Task Force seeks new members Surf...

Task Force seeks new members

Surf City is looking for volunteers to serve on the Human

Relations Task Force.

The goal of the task force

is to promote and celebrate diversity in the community

through education and understanding.

“Basically, their mission is to work on cultural diversity issues

in the city,” said Elaine Kuhnke, an administrative analyst for the

city.

The task force was formed a few years ago in response to a string

of hate crimes that plagued the city, Kuhnke said.

The task force tries to create cultural awareness by sponsoring

annual community events, film symposiums and educational field trips.

Applicants must be Huntington Beach residents and be able to

attend monthly meetings. Members are appointed by the City Council

and serve four-year terms. Applications are due on Sept. 27.

For more information about the Human Relations Task Force or for

an application call Elaine Kuhnke at (714) 374-5307.

Block grants for 11 programs approved

Federal block grants have been approved for Orange County

programs, including 11 programs in Surf City.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Los Angeles

Field Office has approved the city’s 2002-03 Community Development

Block Grant action plan. Federal grants totaling $2.4 million will

heading to Orange County by Oct. 1. A cool $1.6 million of that is

headed to Huntington Beach for projects such as Project Self

Sufficiency, the Oak View Community Center and the Huntington Beach

Community Clinic. The money from the federal grants is designed for

projects and activities that help low-and moderate-income city

residents.

Cleaning up the coast of Huntington Beach

Volunteers are needed to take part in the California Coastal

Cleanup Day this Saturday. The annual statewide event is organized in

coordination with the California Coastal Commission and by

Adopt-A-Beach Program Manager Tim Turner. The city of Huntington

Beach and Simple Green are sponsoring a city beach cleanup that

starts at 9 a.m. on the south side of the Huntington Beach pier.

Parking is available in the 1st Street and Pacific Coast Highway in

the beach parking lot. For more information please call (714)

536-5614.

The Bolsa Chica Wetlands will also get some attention during

California Coastal Cleanup. Volunteers are needed to clean the

wetlands from 9 a.m. to noon. Volunteers should meet at the walk

bridge on Pacific Coast Highway, one-mile south of Warner Avenue.

Free parking is available at Bolsa Chica State Beach. For more

information please call (714) 846-1114.

Treasurer receives prestigious award

Huntington Beach City Treasurer Shari Freidenrich was honored for

exemplary work by the Assn. of Public Treasurers of the United States

and Canada.

Freidenrich was one of 45 association members who was awarded the

group’s Certified Municipal Finance Administrator credential at its

annual conference in Vancouver, British Columbia.

“I was very honored,” Freidenrich said. “It was a wonderful honor

and I was certainly surprised.”

The Certified Municipal Finance Administrator program is a

professional certification program designed to recognize those that

have shown a strong knowledge in the area of public finance. To earn

the credential, recipients must have a high level of professional

experience and education. The certification must be renewed every

five years through continuous professional development.

Company hired to clean storm drains

City officials have hired the United Storm Water company to clean

out the trash that has collected in 10 of the city’s storm drain

forebays.

“The forebay is part of the storm drain pump station,” said Todd

Broussard, an engineer with the Public Works Department. “It’s where

all the trash is screened before it’s pumped into the channels.”

The forebays are cleaned out annually and are made up of two large

storage areas, Broussard said.

Water will be pumped out of the forebays, so that the trash can be

removed and taken to a landfill.

The company will be paid $229,000 for the project, out of

Proposition 13, the Safe Drinking Water, Clean Water, Watershed

Protection and Flood Protection Act, which provides funds for a

variety of water management and environmental enhancement programs

throughout California.

The initiative supports safe drinking water quality, flood

protection and water reliability projects throughout the state.

--compiled by Jose Paul Corona