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______City Manager's Weekly Update
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The following is provided as an update regarding programs, services and issues within the City. |
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City Hires New Public Services & Engineering Director |
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The City announced this week that Leon P. Firsht has been hired as the new Public Services & Engineering director. Firsht, who is the director of public works and city engineer for the City of La Mesa, has more than 25 years’ worth of experience in the civil engineering industry. He has worked for local cities, water agencies and the private sector. Prior to that, he worked for the City of Lemon Grove as city engineer and district engineer for the Lemon Grove Sanitation and Roadway Lighting districts. Firsht’s responsibilities in Coronado will include managing vehicle fleet, facilities and pavement maintenance, project development, general engineering services, storm water operations, parks and beach maintenance, traffic engineering, street trees and wastewater operations. Firsht will start work Nov. 22. |
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'Live' Hometown Heroes Ceremony Set for Nov. 6 |
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Port Commissioner to Talk to Replacement Candidates About Job |
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Coronado's Port Commissioner Garry Bonelli will speak to potential applicants for his position at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 10. Bonelli, who has served two, four-year terms, will be stepping down as his terms expire at the beginning of the year. The public forum is being organized by the City to provide information about the role of Coronado’s Port Commissioner. The event will also allow potential applicants and the community to ask questions about the San Diego Unified Port District as well as the duties, responsibilities and time commitments for the position. The event will be held in the Coronado City Council Chamber, 1825 Strand Way, and broadcast via Zoom. Click here for the Zoom link. The application deadline is Nov. 15. The City Council will hold interviews in a special meeting on Nov. 30. Applications and Port Commissioner position specifications can be found here on the City’s website.
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Tar Balls Wash Ashore in Coronado |
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Earlier this week, City Lifeguards and beachgoers discovered tar balls on Coronado’s South Beach. Lifeguards have been sweeping the beach at least twice a day since early October following the Orange County oil spill. Together with beach patrons, Lifeguards have found more than 3 pounds of tar. The tar was documented, reported and properly disposed. Fire Chief Mike Blood, whose department oversees Lifeguards, said there were reports of tar balls being found at Silver Strand State Beach as well. On Sunday, Oct. 31, about 1.5 pounds are various balls of tar were discovered. The same amount was found on Tuesday, Nov. 2. If beachgoers see unusual tar balls, they are asked not to touch them. Tar balls are considered a hazardous material and can irritate the skin. Please contact Lifeguards at (619) 522-7346 if tar balls are spotted or report them to tarballreports@wildlife.ca.gov. Provide the date, time, and location observed as well as a description of the quantity. While tar balls can occur naturally, the amount of what has washed ashore in Coronado may eventually be linked to the oil spill in Orange County. While not considered a large amount, the City will continue to monitor the beach twice daily.
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City, Community Halloween Events were Spook-tacular |
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Veterans Day 2021 Holiday Schedule |
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The City of Coronado will observe the Veterans Day holiday on Thursday, Nov. 11, and reminds residents and businesses that some City facilities will be open. Public Services will not sweep streets on the holiday but EDCO will perform regular residential trash collection that week. Here is the holiday schedule: |
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New Website Development, Informal Survey Available |
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The City is developing a better municipal website and needs input from Coronado residents on what they would like to have improved. The Coronado City Council approved moving forward with the project in February. Reliable access to the City’s website has been paramount, particularly in light of the pandemic, but there was a days-long outage that showed the weaknesses in the site. A new website will improve information availability, maintain transparency, increase responsiveness, provide current information, and implement user-friendly navigation. The website may be completed by mid-2022. The City is asking residents to participate in an informal survey to provide feedback to help us provide a better product.
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Voting Changes to Start with Next June's Election |
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Beginning with the June 2022 gubernatorial primary election, San Diego will implement a vote center model. Every registered voter will automatically receive a ballot in the mail and will have options for how to return their ballot either by mail, using a secure ballot drop box or by in-person voting. The California Voter’s Choice Act, enacted in 2016, allowed for counties to move from traditional polling places to the vote center model. The Registrar of Voters used a similar format for the November 2020 presidential general and September 2021 gubernatorial recall elections. More than 200 voting locations opened throughout San Diego County and allowed voters four days to cast their ballot in person. Nearly 80% of San Diego County’s 1.97 million registered voters are permanent vote-by-mail voters. The San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted this week to join other counties in California in using the vote center model. The County will ask for public input on the locations of the vote centers. |
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Deadline Extended for Coronado Community Read 2022 |
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The deadline to submit nominations for the 2022 Coronado Community Read has been extended to Nov. 14. Don’t miss your chance to help choose the next Community Read title. The program helps unite the community through the shared reading of a single book and participation in planned community-building events around the title's theme. The Coronado Community Read Selection Committee, comprising Coronado Public Library staff, community partners and local book club members, consider nominated titles, apply the established criteria to narrow the field to 10 and then to 5 tites. Then the community votes. To nominate a book, visit commentcoronado.org or find a ballot box at the Library, City Hall, Coronado Historical Association, or Bay Books.
