Civita Park plans grand ribbon-cutting event

Civita Park, the largest city park in Mission Valley, will be unveiled at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 29, with a civic ceremony and ribbon-cutting. The park is located on Civita Boulevard at Russell Parkway, just north of Friars Road. The public is invited to attend.

The festivities, which will run until 3 p.m., will feature live music, circus performers, a gardening presentation, photo opportunities with exotic birds, tai chi demonstrations, food trucks and activities for the kids.

A drawing for spots in the 38-plot community garden will take place at noon. The public may enter the drawing that day.

The Arbor Day weekend festivities mark the grand opening of the first two phases of Civita Park, a 14.3-acre park that cascades down the former quarry site.

“Civita Park is the centerpiece of Civita’s network of parks, open space and trails that encompasses nearly one-third of the community,” Marco Sessa, senior vice president of Sudberry Properties, master developer of Civita, said in a press release. “We’re delighted to unveil this park, which has been in the planning and construction stages for over a decade.”

The first two phases of Civita Park encompass more than 10 acres and feature a number of highlights including an outdoor amphitheater; a lighted water feature with 48 jets; a large plaza; picnic tables and outdoor living rooms; a community garden; a restored 1956 red Porsche tractor on display; a dog park; multi-purpose fields; two half basketball courts; exercise stations and extensive trails and walkways; a waterfall that runs during the rainy season; and public art throughout the park.

“The next phases of the park, which will open next year, will include two playgrounds, more fields, a bocce court, the “Mining Relic Terrace” with historic mining equipment and a Caterpillar D8 bulldozer, and three gardens,” said Mark Radelow, vice president for Sudberry Properties. “We’ve done our best to create a park that serves the community with sports and recreation opportunities, and places for quiet relaxation, entertainment, community events, gardening, socializing, and meeting friends. We believe that it will be a major contribution to community life in Civita and throughout Mission Valley,” he said.

Civita Park is owned by the city of San Diego, and maintained by the Civita Maintenance Assessment District. Visit CivitaLife.com for the complete schedule of events.

Hazard Center named “Recycler of the Year”

Hazard Center has been selected by the city of San Diego’s Environmental Services Department as “Recycler of the Year” – with a special distinction of “Rising Star” – in the 2017 Waste Reduction and Recycling Awards Program.

The program highlights businesses and organizations located within the city that have implemented or expanded innovative and successful waste reduction, recycling and recycled product purchasing programs.

The “Recycler of the Year” award recognizes the “outstanding” recycling and waste reduction efforts of Hazard Center’s office tower and retail tenants, and the property management team, PMRG.

“Our office and retail tenants work hard to reduce their waste emissions, and we are proud of the dedication to sustainability they have shown,” Hazard Center general manager Lisa Gualco said in a press statement.

The center’s waste diversion practices include providing mixed recycling dumpsters for all tenants in common areas and food waste dumpsters for the retail food services tenants.

Additionally, Hazard Center recycles all possible construction materials, tree and plant trimmings, LED and fluorescent lights from throughout the property, and all batteries.

For more than 10 years, the center has also held a yearly event where tenants drop off items to be recycled – including electronic waste, batteries, lights, ink cartridges and more – from their offices and homes.

In 2016, Hazard Center became the first shopping center to successfully implement a food waste diversion program in San Diego County. The program aims to reduce organic waste in landfills, while processing food scraps into rich compost.

The property also implemented a Pillars of Responsibility Investing program in 2014, a unique sustainability and investment platform through Principal Real Estate Investors.

“We believe that sustainability is critical to superior asset management and fiduciary governance, delivering positive financial and environmental outcomes,” said Pat Halter, CEO of Principal Real Estate Investors.

For more information about the Waste Reduction and Recycling Awards Program, visit sandiego.gov/environmental-services/recycling.

MTS offers mobile ticketing

On March 30, the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) and the North County Transit District (NCTD) announced the launch of Compass Cloud, an anytime, anywhere mobile ticketing option for San Diego transit riders.

Compass Cloud offers MTS and NCTD riders the following mobile ticketing benefits:

• 24/7 Purchasing Capabilities – Passengers can purchase fares on their phones at any time, giving them the option of making a transaction at their leisure.
• Family-Friendly – Multiple tickets and passes can be stored and activated on one phone, making it easy for families and friends traveling together.
• Future Use Ticketing– Multiple tickets and different types of passes can be stored for future use so passengers can avoid the hassle of purchasing a new ticket every time they ride.
• Secure and Reliable– Full compliance with Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards for secure mobile transactions.

