______City Manager's Weekly Update

Coronado City Hall is temporarily closed to walk-in visitors due to employee COVID-19 cases. Staff is available by telephone to assist customers seeking to make an appointment. Residents seeking help should call (619) 522-6380. City Hall will remain closed to walk-in visitors until Jan. 28 if no new positive cases are reported. Signs have been placed on the building letting the community know of City Hall’s modified services. The City is doing its best to minimize exposure and control and identify visitors in case contact tracing is required and is closely monitoring the situation. Other public City facilities are unaffected and remain open, including the Coronado Public Library, the Community Center and Spreckels Center. Please check their web pages for any changes and program cancellations due to the increase in COVID cases in the region. Police, Fire and Public Services staffing are not affected.

The federal government’s website to order free at-home COVID-19 tests is up and running. Residential households can place an order to receive four free tests per address through the U.S. Postal Service. The orders will begin shipping in late January. Four individual rapid antigen COVID-19 tests are included. Visit COVIDtests.gov and enter your name and address. Tests should be used if you have symptoms; at least five days after exposure; or before gathering indoors with unvaccinated people or those at higher risk for COVID-19.

A Tsunami Advisory sparked Saturday, Jan. 15, by a large undersea volcanic eruption near Tonga resulted in tsunami waves, a rise in the waters off the California coast and a temporary closure of the beach. The National Weather Service canceled the advisory in San Diego at about 1:30 p.m. that same afternoon. Some cities in Northern California saw up to a 4.3-foot increase in water level but most were at or less than 1.5 feet in Southern California. Weather Service and Coronado public safety officials advised people to stay away from the beach. Lifeguards and Police personnel monitored the waves, which began just before 8 a.m. The tsunami waves corresponded with a high tide that morning but there was no damage reported. The City's Emergency Management Team comprised of Fire, Police and Lifeguards, monitored the situation from the Emergency Operations Center and coordinated messaging with regional partners.

Crews with the City’s contract arborist are trimming 350 palms within the Orange Avenue medians on three consecutive Saturdays, Jan. 22, 29 and Feb. 5. On Jan. 22, crews will prune the center median palms. On Jan. 29, workers will trim palms on the southbound side of Orange beginning at First Street and ending at R.H. Dana Place. Crews will close the lane closest to the medians as they go. On Feb. 5, they will then head northbound from R.H. Dana to First. Crews will work from 7 a.m. to about 3:30 p.m. Please note the no-parking signs in the work area.

Earlier this week, the City Council accepted a proposed schedule for the Coronado Cays Park Master Plan project, which is getting a restart. The City Council agreed in December to restart the master planning effort to include development of three draft master plan alternatives and a transparent, comprehensive community outreach. Currently, the Master Plan consultant is reviewing Coronado's park usage history and developing best practices for the Council's consideration, likely at a City Council meeting in March. After receiving Council direction and using all of the feedback received since 2019, the consultant will develop three draft Master Plan alternatives. Those plans will be the subject of extensive community outreach to gather input. The City will conduct two public workshops and an online survey available to all of Coronado. Based upon this feedback, a final Draft Master Plan will be developed and presented to the Coronado Cays Homeowners Association, the Parks and Recreation Commission and, finally, the City Council in December.

The restart of the project includes a robust public outreach campaign -- Restart, Review, Engage and Approve – which aligns with the Council-approved schedule to promote public awareness of the project. This will be accomplished using a combination of strategies and platforms, including press releases, social media posts, banners, news ads as well as print and video materials tied to upcoming public meetings and key project dates and deadlines. The City will provide regular updates to the dedicated Cays Park Master Plan project page on CommentCoronado.org and to a dedicated section in the Weekly Update. Direct mailers to Cays community members and other regular project updates will be sent out to notify the entire Coronado community of the process and provide information on how to stay up to date.