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Third Climate Action Plan Workshop Well Attended |
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The City held its third workshop to discuss the Draft Climate Action Plan. The workshop was well attended. A recording of the meeting and the slides presented will be posted to the Comment Coronado project page. The City will respond to all questions and comments when staff presents the finalized draft Climate Action Plan for City Council consideration. Comments are due by Friday, Nov 12, and may be submitted to Climateaction@coronado.ca.us or posted at https://commentcoronado.org/climate-action-plan. The Climate Action Plan may go before the City Council for adoption in early 2022.
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Public Services & Engineering Projects |
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SDG&E Gas Line Replacement: SDG&E has been replacing deteriorated gas lines in the alley between J Avenue and Alameda Boulevard from First Street and Six Street. Concerned neighbors have contacted the City about the asphalt patches they see along the alleys, believing the project is complete. The City wants to reassure the community that the asphalt patches are temporary. They have been installed to allow access through the alleys. This is a normal construction procedure in Coronado. Once all the excavation is completed and the new gas lines are in place, the contractor will dig out the temporary asphalt patches, and restore the alleys with permanent concrete repairs and restripe the emergency fire lanes. The work is anticipated to be complete by early December.
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Aquatics Center and High School Tennis Courts: Work to replace existing tennis court lights to improve energy efficiency and provide International Tennis Federation Class II standard of play illumination continues. Corrosion resistant paint is concurrently being applied to refresh the poles. Glorietta Tennis Center Complex work was completed last week one day ahead of schedule. Work commences at the high school this week now that tennis season has ended. At the same time, existing pole paint preparation work also began at the Aquatics Center. Work was scheduled to coincide during the biannual maintenance shutdown of the facility. Throughout the project, a maximum of two courts at a time will be closed for construction. The new LED lights will turn on instantly; no more waiting for the lights to warm up.
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Recreation & Golf Services Projects |
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Pickleball in Coronado: Pickleball enthusiasts should know there is open-play Pickleball every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Coronado Cays Tennis Courts. There are eight courts, designated by level. There is indoor open play on Nov. 4, Nov. 18, Dec. 2, Dec. 9 and Dec. 16 at the Community Center on three courts. For beginner and low intermediate players, there will be Pickleball clinics on Nov. 15 and Nov. 17 and on Nov. 29 and Dec. 1. To register, click here.
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New Golf Carts: On Wednesday, Nov. 3, the Coronado Golf Course received a new fleet of golf cars. The new cars, owned by Brian Smock Golf, the City's concessionaire, are equipped with the latest GPS yardage system and tinted windshields. Carts can last up to six years, depending on use and terrain.
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Chipping Green Rehab: The Golf Course practice chipping green complex and bunker has recently undergone a renovation. Over the years, as golfers hit balls from the bunker, sand splashes out and builds up in the turf bunker perimeters. Three feet of sand build-up was removed from the bunker face to allow for practice of realistic golf shots and the original bunker shape has been restored.
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Tuesday, Nov. 9; 3 p.m.
Planning Commission
City Hall Council Chamber
Tuesday, Nov. 9; 3 p.m.
Library Board of Trustees
Coronado Public Library
Wednesday, Nov. 10; 3 p.m.
Design Review Commission
City Hall Council Chamber
Thursday, Nov. 11; 11 a.m.
Spreckels Center Advisory Committee
John D. Spreckels Center
Thursday, Nov. 11; 2 p.m.
Golf Course Advisory Committee
Coronado Municipal Golf Course
Thursday, Nov. 11; 5:30 p.m.
Civil Service Commission
City Hall Council Chamber
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Among other actions, the City Council at its Nov. 2 meeting:
- Authorized an agreement with WaveRider Security for $201,000 for five years of managed operating system patching service;
- Conducted a second reading of an ordinance regarding election to fill City Council vacancy;
- Awarded a construction contract for the Street Preventive Maintenance Fiscal Year 2021-22 project;
- Introduced an ordinance to comply with mandated organic waste disposal requirements; and
- Approved a one-year business operations permit to allow Dine.Direct to operate a personal delivery device service pilot program.
The next City Council meeting is Nov. 16.
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Community Programs & Events |
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Shakespeare Society Mock Trial: The San Diego Shakespeare Society’s Mock Trial project is back after a two-year hiatus with “The Court-Martial of Brutus” for the murder of Julius Caesar. The trial will be held in the Winn Room, on Sunday, Nov. 7, from 2 to 4 p.m. Join lawyers and actors as Brutus has been captured alive and put on trial by a military commission for his role in Caesar's assassination. View the acted performance and then you, the audience, will be the jury. Register here for the Zoom link.
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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. |
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Wednesday-Sunday, Nov. 10-14: Coronado Island Film Festival -- various locations around Coronado
Saturday, Nov. 20: Ride to Live Motorcycle Training -- Silver Strand State Beach
Saturday, Nov. 20: Turkey Trot Registration -- Spreckels Park from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Thursday, Nov. 25: Turkey Trot -- Tidelands Park
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Indy is this week’s Pet of the Week. Indy is a handsome 2-year-old Tuxedo cat who is friendly and always well-dressed. He is still young and playful but also loves to lounge. He is not interested in other cats so it would be best if he were the only cat in his new home. His adoption fee is $50. Find out more about Indy, call Paws of Coronado, which runs the city’s Animal Care Facility at (619) 522-7371.
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Boards, Commissions & Committees |
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Board, Commission, Committee Vacancies |
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