I.B. Local News - July 31, 2015 - 1

July 31, 2015Vol. 2 No. 14 Highlighting our Community and Businesses for Imperial Beach & South Bay

The 5th Annual Public Safety Chili Cook-off kicked off with 72 guests tasting andjudging the three entries from Imperial Beach Public Safety. This year was the clos-est competition this program has ever seen since its conception five years ago. Thewinner was Adam Wraight of the Imperial Beach Lifeguards. He created a yummychili highlighted by a secret sauce and crushed Fritos on top. Separated by just 5points, Will Buchanon, of the Imperial Beach Fire Dept., took second place with hisentry. With just a few points less than the Fire Department was Sgt. Amavisca, of theSD County Sheriff Imperial Beach StationVery Close! A presentation, by SeanPutnam, provided insight into the Imperial Beach Lifeguards and beach safety for theguests. It was a great opportunity for the public to meet their local public safety whiletasting and judging a chili cook-off.

IMPERIAL BEACH JUNIOR LIFEGUARDS CELEBRATE2015 SESSION

This summer, the 2015 Junior Lifeguard (IBJG) Program celebrated its 20th year!Ocean Lifeguard II, Robert Patton (one of the current IB Council Members) startedthe Junior Lifeguard Program here in Imperial Beach 20 years ago. The IBJG Pro-gram was run out of the old lifeguard station off of Palm Avenue back then. Over theyears,the program has continued to grow successfully. The City of Imperial BeachJunior Lifeguard Program is a comprehensive training program, designed to teach

IMPERIAL BEACH CELEBRATES THE SUN AND SEA FESTIVALRAIN OR SHINE

The third Sun & Sea Festival was held in Imperial Beach on Saturday, July 18th, celebrat-ing the 59th Anniversary of Imperial Beach. Bringing in both residents and approximately70,000 visitors, it was a family-friendly event that featured some of the best sandcastlecarving competition in the County. The event took place despite the unseasonable thun-derstorm and rainfall. At one point, lifeguards had to clear the beaches and had partici-pants and visitors taking cover for the spectacular thunderstorm. Crowds started earlywith the 9 a.m. parade that had over 51 entries. Many visitors kept coming throughout theday only dashing under cover briefly when the hardest rains fell.Entertainment and sandcastle building kept the festival lively. Imperial Beachs largestannual event didnt disappoint. Festivities included a street festival,

OPTIMIST CLUB HOLDS 27TH KIDS N KASTLES COMPETITIONEvery year while the pros are building their masterpieces, the castle builders of thefuture are competing in their own competition. For 27 years, the IB Optimist Club hasheld the Kids n Kastles Competition. Since 1988, they have been

K I C K O F F TO S U N A N D S E A F E S T I VA LThe Inaugural Mayors Swim and Paddle was held Friday, July 17th, officiallykicking of the festivities to the Sun and Sea Festival weekend. Over 100 swim-mers and paddlers ran into the water at 9:00 am and dark skies to swim and paddlearound the pier with Mayor Dedina and friends. There were friends, family andeven kids were in the water making the swim. IB Lifeguards were in the waterand on the beach to assist participants. Robert Patton, Senator Ben Hueso, PatrickBilbray and former IB Mayor Brian Bilbray, Port Chair Dan Malcom even theMayors son Israel all joined in the inaugural swim and paddle. It was a hugesuccess and everyone is looking forward to next years event.Immediately following the swim and paddle was the traditional Mayors Break-fast. There were over 400 people in attendance. The ceremony opened with the

PARADE KICKS OFF SUN AND SEA FESTIVAL IN A BIG WAYThe Sun and Sea Festival kicks off every year with a parade the morning of thecompetition. This years parade was so big it was at full capacity!

5TH ANNUAL PUBLIC SAFETY CHILI COOK-OFF

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Emerald Pena

Jeannette ShambaughJeannette Shambaugh

Jeannette Shambaugh

Submitted Photo

Captain of the Cays

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Dear Editor,I read with great interest Mr. Kravitzs article in theJuly 10 edition of the I.B. Local News, OverlookedOpportunities for Future South Bay Transit and wantto thank him for this insightful piece that touches bothon our history and our future.Now, more than ever is the time come together as acommunity and take a very serious look at our regionand the huge impact future development will have. Oneof the biggest issues in the beautiful town of Coronadois the tremendous amount of traffic congestion gener-ated by the thousands of cars crossing the CoronadoBridge on a daily basis. The continual traffic conges-tion they face affects their quality of life and we here inImperial Beach do not want to go down that road.

