Homeless people who camp out in cars and motorhomes parked along public streets in the Midway area may soon find reminders that their presence is not going unnoticed. The city plans to increase the number of “habitation in vehicle prohibited” signs and has asked for advice on where to place them, said North Bay Community Planning Group (NBCPG) President Melanie Nickel, who made the report during the group’s monthly meeting on Aug. 17. The signs were first installed on a stretch of Sports Arena Boulevard east of Rosecrans Street, in response to a “solid row of motorhomes,” Nickel said. She said police like the signs because they underscore the activity is illegal and serve to aid law enforcement efforts. “The city was kind of reluctant at first because [legally] it was already forbidden to sleep in a vehicle,” Nickel said. “But they feel it’s been successful.” As a result of the request by the city, planners recommended four areas for increased signage: around the intersection of Hancock and Noell streets; Sherman Street, west of Camino del Rio West; Channel Way; and Gaines Street south of Midway Drive. These locations will be passed on to an official at the San Diego Redevelopment Agency for possible action, Nickel said. In February, the county’s Regional Task Force on the Homeless estimated there were about 150 homeless people living in the Midway/Sports Arena Boulevard area. In related news: • Aug. 17 marked the last meeting for board member Tony Lombardi, who is moving from his long-time residence at the Orchard Apartments on Hancock Street to veteran’s housing in Chula Vista. Lombardi received high praise from fellow board member Mike Drogin, who owns and manages the Orchard. Drogin lauded Lombardi for his role in Let’s Discuss, a group of Orchard residents who generated ideas that Lombardi often brought to the planning board. “He’s been a tremendous benefit to our property, and we’ll miss his volunteerism, citizenship and character,” Drogin said. The Orchard has created a community award in Lombardi’s honor and made Lombardi, a Korean war veteran, its first $500 recipient. • San Diego Police Department Officer David Surwilo, the community liaison for the department’s Western Division, announced he is being deployed to the Middle East next month. Surwilo, who mans the police storefront at 3750 Sports Arena Blvd., is being deployed by the Navy for eight months of duty on the Persian Gulf island of Bahrain “to work on my tan, though I think they’ll find more things for me,” he said.
