Walkers may rule Downtown

Imagine a Downtown free of traffic and gas fumes.

This could be Downtown Huntington Beach if a proposal to transform

the first three blocks of Main Street into a pedestrian promenade

passes the City Council early next month.

City Council members Dave Sullivan and Pam Julien Houchen will ask

the board to approve closing the first three blocks of Downtown on a

trial basis at the council’s May 3 meeting.

Sullivan thinks the action would be “hugely popular” with

residents and Downtown businesses.

“It will be very good for the businesses,” he said. “Particularly

at the stop sign at Walnut [Avenue] and Main [Street] during summer

[when cars are] backed up 10 deep at times.”

Many residents have said they feel the sidewalks are too congested

to stroll freely through Downtown the way people can at the Third

Street Promenade in Santa Monica.

“It’ll make the ambience a lot nicer for not only our own folks

but for the tourism we’re trying to give people from big hotels,”

City Councilman Dave Sullivan said. “I think we’re trying to enhance

the hotel’s own experience.”

Talks about the possibility of closing off Main Street have been

“going on for a long, long time,” said Gus Duran, the city’s housing

and redevelopment manager.

In 2001, representatives from the Police Department, Public Works

and Community Services departments met to discuss the idea, but

decided to put it on hold, due to budget constraints, Duran said.

If it passes, several decisions would have to be made, he said.

City officials will have to decide how to barricade the street, how

to accommodate traffic that usually flows through the area and how to

pay for it.

“If you look at Santa Monica [Promenade], they have vendors and

acts in the street,” Duran said. “So it’s a more active type of

environment that helps create a total environment.”

Sewage spill closes part of Huntington Harbour

County regulators have closed a portion of Huntington Harbour to

swimming and diving after nearly 3,000 gallons of sewage spilled into

the water Monday night.

The spill, which was caused by a blockage in the city of Anaheim’s

sewer pipeline, occurred at about 10:30 p.m., said Larry Honeybourne,

spokesman for the Orange County Health Care Agency.

The agency closed the harbor at Sunset Aquatic Marina and

Portofino Cove.

Officials don’t know yet what caused the blockage.

“The city is in the process of putting a video camera in that line

to determine what cased the blockage,” Honeybourne said.

Since there’s not much swimming or water contact sports in that

area of the harbor, Honeybourne said, the warnings are mostly

directed to divers.

“The concern is more for divers who are cleaning boats, cleaning

boat bottoms and doing service on boats,” he said.

He estimated the harbor will be closed until Wednesday. The health

care agency will reopen the area as soon as water quality tests have

met state standards for two consecutive days.

Monday’s spill marks the 122nd spill and the seventh beach closure

in Orange County this year.

For more information, call (714) 667-3600 or visit the agency’s

website at https://www.ocbeachinfo.com.

Opera comes to Huntington center

The Huntington Beach Art Center will reverberate with Mendelssohn,

Schubert and Gershwin when internationally known baritone Richard

Taylor hits the stage later this month.

The singer and jazz base player will perform classical and

operatic selections at the Huntington Beach Art Center on Sunday.

This is part of the center’s monthly “Jazz at the Center” series

and will include selections from composers such as Anderson, Rossini,

and Verdi.

In addition to performing at Carnegie Hall and at the Long Beach

Opera, Taylor has also performed with the Los Angeles Opera, the Long

Beach Opera, the Pacific Chorale, the Spirit Chorale of Los Angeles

and the Barbara Morrison Jazz Group.

Taylor, a Michigan native, received both his bachelor’s and his

master’s degree from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

In addition to singing, he is also as an accomplished jazz bass

player.

The recital will be held from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Sunday at the

Huntington Beach Art Center, 538 Main St. Tickets are $20 for general

admission and $15 for Huntington Beach Art Center members.

Reservations are recommended. For more information, call (714)

374-1650.

Earth Day cleanup set for wetland

Residents are invited to get on their hands and knees at Big Shell

Wetland for Earth Day.

Organizers at Cabrillo Mobile Home Park encourage people to bring

their kids, their dogs and gloves.

Speakers at the event will include Assemblyman Tom Harman, Nadia

Maria Davis Lockyer, a co-founder of the Bolsa Chica Land Trust, Jan

Vandersloot, founder of the activist ocean outfall group and

Huntington Beach Planning Commissioner Steve Ray.

The event will be sponsored by Rainbow Disposal, Huntington Beach

Starbucks, Good Mood Food, Cabrillo Mobile Home Park, the Earth

Resources Foundation and the Eldorado Nature Center.

Parking is available at the Cabrillo Mobile Home Park, on Pacific

Coast Highway, north of Newland Street.

For more information, contact Mary-Jo Baretich at (714) 960-9507.