Dear Editor,Appreciate your help with publicizing the unfortunate is-sue with the Schaumburgs! Great article, and I wouldlike to know if the story widens.Just to let you know that yesterday I presented my smallclaims case to the Superior Court in San Diego and got ajudgement against them.I know this is a long process, and there is a long road toget anything back. However, I felt it was necessary totake this step.... I had to drive 6 hours each way, stay ina hotel, park, and take a day off work to do this. (Just anexample of the hassle and cost that the Schaumburgshave put on others.Cheers, Simon

We need to address this issue NOW before all this devel-opment becomes a reality and its too late.Thank you Mr. Kravitz for getting this out there. Itsobvious that you did a lot of research on this and I, forone, appreciate it very much.Please let us know if and/or when you will be presentingmore details on this proposal. If it will be open to thecommunity, Id like to attend.Margaret WilliamsonImperial Beach Resident

CHURCH AT THE BEACH - IMPERIAL BEACH Pier Plaza every Sunday at 1:30pm

With all of the well intended planning for Impe-rial Beachs mid-summer festival of Sun and Sea;the remnants of Hurricane Deloris also decidedto pay Imperial Beach a visit. It was a bit morelike springtime rains with lightning to boot! Whilethe rain did keep crowd sizes down and mayhave hurt vendors who paid top dollar for theirspaces, the celebrations that did continue were

more intimate and more locals than outsid-ers stayed. It would be nice if there was are-do day or a rain delay day.Wed like to thank our staff members andvolunteers who covered the many eventsand helped us distribute extra newspapersover Sun and Sea Festival Weekend. Spe-cial thanks to The Captain of The Cays,whos drone videos of the Mayors Surf,Swim Paddle around the Pier is magnifi-cent in its photography, editing andsoundtrack. Its a wonderful short film/video of the first annual swim around thepier and its going viral now! We welcomehis contributions for aerial photography offuture events as well. Thanks to StaceyLong, Emerald Pena, April Olthoff,Jeannette Shambaugh, Priscilla Villalpando,Jordan Jacobo, Libia Bustos, Juda Ganey,Debbie Tolleson Mario Arce, our advertis-ers and our readers for making us yourchoice for local news. We encourage yourletters, opinions and stories. Please adver-tise with us and support your communitynewspaper.A recent agenda item before City Councilseems to have stirred a little controversyover due process. Agenda Item 4.1 is re-ported in Council Watchdog but, has raisedconcerns that citizens were excluded from

fair public input on some large development issues intheir neighborhoods. Even by approving this most re-cent measure in a re-vote, Council Members are thefirst to admit that there are parking deficiencies in anycommercial development on Seacoast Drive becausethe lot sizes are too small.The Ports original contract with the City of ImperialBeach clearly states that if Street End Improvementsand Parks create traffic and parking problems ; thatthe Port is obligated to build PARKING STRUC-TURES. While there may be adequate parking nowthrough some peoples interpretation, the problem isthe competition for the remaining free parking. Newbusiness are not making their employees use publictransportation and more parking is needed for customersand beach visitors as well. Unless the City and the Portcan provide adequate free parking at the beach, Impe-rial Beachs economic growth could be stifled. If visi-tors have to pay to park at the beach; why should therevenue go to the Port instead of the City? Do we re-ally want to give the Port a monopoly on visitor park-ing in Imperial Beach or make them provide it as partof their agreement with the City? Its time to take alook at their contract with the City and make sure theyare providing all the services they are supposed to pro-vide. If the city cannot strike a deal to put parking inthe empty lot across the street from the hotel, thenmaybe its time to eminent domain that lot and build aparking structure anyway? The hotel and otherbusinesss on Seacoast should be overjoyed to haveoverflow parking in the 800-900 block of SeacoastDrive. The competition for the remaining free parkingspaces has become a problem for residents who livenear the beach and for other residents of Imperial Beachwho also want to go to the beach.And how about that Breakwater Project at 9th and Palm?Its really starting to feel like the heart of the businesscommunity again since they pulled out the weeds fromthe big dirt pile thats dusting neighborhoods around itdaily. The work crew that removed the weeds werenot Union Shop City Workers but day laborers with anunlicensed equipment trailer. If Sudberry does not com-mence development there immediately, then the Cityshould probably think about Eminent Domain of theproperty a second time and auction it off to a devel-oper that will build promptly with his own money?The property has not produced any sales tax or prop-erty tax revenue for seven years now. Forget the PocketPark and keep the Palm Avenue beach exit lanes open.The longer that redevelopment is delayed ,the longerthe Prominade Shopping Center across the street has amonopoly on retail space near 9th and Palm.In our last issue we published a story about new mu-rals on Bibbeys Shell Shop. We have been informedby both the Art Kids and also Bibbeys that the youngartist whos work we showcased is no longer involvedwith the Art Kids and that she took on the project ofpainting Bibbeys Murals on her own and not as partof the Art Kids group. We apologize for the error.We are still looking for sponsors for the Youth SportsPage. If you know a business that would like creditfor helping print a regular youth sports page in ournewspaper, please pass it on. If you have a beef thatyou feel is not being resolved; let us know. We want toengage the community and help give local citizens abigger voice in Civic Affairs. Send your comments andletters to:

