por Jay Wilson

The Del Cerro Action Council will meet on Thursday, Jan. 24, 7 p.m. at Temple Emanu-El.

Representatives for the All Peoples Church will provide an update on their progress for a design and other requirements by the city of San Diego. There should also be an update on the Del Cerro Maintenance Assessment District. We have also asked Rachel Gregg, the director of government and community relations for San Diego State University, to provide an update on their restoration efforts in Adobe Falls Canyon.

We have been waiting for an update on the status of the lawsuit regarding the Maintenance Assessment District in La Jolla. There was a preliminary decision in December that appeared to be in favor of the city of San Diego and there was to be a final decision by the judge on Jan. 2. At this time, we have not received an official update from the city regarding a final decision by the judge.

The Friends of Del Cerro organization is undertaking a refurbishing of Princess Del Cerro Park. They are again partnering with the Del Cerro Action Council for a sprucing up of the park.

Mark Allan, the chairperson of the committee for the Friends of Del Cerro, has selected Saturday, Feb. 16, as the date for the phase one update. The Del Cerro Action Council is initially contributing $3,500 for the project. The committee is working directly with staff from the city of San Diego’s Park and Recreation Department to coordinate what the city can do and what can be done by volunteers.

The first phase will concentrate on the playground — refurbishing some of the equipment with fresh paint and adding two additional park benches adjacent to the playground. There is a lot of wire brushing to be done to remove chipped paint. If time and funds are available, painting the light poles adjacent to the playground and basketball court are on the list.

If you are interested in helping out with refurbishing Princess Del Cerro Park, email [email protected]. Donations for future projects in the park can be made directly to the Friends of Del Cerro at friendsofdelcerro.org.

Palm trees in canyons serve as a large torch when they are within or adjacent to the boundaries of a canyon fire. Recently a nonprofit foundation in Tierrasanta contributed funding to hire a helicopter to help in the removal of palm trees from canyons in Tierrasanta. We are looking into a similar project for the Adobe Falls Canyon.

For our second meeting of 2019, Mr. Johnnie Perkins, deputy chief operating officer of infrastructure/public works for the city of San Diego will be our guest speaker. His topic will be the city’s Pure Water Recycling project. I recently attended the San Carlos Area Council where Mr. Perkins gave the presentation. It is an excellent presentation. When the recycling plant is completed, it will be a major source of potable water for the city of San Diego.

There is going to be a community cleanup in Grantville on Saturday, Jan. 19, from 9 a.m. to noon. We will be concentrating on the area in Grantville between Mission Gorge Place and Alvarado Canyon Road. We will be meeting at El Dorado Properties located at 5839 Mission Gorge Road, Suite A. Bring gloves and water. Trash bags will be provided.

Join us on Thursday, Jan. 24 for our next Del Cerro Action Council meeting!

—Jay Wilson is secretary of the Del Cerro Action Council. For more information, visit delcerroactioncouncil.org.