CITYSCAPE ROUNDUP:Park fees to fund senior center

The City Council voted 5-2 to designate $22 million in park funds — expected to be collected from the Pacific City project — for building a new senior center.

Council members Jill Hardy and Debbie Cook voted no.

The city anticipates collecting $25 million in park fees from Makar Properties, developer of the Pacific City project. Council members amended the motion to return any unused funds into the park fund.

The site for a new senior center has been placed on the ballot in November as Measure T. If voters approve the measure, the city will have to identify a funding source to build the new center.

Cook said she didn’t support designating the park fund fees as it would mean earmarking $22 million for just one use. The fees from the Pacific City project, as part of the Quimby Act, are to be used for buying park land, Cook said.

“Find some other site in the city or remodel the old site,” she said.

Mayor Dave Sullivan, who introduced the item, said a new senior center is desperately needed in the city.

Other council members agreed. “If you want to buy a home, you need to save for it,” Cathy Green said.

It doesn’t matter where the senior center is built, but funds to build it should be set aside, she said.

The council must show leadership at this time, Keith Bohr said.

“It’s easier to do nothing than to do something.”

Hardy pointed out that many parks, such as Bartlett Park in the city, would remain without necessary repairs or even signs if the park-fee funds were diverted to build a senior center. Restrooms in Central Park are not ADA-compliant and need doors, local resident Mindy White said.

But for Councilman Don Hansen, it boiled down to a policy decision.

“If we took the piecemeal approach, it’ll never happen. The needs are many, and the dollars are few,” Hansen said.

Record hotel revenues earned in July

July revenues for Huntington Beach hotels were a record $7.2 million, a 7.7% increase over the same time last year, according to the Huntington Beach Visitors and Conference Bureau.

There are 17 hotels in the city with about 1,700 hotel rooms. The city will receive about $52,000 in room taxes based on the record July revenues.

“The Surf City USA brand has truly helped put Huntington Beach on the map, as evidenced by this new record,” said Doug Traub, president and chief executive of the bureau.

“With new hotel, shopping and restaurant developments continuing through 2008, Huntington Beach is well on its way to becoming the premier beach vacation spot on the West Coast and an international destination.”

The bureau said the city’s hospitality business has improved, with a 62% increase in annual hotel revenuesince it began to market the city under the Surf City USA moniker.

Three new high-end hotels are expected to come to Huntington Beach as part of the Strand, the Pacific City and other upcoming projects.

Candidates meet ‘n’ greet women

The Republican Women’s October meeting will feature a meeting with candidates running for City Council and School District elections in November.

The Republican candidates include council hopefuls Cathy Green, Gil Coerper and Joe Carchio, and school district candidates Shirley Carey, Linda Schonleber-Cook and Andrew Kreitz. The Ocean View School District candidates are George Clemens and Tracy Pellman. Westminster School Board candidates are Judy Ahrens, K. David Bridgewater, Diana Mendez and Blossie Marquez.

The event will be held from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m., Oct. 18, at the Huntington Beach Hotel.

Reservations are advised before 6 p.m., Oct. 11. The entry fee is $5 to attend the speaker event; $28 with dinner.

For more information, call Barbara Bell at (714) 895-2729, Cathy Green at (714) 897-2039 or Connie Mandic at (714) 377-0017.