By Shain Haug
The holidays are here
The lights on the flyover bridge were lit up to make the season bright on Dec. 3.
On Dec. 8, JoLee Neinast of Foster Elementary School and Amani Richardson of Marvin Elementary School turned on the Christmas tree lights at the Zion and Waring Triangle. The girls were chosen by their teachers because they are such outstanding students. We thank them for their achievements and we are so proud that they joined us in this celebration.
On Dec. 9, the community reveled in the Holiday Festival at Lewis Middle School with performances by the Foster Elementary School Choir, the Lewis Middle School Concert Band, Jazz Band and Orchestra, holiday readings, and a social hour in the cafeteria.
While the Allied Gardens/Grantville Community Council (AGCC) takes nominal credit for these events, they are really the result of the hard work and commitment to our neighborhood by Betty Torre. Betty has been the backbone of AGCC for many years. It is hard to give her enough credit and thanks for all she has done for us. Now she is retired and Marilyn Reed, a long-time supporter of our community’s interests, took over the holiday events.
Town hall meetings
AGCC holds a town hall meeting on the fourth Tuesday of each odd-numbered month at 7 p.m. at the Ascension Lutheran Church, at the corner of 51st and Zion. Our next meeting will be on Jan. 24, 2017. Topics of the meetings are announced in this publication, in our newsletter, on Nextdoor.com, and in our Twitter feed.
At the Nov. 29 meeting, SDPD Community Service Officer John Steffen reported on local criminal activities and the things we must do to provide for our personal and home safety. On Dec. 17, SDPD is sponsoring a Winter Safety Event at the Allied Gardens Recreation Center from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. There will be canine units, SDPD recruiting, and the San Diego Fire Department. For policing concerns, contact Officer Steffen at [email protected] or call police for non?emergency matters at 619-531-2000.
Grace Yamane, Battalion Chief, Battalion 4, A Division, San Diego Fire-Rescue Department discussed fire safety. She instructed us on fire extinguishers and their use, the need to check out our heating units, smoke alarms, and CO2 detectors. Hands-on training for the use of fire extinguishers is available with the CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) program. For more information on fire safety, call 619-533-4353, or email [email protected]. The Burn Institute inspects and installs smoke alarms free to seniors 62 and older. Information at 858-541-2277 or burninstitute.org.
Charles Butler, Code Compliance Officer Fire-Rescue Department, talked about the Ready Set Go program, brush management in the vicinity of our homes, and emergency supplies that we should keep on hand. For more information, visit wildfiresRSG.org and sandiego.gov/fire.
More details on the Nov. 29 presentations are found in the minutes of the meeting. On request the minutes will be provided by email.
Contacts for your representatives
Liz Saidkhanian, representative for Councilmember Scott Sherman can be reached at
619-238-1360 or [email protected].
Ashley Campbell, representative for Congresswoman Susan Davis can be reached at 619- 280-5353 or [email protected].
AGCC board of directors meetings
The board of directors meets on the first Monday of each month at 7 p.m. at the Ascension Lutheran Church. Our next meeting is on Jan. 2, 2017. We have a lot of tasks ahead of us in 2017 and there is a place for you in this organization.
—Shain Haug is the president of the Allied Gardens/Grantville Community Council. Reach him at [email protected]. Suggestions for town hall meetings and AGCC action will be much appreciated.