“Compass Cloud gives our passengers a new level of convenience to ride transit throughout San Diego County,”  MTS CEO Paul Jablonski said in a press statement. “For the first time, people can use mobile ticketing every day on all transit modes: bus, light rail and commuter rail. We have put the ticket-buying experience right at the fingertips of our customers. Compass Cloud is another great example about how MTS is changing the way San Diego moves.”

According to a recent survey, more than 85 percent of MTS passengers carry a smartphone. And nearly two-thirds of these passengers said they would likely use mobile ticketing if it were available. Compass Cloud fulfills this market demand by allowing riders to purchase transit fares right on their smartphones. It is the first mobile ticketing app that is good for both transit agencies, good seven days a week and available for MTS Rapid, MTS bus, the Trolley and NCTD Coaster, Sprinter and Breeze.

In the first phase, day passes, 30-day passes and Coaster one-way tickets will be available for adult passengers. Future phases will include discounted fares for youth, seniors and disabled. Prices for passes will be the same as from Ticket Vending Machines, The Transit Store, Customer Service Centers and third-party outlets. With Compass Cloud, there is no need to have any other fare media.

For more information about Compass Cloud, including how to download the app, learn about fare types and frequently asked questions, visit sdmts.com/compass-cloud.

Volunteer for cleanup on Earth Day

Registration for I Love A Clean San Diego’s (ILACSD) countywide cleanup event is now open at CreekToBay.org.

The annual Creek to Bay Cleanup is a one-day event that gives thousands of local residents the chance to channel their appreciation for San Diego’s environment into action.

ILACSD anticipates over 6,000 volunteers for this year’s event on Earth Day, April 22 from 9 a.m. to noon.

There are 100 cleanup locations throughout San Diego County for volunteers to get involved.  A complete list of cleanup sites is available at CreekToBay.org.

The event tagline, “Your Neighborhood, Our Environment,” encourages volunteers to sign up for a site in their neighborhood to contribute to the health and beauty of the entire region.

In 2016, more than 6,400 volunteers removed 170,000 pounds of debris during the three-hour event. While trash removal is a large focus of the event, volunteers will also make a difference in their communities through beautification projects such as native planting and graffiti removal. These beautification projects restore local outdoor areas and evoke a strong sense of community pride across the county.

Around 80 percent of marine debris originates from inland sources. The litter generated in neighborhoods finds its way to beaches and waterways. ILACSD focuses on inland communities to stop pollution at the source. This year’s event will have 77 inland sites.

ILACSD encourages volunteers to bring their own reusable water bottle, gardening or work gloves, and bucket to collect litter.

There will be a “Bling Your Bucket” contest that encourages creativity and conservation. Kids and adults can submit a photo of their decorated reusable trash collection bucket for a chance to win prizes. There will also be a Creek to Bay Cleanup Photo Contest, sponsored by Sony Electronics, which celebrates volunteerism.

Visit CreekToBay.org or cleansd.org for more information.

Alvarado Hospital wins safety award

On April 4, Alvarado Hospital announced that it is the only hospital in San Diego to garner the Healthgrades 2017 Patient Safety Excellence Award, putting it in the top 5 percent in the nation for patient safety. This is the third year Alvarado has received this designation.

The Patient Safety Excellence Award recognizes superior performance in hospitals that have prevented serious, potentially avoidable complications for patients during hospital stays, according to Healthgrades, an online resource for information about physicians and hospitals.

“At Alvarado, we are committed to patient safety at every level and this recognition is a testament to our team’s dedication to keeping our patients safe,” Alvarado Hospital CEO Robin Gomez said in a press statement. “We are proud to provide this superior level of safety to San Diegans.”

During the 2013-15 study period, Healthgrades found that patients treated in hospitals receiving the Patient Safety Excellence Award were, on average:

• 40 percent less likely to experience an accidental puncture or laceration during a procedure, than patients treated at non-recipient hospitals.
• 44.6 percent less likely to experience a collapsed lung due to a procedure or surgery in or around the chest, than patients treated at non-recipient hospitals.
• 54.4 percent less likely to experience catheter-related bloodstream infections acquired at the hospital, than patients treated at non-recipient hospitals.
• 50.2 percent less likely to experience pressure sores or bed sores acquired in the hospital, than patients treated at non-recipient hospitals.

On average, 134,568 patient safety events could have been avoided if all hospitals, as a group from 2013 to 2015, performed similarly to hospitals performing better than expected on each of 13 patient safety indicators evaluated by Healthgrades.

During the study period, award recipient hospitals demonstrated excellent performance in safety provided for patients in the Medicare population, as measured by objective outcomes (risk-adjusted patient safety indicator rates) for 13 patient safety indicators defined by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).

For more information about Healthgrades or to download a full copy of the report, or to receive information about hospital and physician quality, visit Healthgrades.com/quality.