By Dianne Jacob

Sign of the times: It’s been an exciting summer in everyone’s favorite rodeo town, Lakeside.

A giant new welcome sign was erected over Maine Avenue in the heart of the community, thanks to the hard work of the Lakeside Chamber of Commerce and other leaders.

The archway sign proclaims, “You’re in Lakeside.” It’s an awesome welcome mat put out by a town rightly proud of its cowboy roots.

Beat the heat: Summer is in full swing and the county is once again inviting seniors and the disabled to designated “Cool Zones” to escape the heat.

Getting out of the heat can save lives so please take advantage of this annual program. There are 115 zones this year across the county, including senior centers and county libraries.

Among the locations: Alpine Community Center, 1830 Alpine Blvd.; Campo Library, 31356 Highway 94, Campo; Salvation Army Senior Dining & Social Center, 1011 E. Main St., El Cajon; Julian Library, 1850 Highway 78, Julian; Potrero Library, 24883 Potrero Valley Road, Potrero; and the Spring Valley Park and Recreation, 8735 Jamacha Blvd., Spring Valley.

A complete list of Cool Zone locations can be found at coolzones.org.

East County, naturally: More great news for hikers and other nature lovers — the county is making popular Iron Mountain Preserve near Poway bigger and better.

The Board of Supervisors recently approved the purchase of 160 acres near the hiker haven, opening the door to an expansion of the region’s network of trails.

The acquisition is something that has been in the works for many, many years and I’m very excited to see this finally come to fruition.

— Dianne Jacob is chair of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors and represents District 2. For more District 2 news, visit diannejacob.com or follow her on Facebook and Twitter. For assistance with a county issue, call 619-531-5522 or email [email protected].