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Joe Lee HutchinsAug 29, 1929 July 22, 2015

Joe Hutchins passed away July 22nd. Funeral Services wereheld Wednesday, July 29th at Ocean View Baptist Church.A private interment was held at Miramar National Cemetery.He is survived and treasured by his loving wife of 62 years,Patricia Ann Hutchins; his daughters Karen, Cheryl andgrandchildren Joel, Jake and Allison; as well as many othercherished family members and friends.Joe Lee Hutchins was a decorated Navy SEAL who servedthe nation for 23 years stationed in Coronado. He served incombat in both the Korean and Vietnam Wars. Upon retir-ing from the military in 1969, he embarked on a successfulReal Estate career; founding Hutchins Realty. He alsocoached Little League, was a lifetime member of the Cham-ber of Commerce and served as a Director and Officer ofthe South Bay Board of Realtors and was also active in theKiwanis Club. His faith in Christ; devotion to family, friendsand community and duty to his country were his life; hismantra and purpose. He accepted each of these callingswith pride and honor. He is remembered for his spirit ofgenerosity and kindness. Joe enjoyed almost anything out-doors, including gardening and landscaping.Please feel free to share your memories at: www.fb.com/JoeLeeHutchins. Memorials in his name can be made to theSalvation Army or Boys and Girls Club of Imperial Beach.

Joan Marie Tiler Cross7/29/1942 - 7/27/2015Loving mother of Janet Johnson and Jack CrossShe was a loved grandmother.

MVHS Color Guard Ceremony followed by the IBJGs leading the pledge of allegiance. Awards weregiven to Leah Goodwin and Shirley Nakawatase for their hard work and dedication to bringing theSun and Sea Festival back to Imperial Beach. The Naval Special Warfare Operation presented a plaqueto the City of Imperial Beach for the support of the new campus. Longtime swimming coach SueCzerwiec also received an award for her service to the students at MVHS. A very tasty and beautifulbreakfast was served to attendees by the San Diego Job Corp.The night ended with the annual Sandcastle Ball hosted at the Boys & Girls Club. Imperial Beachresidents along with everyone that worked so hard in making all of the events possible, boogied thenight away while DJ Daniel Gee and DJ Cdiego played music late into the night. Pat Hutchins andJorge Gomez were named the King and Queen of the ball. It was a night that will not soon beforgotten. Thank you to all of the event sponsors and volunteers for making it truly a magical night. Icant wait to see everyone next year at the Sandcastle Ball! - Jeannette Shambaugh

(Swim & Paddle - Contd from Front Pg)

Over 51 participants entered the parade with floats to display theirbusiness or cause. The parade started at 7 am with the pancakebreakfast at the Portwood Pier Plaza. Then at 9 am, participants linedup and took to the streets going up Imperial Beach Blvd., down Sea-coast and finishing up on Palm Ave. Residents and visitors lined thestreets to enjoy the festivities.This years parade line up was: North Island Credit Union, Space andNaval Warfare Systems Command Honor Guard, IB City Council,Girl Scout Troop 5447, Cub Scout Pack 866, Senator Ben Hueso &Family, SBUSD Trustees & Supervisors, SBUSD Marching Band andMusic Club, SBUSD Education Foundation, IB Port CommissionerDan Malcom, SD County Supervisor Greg Cox, Council For the YouthEmpowerment Pirate Float and Princesses of South Bay, South BayCruisers Car Club Inc., Griffin Family, IB Beautiful, IB WomensClub, Potters House Church, YMCA, IB Little League, IB StrollerStrides, MVHS Jr ROTC, South Bay Ambassador Program, KiwanisClub, Bryan Brilhart & Family, Miss CA Pageant Royal Court, EastlakeChurch, Imperial Beach JR Lifeguards, United Martial Arts FamilyCenter, IB Preschool, IB Girls Softball, Fern Street Circus, MVHS70s Alumni, Rock Star Gym, IB Chamber of Commerce, PacificRealty, K-Pasta, United Methodist Church, Amber Jade Mobile CraftClass, IB Yoga, Beachmaster Unit One Naval Base Coronado and the39th District IB Fire Department. The parade was full of fun andexcitement for everyone. From the cool cars, to all of the local favor-ites and the citys treasured businesses and friends, the parade wasjam packed full of fun. With such a successful and big parade thisyear, we have to take a second to thank all of those who contributedto the cause. The parade committee worked hard for weeks to gatherparticipants, coordinate the divisions and man the parade. This yearscommittee members were Diane Rose, Tessa Lero, Lorie Bragg, An-gel Lopez, Dawn Kelly, Daniel Kelly, David Rose, Donna Alsum andHazel Bailey. Last but not least, we cannot forget the volunteers whomanned the streets through the light rain and showers and who helpedkeep the parade flowing: Rabia Phillips, Richard Mowry, Greg & Sh-annon Hughes, Frank Martinez, Dewey Corklin, Lorie Bragg, GaryBrown and Mark West. Thank you to all who participated, helped andwere involved. It truly was a spectacular way to start the day of theSun and Sea Festival. - Jeannette Shambaugh

