City Update: New Firefighters Start Orientation Academy

City Manager John Pietig's weekly update:

New Firefighters - On Monday, October 31, 2011, five new firefighters started an Orientation Academy. Patrick Cary, Sean Daughtery, Zach De John, Jeremy Lazar and Jeff White will spend approximately a month learning Laguna Beach specific firefighting and rescue techniques before they are given a crew assignment.

Senior Halloween Event - On Halloween, 160 preschoolers and youths participated in the City’s annual Senior Halloween trick-or-treating event. Senior volunteers handed out treats to the costumed youths, led arts and crafts activities and provided refreshments at the Community and Senior Center.

Dorn Court Slope Stabilization Project - This project was instigated by the December 2010 storms. The City Council has awarded a construction contract to Panorama General Engineering to stabilize the slope at the south end of Dorn Court and protect the public sewer line in the easement in that area. The contractor began work on Monday and is expected to complete the work by December 2011.

Main Beach Lift Station Reconstruction - Preparatory work for the excavation process has begun. Construction fencing has been installed which allows pedestrian use of the boardwalk to the public restrooms and to Heisler Park. Utilities for the park need to be relocated before grading can begin and a Southern California Edison utility needs to be relocated before the shoring process can begin. This preparatory work will take approximately two weeks.

Alta Laguna Park Storage Shed - Working with the Community Services and Public Works Departments, Eagle Scouts from Laguna Beach’s Troop 38 have constructed a storage shed at Alta Laguna Park. The shed will provide much needed space for our local AYSO - Region 86 youth soccer organization to store field equipment. Future Scout projects include storage sheds at Moulton Meadows and Lang Park.

First Nationwide Test of Emergency Alert System (EAS) - At 11:00 a.m. on November 9, 2011, people across the state will hear those familiar tones, or see that test message across their television screens, saying “this is a test.” The difference this time is that this test is happening across the nation, all at the same time. It will be a first-ever nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) giving federal, state and local officials the opportunity to make sure vital life-safety information can be communicated from the nation’s capital to the public via broadcasters and cable operators.