por Shain Haug

Meetings and Town Halls

The Board of Directors of the Allied Gardens/Grantville Community Council (AGGCC) met on June 6 to discuss the purchase of a laptop computer, the development of 757 apartment units in the 10.5 acres bounded by Twain, Fairmount and Vandever Avenues, and the alley between Twain and Vandever. Also discussed were other land-use issues, and the program for the July 26 Town Hall Meeting. The minutes of this meeting are available upon request.

On May 24, the AGGCC met as a Town Hall Meeting. Our SDPD Community Relations Officer John Steffen again reminded us to maintain personal vigilance to protect ourselves from home and automobile burglaries and suggested the importance of Neighborhood Watch organizations. He can be reached at 858-495-7971 and jmsteffen@pd.sandiego.gov.

At the May 24 meeting, Councilman Scott Sherman reported on the aggressive pace of the city in repairing, to date, 300 miles of our streets and 11,000 potholes as we try to catch up with years of neglect. During Sherman’s term, the city has initiated procedural changes that have increased code enforcement responses; have simplified and reduced the cost of obtaining Condition Use Permits for charter schools; have brought new efficiencies in the process of hiring police officers; and have established incentives for city employees to improve governmental operations. Sherman is currently working on Urban Agricultural Incentive Zones that will allow property committed to public gardens to be taxed at a significantly lower rate than is generally applied to residential and commercial property. His representative Liz Saidkhanian can be reached at 619-236-6677 and esaidkhanian@sandiego.gov.

Friday concerts and sponsors

The turnout of 1,500 neighbors at the June 3 First Friday concert by The Rollers and their cover of all The Beatles’ hits made for a marvelous family picnic. Great music and lots of fun. Our thanks to all our sponsors who made this evening possible. Our thanks especially to Ideal Plumbing for the hot dogs and bright smiles behind the counter and for the everyday commitment the company makes to the community.

On July 1, enjoy Classic Buzz as they rejuvenate the tired genre of “classic rock cover bands” with excellent song selection and energized performances of all of the greatest hits from bands including Journey, Led Zeppelin, The Who, The Doors, The Beatles, Van Halen and many more. Classic Buzz brings its musical swagger and soaring vocals to the Allied Gardens Recreation Center between 6 and 8 p.m. Visit the band’s website at classicbuzzband.com.

Keep your calendar open for the remaining concerts:

Aug. 5, 2016 – Sirens Crush (Pop Top 40)

Sept. 2, 2016 – Rachel Aldous and The Road Home (Bluegrass, Folk, Americana)

Our concert supporter Benchmark Brewing Company is located at 6190 Fairmount Ave., Suite G, San Diego. Benchmark Brewing was founded three years ago by Matt Akin (formally a head brewer at Alesmith), his spouse Rachael, and Matt’s parents, Jim and Margaret Akin. They regularly brew 10 to 12 beers on tap. The product line includes five core brews that are low in alcohol for maximum enjoyment. They use a broad variety of hops to produce nothing but “beer flavored beer” that is dispensed at the Fairmount Avenue location and is sold on draught and in cans at 200 local establishments.

—Shain Haug es el presidente del Consejo Comunitario de Allied Gardens/Grantville. Él puede ser contactado en aggccshain@yahoo.com. Sus sugerencias para las reuniones del Ayuntamiento y cualquier tema que crea que el Consejo Comunitario debería abordar serán muy apreciados.