By John F. Pilch

The next meeting of the San Carlos Area Council (SCAC) is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 2 at 6 p.m. in the Community Room at the San Carlos Branch Library, 7265 Jackson Dr. We continue our efforts to schedule Mayor Kevin Faulconer as our guest speaker to learn more about his plans for the city now that the 2016 budget has been passed by the City Council. More news will be sent to the SCAC email list when we have additional information. See the bottom of this article on how to sign up for updates. As usual, the event is open to the public and there is no charge to attend.

We had an interesting and educational meeting on July 1. It began with a brief discussion of the Mid-City Pipeline project, which will have an impact in our area on Lake Murray Boulevard, from the Alvarado Water Treatment Plant down to Interstate 8 and then under the freeway and the trolley tracks, continuing up the hill to El Cajon Boulevard. Construction is planned from November 2016 to February 2019. We followed this with another brief discussion of the Grantville Focused Plan Amendment, which will result in the redevelopment of the Grantville Area, from Interstate 8 to Friars Road and then east on Mission Gorge Road. Information and maps about both projects were passed out at the meeting and have been sent to the SCAC Interested Party list.

Rita Glick, managing librarian at the San Carlos Branch, then provided some updates about the library and the programs at our branch. Glick thanked the San Carlos Area Council for our $500 donation, which was used to purchase $750 in new books for the branch. The San Diego Public Library Foundation provided matching funds of 50 percent of our donation for use by the San Carlos Friends of Library organization, per their existing program. Rita advised that construction is “nearly complete,” with modifications still needed to finish the Americans with Disabilities Act retrofit. The long-awaited book sale on June 27 was well-attended and raised a goodly sum for the friends to use at the library. The next sale is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 1. There are many new programs being planned for the coming months, and you can learn more at sancarlosfriendsofthelibrary.org. This includes the Summer Reading Program, “Read to the Rhythm,” for children, teens and adults, with a free book to all who complete the program. Finally, we learned about a special meeting about the future of this library, scheduled for Wednesday, July 22 at 6 p.m., when we’ll hear about the purchase of the parking lot at the corner and how the mitigation efforts are progressing. Approximately $150,000 has been raised for the purchase, with more info to be provided about the timeline for the construction of the expanded library. Additional info will be sent to the SCAC List as it is made known to us.

Dan Northcutt, a member of the SCAC Board of Directors and one of the four San Carlos representatives on the board of Navajo Community Planners, Inc. (NCPI), provided an update on the May 13 NCPI meeting. Topics included a discussion of the conditions the planners can request to be included on a Conditional Use Permit (CUP), which is needed for telecom sites and others. John Pilch then added that yet another telecom site was recommended for approval at the 7880 Golfcrest Drive property at the intersection with Mission Gorge Road. We objected to the new faux pine tree, due to its 34-foot height, which is above the 30-foot limit for the city and the fact that it can’t be pruned like the other live trees on the lot. However, we were successful in getting the Verizon telecom proposal for the Masonic Lodge site continued and thank the local residents who attended for their help in getting this result.

Since the SCAC meeting, the NCPI met on Wednesday, July 8 and heard an information item from a developer who proposes to build 26 single-family homes on the property to the right of College Avenue, as you leave I-8 to head toward Del Cerro Boulevard. More information will be available at the Del Cerro Action Council meeting at Temple Emanu-el on Thursday, July 23 at 7 p.m.

Two San Carlos projects were on the NCPI agenda as action items (requiring a vote). The first was the Diego Hills Public Charter School, planned for the vacant Blockbuster Video building at 8776 Lake Murray Blvd., between the Chevron station and McDonald’s. The CUP was approved unanimously, with the hope that a traffic impact study will be completed, if deemed necessary. We see this as a big plus for that immediate area, since a security guard will be on duty during operating hours of 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. for the transitional school for teens and is hoped to deter loitering at McDonald’s and the area around it.

The other project was the renewal of a CUP for an existing T-Mobile telecom site at St. Dunstan’s church on Park Ridge Boulevard at Wandermere Drive. No changes will occur to the antennas that are currently housed in radomes at the top of three existing light poles in the parking lot. We would have preferred to have the NCPI Board review the conditions on the existing permit and make modifications, if and as needed, but that didn’t occur.

