Skate park project moves forward

With state grant funding secured, city planners are moving forward with the design phase of a new skate park in Linda Vista.

Public workshops have been scheduled for Jan. 15 and Feb. 10 to gather community input on features to include in the park, which will occupy approximately 40,000 square feet of space within the existing Linda Vista Community Park along Levant Street.

City planners have contracted with SITE Design Group, a Carlsbad-based firm that specializes in skate parks. SITE’s local portfolio includes public skate park projects in Ocean Beach, Escondido, Encinitas, Coronado, Chula Vista and Camp Pendleton. The firm also touts its design of a private park in Tony Hawk’s backyard as well as dozens of other public and private skate facilities throughout the U.S. and around the globe.

The second workshop on Feb. 10 will coincide with a meeting of the Linda Vista Recreation Council, which will vote on whether to amend the Linda Vista Community Park’s general development plan to accommodate the skate facility. The Recreation Council’s decision will be forwarded to the city’s Park and Recreation Board, which will make the final decision on whether to modify the park and.

Chris Limon, the Linda Vista resident who has been organizing young skaters in support of the project, recently joined the Recreation Council and said he expects the group to approve the changes.

If approved, the design and construction will be paid for with a $3 million grant from the state’s Housing-Related Parks Program, a $200 million bond program created by voters through Proposition 1C in 2006.

The Jan. 15 meeting will begin at 6 p.m. in the recreation center at 7064 Levant St. The Feb. 10 meeting will be held at 5 p.m. in the recreation center.

Temporary ice rink opens at Westfield Mission Valley

The Westfield Mission Valley mall will be a bit colder than the rest of town this month as the mall hosts a temporary 5,000-square-foot ice skating rink in the courtyard near Macy’s and Tilted Kilt.

The admission price of $14 includes skate rental and unlimited skating during business hours. A $4 discount is available for active military personnel with valid identification. Other discounts are available on theme nights, including a two-for-one admission deal on Tuesday nights.

The ice rink is designed, maintained and managed by Rink Specialists.

It is open until 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and until 11 p.m. on Friday through Sunday. Special hours apply on holidays. For more details, visit missionvalleyice.com.

Maritime Museum needs volunteers

The Maritime Museum of San Diego is recruiting volunteers to serve as docents for museum visitors. Docents guide visitors through the museum’s collections and answer questions about the vessels and artifacts that represent worldwide maritime history since the 16^th century.

The museum will train interested volunteers through a program of lectures, suggested readings and ship tours on Tuesday mornings beginning Jan. 6. Interested volunteers unable to make the Tuesday morning meetings may be able to make alternative arrangements. For additional information on the docent training program, call Volunteer Coordinator Jeff Loman at 619-234-9153 ext. 135 or send a message to [email protected].

Local libraries stay open longer

As of Nov. 8, all public library branches in San Diego – including those in Mission Valley and Linda Vista – expanded their hours, thanks to additional funding included in the city’s 2014-2015 budget.

The Mission Valley branch, considered one of the city library system’s “core” branches, is now open for a total of 55.5 hours a week, up from the previous schedule of 48 hours a week. The new hours on Sunday are 12:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. Hours on Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday are 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Hours on Tuesday and Wednesday are 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The Linda Vista branch is now open for 51 hours a week, an increase from the previous 44 hours a week, but remains closed on Sundays. Hours on Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday are 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Hours on Tuesday and Wednesday are 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.

“The revised schedule restores the hours that were reduced during earlier budget challenges,” said Bruce Johnson, the library systems’ deputy director, in a written statement. “We are pleased that we now have the most hours the San Diego Public Library has had in 10 years.”

More information on library hours, closures and other details can be found online at sandiego.gov/public-library.

SANDAG offers mini-grants to help local groups promote bicycling

The San Diego Association of Governments is offering up to $30,000 in grants for creative community projects and programs that encourage people to participate in Bike to Work Month in 2015. Community bike rides, safety education courses, “Bike to School Day” events and other contests or campaigns to promote bike riding are among the ideas SANDAG is looking to fund as part of a broader effort to encourage people to adopt bicycling as a mode of transportation.

The grants — up to $3,000 each — are available on a first-come, first-served basis to community groups, educational institutions, nonprofit organizations and local government agencies. Activities funded by the grants must take place between April 1 and June 30, 2015. For more details on eligibility, selection criteria and other requirements, visit 511sd.com/iCommute or call 5-1-1 and say “iCommute.”

City looking for permanent homeless shelter

San Diego’s Housing Commission is looking for a permanent indoor facility to house a minimum of 350 homeless individuals every night of the year. The city has long relied on temporary tents in Barrio Logan and the Midway area to provide shelter for some homeless individuals, at a cost of $1.6 million a year.

The city estimates it will have $2.2 million to spend on property management and supportive social services in the first year at the new shelter, beginning July 1, 2015. The Housing Commission will give priority to proposals in the Downtown area and to proposals from nonprofit organizations that have experience providing shelter and services to homeless individuals. At least 40 percent of the beds in the new shelter would be reserved for homeless veterans.

“The [request for proposals] is a welcome first step since no real effort has been made in the past to find a different site or to implement a permanent indoor homeless shelter to replace the temporary beds the tent provides,” stated Councilmember David Alvarez in a press release.