Oceanside: Residence Inn Opens for Residents’ & #8201;Guests
Irvine-based R.D. Olson Development has opened the Residence Inn by Marriott at Ocean Ranch, a mixed-use, master-planned community here.
R.D. Olson Construction built the four-story, 85,000-square-foot hotel, which houses 125 guest rooms, for $23 million, said a news release. Seattle-based Johnson Braund Design Group Inc. designed the hotel, which has 87 studios and 22 one-bedroom and 16 two-bedroom suites.
Marriott International’s Marriott Residence Inn brand will manage the hotel, which sits on a 3-acre site purchased by R.D. Olson in 2006 for $2.4 million.
“This is a particularly interesting hotel, because it’s Marriott’s newest prototype for the extended-stay market,” said Robert Olson, chief executive officer and president for R.D. Olson.
The suites feature plasma TVs, wireless and hard-wired Internet access, hardwood furnishings and granite kitchen countertops.
, Pat Broderick
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National City: Preschoolers Get Melhorn-Built Center
A ribbon-cutting ceremony is planned for Oct. 9 for a preschool center in the National School District.
The festivities for the $319,000 center, built by Melhorn Construction, which is based here, are scheduled for 9:30 a.m. at 2401 E. 24th St. The school doesn’t have a formal name.
The National School District is for preschoolers through sixth-graders with a student population of around 6,700. In existence since 1871, the district has a yearly operating budget of about $33 million, according to its Web site.
For more info on the new preschool, call Yvette Olea at (619) 336-7710.
, Pat Broderick
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Oceanside: Networking at Legoland Won’t Be Downer
The local and Carlsbad chambers of commerce are getting together for a networking Sundowner.
The event is scheduled for 5 to 7 p.m. Oct. 11 at Legoland California, 1 Legoland Drive, in Carlsbad.
For more info, call (760) 722-1534 or e-mail info@oceansidechamber.com.
, Pat Broderick
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Vista: Carrier Johnson to Design $50M Civic Center
A forum on plans for a new civic center is scheduled for 7 to 8:30 p.m. Oct. 10 at Wildwood Community Center, 651 E. Vista Way.
The meeting is intended to provide information about a new civic center to replace the current City Hall. Residents are asked for comments on a planned park next to the center.
The city has scheduled another community meeting, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Oct. 29, at Wildwood to further discuss the project.
The planned 100,000-square-foot project is being designed by San Diego architectural firm Carrier Johnson, and estimated to cost $50 million. Construction should begin in the fall of 2008 and be completed in 2010, the city says.
, Mike Allen
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Chula Vista: Credit Fiscal Trend for Reduced Ratings
Standard & Poor’s reduced the city’s credit rating on general obligation bonds from A+ to A, and for its lease debt from A to A-.
The downgrade last month was the result of a downward trend in general fund reserves in the past five years and slower than expected economic growth and city revenues, the city says.
The action was triggered by a recent report that the housing slowdown and below-estimated sales tax revenues would produce a budget shortfall for the current fiscal year between $7.5 million and $9 million.
The credit downgrade won’t affect what the city pays on outstanding debt, but may affect future debt costs, according to the city.
, Mike Allen
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Del Mar: June Visitors to Fill County, It’s Fair to Say
The 22nd District Agricultural Association, which manages the Del Mar Fairgrounds, has approved the theme and dates for the 2008 San Diego County Fair. The “Summer of Sports” fair is set for June 14 through July 6.
Timothy J. Fennell, chief executive officer and general manager of the fairgrounds, says with the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines Golf Course in La Jolla and the Summer Olympics in Beijing, it is the ideal time to celebrate sports. The U.S. Open is slated for June 9 to 15, while the Olympics is scheduled for Aug. 8-24.
There were discussions about changing the dates for next year’s fair since its opening and the final three rounds of the U.S. Open are scheduled for the same weekend. The fair typically takes in $800,000 in revenues during its first weekend, according to the 22nd DAA, and the association had expressed concerns of lost revenues.
Considered one of the top four golf tournaments in the world, the U.S. Open is expected to draw 40,000 or more fans each day and generate millions of dollars for the local economy, according to Torrey Pines.
The San Diego County Fair is the largest annual event in the area and fifth largest fair in North America. More than 1.2 million visitors attended this year’s fair, a record-setting total, according to its Web site.
, Michelle Mowad
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Solana Beach: Benefit for Center Won’t Shoot Blanks
The first 50 people to donate a surfboard at an Oct. 20 event in Fletcher Park called The Future of Surfing will receive a free Biofoam blank from San Diego-based HomeBlown US. The event is set to begin at 11 a.m.
Event organizers hope to promote sustainability through the blanks. Made without fossil fuels, the blanks feature 50 percent organic domestic soy.
The donated boards will be posted on Rerip.com, another event sponsor, and all proceeds will benefit the San Diego Center for Children, a nonprofit that provides mental health services to children and families.
, Jaimy Lee
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San Diego: Clean Power System Generates Award
Clean Power Systems Inc. received SunPower Corp.’s Intelegant Award for its installation of a residential solar system at a home in Yorba Linda. The installation eliminated the owners’ electric bill, says Chief Executive Officer Kirk Mulligan, whose company’s Web site is noelectricbill.com.
The solar provider’s work was selected from a submission pool from all SunPower authorized dealers nationwide, says Mulligan. A handful of the top submissions undergo an audit to decide the winner based on the project’s “intelligent design and elegant-looking system,” he added.
