Maienschein Opposes Miramar Commercial Airport

I oppose building an international airport at either Miramar site--MCAS Miramar or East Miramar. I constantly monitor this issue and stay in contact with the members of the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority.

Not only is Miramar a horrible place to build an incredibly busy international airport, but it also would be harmful to our national security to take away such a strategic training facility for our military. Its military use greatly outweighs any airport need San Diego may have, and access and congestion limitations for that site are overwhelming.

When the Airport Authority recently selected sites for their "short list" for further analysis and planning, I was successful in having the Imperial County desert site placed back on this list after it was first deleted. Any site with available and compatible land must be analyzed as thoroughly as possible.

I will continue to work very hard to maintain the quality of life enjoyed in Scripps Ranch, and I will consistently oppose an airport being built at Miramar.

Meet Your Councilmember

Meet Councilmember Brian Maienschein for cookies and punch from 6:30 to 8:30 pm on Wednesday, Nov. 19, at the Scripps Ranch Library. This evening is set aside for Scripps Ranch constituents. The councilmember will be available to speak with you on a variety of issues. Invite your friends and neighbors!

Jerabek Park's J-9 Renamed Steve Allen Field

On September 21, before the Old Pros summer softball championship games were played, more than 250 people, including Councilmember Brian Maienschein, participated in the dedication and renaming of Jerabek Park's J-9 baseball diamond to "Steve Allen Field." Emcee Dennis Downs paid tribute to Steve Allen and extended thanks to several community groups and the city for recognizing such a unique individual.

Steve Allen, who passed away unexpectedly on May 4, 2003, left a unique footprint on this community. He lived in the Ranch for 26 years with his wife, Nancy, and they raised their boys, David and Bryan, here.

Steve helped create and build Scripps Ranch's first Little League field, served on the Little League board, coached kids from T-ball to Pony League, supervised maintenance of the Little League fields, and was past president and chairman of the board of directors for the Old Pros. A dedicated baseball enthusiast his entire life, the dedication of J-9 was a fitting tribute to Steve Allen.

The project was initiated by the Scripps Ranch Old Pros and quickly gained support from the Scripps Ranch Civic Association (SRCA), Scripps Ranch Recreation Council, Scripps Ranch Women's Athletic Club, Scripps Ranch Little League, City of San Diego Recreation Council, and Councilmember Brian Maienschein. Two large signs, funded by the Old Pros, have been installed proclaiming J-9 as "Steve Allen Field." The Old Pros would like to thank the community for its support on this special project.

Accurate Park Acreage--Success At Last

After years of frustration at not being able to secure accurate and verified City of San Diego Park and Recreation Department lands in Scripps Ranch, we finally achieved a breakthrough. It happened with the help of Clint Carney from Councilmember Brian Maienschein's office, who arranged for the meetings, and the following Park and Rec personnel: Ann Hix, Land Maintenance Assessment District (MAD); Deborah Sharpe, Park Planning; Andy Fields, MAD; and, Barry Kelleher, Park Planning.

After many productive meetings and frank discussions of the need for accurate data on "usable" acres and the value of the data to the city, we now have a list of all acres by category and type on the Ranch. This is in terms of use whether playing fields, neighborhood parks, or open space. As the number of acres and their use determines the allocation of city funds for maintenance and operation, it is essential the data be accurate.

We also demanded that we get our fair share of city funds even though we as a community are self-starters and volunteer lots of help and allocate our funds for playing fields. Of particular interest was the confirmation that this effort, and the charts and matrices developed, shows that we still have 12.8 acres of entitled land available for purchase and development. This gives us a greater degree of freedom of options to increase our joint-use playing fields, for example with the San Diego Unified School District and the new middle school.

MCAS Miramar News

The Marines have completed construction of their space-age firing range for rifle qualifications and are now using it. For those not aware of Marine training, all Marines must fire their primary weapon annually for qualification.

This range was built to permit the firing to be done without the time-consuming drive to and from Camp Pendleton and results in major savings of time and funds. They begin firing at "first light," as they can fire and return to work.

The "popping" noise at 6 am, however, impacted residents south of Pomerado Road. I met with the Marine Training Element to come up with a modification of the hours. I suggested the start time be the same as the city-designated 7 am for construction activity.

The Training Section agreed and changed the start times for all firing to 7 am. The Scripps Ranch Planning Group (SRPG) has also arranged through the Marine's Public Affairs and Community Relations offices for residents to visit this training facility.