(Parade - Contd from Front Pg)

inspiring kids to build and create sandcastles from an early age. Thisyear, 17 teams from all over the world battled it out, through the rainand thunder, for an hour and a half to win the title of sandcastlechampion. There were teams from as far as Green Bay, Chicago,Arizona; all the way to Germany. Teams are made up of kids from 5-12 years old. Parents (coaches) are on the sideline cheering teams onand of course lugging buckets of water to the castles. The kids are init completely alone. This years big winners were team IB Buildin(Maximus & Marcus Shambaugh). The brothers won 1st place forthe second year in a row in the Creatures of the Sea division with anenormous sea turtle accented with sanddollars. In a close 2nd wasTeam Tidal Waves (Alex & Jaqueline) with an amazing dolphin jump-ing out of the water and in 3rd place was team Starry Fish with abeautiful starfish. In the Best Sculpture Castle Team Sandy Eggos(Phen, Uclen, Brandon and Sage) took 1st place with their very largeand elaborate sculpture called Tiki. In 2nd The Packer Backers(Patrick and Cindy) with their very creative cruise ship and in 3rdwas team Cool Castles (Jesus, Sydney and Annica) with their sculp-ture of Atlantis. Imperial Beach and South Bay businesses were verygenerous with donations and thanks to all of the events sponsors thekids won medals, shirts and over $100.00 in prizes. The OptimistClub also held a raffle so everyone who participated was a winner. - Jeannette Shambaugh

(Kids n Castles - Contd from Front Pg)

farmers market and an international food fair.The crowd enjoyed live music from the BayouBrothers Band, The Deepjoint, Subsurfer, andThe Teagan Tyler Band playing at the Port woodPier Plaza stage. Many of the sculptures saidthe rain didnt affect the quality of the sandcarving at all It was just a different experienceand it added a different kind of excitement tothe competition. They are all so used to carv-ing in the sunshine and heat and the castleswere more than strong enough to withstandthe rain fall, so as the carvers said The showmust go on! and it did. Master Builder KirkFitzpatrick added his flare to the event with hisDisplay Castle at the foot of the Pier. It was areplica of the pier with the machinery of theport shipyard tools. It also featured the art-work of logo winner Ily Alfred and the UnifiedPort of San Diego logo. Down the way atDunes Park at the Kids Zone, Nathans FamousHot Dogs provided games, prizes, a super-sizeslide, face painting and a variety of activitiesfor kids to enjoy. The Fern Street Circus, SouthBay YMCA Gym, Pan Am Tae Kwon Do, WorldGym Eastlake Kids Academy and formerAmerican Idol contestant 17 year old TrevorDouglas took the stage throughout the day andentertained the crowd. The big winners of theday were the crowd favorite IB Posse withtheir very elaborate and detailed Myths and Leg-ends Sculpture. It was no easy win from theStar Wars themed castle to the Happy Hipposto the Water Conservation Frog the competi-tion was fierce. The complete results are asfollows:

MASTERS A - 10 person teams Professional level

First Place IB Posse $5,000 Name of sculpture: Myths and Legends

Second Place Sand Squirrels $2,500 Name of sculpture: Hippy Hippos

Third Place Arch-I-Sand- $1,000 Name of sculpture: Star Wars Theme

MASTERS B 3 person teams professional level

First Place: Sandcastle Man and Sons: $2500 Name of sculpture: Sandcastle theme

Second Place: Team SandStorm: $1,000 Name of sculpture: Roman Gladiator theme

Third Place: The Sand Architects: $500 Name of sculpture: Water Conservation theme

OPEN AMATEURS

First Place: Coastal Carvers: $500 Name of sculpture: Minions theme

Second Place: Sculptintures: $250 Name of sculpture: Minions Beach Resort

Third Place: Team Balala: $100

Sun & Sea - Contd from Front Pg)

4 - I.B. Local News - July 31, 2015

Local and crowd favorite won 1st Place in the Master Class Division. They were thedefending champions and did not disappoint with their "Myths and Legends" castle.

