La Jollan spearheads upgrade to PB fire station In an effort to upgrade Pacific Beach Fire Station 21, La Jollan Gordy Heck, president of Playfield, San Diego, contacted local businesses willing to donate goods and time stripping away the station’s greenery, making it more drought-tolerant. “I kept seeing the fire station, and it started looking pretty ratty,” Heck said. “I decided to step up. So I contacted the fire department. They were interested. So I contacted the mayor’s office, and then I contacted our partners.” Heck’s project — donating and installing about 1,300 square feet of synthetic turf, paving stones and drought-resistant plants — began Monday, June 8 at San Diego Fire Rescue Department Station 21, at 750 Grand Ave. in Pacific Beach. Heck said he’s donating synthetic turf toward the project, which he said would have cost approximately $30,000. Paving Stone of San Diego, RCP Block & Brick and Evergreen Nursery are contributing paving stones and drought-tolerant plants, Heck said.  “We’re removing over 1,200 feet of grass, covering it in paving stones [and turf] and replacing it with the friendly stuff,” Heck said, adding that each company is donating its goods and services free of charge. According to Heck, a collaborated project donated to the city has not been done in San Diego previously and he “hasn’t heard of it happening anywhere else.” Because the state is currently in a drought, Heck said, this is the perfect time for the companies to replace Station 21 greenery with plants and other green-friendly synthetics. “We will save thousands of gallons [of water] a year,” Heck said. San Diego Fire Station 21 serves Mission Beach, Pacific Beach and surrounding areas. For more information, visit www.sandiego.gov. State calls for coastal photo contest entries The California Coastal Commission and Fairmont Hotels & Resorts is calling on all amateur photographers to submit photos that depict the coast and ways that people use the coast and coastal wildlife, as well as humorous art within those three categories, for the 11th annual Amateur Photography Competition. Entries must be postmarked by July 15, and photos must be in color. An amateur photographer is someone who earns less than 50 percent of his or her income from photography. The first-place winner can choose a two-night stay at a Fairmont Hotel in Newport, Sonoma or San Francisco. For more guidelines and entry forms, visit www.coastfor you.org, e-mail coast4u@coast al.ca.gov or call (800) 262-7848. Website tracks city’s federal stimulus funds The City of San Diego has launched a new website to track federal stimulus funds flowing to San Diego from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that President Barack Obama authorized on Feb. 17. Visit www.sandiego.gov/stimulus to read about the funds San Diego is expected to receive. According to the website, the Army Corps of Engineers will receive $10.5 million to dredge the channel from the Pacific Ocean into Mission Bay where silt has built up to create dangerous conditions. Some parts of the channel have apparently shrunk to 6 feet in depth, whereas 20 feet of depth is needed for safe travel, according to the website. The stimulus money will also help repair the rock jetty that will better allow the U.S. Coast Guard to provide navigational aid to boats. The city is expected to receive approximately $3.75 million in additional Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) that support libraries, park facilities and other public buildings as well as street and road repairs. The legislation requires that the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), which oversees the CDBG program, use the money for projects with bid-based contracts within 120 days of receiving the funds. The City of San Diego is expected to receive $20.18 million for local transportation projects, plus approximately $3.7 million in Justice Assistance Grants to fund public safety prevention, intervention and suppression activities; law enforcement personnel; equipment and facilities (including crime laboratories); community policing; and technology improvements. State Route 905, which runs parallel to the Mexican border, is set to receive $74.4 million of the $76.8 million to complete the western portion of the freeway to quicken the flow of trade between the U.S. and Mexico. The project is estimated to create 1,400 jobs and to be completed by June 2012, according to www.sandiego.gov/stimulus. New regional transit Compass Card launched Three area agencies launched the county’s new Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) smart card May 1, designed to replace paper transit passes for 90,000 riders throughout the region. The reloadable Compass Card automatically deducts fare amounts as passengers swipe it through electronic validators; it can also be electronically registered to replace monthly and 30-day paper passes. San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG), MTS and North County Transit District launched the program at Downtown’s Santa Fe Depot. The Compass Card is now the only monthly pass for Coaster and Premium Express riders. MTS bus, trolley, Sprinter and Breeze passengers will begin with the card this month. San Diego-based Cubic Corporation built the system, which places San Diego among cities worldwide that use it.