FIXING BIRD ROCK’S FLIGHT PATH
District 1 Councilman and Council President Peters (right) explains the Bird Rock Coastal Traffic Flow Improvement Project to Mayor Jerry Sanders and community members during a June 20 groundbreaking ceremony.
The first phase of construction, which will take 100 working days, will be completed by November.
The final phase is scheduled to begin in August and take 190 working days.
The project includes street and sewer repairs and upgrades, small traffic circles and median landscaping.

Historical Society elects new board
The La Jolla Historical Society recently elected several new board members and officers to aid its historical preservation and restoration efforts in the community.
According to Ruth Varonfakis, communications representative for the Historical Society, the board is “the workhorse, the think tank,” and each of the new members has a talent valued by the Historical Society.
For example, she said that Tom Grunow, the owner of Grunow Construction, lives in an historic home and has restored several historic homes in La Jolla.
Varonfakis also expects Connie Mullin Branscomb, another newly elected member, to use her background in the arts to help the Historical Society plan future exhibitions. In the past, Branscomb has served on the La Jolla Historical Society’s Secret Garden Tour Committee and arranged for musicians to play in the gardens.
Other newly elected members bring their connections within the community to the Historical Society Board. These include Donald G. Yeckel, the current president of the Torrey Pines””La Jolla Rotary Foundation, and Sherri Lightner, former president of the La Jolla Town Council and current chair of the La Jolla Shores Association, as well as secretary of the La Jolla Town Council and of the La Jolla Community Planning Association.
Among other duties, the new board will oversee the creation of a lecture series and determine future use of Wisteria Cottage, the Historical Society’s headquarters.
Heading up these responsibilities will be Roger Craig, the recently elected president of the Historical Society’s executive committee.
In addition to aiding fundraising and recruitment efforts, Craig has been “very involved in identifying, recording and documenting those historic structures that should be considered important to La Jolla’s architectural heritage,” said John Bolthouse, executive director of the Historical Society.
Judith Haxo, former president of the board, will remain on the board as vice president. Sharilyn Gallison will remain as treasurer, and Dr. Ruth Covell as secretary.

City hosts public Charter Review forum tonight
The City Charter Review Committee will hold a public forum tonight, June 28, 6 to 7:30 p.m., in the auditorium at University City High School.
Committee members will solicit input from the community that will assist them in reviewing the city charter. John Davies, chair of the City Charter Review Committee, will lead the forum, which is the first of two public meetings.
UC High is located at 6949 Genesee Ave.

Composters will share their knowledge
Experienced master composters from the Solana Center for Environmental Innovation will give a free seminar about the art of composting on Saturday, June 30, 8 to 10 a.m. In a Do It Yourself composting workshop, they teach participants how to make a compost pile, create a nutrient-rich garden soil, save water and lighten the landfill by recycling kitchen scraps and garden debris.
The workshop will be held in front of the zoo in Balboa Park.
To sign up for the free composting workshop, call Joni Gabriel, (760) 436-7986, ext. 216, or send an email to [email protected].

Methodist Choir embarks on ‘Sentimental Journey’
The La Jolla United Methodist Church is taking a “Sentimental Journey” to the 1940s on June 29, and the Chancel Choir will be performing a medley of old songs in a free concert. Individual choir members will also sing and perform on the flute and guitar.
Following the concert, the church will be hosting an ice cream social for all attendees in its Memorial Hall.
John Yankee, who has worked as the artistic director of the San Diego Children’s Choir, will be leading his first show as the church’s new choir director.
The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 29, at La Jolla United Methodist Church, 6063 La Jolla Blvd. Admission is free.
For information, call (858) 454-7108.

MCASD courts younger visitors
The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (MCASD) has a new 25 and Under Free program. Sponsored by Qualcomm, both the La Jolla and the downtown MCASD locations are now free to people 25 and under.
To promote the program, MCASD launched the marketing campaign “Feed the Greedy Organ,” meaning the eye.
“We wanted to creatively publicize the program, in a way that would appeal to the 18- to 25-year-olds, our target group,” said Denise Montgomery, MCASD director of communications.
The museum recognizes that younger people often don’t have the resources to visit a museum, while the name intrigues people to check out the website www.feedthegreedyorgan.com and find out about MCASD.
The program went into effect in the beginning of the year, together with the expansion of the MCASD downtown site. With the new Joan and Irwin Jacobs Building and the David C. Copley Building, the museum has now the facilities to reach larger audiences and provide more program space.
“The attendance by the 25-year-olds and under went up about 35 per cent,” Montgomery said.
She said the current exhibitions also invite the younger target group because “they are interesting and stimulating.”
The MCASD in La Jolla, 700 Prospect St., is open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday through Tuesday, and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday.The MCASD in downtown San Diego is located at 1100-1001 Kettner Blvd.
Hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday through Tuesday, and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday and Friday.
Entrance fees are $10 for general admission, $5 for seniors and military with ID, and free for MCASD members and visitors 25 and under.
The admission is valid for seven days at both locations.