Master Builder Kirk Fitzpatrick spent 2 full days building this years display castle.It was a replica of the IB Pier with the machinery of the shipyard tools.

Jeannette Shambaugh

Jeannette Shambaugh

I.B. Local News - July 31, 2015 - 5

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youth in the community ages 9-17 leadership, self-confidence, and respect for the ocean environment.IBJGs learn leadership skills, basic life-saving skills,physical fitness, water safety, and ocean aware-ness. It is s 5 week program and they are involvedin a variety of activities including competitions,swimming, surfing, body boarding, and beachgames. Guest speakers from different specialtiesorganize presentations that pertain to the ocean andits environment. IBJGs were also introduced to theprofession of lifeguarding through exposure to stan-dard lifeguard equipment and safety information pre-sented by the staff. The JG instructors are all ex-perienced and certified ocean lifeguards. As lifeguards, they are required to maintain a cer-tain level of physical fitness and complete 24 hoursof basic life support training every year. The 2015IBJG instructors were Sean Putnam, Jim Sullivan,Eian Maurice, Melanie Martinez-Goodman, HelenSylvia, Michelle McDonald, Allen Gonzalez, ZachMalcolm, and Sean Landry. Many of them havebeen through the IBJG Program themselves as kidsand come back year after year to teach the pro-gram to the up and coming lifeguards of our city.With any great program, there are businesses thatcontribute to the IBJGs and with great appreciationthe Junior Lifeguard instructors would like to Thank the following businesses for their support anddonations to the IBJG banquet: Surf Hut, KatysCaf, Mike G Photography, K-Pasta, Par Amour,Good Times Barber, T-N-T Surf Shop, BabycakesCupcakes, Beachside Fro-Yo, Cow-A-Bunga,Coronado Brewing Company, Subway, Wine and,Palette, Seaside Candy Shop, Filippis Pizza and ElTapatio. Thank you for all of the items donated tothe IBJG banquet, which is one of the highlights ofthe kids in the program and they look forward to itevery year. Without you, an event like this wouldnot be possible.This year, the Junior Lifeguard Program partici-pated in the 2015 California State Games JuniorLifeguard Competition held in Coronado. Therewere Junior Lifeguard agencies that participatedfrom all over San Diego.The day was filled with competition events such asthe popular beach flags, paddle relays, swim andrun relays, and of course a lifeguard rescue relay.The Junior Lifeguards from Imperial Beach did anamazing job at the competition bringing home somehardware (medals) that were won while display-ing strong physical fitness, ocean skills, and greatsportsmanship! The banquet was held at PortwoodPier Plaza where IBJGs had lunch with friends,family and also a raffle, finishing up the 2015 IBJGsession with the awards ceremony.Awards given are as follows: A DIVISION: Most

Inspirational- Sammy Sepulveda, Waterman Award- JulianWinnie, Water Woman- Shaylin Weygandt, Most Improved- Sarah Meza B Division: Most Inspirational- EmilyMaurice, Most Improved- Isabella Winnie, Waterman- KeoniTapia, Water Woman- Iliana Lopez, Most Valuable Player-Brianna Ayala C DIVISION: Most Improved - MarleyMazzeo, Riley McKay, Most Valuable Player- Samanthalange, Noah Wahamaki, Most Inspirational- Kevin Stucki,WaterWoman- Emma Tubbs, Waterman-Luke Wilson. Goodjob to all of the kids who participated this year; it is no easytask. If you would like more information about joining IBJGfor the 2016 session or to make a donation, please visitwww.ibjuniorguards.com - Jeannette Shambaugh

(Jr. Lifeguard - Contd from Front Pg)