NCPI now meets on the second Wednesday of the month at 6:30 PM at Tifereth Israel Synagogue on Tommy Drive and Cowles Mountain Boulevard. Please note the new date and time of their meetings. Find agendas and more info at navajoplanners.org.

On local issues, the proposed Joint-Use Agreement for artificial turf at Gage Elementary School was continued by the City Park and Recreation Board to its meeting on July 16 at 2 p.m. at City Hall. Further, the sewer replacement project on Jackson Drive, from Lake Shore to Lake Murray Boulevard, has begun with minimum intrusion into traffic lanes. The work started earlier than anticipated and should be finished in July or August. And no, we don’t know why there is a pause in the work, but anticipate that it will continue shortly, since the roadway has been marked for additional work. Please be patient and know that the entire roadway will be re-paved following completion of the project, according to Ryley Webb in Councilmember Scott Sherman’s office.

Getting back to the July 1 meeting, our guest speaker was our Community Relations Officer Adam McElroy, who was accompanied by Lt. Mike Swanson, the person in charge of the Navajo Area of Eastern Division. We asked Officer McElroy to speak about the increase in crime in the Navajo Area and San Carlos recently. He provided statistics about the increase in property crimes (residential burglaries and vehicle break-ins) in the four Navajo Area communities that included five residential burglaries (three through open windows/patio doors) and 13 vehicle break-ins in May, with 11 of the vehicles unlocked. In June, there were zero residential burglaries and 11 vehicle break-ins, with nine of those vehicles unlocked. In the past six months, there were 47 car prowls and 21 residential burglaries. Fourteen of the vehicles were parked near Cowles Mountain after hikers left to travel up the mountain. Nineteen of the 47 car prowls involved unlocked vehicles. Officer McElroy provided handouts, which included checklists to help residents prevent vehicle and home burglaries. These documents have been sent to the SCAC Interested Party list. On the positive side of his crime news, Officer McElroy noted that violent crimes, including domestic violence, have decreased from 16 in January to seven and then to four in the past two months. Many thanks to Officer McElroy and Lt. Swanson for taking the time to address SCAC members and residents who had a great deal of questions for the speakers and appeared to be satisfied with the responses.

We are pleased to report that the crops being grown in the San Carlos Community Garden continue to flourish, in spite of the critters that think the greens are being grown for them. The peach crop was plentiful and other fruit trees are maturing and producing crops.

If you’re interested in raising your own fruits and vegetables in this garden, please visit sancarloscommunitygarden.com for details. The community garden is located at the corner of Lake Adlon and Boulder Lake Avenue, adjacent to Springall Academy, 6440 Boulder Lake Drive.

The San Carlos Community Garden has come a long way in three years and the volunteers are to be congratulated for their efforts, the results of which can be seen in the garden. By the way, we just learned that open houses are planned for Saturday mornings from 9 to 11 a.m., so stop by to see for yourself.

We look forward to instituting some changes this year, including a resumption of collecting dues, re-instituting the SCAC newsletter electronically and becoming more actively involved in community events and activities. A letter and return envelope has been mailed to all members on the most recent list, with a request for $7 per household and $15 for a business, which will be listed in the electronic newsletter and other electronic mailings from the SCAC. We’d like prior members to return and are soliciting new members in this article. The funds will be used to make donations to the library (where we meet), Mission Trails Regional Park (on whose Citizens Advisory Committee we have a vote), the San Diego River Coalition (on whose group we have a voting membership) and other deserving entities. We’ll also work to develop a website and enhance the bi-monthly meeting experience. We’re interested in hearing from residents about ideas to enhance our community. Someone recently suggested that we attempt to have a food truck gathering in San Carlos, and we’re looking into that. Please send your thoughts and suggestions to jfpilch@hotmail.com to be considered by our 11-member board.

For information about speakers, meeting reminders and agendas and other local news, please send an email message to jfpilch@hotmail.com and request that your name be added to the SCAC Interested Party email list. Rest assured that your privacy will be respected and neither your name nor your email address will be shared with anyone. Messages are sent “Bcc” to prevent you from being spammed.

—John F. Pilch is president of the San Carlos Area Council. If you have an issue you wish the council to consider or just have a question about the community, please contact him at 619-462-1408 or by e-mail at jfpilch@hotmail.com.