In last month's Newsletter I reported on the potential use of some of the MCAS land for a possible, and much needed, veterans cemetery. The report unfortunately said Interstate 15 instead of Interstate 805. The land proposed to be used is bisected by Miramar Road, just east of the water treatment plant. Sorry for the error.

New Information Center Policy

We are initiating a new community room policy at the Information Center. Throughout the city's Service Center Program, we have implemented a fee schedule for the use of our rooms.

We have implemented these fees to bring our policy into alignment with other city facilities and so that our program can continue to provide service to the community during these tough budgetary times. In most cases, nonprofit organization providing proof of their status will be able to use our rooms at no charge with the following exceptions:

• There is an exchange of money in connection with the event through entrance fees or donations;
• Meeting is closed to the public;
• Annual membership fee for belonging to the organization requesting the room is over $100; or,
• Room is used for fundraising event.

There will be a key fob deposit of $50, and a room cleaning deposit of $50. The room rate is $20 an hour. The key and room cleaning deposits, plus three months of room fees, are due in advance.

Two other changes are also being implemented. First, our rooms are now available for appropriate commercial or private use--excluding weddings, birthdays, and retirement parties. Second, all youth and children's groups not presently using our facility are being referred to the Scripps Ranch Park and Recreation Center where superior facilities and support are available.

If you have any questions about our new policy, please call us at 538-8200.

Holiday Open House

On Saturday, Dec. 6, from 10 am to 1 pm the Information Center will hold a Holiday Open House. This event gives us an opportunity to greet and thank you--our friends in Scripps Ranch--for your support throughout the year.

Come by and enjoy refreshments, look at our beautiful holiday tree, and bring a toy to support the Toys for Tots campaign. Your center specialist, Anita Rivera, and I look forward to seeing you. Happy holidays!

Water Plant Expansion

Construction for the Water Treatment Plant expansion is going to shift into two work periods a day, which can extend from 7 am until midnight. This accelerated work is needed to accomplish the connections with the onsite reservoirs according to the time schedule.

The contractor had to remove a tremendous amount of dirt and transport it off-site. Jackhammers had to be used to break up accumulated deposits in the settling tanks. We will continue to insist on proper noise, dust, and other controls.

At our last community forum meeting we were presented the artist's revision of the proposed signs at the entrances. They used computer projections, as we recommended. Our comments were passed on to the community groups. They included our visualization of a single sign at the recreational entrance and another single compatible sign at Red Cedar Drive.

We felt the artist's proposed signage was too elaborate and included two large and three part signs flanking both sides of the recreational entrance. We considered these to be over signage and felt they were not needed.

We will continue to work to produce a Scripps Ranch-type sign and not have large polished metal letters, as were already removed from the wall. We will keep you updated with the latest information and will publish renderings of what is finally decided in what has assumed a "public arts" aspect.

SDG&E Construction

As a follow up to the Newsletter article on SDG&E's plans to bury the overhead power transmission lines on Scripps Lake Drive, we remind you that construction near Miramar Ranch Elementary School is scheduled during the winter break. We will bring you updates as construction is scheduled.

Holiday Concert Comes Early This Year

Symphony in the Park will ring in the holidays a little early this year with our traditional concert scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 30. You won't want to miss singing along to traditional Christmas carols, the merrymaking, and the voices of our local high school students as they perform before our guest band. This concert begins at 5 pm-- an hour earlier than our other concerts.

Bring your blankets, your chairs, your warm jackets, and your thermos of hot chocolate to Hoyt Park to share in the festivities with your friends and neighbors. This is truly a lovely way to welcome the season, and if we're lucky, maybe Santa and his friends will find us there, too. Just follow the pathways lit by hundreds of luminaries to find your place in Hoyt Park, located where Aviary and Canyon Lake Drives intersect.

On behalf of the entire Scripps Ranch Symphony in the Park Committee, we wish you happiness this holiday season. We hope you have enjoyed this year's concert series, and we look forward to our 19th season in 2004.

We appreciate your support, your comments, and your presence. You make it all worthwhile when you show your appreciation as you do. If you have questions, call our chairs, Joyce Wulkowicz at 566-4206 or Scot Pritchard at 578-2436. See you in Hoyt Park!

Santa Comes to the Ranch!

Santa is coming to McMillin Realty's Scripps Ranch office on Thursday, Dec. 4, from 4 to 7 pm! His professional photographer will take a free photo of Santa with your little ones. McMillin's address is 10755 Scripps Poway Parkway, located in the Scripps Ranch Villages Marketplace--the new Vons shopping center. Santa hopes you come see him!