, Jaimy Lee
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S.D. County: Firms Waste Not; WRAP Up Awards
The California Integrated Waste Management Board plans to recognize 150 businesses and organizations, including several local companies, at its annual Waste Reduction Award Program on Oct. 16. WRAP provides an opportunity for California businesses to gain recognition for outstanding waste reduction efforts.
Edco, a waste collection and recycling company based in Lemon Grove, will be honored for the 11th consecutive year by WRAP.
Black Mountain Ranch LLC, Kyocera Wireless Corp., SAIC, the Manchester Grand Hyatt and the Zoological Society of San Diego also will be recognized with WRAP awards.
, Michelle Mowad
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Carlsbad: Jet Source Fleet Grows to Help Skiers Soar
Jet Source, a full-service aviation charter firm, has added a Westwind II, two Hawker 800As and a Hawker 400-731 to its charter fleet of aircraft. Available for private travel, the new aircraft will allow customers to travel greater distances.
The new planes offer luxury club seating for up to eight passengers, cabin entertainment systems and a range of 1,800 to 2,200 miles depending on the one selected. The four will be based at the company’s headquarters at McClellan-Palomar Airport.
Megan Cunningham, vice president of charter service, noted that the firm is “gearing up for our clients’ ski season.”
, Connie Lewis
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La Mesa: City, Businesses Bridge Generation Gap
The city, with the help of local organizations and businesses, is organizing the second annual Intergenerational Games.
Designed for active adults 55 and older and fourth- through sixth-graders, the event is set for 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Oct. 12 at the middle school at 4200 Parks Ave.
The city is partnering with the local Commission on Aging, the Park & Recreation Foundation, the La Mesa-Spring Valley School District, the county’s Aging & Independence Services and Health & Human Services Agency East Region to present the games. Event sponsors include Stormberg Orthodontics, Sprites of East County, the East County Senior Service Providers, La Mesa Healthcare Center and 24 Hour Fitness.
The free event focuses on noncompetitive fun, physical activity, wellness and a healthy lifestyle.
For more information, call the Adult Enrichment Center at (619) 464-0505.
, Heather Chambers
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Escondido: Suzuki Steering its Way to Auto Park Annex
A Suzuki car dealership is under construction near the corner of Lincoln Parkway and North Broadway. Toyota and Saturn dealerships are already in the area, which is evolving into a sort of annex to the Auto Park a few miles south.
Jo Ann Case, city economic development manager, said that dealers moving here have had to “get creative” in recent years, as there is no space left in the Auto Park, which has 14 dealerships, according to its Web site.
Another group of dealerships is located outside the Auto Park near the Ninth Avenue interchange with Interstate 15, in addition to the trio of dealers at Lincoln and North Broadway. Mercedes-Benz and Infiniti dealerships are in that area, and a Lexus dealership is slated to open a quarter-mile away when the Escondido Adventist Academy completes a planned move to Deodar Road.
, Liz Wiedemann
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Poway: Group Schedules Event Worth Singing About
The fourth annual Circle of Harmony concert featuring the music of American Indians from different tribes is set for Oct. 20. The concert is a fund-raiser that has supported and raised awareness of the local Kumeyaay-Ipai Interpretive Center, a 5-acre plot of undeveloped land used as a park, for the past four years. The center is on Silver Lake Drive near Poway Road.
The concert is sponsored by Friends of the Kumeyaay and the city for the preservation and educational outreach development of the Kumeyaay-Ipai Interpretive Center.
President of Friends of the Kumeyaay Mike Horan said the concert typically raises $10,000 to $15,000.
The event begins at 7 p.m. at the Performing Arts Center on Espola Road, and doors open at 6 p.m. For online ticket purchase, visit www.powayperformingarts.com.
, Liz Wiedemann
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N. County: Don’t Let Flu Bug You, Go to Stater Bros.
Stater Bros. Supermarkets are helping customers stay well during the fall and winter flu season by providing vaccination clinics.
The markets are offering flu vaccination clinics in partnership with Test-med Vaccination Services Medical Corp. Licensed nurses will administer vaccines to people 18 and older. Americans will miss more than 75 million workdays due to the flu, according to Test-med.
The clinics are under way and are set for Thursdays through Sundays through Nov. 18 at 106 stores, including those in Encinitas, Poway and Escondido.
The hours are 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and noon to 3 p.m. Sundays. The cost is $25.
, Connie Lewis
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Coronado: Building Cabins Not Day at Beach for State
The city may protest the state’s plan to build as many as 24 vacation cabins at Silver Strand State Beach.
Members of the City Council were to decide Oct. 2 whether to send letters to the state parks department and state legislators protesting the department’s plan.
, Brad Graves
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Imperial Beach: DAC Monkeys Around on Web
DAC Enterprises LLC has launched an e-commerce Web site to sell beef jerky and other products.
The company announced the debut of the site, dubbed Five Helpful Monkeys, on Sept. 29. The site’s address is www.5hm.com. David Carleton is the company’s principal.
The site offers beef jerky products from Idaho-based Jerky Direct.
, Brad Graves
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Santee: Chamber, Lions to Mix It Up at Clubhouse
The Chamber of Commerce plans to host its monthly networking mixer in conjunction with the Lions Club from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Oct. 11. The event is set for the Santee Lakes Clubhouse, 9040 Carlton Oaks Drive.
A $5 donation is requested for admission. For more information, call the chamber at (619) 449-6572.
, Heather Chambers
