Lift Station Nearing Completion, New Open Space Acquired, and More

City Manager John Pietig's weekly update:

Main Beach Lift Station Construction - The large concrete slabs that support the lift station components are being installed. The delivery and installation of the concrete sections of the pre-manufactured lift station began today, March 29 and will be completed on Friday, March 30.  The wet well and the by-pass manhole will be delivered to the site on Friday, March 30. The placement of these large tanks will begin immediately after the concrete lift station assembly is completed.

Recently Acquired Open Space  - The City has added to its significant inventory of open space with the recent acquisition of a two acre parcel, known as the McGraw property, located at 8 Castle Rock Way in Laguna Canyon. The property is contiguous to Laguna Coast and Aliso Wood Canyons Wilderness Parks. It features excellent coastal scrub habitat and is located at a high elevation on the hillside, making it an important component of the open space viewshed in Laguna Canyon. A State Proposition 12 grant from the California Coastal Conservancy made the $325,000 acquisition possible. The City would like to thank the Laguna Canyon Foundation for its efforts to coordinate the purchase of this open space parcel.

Art That’s Small at City Hall - The Arts Commission received 116 entries to the 10th annual “Art That’s Small at City Hall” exhibition. A reception and awards ceremony will be held on Thursday, April 5, 2012 from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. The exhibition was juried by Mike Tauber (former Arts Commissioner and founder of the program); Malcolm Warner (Executive Director, Laguna Art Museum); and Dora Wexell (President, First Thursdays Art Walk.) The exhibit will be on display through April 26, 2012. This program has been funded by the lodging establishments and City of Laguna Beach.

2012 Banner Competition - At its meeting on Monday, the Arts Commission reviewed 33 designs submitted by artists from throughout Orange County for the annual banner competition. The banners, which measure 4’ by 16’, are displayed throughout the city during the summer season. The Arts Commission selected designs by artists Robin Wethe Altman, Al Esquerra, Patrick Moran and Barbara Turner. This program is funded by the lodging establishments and City of Laguna Beach.

Call for Artists – Broadway Beautification - The Arts Commission is currently accepting applications from artists for the Art in Public Places project on Broadway. The competition calls for qualified artists to design, create and install a sculpture and/or an artist designed handrail. The budget for the sculpture, which must not exceed 10’, is $35,000 and the artist designed handrail, with the theme inspired by the visual transition from the canyon to the ocean is $65,000. This project is funded by the Orange County Transportation Authority, Transportation Enhancement grant. Application information is available by clicking here.

Coastal Commission Appeal of Proposed Demolition of Residence at 31381 Coast Highway - The Coastal Commission has received an appeal of the demolition of the so-called Stonehenge House at 31381 Coast Highway.  On March 6, 2012, the City Council denied an appeal and sustained the Design Review Board’s approval of the further and complete demolition of the residence.  The final demolition will not be allowed until the appeal has been decided by the Coastal Commission.

Rain Barrel At City Hall – The Laguna Beach County Water District recently donated a 66 gallon rain barrel to the City. The barrel is a four foot high urn shaped, terra cotta colored, plastic vessel installed underneath the City Hall rain gutter just outside the City Council office. There is a spigot and hose at the bottom of the barrel that can be used for watering nearby plants.

Boys and Girls City Track Meet - The City of Laguna Beach Community Services Department Annual Boys & Girls Track Meet will take place Friday, March 30 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the LBHS track and field.  All boys and girls who were born, in or after, the year 1997 and reside or attend school within the Laguna Beach Unified School District are invited to attend.  Participants may enter a maximum of three (3) events plus relays.  Please check in by 4:45 p.m.  To enter please submit a completed entry form with $15 per child entry fee to the Community Services Department, 515 Forest Ave., by today, March 29, at 4 p.m.  (Or $20 at the event).  Entry forms are available in the Community Services Department.

Announcing our new Citizen Access Portal! - Citizens, businesses, and visitors now have continuous online access to their city government. We hope this efficient, convenient and interactive link to valuable information and city services makes living and working in our community more enjoyable and productive.

EnerGov Citizen Access is an integrated Web portal that provides the community with 24-hour access to Permitting, Plan Management, Inspection, Code Enforcement and other Community Development services.

• 24/7 online access for contractors and citizens to check on filed permits and find permit information on pending projects, projects under construction, or completed projects.
• Online permit submission / status checks (coming soon, payments too!).
• Online inspection scheduling and cancellations.
• Online Municipal Code violation reporting.

To access, click on http://64.58.157.212/CitizenAccess/Public/Main, or click on this link on the Community Development web page. New users have to register the first time they access the system.