees.  The Euclid Elementary School students in Ms. Saco's third grade class recited Joyce Kilmer's poem, "Trees" for us.  What a wonderful finishing touch to this tree planting celebration.

I would also like to thank Jim Varnedore for his tireless efforts as a community activist, Bob and Jesse Sargent, Teresa Quiroz and countless others for their perpetual volunteerism.  My appreciation also is extended to Steve Chrezn, general manager of Albertson's Food and Drug, and to Mark Kassab, owner of Murphy's Market for their donations of food and beverages for the tree planting volunteers.

Speaking of kudos, I want to recognize Community HousingWorks for all of the work that they do.  I recently allocated some Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding to help with their Home Ownership program that helps assist folks in the City Heights area.  They have a great home-buyer's class.  For more information about the Home Ownership program call (619) 282-6647.

Congratulations - Another Library!

Jackson Elementary School dedicated their new library on June 4th. With more than 1,100 students, the school is one of the largest in our district.  Proposition MM funding made it possible to build the library.  This brings the San Diego Unified School District one step closer to their goal of putting a library in every elementary school in the City.  As an ardent library supporter and one who values the importance of reading, I'm pleased to see more children having opportunities to use libraries. Third grade student Eduardo Bailon and fourth grade student Anne So are holding four popular children's books that I donated and were inscribed to the new school library.  Jackson Elementary school is located at El Cajon Boulevard and 54th Street.

Keeping Our Children Safe

The crosswalks on Waring Rd. at the Greenbrier Ave. intersection have been stripped to alert drivers and pedestrians. This, along with the new fluorescent signs notifying drivers they are approaching a school and pedestrian zone have also been installed. Please be careful driving in this area.

These measures, along with a traffic safety program at Lewis Middle School that will begin this fall, are all geared to maximize the safety of pedestrians crossing Waring Road. Still, looking both ways before and as you continue crossing the street is the best safety measure a pedestrian can practice.

Slow Down Signs

And speaking of keeping safe, residents are helping the San Diego Police Department by displaying a large number of my SlowDown Signs that can be seen by south bound traffic on College Avenue as you approach Del Cerro Blvd. This stretch of College Avenue has quite a speeding problem and if you receive the e-watch crime updates from our Police Department, you will note quite an increase in citations issued by the Police Department for this area. Additional SlowDown signs are available by visiting the Navajo Community Service Center at 7381 Jackson Drive.

Youthful Communicators

The rewards and challenges of living in a democracy was the topic for several Patrick Henry High School students who recently put their written and verbal communications skills to the test. It was the second annual speech contest organized by the Del Cerro Action Council (DCAC) that took place during their regularly scheduled meeting at Temple Emanuel on May 27th. Community leaders volunteered to be judges and announced the winners. Congratulations to all the participants! The first, second and third place winners each received a congratulatory check from DCAC President Mark Rawlins on behalf of the DCAC. They are (left to right):  Abigail Harley, second place winner, Mark Rawlins, Avi Schraer, third place winner, and Daniel Amor, first place winner. Good job!

It's A Good Thing . . . Really

Residents of District 7 have contacted my office about the changes in the trash collection schedule. As you know, Friday is now the day when trash, greenery and recyclables are picked up in all the communities in District 7. As I mentioned in the last eNewsletter, the change is more efficient in saving time and money. I also was one of those affected by the change and I wasn't that excited over moving to Fridays. But, there are a few reasons why the change is a good thing. 1) With the trash can emptied on Friday, you can actually start the weekend and your cleanup projects with an empty trash can. 2) If there is a holiday trash pick up and your trash is not collected until Saturday, you may actually benefit from this.

If you are home when the trash truck arrives, you have the option to refill your trash can after the driver empties it and the driver will be happy to empty it for you again. Actually, this applies any day of the week if you are home when the trash collection truck arrives. Here is something else you should know: you may purchase an additional trash can and may request a larger recycling bin. Please click on this link for more information about trash collection.

Click here to find out more about your recycling and yard waste collection day and other valuable information.

Street Sweeping Schedule

More changes. The change in the trash collection schedule impacted the City's street sweeping schedule. Changes were needed to avoid interfering with trash collection and so a new schedule was implemented the week of June 14th. Those residents affected will receive a notice alerting them to the change. Please call the City's Street Division at (619) 527-3482 for more information.

Demolition Time

Usually we'll celebrate the construction of a new project. Two weeks ago we celebrated the destruction of a building ---- but it was for a very good reason. Mayor Dick Murphy and I joined community leaders to see an outdated fire station demolished to make room for a new station in Del Cerro.

In the meantime, Del Cerro and the surrounding area has a new temporary fire station at the top of Pasatiempo (where this photo was taken) which will serve the area over the next two years during construction.







 

Neighborhood E-Watch Keeps You Informed

The City of San Diego's Neighborhood eWatch provides information about crime incidents in the City of San Diego to the public for free via the Internet and is updated every 24 hours. I introduced this popular service last year and encourage you to use it. The web site address is: http://ewatch.sandiego.gov.

Happenings in the District

From time to time I include a few community events taking place throughout the District. Here are a few you may be interested in:

June 27 - Jazz for Literacy is a benefit sponsoring "reach out and Read" a children's literacy program taking place from 4:00 until 7:00 p.m. at Andiamo Restaurante located at 5950 Santo Road in the Gateway shopping center in Tierrasanta. The M'tafiti Imara Trio are the featured performers at this evening of great music and goodwill. I am happy to be a co-sponsor of the event, along with sponsor Dave Littleton of Coldwell Banker. Seating is limited and dinner reservations are recommended. For more information please call 858-268-8421.

July 4 - The annual July 4th Fireworks at Lake Murray was canceled this year by the volunteer committee due to lack of sufficient funding and sponsors. If you'd like more information or perhaps to help for next year's event, you can call Jay Wilson of my staff at 619-236-7042.

July 15 - Is the deadline for teachers to apply for a grant from British Petroleum. The company has $2 million in grants funding through their A+ for Energy program for California K-12 teachers. The grants range from $5,000 to $25,000 and are awarded for innovative classroom, after-school, extracurricular or summer activities focused on energy education and/or energy conservation. For more information, visit the BP web site at www.aplusforenergy.com

I wish I could include every single community event but unfortunately I have to limit it to a few each issue.  We welcome submissions.  For an upcoming event you would like to see in the next eNewsletter, please email information to lwebb@sandiego.gov.

Thanks for reading the eNewsletter.  If you have any suggestions or comments, please email me at JMadaffer@SanDiego.gov