The Pacific Beach Town Council (PBTC) has named its officers and directors for the upcoming year. The group includes some new faces and is missing a couple of key members. The PBTC also honored student volunteers and heard plans for a proposed development near the Broken Yolk restaurant at its Oct. 15 meeting at the Earl & Birdie Taylor Library, 4275 Cass St. PBTC member Karl Jaedtke presented Holly Nery of the Mission Bay High School Key Club with a $150 check for her exceptional volunteerism. Proving that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, Lee Houck, son of town council president Ruby Houck, was presented with a $150 check for his work with Mission Bay High School’s Interact Club. Praising the students, Jaedtke said, “Giving to the community is one of the best things you can do.” Town council director and nominating committee co-chairperson Jim Menders presented the group’s officer nominees: Rick Oldham for president; Rose Galliher, vice president; Diane Faulds, secretary; and Michael Stevens, treasurer. Ruby Houck will fill the past president slot currently occupied by Don Mullen. “The goal is to make Pacific Beach a better place for all of us to live,” Oldham said. He identified getting the city to address concerns and providing service as top priorities. Board of directors nominees included Nina Balistrieri, Gregg Barnes, Jerry Hall, Glenn Olson and Melvin Zeddies. Notably absent from this year’s nominees is Georgina Smith, who has served for years as secretary. Though she will not be serving in her longtime position, Smith said she still plans to participate in the town council. She will also continue to organize the popular Concerts on the Green summer music series. Also missing from this year’s slate is Patrick Finucane. In his several years as a member of the town council, Finucane has become one of its most visible members, serving as a director and the PBTC’s representative on the Pacific Beach Community Parking District. He also chaired this year’s wine tasting fundraiser. When Finucane, who was not present, was nominated for a director position from the floor, Houck and others said he had indicated he did not wish to serve another term. “I still love Pacific Beach and the town council,” Finucane said after the meeting. He plans to continue participating as a member and perhaps return to the board in a couple of years when his “heart is back in it.” The proposed slate was approved without debate, a stark contrast to last year’s nominations, which involved heated discussion over whether bylaws were being followed and the eligibility of certain nominees. The new nominees reflect the changing complexion of the town council. In recent years, the advisory board was fairly evenly divided between those who supported the PB Block Party and drinking on the beach and those who opposed them. In the past year, however, town council participation among beach alcohol proponents has waned as more of them have become involved with the Pacific Beach Community Foundation. “The Pacific Beach Town Council reached a pivotal point where the people that make up the board’s interests are different from the previous board,” Houck said following the meeting. The focus has shifted, she said, to community issues such as street sweeping and removal of graffiti and trash. The committee is less focused on social networking and fundraising, according to Houck. “That element is there, too but it is no longer the main focus,” she said. The spirited discussion surrounding alcohol on the beach has not been a part of the PBTC’s recent general membership meetings, but that does not mean town council members agree on everything. The debate has moved behind closed doors, according to some, who say board meetings have grown increasingly contentious. “This group is extremely passionate and has definite opinions on how community concerns are dealt with,” Houck said. Despite the challenges, Houck said she prefers a deeply opinionated board to an apathetic one. “They certainly love PB,” she said. She is optimistic about the direction of the council. “Our new energy, mixed with the experience of some of our members, have attracted a dynamic group of new, young members and families,” Houck said. New members Patrick Roche and Jason Nienberg volunteered to fill the vacant director slot. They have not been members for the 90 days required by town council bylaws, but could be eligible when new officers and directors are installed in January. Todd Sarouhan and Chris Decker, who recently joined the town council, plan to revamp the PBTC’s website, pbtowncouncil.org, into a more up-to-date and user-friendly tool. Shifting gears to local law enforcement, firefighters from Engine 21 reported that their overall call volume has decreased since the beach alcohol ban. With fewer people visiting the beach, they are, however, receiving more calls from neighborhoods. Firefighters said that two Superscoopers leased from the government of Quebec made a difference in the recent Juliet fire at Camp Pendleton. The aircraft made 31 drops and dropped 48,000 gallons of water on Oct. 13 alone, John Wile, chief of staff for County Supervisor Pam Slater-Price, said. Residents bothered by loud parties and noisy neighbors are encouraged to be patient and persistent. It is important to give an exact address and get an incident number, Officer Alan Alvarez of the San Diego Police Department said. Callers also need to continue reporting repeat offenders, he said. Residents should also call police if magazine solicitors approaching their home seem suspicious. The Broken Yolk, 1851 Garnet Ave., could soon have some new neighbors, said Dimitra Gelastopolous, whose family owns the popular eatery and the three parcels adjacent to it. They would like to turn the vacant space into a mixed-use two-story building with six commercial spaces on the lower level and 13 apartments on the upper floor. The proposed development also includes 64 underground parking spaces, which would be accessible through an entrance from the alley, and a central courtyard behind the property. The Pacific Beach Community Planning Committee and Discover Pacific Beach support the project. It is now going to the California Coastal Commission for permits and the city’s planning commission for approval because the 13-foot-height balconies extend 4 feet onto the sidewalk. The entire structure is just under the 30-foot-high limit. The balconies are common in areas like Little Italy. “We’re trying to encourage living and working in your own community,” Gelastopolous said of the mixed-use structure. In other PBTC news, the town council will hold a fundraiser from 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 28, at Lotsa Pasta, 1762 Garnet Ave., and a Sundowner networking event at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 12, at the newly renovated Moondoggies, 832 Garnet Ave. The Safe and Beautiful Committee will meet at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 30, at the Knox Chapel, 1675 Garnet Ave. The group will host a cleanup event from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Nov. 1, at Felspar Street and the boardwalk. The PBTC will hold its next general membership meeting from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 19, at the Taylor Library.