6 - I.B. Local News - July 31, 2015

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IMPERIAL BEACH IS GOING AFTER IT EYESORESMayor Serge Dedina said the City is starting to be proactive about abandoned buildings, vacant lots andother neglected locations. The City Council is very positive about the new approach, Dedina said, whileCity Manager Andy Hall said they are starting to focus more and more on buildings that clearly dontexemplify the type of structures we want to see in the community.Buildings like the boarded-up house at 495 Palm Avenue have been under scrutiny attention because it isin obvious and serious need of rehabilitation or replacement, Dedina said, adding its been in that statefor at least 12 years.But there are bigger players involved. AT&T has the most dilapidated building in IB, Dedina said,referring to an empty, brick building at Palm and 13th St. Dedina said he is working with the company toget something like a mural on the large plain sides of the structure.Working with the owners is sometimes the only way. Hall said the city is sometimes powerless to doanything about the problem. There have been instances where property owners do the bare minimum toavoid more aggressive action from the City, he said via email.He said the City has successfully taken action in the recent past, citing the demolition of the old El CaminoMotel and an apartment complex near the intersection of Imperial Beach Blvd. and Seacoast Drive. But headded, Imperial Beach is not anywhere near as aggressive in enforcing aesthetic regulations as manycommunities in the San Diego County, especially beach communities.Hall said that as the economy continues to improve, many of these efforts are property owner drivenand voluntary. It is important that as these efforts occur, that the City support the property owners.That seems to be whats happening at that house at 495 Palm. After years of sitting vacant, it is suddenlyfor sale.Jamie Tuckey, the listing agent for property, said its only been on the market for a month and that thebuyer will almost certainly tear down the building. The value is in the land and not in the building, whichhe described as a $5000 demolition project.Tuckey said Imperial Beachs recent building boom has suddenly made properties like that one moreattractive. IB is breaking a lot of ground recently, Tuckey said, referring to things like Marriots fancynew Pier South Resort on Seacoast Drive. The fact that people are putting money into IB real estate iswhy the owner is selling.He said the land is priced at $2 million and that zoning would allow for eight condo or townhomes there.Tuckey could not answer why the property had sat vacant for so long but said its an opportunity toundo the eyesore.

ECLECTIC OFFERINGSThere was no shortage of culinary options at this years Sun & SeaFestival. The event featured a Farmers Market with fresh producefrom local growers, as well as an International Food Fair whichoffered both traditional and exotic cuisine.From local favorites like street tacos, thin crust pizza and garlicfries, to more worldly selections such as Chinese Barbecue andexotic seafood dishes from around the globe. One stand offeredpatrons home-brewed Root Beer Floats of various flavors. Thefair also featured healthy options in the form of elaborately mixed,Mexican-stlye fruit dishes and organic smoothies.Aside from food, festival goers also got a chance to take homeunique souvenirs, as local vendors came out to display their waresto the public. Everything from beach accessories and apparel to aset of one-of-a-kind drinking glasses made from old beer bottles.Sarras Petals, a boutique fashion-line operated by Imperial Beachlocal Sarra Smith, offered unique, exotic-looking apparel for ladies.Perhaps the highlight of the event was Nathans Hot Dog Stand,which, aside from providing classic American fare, also set up aKidz Zone in Dunes Park. The family-friendly exhibit featured aseries of carnival games such as Ski Ball and basketball hoops, aswell as an animatronic fortune teller and a giant inflatable slide. - Jordan Jacobo

LOCAL NAVYARTIST SHINES ATALL BLACK ART SHOW

JR Mac specializes in logisistics in the United States Navy. Whenhes not serving his country, he spends what little time he has pro-viding beautiful artwork for others to enjoy.

Thursday night at Barrels, JR Mac glided re-spectfully amongst his admirers, thankfully em-bracing company, while recollections of timesspent in the orient lovingly flowed through theartwork on display. Aside from his artwork seenat the exhibit, he also dabbles in video produc-tion and direction of his own short films.Courage, warmth, and amity radiate from JRswork and truly great things can be expexted fromthis local artist. - Jimmy Schmitz

Unsightly stretches of chain link fences are another target for the revitalization. Wevealready gotten rid of two of them, Dedina said, including the new decorative Pond 20 fence at the

entrance to Imperial Beach on Palm Ave. Dedina mentioned that theCity hopes to work with public arts organization on similar projects inthe future. - Vince Farnsworth

everybody is reading IB Local News!

