North/south transport corridor EIR released
The long-awaited, highly divisive EIR has arrived. After months of delay and years of contention, the final EIR ” environmental impact report ” for the North/South Transportation Corridor, which includes the Regents Road Bridge and Genesee Avenue widening options, has been released for review.
Approximately $2 million was spent on the report.
The document analyzes proposals to build a bridge over Rose Canyon to connect north and south University City or to widen Genesee Avenue to six lanes between Nobel Drive and State Route 52. The EIR also considers other alternatives, such as taking no action or both actions.
The projects aim to relieve traffic congestion in the area. Proposals to build the Regents Road Bridge and widen Genesee Avenue are both included in the University City Community Plan enacted in 1986.
San Diego City Council is expected to vote on the study at the end of July or beginning of August. The University Community Planning Group will vote on the EIR on Tuesday, July 11 at 6:30 p.m. in the Garfield Theatre at the Jewish Community Center, 4126 Executive Drive.
For more information call Linda Colley, (858) 453-0435 or email [email protected].
To purchase a copy of the EIR contact Martha Blake, (619) 446-5375. CD-ROMs cost $5 and a printed copy is $200. Hard copies are also available for review at: City of San Diego Development Services Center, 1222 First Ave.; University Community Branch Library, 4155 Governor Drive; and Clairemont Community Service Center, 4731 Clairemont Drive.

UC plans a bang-up Independence Day
For the 19th year, the University City Community Association (UCCA) will host a day-long Fourth of July family party at Standley Park, 3585 Governor Drive.
Festivities begin with a pancake breakfast from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. The rest of the day will be devoted to games, food and entertainment, including a bike parade for kids, pony rides, dunk tank and more. Beer will be available for purchase by adults age 21 and up.
Band The Chess Set will cap the afternoon with a concert from 5 to 7 p.m., leaving attendees time to attend fireworks displays at various other locations around the city.
Volunteer Andy Freeburn is coordinating the U.C. Celebration. To help, e-mail [email protected].

Relay for Life will honor cancer survivors
The American Cancer Society will hold its 11th annual La Jolla Relay for Life this Saturday and Sunday, June 24 and 25, at the North Track at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD).
The 24-hour event is designed to raise awareness of cancer and funding for research, as well as honor survivors.
Participants form teams and gather sponsorship pledges, with one member of each team on the track at all times. Forty-five teams have signed up to take part in the La Jolla relay.
The Relay for Life begins at 10 a.m. Saturday with an opening ceremony. Events throughout the day include line dancing and samba, bands and guest speakers. A survivor ceremony, featuring doves and music as cancer survivors walk a lap of the track, is at 5 p.m. From 9 to 10 p.m., the track will be aglow with hundreds of luminarias as participants honor both survivors and the memory of those who lost their fight against cancer.
Nationally, more than $1.38 million has been raised through Relay for Life events during the past 20 years.
The UCSD campus is located at 9500 Gilman Drive.
For info, visit www.acsevents.org/relay/ca/lajolla.

Weevil quarantine expanded
The Diaprepes root weevil has been discovered in the Olivenhain area of Encinitas, leading the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) to institute a 2-square-mile quarantine.
This is the second site the weevils have infested in San Diego County. Last month, a 4-square-mile area of University City was quarantined to try to contain the destructive insect.
Native to the Caribbean, the exotic pest has already infested lorida and part of Texas. Adult root weevils, which are about 3/4 of an inch long with markings on their backs in black and orange or cream, eat plant leaves. Larvae feed on plant roots.
Suspicious bug sightings can be reported to the CDFA pest hotline, (800) 491-1899.

Library offers refuge from summer’s blast
The summer in San Diego has people flocking to the beach to catch a cool breeze as they seek relief from the desert-like conditions. But not everyone can get to the beach and the heat can be an unbearable nuisance during the hottest days of summer.
To help solve the problem, the University Community Library, working with the County’s Aging and Independence Services, has opened its doors to those seeking a break from the heat.
The city’s 35 libraries have been designated Cool Zones and will be open to people who seek refuge on the hottest days, offering a chance to cool off if it gets too hot outside, according Arian Collins, a spokesman for the city’s libraries.
“Our role is to provide free access to anyone who wants to get out of the heat, sort of as a public service,” Collins said.
The UC library is located at 4155 Governor Drive.
The City of San Diego Public Library is part of the County’s Aging and Independence Services program to help disabled persons and those with health problems who are affected by the heat.