By John Pilch

The major event for October is the annual Halloween Carnival on Friday, Oct. 30 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Plans include a costume contest, bake walk, games, jumpers, a DJ and more. We just learned that we’ll have a laser tag setup in the outdoor basketball court, with a cost to be determined on a per game or continuing basis. This annual event provides children and their families with a safe place to enjoy the Halloween festivities and an opportunity to win prizes and just have fun with other families from our community. Please consider attending this terrific neighborhood party at the Rec Center, 6224 Lake Badin Avenue. And, yes, we’ll probably have pizza, water and sodas for sale at a nominal cost, in the kitchen area.

We welcome our new area manager, Kelly Wood, who has been with the Park & Rec Department for 26 years. Her responsibilities include oversight of the recreation centers and parks in Allied Gardens, San Carlos and Tierrasanta. We look forward to establishing a solid relationship with Wood and working with her and the San Carlos Center Director, Kristy Wells, to consider new programs for our rec center to get more community members (adults and children) to participate in the available activities.

Our cohorts at the Allied Gardens Recreation Center now have a pickleball program on Wednesdays from noon to 4 p.m., with 6-12 participants (sometimes more) per session, usually playing doubles. The rec center has the equipment (net, paddles and balls) for use by residents who are interested in the program. If interest continues to grow, the program may be expanded to a Friday session from noon to 2 p.m. For more info, call the AG Rec Center at 619-235-1129.

At the Sept. 16, 2015 San Carlos/Lake Murray Recreation Council meeting, the agenda included an application by T-Mobile for a Conditional Use Permit to install two new 70-foot tall light standards, supporting antennas, and an above-ground equipment enclosure and park equipment storage room along the left-field fence line on the baseball field, east of the rec center. Lights are proposed to be installed atop the poles, to illuminate the playing field for flag football and soccer. We had a vocal audience at the meeting who were mainly opposed to the cell towers for a variety of reasons. Due to the lack of more specific information about the site and the lack of a Park & Rec representative in attendance to answer specific questions about the site, the SC/LM board did not take a formal position on the project. It now moves on to be heard by the Navajo Community Planners, Inc. at their meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 14 at Tifereth Israel Synagogue, who will vote to recommend approval or oppose it, as an action item on the NCPI agenda.

By way of an update on the proposed joint-use agreement to install artificial turf on the dirt field at Gage Elementary School on Boulder Lake Avenue in San Carlos, it has not yet been heard by the City Park & Recreation Board. Please recall that the San Carlos/Lake Murray Recreation Council voted unanimously in favor of the project, with the Chair not voting, but in favor of the project, at our May 20 meeting. The SC/LM Recreation Council made eight recommendations to the City Park & Recreation Board for consideration at their June 18 meeting. It was not heard in June and has yet to appear on the Park & Recreation Board agenda. We’ll continue to monitor this and report more when the project is the subject of a board vote.

Registration for Autumn programs (October through March) has begun for Pee Wee Sports and Basketball. Pee Wee Sports runs from Oct. 13 to Nov. 10. For a fee of $40, your child, ages 3-8, will participate in basketball, soccer or T-Ball each week on Tuesday from 4-5 p.m., with more sports to be added. Winter Basketball for children ages 5-14, begins on Nov. 21 thru Dec. 11 or until full. There will be five divisions, so boys and girls will play against children in their own age group. The fee is $50 and includes a jersey, awards, photo, a banquet and officials fees. Proof of age and a photo are due at the time of registration. Programs and leagues can fill up quickly, so we encourage patrons to register on time to ensure participation. More info is at sdrecconnect.com.

The new fee schedules, approved by the San Diego City Council, are posted on the city website: sandiego.gov/park-and recreation/pdf/fy2016fsfinal.pdf. Fees became effective on Sept. 8. Any permit or registration finalized in ActiveNet on or after Sept. 8 will be charged the new fees.

We hope you enjoy visiting the San Carlos Park and Recreation Center and the other parks in our community and take advantage of the available programs. If you have questions or need more information, please contact the Rec Center at 619-527-3443. Kristy Wells and her staff will be happy to assist. The San Carlos/Lake Murray Recreation Council meets on the third Wednesday of odd-numbered months at 6:30 p.m. at the San Carlos Recreation Center.

––John Pilch is the SC/LM Recreation Council Chairperson.