Council lays out future of city

Top local government officials converged on the Huntington Beach

Library Friday for an examination of future priorities.

Management Partners Inc. of San Jose, a consulting firm,

facilitated the strategic planning session, designed to help the

council begin planning for the next 15 years.

While city department heads in the crowd watched, the council

brainstormed and sometimes debated its goals for the city.

Consultant Jan Perkins said most of the ideas had been generated

during interviews with the individual council members, but the

session also brought a few more thoughts to the table.

Here are some of the things the council members said they’d like

to see in Huntington Beach:

* Land use plans are needed for critical undeveloped areas in the

city. The plans would be generated before builders presented their

development proposals to the city so the council could be clear about

what is wanted for the site.

* Gil Coerper said he’d like to see Main Street closed off from

traffic and converted into a walking promenade.

* Debbie Cook said she’d like to see a plan in place to address

water quality and urban runoff.

* Dave Sullivan said the city is in desperate need of pension

reform.

* The community should better use Channel 3, said Mayor Jill

Hardy, who recommended starting a Huntington Beach Foundation to

raise money and support the community.

* The hotels should consider developing a shuttle service to get

residents to Main Street and other Huntington Beach and Orange County

locations.

While most of the four-hour session was cordial, the council found

itself occasionally debating the effectiveness of city-mandated

neighborhood building standards and the effects of out-of-town

visitors.

To keep things light, the council engaged in several creativity

games, including designing newspaper headlines they’d like to see in

the year 2020. Coerper said his would read, “Huntington Beach is the

safest city for the past decade thanks to increased police staffing,”

whereas Keith Bohr said his would say, “Huntington Beach determined

best city to live, work and play.”

Cathy Green joked that her headline would read, “The Strand is

finally completed,” referring to the mixed-used coastal development

plagued with construction setbacks. Cook said hers would say,

“Renewable energy replaces AES Power Plant.”

The council will meet again in November to draft a long-term plan,

which should be finalized in January. The council is scheduled to

adopt the plan in February.

Flu shots for seniors

To prepare seniors for the upcoming flu season, the Orange County

Health Care Agency will provide flu shots at Rodgers Seniors’ Center,

1706 Orange Ave., from 9 a.m. to noon Oct. 17. Fountain Valley

Regional Hospital nurses and staff will administer the shots.

Huntington Beach Senior Services Transportation Program will provide

assistance to Huntington Beach seniors requesting transportation. On

a scheduled route, seniors will be picked up from their homes and

brought to the Rodgers parking lot, where a nurse will board the bus

and give the seniors their shots. The seniors will be driven home.

The seniors will not have to get out of their bus seats. To schedule

a ride, call Senior Services Transportation at (714) 374-1742.

Sister City Assn. looking for students

The Sister City Assn. of Huntington Beach is accepting

applications from students to become youth ambassadors to Japan and

New Zealand. High school freshmen, sophomores and juniors who live or

attend school in Huntington Beach are eligible. The program is a

two-week reciprocal exchange. Ambassadors and their chaperon travel

to New Zealand over spring break and to Japan in early August.

Students from both countries visit Huntington Beach in July in time

for our Fourth of July celebration.

This is the 23rd year of the exchange with Waitakere, New Zealand,

and Anjo, Japan. Come hear 2005 ambassadors relate their experiences

and answer questions at 7 p.m. on Oct. 18 at the main branch of the

public library.

Applications are available at the main branch of the library, City

Hall and on the Internet at o7www.hbsistercity.orgf7. The deadline

for applications is Nov. 23.

For more information or an application, please call Carmen Erber,

846-7685, or Gisela Campagne, Community Services Department,

374-5397.

Police want your help on Halloween

The Police Department is once again preparing for the annual Oak

View and downtown Halloween celebration.

This is the sixth year for this event, and the Huntington Beach

Police Department would like to be able to give each child who

attends Oak View School a bag of candy, a police coloring book and a

stick-on police badge. At the Oak View event, children will be able

to sit in police cars and meet McGruff the Crime Dog.

There is also a downtown merchant’s event where the children will

receive candy.

There are more than 900 children attending Oak View Elementary

School, and more than 500 will attend the downtown merchant’s event.

The Huntington Beach Police Department is encouraging the

financial support of the community in order to make this event

successful. Last year’s event was very successful, due in large part

to the donations of candy and financial assistance from local

businesses and other members of the community.

The intent of this event is to continue to improve the relations

between Huntington Beach residents, the business community and Oak

View.

Anyone making donations will be provided with the tax-exempt

number for Huntington Beach Neighborhood Watch.

If you are interested in making a donation, contact Suzie Wajda at

(714) 536-5933.