Vince Farnsworth

Priscilla Villalpando

I.B. Local News - July 31, 2015 - 9

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10 - I.B. Local News - July 31, 2015

Council Watchdog is only a syn-opsis of events that took place atthe 7-15-15 City Council. It rep-resents what we consider high-lights of a very lengthy City Coun-cil Meeting but, is not complete.If you are interested in any ofthese items..especially item #4.1, it would be worthwhile to

POND 20 ACTIONToday I am extremely proud of our South County EDC Mem-bers. At the July Annual meeting South County EDC memberswere asked to vote on action regarding Pond 20, an abandonedsalt flat that borders the cities of Imperial Beach and San Diego onPalm Avenue. The Port was considering putting this site into amitigation bank despite previous promises of the site being savedfor economic development efforts. The Port heard the issue yes-terday and I wanted to share the outcome with you and also takethis opportunity to thank those who have dedicated a lot of timetoward this effort.SCEDC had requested that the Port determine which portions ofthe site were developable and move aggressively to get those de-veloped. Additionally, SCEDC requested net funds derived fromthe sale of land for mitigation purposes be placed in a separatefund and dedicated to economic development efforts in ImperialBeach and the City of San Diegos portion of the Palm Avenuearea.At yesterdays hearing the Port recognized that there are 2 smallsites that are available for development, and requested the major-ity of Pond 20 be placed into a mitigation bank. Additionally, aspart of the same motion made by Commissioner Malcom andseconded by Commissioner Nelson, the Port unanimously agreedto set aside net funds from the mitigation bank and direct thosefunds toward economic development efforts in Imperial Beachand District 8 in San Diego. They also asked staff to return witha policy that directed the Port on use of those funds. Most amaz-ing was to hear South County EDC members AND environmentalagencies agree funds should be set aside for economic develop-ment efforts.SCEDC members have worked long and hard on Pond 20. I wouldbe remiss if I did not acknowledge Jim Janney and Doug Pauwho have lead the charge over the last 4 years for SCEDC. AndPort Commissioner Maclom has worked on Pond 20 since hewas a Councilmember in the late 90s.Yesterday our members did a fantastic job of conveying what theSCEDC Board wanted and our thanks go out to them. Thosemembers included: Monica Montano, Xema Jacobson, MiguelAguirre, Doug Kerner, Doug Paul, Jim Janney, Tony McCune,Clarissa Falcon, Marcela Escobar-Eck. Marcela also communi-cated SCEDCs position to the Wildlife Advisory Board where sheserves as the SCEDC representative. And our partners at the SanDiego Regional EDC sent over Shey who did an equally great jobof testifying in support of our requested action. A huge thank youto all who stressed the importance of BALANCE in a communityand that balance must include economic development. You wereheard yesterday. You made a difference yesterday. And, thankyou for making a better tomorrow. - Cindy Gompper-GravesPresident & CEO, South County Economic Development Council

CASTILLO AND BAND SOON TO PLAYATMAR VISTA HIGH SCHOOL

Castillo & Boys (Bilingual positive rock en Espaol)_Lead singer/rhythm-Oscar Castillo,Lead guitarist-Aldo Nieto,Drummer-Ricardo Armenta will be performing at Mar Vista High on Aug1st, 6pm sharp.These guys will be sharing Originals and blowing up Covers. Ifyou miss this Event, they are soon to play in Chula Vista at ThePride Festival off of J st.(Sept.12th).These guys have steadygigs but are up for grabs (Weddings/Private parties). To viewjust their sound go to: Reverbnation.com/Castillorock or reachthem by email-(chapacastillo619@gmail.com)Like most bands, they have a mottopromotion promotion pro-motion. Castillos favorite quote Get the song right good luckboys, on to the next gig.Thanks for reading and as alwaysSupport your local musicians/artists. - Entertainment Writer/Reporter -Elaine Haggin

Council Watchdog is only a briefsynopsis of what took place at theCity Council Meeting in Impe-rial Beach. If you are interestedin any of these subjects we inviteyou to view the entire video orread the Council Minutes formore details. Both can be viewedon the Citys website.

COUNCILWATCHDOG.........

JULY 15, 2015

take the time and watch the video yourself to form your own opinions of the deliberative process. Videolink is on the Citys website under Agenda. This one will be moving soon to the Past Agenda section.6:PM Meeting Starts; Mayor Dedina Absent. Mayor Pro Tem Bilbray presiding.Awards presented to local scoutsReports: Patton and Spriggs went to League of California Cities in Monterrey and Patton is now on a firstname basis with Ronald McDonald. Patton was the City Official present at the event.Spriggs mentioned Leadership workshops and learning more about the City Attorney relationship andwhat really goes on behind the scenes. Spriggs also mentioned new tools for Tax Increment Financingwhich ended when Redevelopment Agencies were outlawed. Also mentioned was the Port Meeting re-garding the disposition of Pond 20. Reminder August 1st is Surf Dog Competition and the Relay for Life.Introduction of Steve Dush from Gainsville, Florida who will be taking over as Community DevelopmentDirector since Greg Wades departure.Captain Bill Zedbeck spoke on behalf of the Optimists and Chris Brown spoke against allowing tents infuture events from being erected.Consent Agenda (strike 2.8) others pass, Dedina AbsentAll consent items begin with #2 are not discussed.just voted on.2.1 Minutes Ratified2.2 Warrant Register for $1,479.012.3 Treasurers Report2.4 Stipends to returning lifeguards2.5 Award Contract to revamp access control system to Dempsey Holder Building2.6 Extension of Health Benefits with SEIU2.7 Renew Franchise Agreement with Cal American Water for 25 years2.9 M.O.U. with local firefighters association IBFA

