Boeing gives $2,000 to help center

A $2,000 grant from Boeing Co. will give Surf City’s struggling

nature center a boost in restoring its wildlife area.

The gift will be pooled with other donations to fund construction

on the planned 0.4-acre Conservation Education Area.

The Conservation Education Area, an activity yard to aid

restoration, will include a toolshed, a composting center and a

nursery that will grow and house plants native to the area.

“It’s an area that will help us work around the 18 acres,” said

Stephanie Pacheco, president of the Friends of the Shipley Nature

Center, the nonprofit group devoted to restoring the nature haven

back to the way it was before the city shut it down because of budget

woes. “It’s a way to have our tools on site.”

The Shipley Nature Center, in Central Park in Huntington Beach, is

an 18-acre natural landscape with 4,000 feet of trails that weave

through oak woodlands, Torrey pine trees, meadows and ponds. A

freshwater wetland is on the premises.

The center is open from 9 a.m. to noon on the first Saturday of

every month for restoration work parties.

Restoration involves planting native vegetation and removing

plants that deplete groundwater, crowd out native plants and present

a fire risk. A freshwater stream will be created to provide

circulation for Blackbird Pond and fresh water for the area’s

wildlife. Trails will be upgraded, an irrigation system will be

installed and the building will get a much needed face-lift.

The Friends of the Shipley Nature Center is also expecting a

$15,000 grant from the Southern California Wetlands Recovery Project

that will be used for further restoration. Pacheco anticipates that

the grant will be awarded in October.

City adds 9 million gallons to water storage

A 9-million-gallon holding tank that will add to Surf City’s water

storage system was dedicated at an official ceremony on Friday.

The new reservoir is the fourth in a city that consumes 32 million

to 34 million gallons of water a day and stores 55 million gallons.

“It’s very strong, very well built,” said Howard Johnson, the

city’s water production supervisor.

The reservoirs are all connected to booster pumps that pump water

out to the main line and back in to refill the tanks and maintain

them at optimum capacity.

Extra storage water is needed for emergencies and fire protection.

In the case of an emergency, the city has slightly less than two days

worth of water in storage.

“We have to have some protection to ensure that we can meet the

water demand,” Johnson said.

Johnson added that if there was an emergency, such as an

earthquake in which all pipelines were broken, the reservoirs would

be blocked and smaller pumps would be used to fill tanks and trucks

for emergency storage.

But the city plans to build another 9-million-gallon reservoir

over the next couple of years that will bump the city’s storage

capacity up to two days.

The Springdale Reservoir, which has been up and running since

June, is one of the best projects Johnson said that he’s ever worked

on.

“It was under budget and the designer and builder were truly a

part of it,” he said. “Usually when you get a project in, the design

guy designs it and walks away. This was a partnership type of a

deal.”

Johnson proudly called the dedication ceremony “a time to

rejoice.” Mayor Connie Boardman, Councilwoman Cathy Green, former

Councilman Ralph Bauer and City Administrator Ray Silver were

present.

Fourth of July race changes course

This Fourth of July, runners will race along the surf as they test

the new course for Surf City’s annual 5K, set to be held just hours

before the city’s Independence Day parade.

The course was measured to the foot by USA Track and Field, making

it a certified course for the first time ever.

“The difference is, we go onto PCH now,” said Mike Bone, the race

director. “It’s a lovely day, nice weather and a flat course. And if

somebody was to set a record there, it would count.”

The day will feature four runs altogether, the 5K run for

Huntington Beach residents, the open 5K, the 5K stroller run and two

shorter one-mile and half-mile runs for children.

All races will start and finish at Huntington Beach High School on

the corner of 17th and Main streets.

From the high school, runners will venture down Main Street

through the heart of Downtown and along the Pacific Coast Highway to

8th Street, where runners will U-turn and retrace their steps back to

Main Street and 17th Street.

“It will capture what Huntington Beach and Surf City is all about,

and we believe it will be more appealing to the runners,” Bone said.

All proceeds from the Surf City run will be donated to the

Huntington Beach Junior Lifeguards, an eight-week summer program for

children, ages 9 to 17.

Entry fees for the run are $25 before June 23 and $30 after.

For more information about the Surf City run, log on to

www.surfcityrun.com.

Applicants available for environmental awards

The city’s environmental board is accepting nominations for its

ninth annual awards and recognition program.

The awards recognize those who have made notable efforts in

environmental protection and conservation within the community.

Anyone can nominate someone or apply to receive an award.

Applicants must complete an application that includes a written

description of their nominee’s achievements and benefits to the

community that have come as a result.

The environmental board will recognize the winners at a Chamber of

Commerce meeting and publish their names in the chamber newsletter.

Winners will also receive a wall plaque at a City Council

presentation in November and have their own name and the name of

their organization inscribed on a plaque hanging in City Hall.

The deadline for the application is July 31. For more information

or to receive an application, contact Ricky Ramos at (714) 536-5624

at the Planning Department.