Light Up the Neighborhood: Since 2002, University City lights up the neighborhood at the Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony, and this year it will be on Friday, Dec. 9, 6:30 p.m. at Standley Park Recreation Center, located on Governor Drive. Festivities start with a spaghetti dinner hosted by Standley Rec at 5:30 p.m. With a price of $5 for adults, $3 for ages six to 12, and free for children under five years old—a great bargain during the holidays. Entertainment will be provided by the Standley Middle School Band, and Spreckels Elementary students. Local Fire Rescue Squad 56 will be in attendance and will be collecting new, unwrapped toys for the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation’s holiday campaign. There will also be hot cocoa, cookies, crafts and of course…a visit by Santa. To recognize the Hanukkah celebrations, Menorah candles will be lit, a new tradition started last year. The fourteenth annual event is sponsored by the University City Community Association (UCCA). For info: www.universitycitynews.org. Regents Road Bridge: Bridge or no bridge? Whether or not to build a bridge over Rose Canyon to connect the north and south ends of Regents Road has been a divisive community issue for decades. Issues including environmental protection of Rose Canyon, diversion of traffic from Genesee Avenue, property value concerns, emergency access, and overall change in neighborhood feel have been debated on both sides. The City of San Diego Council members will be deciding on whether to keep the Regents Road Bridge Project in the community plan on Monday, Dec. 5 at 2:00 p.m. The estimated cost of the bridge project is $69 million. At the same meeting, the City Council members will also vote on the widening of Genesee to six lanes, from Nobel to the 52 Freeway (est. cost – $48 million), and an alternative plan that includes both the extension to six lanes and a grade separation at Genesee and Governor Drive (est. cost – $60 million). The City Council meeting location is at City Hall, 12th Floor, 202 C Street. Concerned citizens are encouraged to voice their views with the mayor and city council members. Info at: www.sandiego.gov. Girl Scouts Transform UC: Completing a community service project, UC’s Girl Scout Troop 4109 helped beautify the UC roads by painting a transformer box on Governor Drive at Agee Street. The beautification project is sponsored by UCCA and funded through a grant from the San Diego County Board of Supervisors. The UCCA has received permission from SDG&E to paint more commercial transformer boxes. Community artists can submit design ideas to the Beautification Committee, and are asked to contact Merle Langston at [email protected] or Barbara Gellman at [email protected]. The Beautification Committee will provide the paint and supplies, along with a small stipend. Thanks again to UC Girl Scout Troop 4109 for their service. Little League Spring Season Sign-ups: Registration is now open for the spring 2017 University City Little League (UCLL) season. UCLL will be accepting registrations for T-Ball through Juniors divisions. Registration fees range from $80 (T-Ball) to $130 (Minors, Intermediate, Juniors). Cost for the Challenger division is $50. Players are encouraged to register by Dec. 21, as afterwards a $20 late fee will be charged. UCLL will also be hosting a FREE Skills Clinic for registered players and document collection on Saturday, Dec. 10, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., at the Canyonside Baseball and Softball Academy, 8620 Production Ave., San Diego 92121. More info, boundary lines, and forms at: www.ucll.org. Good Deeds: When UC resident Kathy Niess decided to post a plea on Nextdoor.com for donations towards the San Diego Rescue Mission Children’s Center, she had no idea that there was an avalanche of support coming her way. The idea came to her after a friend who works at the Children’s Center mentioned that the center was in a crisis mode with an overwhelming number of needy and homeless children. Five days later, among the items donated included: 1,176 diapers, 17 packages of wipes, 77 jackets, 74 pairs of underwear, 131 pairs of socks, plus 4 large grocery bags of shoes. Niess and friend Julie Gish spent over six hours sorting the donations. One good thought brought out the best of neighbors. Thanks Kathy for bringing extra smiles to those in need! For info about the San Diego Rescue Mission: www.sdrescue.org.