Storm Drain Repair; More Credit Card Meters; Pay Your Fines Online

Weekly update on the city from Laguna Beach City Manager John Pietig's office:

Wykoff Way Storm Drain Lining - A City owned, metal storm drain from the private street of Wykoff Way down to Bluebird Canyon Drive is badly rusted and needed to be lined before next winter. The work began earlier this week and will be completed next week.

View Restoration, Preservation and Maintenance Ordinance Update - City staff and the City Attorney are working with representatives of the View Equity Committee to review the draft ordinance before bringing it to the City Council.  Time is also needed for the View Equity Committee to complete its work on a draft ordinance to address City trees.  It is expected that these efforts will culminate with recommendations to the City Council in November.

More Credit Card Parking Meters - Work began this week on replacement of the remaining 1,119 coin-only credit card parking meters with credit card meters. By the end of the day, the work will be 75% done. The remaining coin-only meters on portions of South Coast Highway and Glenneyre will be replaced on Friday and early next week. 

Community Emergency Response Team - There are still seats available in the class starting Thursday September 5, 2013.  Classes will meet weekly on Thursday evenings from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. The CERT program consists of 25 hours of classroom and hands-on training.  It concludes with an exercise drill to apply the skills and knowledge obtained during the classroom sessions.  Training topics include Disaster Preparedness, Fire Safety, Disaster Medical Operations, plus many more.  Applications and the course schedule can be found on the City’s website, http://lagunabeachcity.net/cityhall/police/programs/cert.asp or at the front counter of the Police Department. 

Palm Trees on Broadway - At the August 6 City Council meeting a member of the public identified that the palm trees located at both gas stations on Broadway and Coast Highway had many dead palm fronds on them.  Working with the property owners of both service stations, the City was able to get all palm trees pruned and restored the view to the “Window to the Sea” at Main Beach. 

Community Development Department’s Citizens Access Portal Now Has Online Payment Option   The EnerGov Citizens Access Portal (CAP), an integrated Web portal that provides the community with 24-hour access to Permitting, Plan Management, Inspection, Code Enforcement and other Community Development services, was launched early last year.  Applicants can now process payments through CAP. Now applicants may apply and pay for certain permits online, eliminating the need to go to City Hall for those permits.  Also, for any outstanding invoices, applicants may pay them online from the comfort of their office or home. 

To access, go to:  http://64.58.157.212/CitizenAccess/Public/Main, or click on the link on the Community Development web page: http://www.lagunabeachcity.net/cityhall/cd/default.asp. New users have to register the first time they access the system (an email is sent when the registration has been approved).  For more information please contact the Community Development Department at (949) 497-0712.

2013 Juried Fine Art Exhibition - The Arts Commission is currently accepting submissions to the sixth annual Juried Fine Art Exhibition. Applications are being accepted from Orange County artists 18 years of age or older. An application fee of $25 is charged for up to three submissions. Art works must be two dimensional and measure no more than 36” by 36” framed. Selected art works will go on display at City Hall from October 15 through November 29, 2013. The first place winner will be awarded $1,000. Deadline for submissions is September 9, 2013. All applications must be made at www.lagunabeachcity.slideroom.com. This program is funded by the lodging establishments and City of Laguna Beach. 

Inside Look, Artist Open Studio Showcase - On Thursday, September 5, 2013, at 5 p.m. the Arts Commission will host an artist reception for the current exhibition at City Hall. Titled “Inside Look”, the exhibition features the works of artists participating in the Artist Open Studio Tours, which starts on Saturday, October 5, 2013. This exhibition can be viewed through October 11, 2013. This program is funded by the lodging establishments and City of Laguna Beach.