por Jay Wilson
Construction of the SDG&E natural gas pipe line is scheduled to continue through the end of November according to representatives for SDG&E. Except for a two-block section on Del Cerro Boulevard by Lyden and Trinity Way, SDG&E is through with the construction west of College Avenue. They are proceeding down Del Cerro Boulevard, east of College Avenue, then down Madra Avenue to Del Cerro Avenue, to Airoso, and down a portion of Airoso until they tie into a section that goes under Interstate 8. Once completed, it will be another month before the resurfacing of the impacted streets commences.
Mark Rawlins, chair of the Del Cerro Action Council, along with other community members, has shared his concern with Councilmember Sherman’s office regarding the vegetation removed from the median in front of Hearst Elementary School. The vegetation served as a deterrent to jaywalking across Del Cerro Boulevard. SDG&E representatives indicate because there is no water source in the median, their initial plan is to leave it as is – a heavy layer of bark. Doug Livingston, a landscape architect who lives on Lambda Drive, suggested that SDG&E consider replanting the ice plant as soon as the expected El Nino begins. If the El Nino arrives as it is currently predicted, Mother Nature will provide the necessary water to establish new plants. The SDG&E representatives agreed to look into this possibility.
On Saturday, Sept. 19, a clean-up is scheduled for Adobe Falls. It is being spearheaded by residents, Councilmember Scott Sherman, Liz Saidkhanian from the councilmember’s office, and SDSU staff. All are invited to help out from 9 a.m. to noon. Volunteers will assemble at the bottom of Adobe Falls Road on the Del Cerro side. Please wear appropriate clothes, stay hydrated, wear a hat and bring gloves. We did this in August a couple of years ago and collected 26 bags of trash, including an overflowing bag of empty spray paint cans all collected at Adobe Falls.
Lt. Mike Swanson, with our Police Department’s Eastern Division and who is responsible for the Navajo Area, informed us at the NCPI meeting on Sept. 9, that the overall crime rate in our community has decreased significantly over the past month, most likely due to several arrests. He also stated that property crimes in the Navajo Area decreased from 102 in July to 62 in August. Another concern his staff is working on are transients residing in our communities who are beginning to bother residents at such places as the libraries and the canyons, including Chaparral Canyon adjacent to the Lake Murray Dam. Several of his officers are working on what he defines as “Quality of Life” issues. These officers will be working in the areas of concern early in the morning. He stressed that his officers are required by law to first offer services to the transients. If they continue to be a problem, a “Stay Away” order can be secured through the court system. On a very positive note, Swanson stated that beginning about the first of the year, with the addition of new officers assigned to Eastern Division, he is planning on creating a squad of officers to deal specifically with “Quality of Life” issues in the Navajo Area.
There are no current updates from Tony Pauker, the Vice President of Acquisitions for the ColRich Company, the firm proposing to build 26 homes in the canyon south of the Chevron station. We will keep you posted.
Mark Rawlins, Chair of DCAC, announced that our program speaker for the Oct. 22nd DCAC meeting will be David F. Akin, Esq., customer advocate for the city of San Diego’s Public Utilities Department. He will speak about water conservation efforts and the rate increase scheduled for next year.
The Del Cerro Action Council meets quarterly and our next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 22, at 7 p.m. at Temple Emanu-El. Information about community events and concerns is placed at the DCAC website: delcerroactioncouncil.org.
–Jay Wilson is secretary of the Del Cerro Action Council. Write to him at [email protected].
