By Shain Haug and Tommy Thornton 

Town Hall Meetings

Our Allied Gardens/Grantville Community Council (AGGCC) Town Hall Meeting will be on Tuesday, July 25 at 7 p.m. at Ascension Lutheran Church, 51st and Zion avenues. You do not want to miss this special event.

After presentations by local agencies and the Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP), we will hear from Senator Toni G. Atkins. Senator Atkins brings us information and perspectives from terms as a City Councilperson and State Assembly Representative (where she served as Speaker), and in her current position as our representative from State Senatorial District 39 where she serves on Rules; Transportation and Housing; Health; Natural Resources and Water; and Labor and Industrial Relations committees. Her topics will include an update on the state budget, and education funding. Time will be allowed for your questions.

On Tuesday, Sept. 26, our Town Hall Meeting speaker will be Marceline Marques, the director of the San Diego Unified School District Neighborhood Schools Enrollment Options. She will address the options program; what the schools in your area have to offer; and how to make an application for your school of choice during the 2018/2019 school year. This presentation will be of particular interest to parents of children who are just beginning their educational careers.

First Friday concerts

July 7 marked the second of five First Friday free concerts in Allied Gardens Park — a great way to spend a Friday evening. The group Popvinyl performed classic rock and pop songs for the large gathering of neighbors and friends. Children made great use of the playground and free beach balls, generously donated by Ideal Plumbing. Mother Nature provided a rather warm evening but also a beautiful sunset to close out the entertainment.

Aug. 4 is your next chance to join your neighbors and enjoy another free concert. The band Classic Buzz will perform with a heavy dose of classic rock. Blanket, beach chairs and picnics are encouraged.

Welcome

We are pleased to report that Gay and Chris Holbrook are bringing a Grocery Outlet to the Allied Gardens Shopping Center. On Aug. 3 at 10 a.m., they will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony in connection with their Grand Opening.

The Community Council will be represented by Edie Odierno, a long-term member of the board of directors and the Historian Emeritus of Allied Gardens. Join the community and help give these new neighbors a big welcome.

Magnolia Public Schools will open their tuition-free public charter school on Estrella between Orcutt and Zion (the site of the old DeAnza School) this fall. The focus of instruction will be Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM). More to follow, but for now information can be found at magnoliapublicschools.org.

Board of directors meetings

The AGGCC board of directors meets on the first Monday of each month at 7 p.m. at the Ascension Lutheran Church. Our next meeting will be on Aug. 7.

AGGCC projects

Each month we will report on AGGCC projects.

Board member Deanne Palmer, a realtor with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, will explore projects for Waring Road and the Allied Garden Recreation Center to enhance our neighborhood and elevate our property values. She will explore funding and installation of a neighborhood arch across Waring Road similar to those in Kensington, Normal Heights, and Little Italy. She will encourage businesses that will favor our community interests to consider the vacancies available in the Waring Road shopping center and she will work with other committee members to beautify and improve our recreation center.

Zion Avenue beautification project

Aug 22 at 6:30 p.m. in the Allied Gardens/Benjamin Branch Library Community Room, the San Diego Community Forestry Advisory Board will present information on the city’s free street tree program.

Residents living along Zion Avenue or any Allied Gardens/Grantville residents interested in having more trees in their neighborhoods are encouraged to attend to learn about the program and the many benefits of trees.

For more information, contact Sophia Frost at [email protected] or Jessica Read at [email protected].

—Shain Haug is the President of the AGGCC. Reach him at [email protected]. Suggestions for Town Hall Meetings and Council action will be much appreciated and your participation in these activities will be helpful. Tommy Thornton is a member of the Council and a member of Allied Gardens Community Events, the organization that produces the concerts.