Corona del Mar Today: Neighborhood speed issues briefly discussed

A Newport Beach City Council study session on traffic-calming measures touched briefly on two areas of Corona del Mar — Bayside Drive and Coast Highway, near the Cameo neighborhoods.

The Tuesday study session took a look at citywide traffic-calming measures, but the Corona del Mar issues will be discussed again in future meetings, city officials said.

Councilman Ed Selich complained of speeders along Bayside, and other council members discussed a recent speed survey that resulted in an increase to 45 mph of the stretch of Coast Highway between the Cameo neighborhoods and Poppy Avenue.

Public Works Director Steve Badum said after that meeting he met with some Cameo residents and discussed possible ways to protect pedestrians despite the speed increase. Possible measures include a countdown traffic light for pedestrians and higher visibility signs.

At the Jan. 11 council meeting, several Cameo residents testified that the speed limit increase in that area could be dangerous for children crossing Coast Highway to the association park and to the beach path. The Cameo neighborhood spans Coast Highway.

City Manager Dave Kiff said the area could be re-surveyed, and there would be future meetings to discuss possible safety measures.

Council members also discussed ways to slow traffic on Bayside, including the possibility of adding roadway dots that make noise when cars travel outside traffic lanes.

“My guess is we’d be taking them down after a few months because of complaints of the noise,” Badum said, adding that the raised dots also could create a hazard for cyclists.

Port Theater work continues

A crane hoisted mechanical equipment to the roof of the Port Theater Tuesday morning, briefly closing Heliotrope Avenue at East Coast Highway.

Crews at the job site remain mum about the theater renovations, but earlier this month, workers requested two inspections.

“The building permit is still active and the construction is still going forward,” said one city official. “The progress is just slow.”

District reacts to new law with vaccine mandate

A new state law requires middle and high school students to have a booster shot against pertussis — also known as the whooping cough — before they can enter school, according to a letter to parents posted Monday night on the Newport-Mesa Unified School District website.

“Pertussis is widespread,” the letter states. “Getting a booster shot now will protect your child against the ongoing threat of pertussis and meet a new school requirement.”

The requirement will begin July 1, and students entering seventh through 12th grades will need proof of the booster before starting school in the fall. Receiving one dose of the vaccine on or after the student’s seventh birthday also meets the requirement.

Beginning July 1, 2012, and beyond, all students entering seventh grade will need proof of the booster shot.

“No vaccine, no school,” the letter states in red print.

Immunizations may be obtained from health-care providers or for free at clinics listed in the letter. For more information, call the Newport-Mesa Unified School District Health Services at (949) 515-6730.

Corona del Mar becomes Party All the Time spot

Bridget Larkin grew up in a Newport Beach retailing family, spending time as a kid working at her parents’ shops on the peninsula boardwalk and dreaming of one day opening her own business.

On Feb. 5, her dream will become a reality with the scheduled opening on Party All the Time. The shop, which will be in the former Pop Up Store space at 2747 E. Coast Hwy., will carry party supplies from candles and hostess gifts to goody bags and candies for small kids.

“Your whole house is the party,” she said. “What I love to do is to create ambiance and make an ordinary thing look extraordinary. It’s not just buying plates and birthday candles, but everything else.”

The shop also will sell paper products and upscale novelties for children’s goody bags, she said.

“I am not going to have a single thing that people see and go, ‘Ugh,’” she said. “No plastic whistles.”

Custom goody bags will be available, as well as a candy buffet for parties that will feature candies and toys to go along with any party theme.

An outdoor patio will be filled with plants that are perfect for decoration — or to give as hostess gifts, she said.

Footbridge work walking along

Construction has begun on the Goldenrod Footbridge, which required seismic upgrades to make sure it could withstand a “large seismic event.”

The Newport Beach City Council in October voted to move forward in making $140,000 worth of retrofitting work on the bridge, which was built in 1928 and spans the 200 and 300 block of Goldenrod Avenue in a flower-covered pathway over Bayside Drive.

In November, the California Coastal Commission approved the city’s application for the project.

B.Candy Opening Delayed For CdM

The opening day of B.Candy at 3617 E. Coast Hwy. keeps getting pushed back.

B.Candy’s owner, Brandy Valdez, originally hoped to open her “everything sweet” candy shop by Christmas but later said it would be early 2011. Now she’s working out some kinks with plans and permits, but she hopes to open by Easter.

Meanwhile, she and several other vendors will be opening shops in the OC Mart MIX at 3313 Hyland Ave. in Costa Mesa. Besides B.Candy, shops like Ornate and Paper House also are part of the mix.