2014.04.10 Town Hall Meeting

MISSION HILLS TOWN COUNCIL
325 W. WASHINGTON ST, #2159
SAN DIEGO, CA 92103
www.MissionHillsTownCouncil.org
Board of Trustees
Mike Zdon, President
Belinda Smith, Vice President
Carin Canale-Theakson, Treasurer
Gavin Grant, Secretary
Lara Gates
Jasper Benke
Bob Rast
Sharon Gehl
Bernard King
Gina Barnes
Christina Woods
David Espinosa
Penny Giacalone
Jim Scott
Anthony Nykos
MINUTES
Mission Hills Town Council Town Hall Meeting, held at Francis Parker School 4201 Randolph St.
Thursday April 10, 2014 6:00PM
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Present: Mike Zdon, Belinda Smith, Carin Canale-Theakson, Gavin Grant, Jasper Benke, Bob Rast, Sharon
Gehl, Christina Woods, Jim Scott, Penny Giacalone
Absent: Lara Gates, Bernard King, David Espinosa, Gina Barnes, Anthony Nykos
6:00p.m. Called to order by Mike Zdon, President
INTRODUCTION OF ELECTED OFFICIALS
● Congresswoman Susan Davis
○ Gavin Deeb presented an update on behalf of Davis
○ Deeb distributed the latest edition of the Davis Dispatch, which included the Student Loan
Fair Repayment Act, a call to Congress to increase federal funding to the National Institute
of Health (NIH), the 2014 Congressional Art Competiton and more.
● State Assemblywoman Toni Atkins
○ Jason Weise presented an update on behalf of Atkins
○ Atkins is Speaker-elect of the California State Assembly; the first woman and San Diegan
COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS UPDATES
● Updates on Public Works Projects
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The University Avenue Pipeline Replacement project will begin in December 2014 and is
estimated to be complete by April 2017. Existing cast iron pipe is being replaced with 16”
PVC pipe.
○ The Upas Street Pipeline Replacement project will begin in April 2014 and is estimated to
be complete by October 2017.
○ To receive email updates on these projects, add yourself to the City of San Diego Public
Works database. Go to www.sandiego.gov/cip or email engineering@sandiego.gov for more
information.
○ Water outages will only be 1 to 2 hours to allow the construction team to disconnect old
pipe and reconnect the new pipe.
○ A traffic control plan is available online.
○ Some residents in attendance raised concerns about not receiving proper notification from
the City.
Mission Hills Business Improvement District (MHBID)
○ The MHBID poll results were presented:
■ Parking meters: the majority of residents polled voted to get rid of parking meters.
■ Bike Lanes on University Ave: the majority of residents polled voted “yes”
■ New Business Needed in Mission Hills: the majority of residents polled voted for a
bakery
■ Updates to poll will be posted on the MHBID website:
www.treasuremissionhills.com
Mission Hills Heritage (MHH)
○ The 10th Annual Walking Tour was announced. The tour will be on 4/26.
○ The update on the Mission Hills Historic District Expansion Proposal was presented
■ The hearing process is two steps: the first will occur in May and the second in
June.
○ The next proposed historic district is Inspiration Heights, which is comprised of 105 homes.
○ The Inspiration Heights proposal has been presented to the City and they are currently
processing the application.
Mission Hills Garden Club (MHGC)
○ The 100 Trees in 100 Years Project
■ Four weeks ago a grant
■ In June, a tree planting party will take place at Pioneer Park.
■ The MHGC is soliciting for owners who want one of these trees in the program. The
owner will be responsible for watering the tree and make a 2-3 year commitment.
○ Beyond the Gate Sixteenth Annual Garden Walk
■ This event will be on May 10th from 9am to 4pm.
■ Purchase tickets at the Mission Hills Nursery, Walters Andersens Nursery or
online at www.missionhillsgardenclub.org.
■ The tour will visit 11 homes in Mission Hills.
PRESENTATION ITEMS
● Combat Arts Presentation and Request
○ Elizabeth Washburn is seeking a location in Mission Hills for a mural.
○ The mural is part of the Veteran Mural Project from her Combat Arts program where
professional artists teach veterans about art as a therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder
(PTSD).
○ Elizabeth Washburn is looking for support from residents and business owners for a large
scale mural on the exterior of a building.
○ The mural will not be painted directly on the building facade, but instead be a large,
high-quality digital print of the image like the La Jolla murals by Richard Allen Morris.
○ The artists will present three concepts for approval and one will be selected for the mural. If
none of the proposals are selected, the artist will create additional concepts for approval.
There will be no surprises.
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○ See www.combatartssd.org for examples of the art.
Update on Crime and Homelessness Issues in Mission Hills
○ San Diego Police Department
■ Dale Flamand (619) 692-4844 spoke on behalf of the San Diego Police Dept.
■ SDPD Western Station: (619) 692-4800
■ Homeless Issue:
● Homeless camps can be removed, but they must be evicted.
● The Homeless Outreach Team (HOT) provides services for homeless
individuals.
● Residents must call the police (see number above) to report any problems.
● Dial 911 if a sex crime is occurring and document the event as best you
can by photo or written description.
● Shopping carts cannot be taken away by the police. If the business name
is on the cart, you should call the business directly to have them retrieve
the cart.
● The police does not respond to issues where homeless individuals are
digging through trash or recycling bins.
■ Burglaries
● Due to recent burglaries in the neighborhood, it is recommended to keep
all doors closed and locked and keep all valuable items away from public
sight.
● Solicitors must have a permit.
○ Neighborhood Watch
■ Pam Amundsen spoke on behalf of the Neighborhood Watch.
■ Various public resources available were presented to the group.
■ The neighborhood watch is looking for more participants in the program and a
“block captain” for the area between Sassafras St. and State St.
■ Pam Amundsen is compiling a database in the coming months that shows
geographic locations for each “block captains”.
UPDATES ON CURRENT MISSION HILLS ACTIVITIES
● Mission Hills Summer Concerts Series in Pioneer Park
○ Carin Canale-Theakson gave an update on the concert series
○ The concert series will start on June 20th and the final concert will be on August 22nd.
○ The cost of each concert is about $1,800.
○ Please visit www.missionhillstowncouncil.org to donate and support the concert series.
○ Door hangers will be distributed throughout Mission Hills once all the bands are selected.
● SANDAG Uptown Bike Corridor Project
○ The current proposal is to have the bike lanes installed up Washington St. to University
Ave.
○ Placemaking is an important aspect of the project and the Ibis St. / Washington St.
intersection is being considered for a lookout point.
● DECO Bike Rental Location Proposal
○ This bike rental program is expected to begin this summer.
○ Two stations will be located in Mission Hills:
■ 4007 Goldfinch St.
■ 3976 Dove St.
■ Go to www.decobike.com/sandiego for more information.
● June 1st Street Closure for Rock and Roll Marathon
○ The only impacted area will be on Washington Street.
8:00 p.m. The meeting concluded.