5.4 was moved up.5.4 UPDATE Of Recreation/Sports Park ProgramsThis item was presented by Ed Vea; assistant to the City Manager and City Council. Vea did a shortsynopsis and introduced Aaron Ruiz from the Boys and Girls Club, Matt McCoy representing the GirlsSoftball League and Don Spicer representing the Imperial Beach Little League. All three persons gaveglowing accounts of growing participation and volunteer efforts and showed that under the new manage-ment adopted since the proposed YMCA deal fell through, the Sports Park, Recreation Center and varioussports activities have flourished and expanded and are now serving much larger numbers of citizens thanever before! The new leadership plan is working remarkably well and should get approval for anothertwo years with no objections. This is indeed a story with a happy ending considering where the SportsPark Controversy was two years ago. Citizen Volunteers who continue to participate should be givencredit for not only saving the Sports Park from demise but, also for making it a better place that servesan even larger segment of the community today.4.1 951 Seacoast Drive - Re-Do HearingIt was just last June when the Lighthouse Condo project; proposed for 951 Seacoast sailed through thelast hurdles to get approval. Councilmembers were congratulating each other back last June 3rd on whata good collaborative process had produced and how the agreement reached satisfied everyone. That wasuntil the last agenda was released and it came to our attention that the previous vote for the project wasbeing set aside because the immediate neighbors were never noticed of the public meetings that wouldaffect adjacent properties and those in close proximity! Illegal Process nobody is taking blame for! Theywere directed to hold the public hearing over again and take in all the information this time; not allowingthe previous decision to influence their decision on the re-do vote.Mayor Dedina was absent and Mayor Pro Tem Bilbray started the item off by limiting speakers time totwo minutes; much to the displeasure of neighbors who had been previously been denied an opportunityto give input. Several of them complained that the time allowed was insufficient to make their case and itwas their feeling or belief that the item was a done deal regardless of what they might say in two minutes.One speaker who got additional time complained that 4 minutes was not enough time! This is the rest ofour Life were talking about here!When told by Bilbray his time was up, the speaker responded; No Its Not! Bilbray called a hasty recessand retreated into chambers; where Its uncertain whether or not there was any conversation or delibera-tion before the 4 councilmembers returned to the Dias. If any conversation on the matter before Councilwas made in recess it would constitute a violation of the Brown Act. Although there were some concilia-tory comments by Spriggs and Bragg ; the project passed 3-1 with Dedina absent and Patton votingNo; based on the many variances to height, setbacks, parking allowances etc. being in conflict with theGeneral Plan. Some excellent points were made in the 11th hour and one speaker begged for a continu-ance so all the information could be heard and evaluated objectively. He said it was Councils job tobalance the private interests with the publics interests and he felt that was not being done. He furtheraccused two members of Council who belong to the Seacoasters Group to abstain because of potentialconflicts of interest.Spriggs commented that it will be difficult to strike a balance between what is acceptable developmentand what is not. He did admit that this project and others are deficient in their commercial parking elementand that the commercial parking issue on Seacoast needs to be resolved in order for economic develop-ment to be viable there. Otherwise it will just negatively impact the neighborhood as even more peoplecircle the block searching for free parking. It may well be time for the Port to not only build those parkingstructures but, provide that parking free of charge. It is uncertain whether the neighbors who feel denieddue process will litigate the matter further.Council returns to the dias after recess on Agenda Item 4.1.Did they discuss the item in Chambers in violation of the Brown Act? Did they really take all the evidenceinto consideration as t he agendaitem demanded? Was that evenpossible with two minutespeaker time slots?5.1 and 5.2 Eagle Scout Projectsby Oliver Erbes and Fred Smythpresented by Public Works Di-rector Hank Levine.5.3 Resolution to recommendthe County of San Diego namethe Friends of the Library BookStore after historian Freda ElliottAdams. Several Speakers andLori Bragg commented.5.5 Alley Improvement ProjectAwarded

I.B. Local News - July 31, 2015 - 11

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12 - I.B. Local News - July 31, 2015