Spreckels Organ upgraded for centennial year

The Spreckels Organ Centennial Concert on Dec. 31 will celebrate the Balboa Park’s impending centennial year in 2015 and commemorate 100 years of the Spreckels Organ.

In preparation for the event, upgrades have been made to the pipe organ including refurbishment of the gold mica pipe façade and the addition of a “Centennial Tuba” and many new pipes. The renewed look of the pipe organ will be revealed at the New Year’s Eve concert. San Diego Civic Organist Dr. Carol Williams will also premiere a composition written especially for the event. Williams drew inspiration from San Diego Civic Organist Dr. Humphrey Stewart, who composed the first piece played on the Spreckels Organ on Dec. 31, 1914.

The celebration will open with a grand procession of banner-carrying local dignitaries led by 50 bagpipers. The audience will also be treated to a rededication of the Spreckels Organ, an inauguration of the “Centennial Tuba” and a big-screen slideshow of historic images prior to the concert. Festivities are from 7 – 9 p.m. and are free and open to the public.

South Park residents target Target

Following the announcement that a TargetExpress — a smaller version of the regular discount goods store — would open South Park’s Gala Foods building, a semi-formal group of residents formed under the name Care About South Park have demanded transparency from both Target Corp. and Council President Todd Gloria, who represents the neighborhood on the City Council.

The group’s name is modeled after Care About North Park, a neighboring group of residents who got together to fight against an allegedly illegal remodel of a Jack in the Box restaurant located at 30th and Upas streets. While Care About North Park has rallied efforts around a lawsuit against Jack in the Box, Care About South Park representatives said that, at this time, the group has no plan for legal action.

Members of the group held an informal meeting with media representatives in South Park, where several have resided for decades.

Members criticized outreach efforts by Target as insufficient and, in one case, misleading. Members also expressed concern regarding a statement by Gloria in which he presumed the TargetExpress project would not trigger a community review process.

“I just don’t know how he could know that without seeing the plans first,” said a Care About South Park representative.

The group has requested a “good faith” disclosure by Target Corp. regarding its plans for the site and data regarding proposed impacts on traffic and local business. The group has also requested a meeting, albeit indirectly, with Council President Gloria.

For more information, visit careaboutsouthpark.com.

North Park restaurant exhibits local artist

Chris’ Ono Grinds Island Grill (4506 30th St., North Park) is now showcasing the watercolor paintings of local artist Patti Claassen. The local spot for Hawaiian fare has adorned the walls of their location with Claassen’s work, which incorporates bright colors with beach and floral scenes. The artist has lived in San Diego for over a decade and works out of her in-home studio in Normal Heights. She also creates watercolor desk calendars featuring her paintings. Visit Chris’ Ono Grinds for a peek at Claassen’s paintings and find more online at claassenstudio.com.

City Council approves recycled water project

On Nov. 18, the San Diego City Council unanimously approved the Pure Water program to produce purified water. The advanced sewage purification system will divert wastewater before it reaches the Point Loma Wastewater Treatment plant, which purifies the water enough to be safely deposited into the ocean. The Pure Water program will clean the diverted wastewater multiple times before it is then distributed for reuse. Orange County currently recycles 70 million gallons a day using a similar concept.

The $3.5 million program will have a 20-year implementation plan with a long-term goal of producing 83 million gallons of purified water per day by 2035.

For more information and updates visit sandiego.gov/water/purewater.

Ray Street says farewell to ‘Ray Street Artists’

More than 30 artists who have flourished under the guidance of the San Diego Art Department (SDAD) on Ray Street for the last five years, have said goodbye to the colony and are branching off on their own. On Nov. 7, a “farewell” reception was held at The Studio Door, located at 4434 30th St. in North Park, to not only celebrate the artists and their art but also their humble beginnings at the SDAD. Ari Kate Ashton, a longtime instructor at SDAD, developed the group using her “art to market” formula, and the Ray Street Artists not only published a collection of their work in 2014, but have also appeared in shows at SDAD, the Lyceum Theatre, Mission Federal ArtWalk, ArtWalk NTC and other exhibitions. The reception and the corresponding art exhibit, which will remain on display throughout November, marked their final exhibition under the “Ray Street Artists” banner and was also an introduction to their new gallery, The Studio Door, a passion project of Ashton and Patric Stillman, another Ray Street Artist. The Studio Door, currently open during limited gallery hours, will have a grand opening after the first of the year. For more information, visit thestudiodoor.com.

City’s first ‘Smart Meters’ installed

On Oct. 29, Council President Todd Gloria presided over the launch of the city’s first installation of Smart Meters, which replaced 200 traditional coin-operated machines throughout streets in Downtown’s Gaslamp Quarter. The new meters will accept credit or debit cards and will also allow the city to gather better utilization data to assist with overall parking management, policy and strategy.

The new technology will use existing meter poles and replace approximately 97 percent of San Diego’s existing coin-operated meters, with initial installs taking place in the Gaslamp Quarter first, then other neighborhoods, to include East Village, Cortez Hill, Marina District and Core Columbia. Uptown and Mid-City locations will follow in 2015.

“Bringing smart parking meters to San Diego was on the short list of things I wanted to accomplish during my tenure as mayor, and I know San Diegans and visitors will notice the improvement this week upon their installation,” Gloria said at the unveiling. “San Diego is a city of innovation and people here should not resort to the antiquated practice of searching for coins for parking meters. With more user-friendly parking meters, customers will be able to more easily patronize the small businesses throughout Downtown, Uptown, and Mid-City, contributing to the economic development of our City.”

Signing off on the project was Gloria’s last act as interim mayor last February. Also in the works is a pilot program giving customers the ability to pay with their phones.