SDG&E Gas Main Replacement Project: SDG&E commenced concrete and asphalt restoration work on Wednesday, Jan. 19, after having completed the gas main replacement and testing in early December of 2021. SDG&E crews are working to replace the gas main in the 100-500 blocks of the alley between J Avenue and Alameda Boulevard. The work is starting at the north end of First Street and will head south toward Sixth Street. The work is estimated to be completed in 3-5 weeks, including concrete, asphalt, and striping.

Water Main Replacement Project: The asphalt contractor working for California American Water completed asphalt resurfacing on Thursday, Jan. 20. This was after the water company had a large section of its water main replaced by another contractor late last year. The project area is in the 1700 block of Miguel Avenue, the 700-800 blocks of Glorietta Boulevard and the 1900 block of Monterey Avenue. Roadway striping and marking restoration dates are still pending but will be communicated to the public once scheduled.

Parker Pump Station Replacement Project: The Parker Pump Station project was presented to the Design Review Commission at its Dec. 8 meeting, however, a decision was not reached. The Commission recommended minor changes to the project and the revised plans will be brought back for consideration at a Jan. 26 meeting. The revised plans and updates on the project can be found on CommentCoronado.org Parker Pump Station page.

Annual Slurry Seal Work to Begin: The City is preparing to begin its annual slurry sealing of certain streets in town. Starting later this month, the public can observe minor work such as crack-filling, striping removal, and dig-out repair operations on those streets before work begins along those streets receiving the pavement work this year. Slurry operations will tentatively start the first week of February with the goal of completing the work before Presidents Day, Feb. 21. The City applies slurry seal to extend the life of its streets. Each street gets a slurry seal every seven years. The City also will restore striping and complete several priority improvement projects recommended by the City’s Active Transportation Plan. Exhibits illustrating the proposed improvements can be viewed by clicking the Slurry Seal link below. Slurry seal is composed of asphalt emulsion, fine aggregates, mineral filler, various additives, and water, all of which are mixed and applied from a truck. It is a cost-effective and proven way to extend the life of roads.

Driving Range Closure: The driving range at the Coronado Municipal Golf Course will be closed next week, from Jan. 24 through Jan. 28 to repair and replace the netting around the range to keep everyone safe. Recreation Services will provide updates to the community if this timeline changes. Thank you for your patience. 

Park Field Closures: Park field closures for annual maintenance have begun. Cays Park and Sunset Park fields were closed from Jan. 3-16. From now until Jan.30, Tidelands Park sports fields will be closed. The turf will be closed for aeration and maintenance. All other public areas will be open and available for use.

Planning Commission

Design Review Commission

Traffic Operaitons Committee

Community READ 2022 Voting Deadline Feb. 6: The deadline to vote on this year’s Coronado Community READ from among five final titles is Feb. 6. The Community READ and its programs will take place during the month of April. Votes can be cast over the next two weeks online at CommentCoronado.org or by paper ballot at the Coronado Public Library, Bay Books and Coronado Historical Association. Now in its sixth year, the Coronado Community READ is designed to unite the community through the shared reading of a single book. The program encourages discussion and participation in planned community-building events around the theme of the title, selected by you, the readers.

New Exhibit Featuring the 1960s: The Coronado Public Library is staging a new exhibition, “As He Saw It … Photographs by Major Morris,” which will be on view in the Library’s Exhibit Corridor from Jan. 21 through March 5. Morris was a photographer known for his depictions of life in the 1960s United States. The exhibition includes more than 60 black-and-white images that focus on everyday life from that decade.

American Mah Jongg Beginner Class: The community is invited to learn to play American Mah Jongg on Wednesdays this February at the John D. Spreckels Center. This is a four week class that will begin Feb. 2 from 10 a.m. to noon. Mah Jongg is known to help people enhance memorization, and observation skills while having fun. Registration is required for this course. To register online, click on the link below. The Spreckels Center is continuing classes as scheduled. Face coverings are required in City facilities and social distancing is encouraged. In addition, windows and doors will be open to increase air flow.

Four on Friday: Find out the four hottest upcoming arts and cultural events going on in Coronado with "Four on Friday," a feature brought to you by CoronadoARTS.com. Click on the Four On Friday logo to view this week's edition.