City leaders go on tour to study needs

A two-hour Saturday morning bus tour of the city was designed to

help leaders and planners come to a consensus on Laguna’s needs. The

tour was attended by all five planning commission members, who review

Downtown projects, as well as advise the council on land uses and

policies; four of the five members of the Design Review Board, who

review all other projects; and four of the five City Council members,

who have the final say.

All the participants concluded during the tour that projects

should blend with the neighborhoods.

“That was the big message,” said veteran Design Review Board

member Ilse Lenschow. “It all comes down to neighborhood

compatibility.”

The tour included a contemporary home smack in the middle of three

blocks of traditionally-styled homes and a multi-colored home that

stands out from its neighbors.

“Neighborhood compatibility should be the first test of a design,”

said Councilwoman Cheryl Kinsman. “Applicants should not even be told

to tweak their project if it doesn’t meet that requirement.”

The tour also included a condominium project in North Laguna. The

proliferation of condominiums in the neighborhood has become a

concern. Down zoning has been suggested as a control for increased

density.

“I have mixed feelings about down zoning, both as a DRB member and

a resident of North Laguna,” said Lenschow. “To blanket the whole

area with a zoning change impinges on property rights.”

-- Barbara Diamond

Medical Center to begin roadwork

South Coast Medical Center will begin preliminary roadwork before

it breaks ground for the new Comprehensive Cancer Center. The

project, scheduled to start July 29, may cause traffic delays

entering and exiting at 7th Avenue and South Coast Highway.

“We’re putting in a new sidewalk, curb and gutter,” said Church

Coryell, director of facilities. “These upgrades on 7th Avenue will

improve pedestrian access to the hospital.” “Flagmen” will be direct

traffic from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday. The project is

expected to take eight weeks to complete.

Police to run DUI checkpoint

The Laguna Beach Police Department will establish a DUI/driver’s

license checkpoint starting at 10 p.m. tonight. The location will not

be announced and it is expected to run until 3 a.m.

“The primary purpose of the checkpoint is to make the motoring

public aware of the dangers of drinking under the influence of

alcohol and drugs as well as identifying or arresting impaired

drivers,” said Sgt. Doris Higgins.

Ten officers in full uniform will be running the checkpoint,

including as many as 25 support staff members who will help set up

the checkpoint and tow impounded cars.

“Basically we now do them whenever we have the time, the manpower

and the finances,” she said.

The department currently stages four checkpoints a year.

Two years ago, Laguna Beach was known as a checkpoint hotspot when

the department -- fueled by a two-year grant from the California

State Traffic of Safety -- conducted monthly checkpoints. However,

the concerns over increased traffic and citizen’s rights prompted the

City Council to reaffirm support of the program in July 2000.

“Worldwide, communities that have checkpoints on a consistent

basis are safer,” said Reidel Post, executive director of MADD Orange

County who had attended the contentious meeting two summers ago.

The reasons are two-fold, according to Post. Officers arrest

drivers who are under the influence of alcohol or drugs and a strong

message goes out to potential offenders to think twice about getting

behind the wheel. Post remembers one evening when she stood in line

behind an inebriated woman and her daughter at a local gas station

convenience store.

“This lady asked the cashier if he knew where the checkpoint was

because she didn’t want to get caught,” Post recalled.

The cashier didn’t tell the woman that it was just down the

street.

“He wasn’t about to help her avoid the checkpoint,” she said.

Proof to Post that offenders are aware of the consequences and

even more important, that certain members of the community support

the efforts made by the department.

“We’ve had people

from Laguna call after they

went through a checkpoint wanting to volunteer with us,” said

Reidel.

-- Mary Castillo

Tie One On earns nearly $10,000

Saturday afternoon they really did Tie One On at the Festival of

Arts during a benefit for the artist in need fund. The Tie One On

event broke last year’s total and raised more than $9,850.

The artists transformed a white silk tie into a piece of art by

painting and designing in specific mediums. The all-original artwork

was auctioned to raise money for the fund, which helps out any artist

that has been with the festival or is currently an exhibitor and has

suffered hardship or serious illness.

“It was so much fun. The artists put their heart and soul into

those ties,” said Anne Morris executive director of the Laguna Beach

Chamber of Commerce.

Julita Jones a volunteer and festival artist was also thrilled

with the auction.

“I think the artists went way out of the way to be different in

the spirit of artistic competition to help fellow artists. The ties

were really innovative.”

One of the most creative pieces was by newcomer, sculptor Tim

Shockley.

“I looked at it and noticed most were painted and it dawned on me

- ‘I’m a sculptor I need to approach with sculptural aspect.’ I asked

myself, ‘What can I do with this tie to make it 3D?’” He put a cage

around his tie, which he had constructed to be a snake. The white

snake tie was poised to strike in the middle of the cage. He used a

coat hanger inside it to create the snake’s body.

“When all the materials come together and work as a unit it all

makes sense,” he said. “That’s what you’re looking for.”

-- Suzie Harrison

Top of the World area loses power

Residents and Thurston Middle and Top of the World Elementary

schools were without power in the early morning hours Thursday.

“An Edison amp failed at 4:38 a.m. affecting nearly 2,000

customers,” confirmed Marlon Walker, spokesperson for Southern

California Edison.

“My wife woke me up and was stressing out because she had to go to

a meeting the next morning and her alarm clock was out,” said Tom

Simpson who lives on Tahiti Street. “I slept right through it.”

Luckily for construction crews at Top of the World and Thurston,

their work was unaffected by the outage.

“We’re primarily doing demolition work at those sites and the work

doesn’t require outside power,” confirmed Carl Neuhausen,

construction project administrator for the Laguna Beach Unified

School District.

Edison crews immediately began restoring power and all affected

households were online by 2:30 p.m., said Walker.

-- Mary Castillo