It was another busy month of happenings in several College Area neighborhoods.

Fincas Alvarado

Por KAREN AUSTIN

We had a terrific social event at the end of April to kick-off the 75th Anniversary of our neighborhood (1948-2023). It was held in one of our historic mid-century modern homes. Residents who attended were able to tour the Eason House which was designed by Cliff May (1908-1989), and built in 1966. We were very fortunate to have local historian and immediate past President of the La Mesa History Center, James Newland (pictured above), join us to share about one of San Diego’s most notable modernist architects as well as the significant attributes of the California Ranch style home he designed. At our annual HOA meeting in May, we’ll talk more about plans to celebrate our neighborhood history and the people who have called Alvarado Estates home. We’ll also elect new board members, have a presentation by a representative from EDCO (our trash hauler) about organics recycling, provide residents with a kitchen caddie to dispose of their food waste responsibly, discuss fire safety as we move into the dry season, and more.

College View Estates

By JEAN HOEGER

Neighbors of CVE joined in the early afternoon May 6 rally to save Single Family Residential zones and call for responsible growth with supportive infrastructure. Later that evening a community gathering featured the Kona Ice Truck with its sweet treat, sponsored by a local realtor, our CVE Membership Chair and Director of Children’s Activities, Josette Alvarez. This event brought together families, grandparents with their grandkids, our college student neighbors and neighborhood dogs. We are busy planning our June Block Party, one of the highlights of the year for CVE families.

Mesa Colony

By SUSAN GRANT

We celebrated Earth Day on April 22nd at the College Rolando Library this year. We started the morning with a clean-up event, hosted by our community group. After some coffee and delicious donuts, our clean-up crew managed to cover Reservoir Drive and the block surrounding the Library and Ralph’s. It was gratifying to see the amount of debris that was picked up in such a small area. We all had the satisfaction of knowing that our efforts kept a huge amount of plastic, paper, clothing, aluminum cans and cigarette butts from flowing directly into our storm drains and ocean. By the time the clean-up crew had returned, the library was already setting up its plant swap and fun craft tables. Plants, planting soil and loads of small clay pots, ready to be decorated, were on display. Families were gathering around the tables looking for that special plant, while the little ones were busy with paint brushes in hand, decorating a pot to house the new plant. The Earth Day celebration was capped off by a great information booth and presentation by City of San Diego Environmental Services staff about the upcoming delivery of new rolling green trash bins for organics recycling. There was a lot of information on how to access our “free compost,” and exactly how it was made from food scraps and yard trimmings. Free compost samples were handed out, and staff answered specific questions about what to toss into and keep out of the green bins. As predicted, the green bins arrived two weeks later.

Mesa Colony more recently participated in the May 6th “Peaceful Protest” against the adoption of SB 10 by the City of San Diego. We were proud to be part of such a wonderful protest. It was well orchestrated, respectful and fun. I can see many such gatherings in our future. We plan to sponsor another clean-up event in the summer, with new target locations, and are currently planning our annual “summer potluck.”