JUNE 12, 2015
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T he C oast News
Del Mar City Council OKs river path extension permit By Bianca Kaplanek
DEL MAR — With a deadline to spend a county grant only three months away, Del Mar council members at the June 1 meeting certified an environmental study and approved a conditional use permit for the River Path Del Mar extension. The 2,965-foot addition will advance an existing path east from Jimmy Durante Boulevard to the Old Grand Avenue Bridge viewpoint and bring the scenic loop trail one step closer to a future connection at the Crest Canyon segment. It is located between San Dieguito Drive and the lagoon and is part of one segment of a seven-mile hiking trail around the city’s perimeter. A joint project between the city and the San Dieguito River Valley Conservancy, the extension is estimated to cost $475,000. So far $286,500 has been raised. That amount includes a $150,000 grant from the Neighborhood Reinvestment Program facilitated by County Supervisor Dave Roberts that must be spent by September. Other funding includes $73,000 in private donations received by the conservancy, $7,000 from REI, $1,500 from the California 10/20 Race and $20,000 from the William Hall Tippett and Ruth Rathell Tippett Foundation. Another $35,000 received from the city includes a $5,000 grant from the Friends of the San Dieguito River Valley. The project will include two overlooks, two picnic areas, limited fencing and signage, the replanting of about one-third of an acre of coastal sage scrub and the removal of several eucalyptus
The Del Mar City Council approves a use permit to move forward with a plan that will extend River path Del Mar. Part of the funding for the $475,000 project comes from a county grant that must be spent by September. Courtesy rendering
and palm trees. Joseph Smith, senior planner, said the extension implements provisions of the community plan and meets most of the criteria of the San Dieguito Lagoon Enhancement Plan, a 1979 document the city adopted to manage the lagoon. The project crosses 15 parcels east of Jimmy Durante, about half of which are privately owned. Deborah Rosenthal, a land use attorney representing one property owner, said her clients are not opposed to the trail
but feel they are being asked to “foot a fair proportion of the land costs.” She said Philip and Deborah Wyatt, who own a parcel in the center of the project, received a letter from the city asking them to donate their land in exchange for a tax deduction. “The Wyatts are sorry to tell you they are not in a position to need a tax deduction,” Rosenthal said, adding that her clients met with staff members and offered to sell or exchange the property or work on development rights.
“The city was very friendly but no offer of any kind was ever received,” she said. She said the Wyatts would like the city to put up fencing to distinguish on the ground that theirs is private property. They would prefer the city purchase the property, “which probably should have been done years ago,” Rosenthal said, or at a minimum honor the community plan, which promises that private property owners would not be deprived of their property without compensation.
Councilman Don Mosier asked why they feel compensation is required since the trail won’t be on their property. Rosenthal said the trail will “completely encircle the property,” deprive access, make “it virtually impossible for them ever to use the property” and bring additional pedestrians to the area. Mosier said the trail extension will stop people who have been crossing the parcel for years TURN TO RIVER PATH ON A21
Officer shot at during burglary investigation Track team charged By Ellen Wright
CARLSBAD — On Wednesday at about 3:30 a.m. Carlsbad Police officers responded to reports of a vehicle burglary in the 2300 block of La Costa Avenue. Before officers arrived on the scene, a witness reported the suspects driving a light-colored pickup truck. A Carlsbad police officer located the possible suspect vehicle, a light
colored Ford Ranger with an extended cab, driving north on El Camino Real and tried to pull the suspect over by turning on his overhead emergency lights. After a few seconds, the suspect started firing from an unknown type of gun. The shots did not injure the police officer but hit his patrol car. The officer did not return fire and chased the
suspect east on Palomar Airport Road, reaching speeds over 100 miles per hour. The bullet holes hit the engine, forcing the officer to stop the chase on San Marcos Boulevard near Discovery Way. The suspect was not caught and is still at large as of press time Thursday morning. There is currently no description of the suspect. Eastbound lanes along
Palomar Airport Road from El Camino Real to Melrose Drive were closed in the morning for the investigation. “Carlsbad Police Detectives are currently investigating the vehicle burglaries and the attempted murder of the police officer,” said Carlsbad Police Lt. Mickey Williams. Two other cars in the 2300 block of La Costa Avenue were burglarized.
Carlsbad Municipal Water District promotes water efficiency By Ellen Wright
CARLSBAD —The Carlsbad Municipal Water District has launched a water-saving campaign to encourage residents to conserve water. “A lot of Carlsbad residents are already doing the right thing when it comes to water conservation,” said Carlsbad Municipal Water District Conservation Coordinator Mario Remillard. “But we still see a lot of opportunities to save more water, especially in landscaping.” Half of all water use in the city is used outdoors. The water district is giving out free lawn signs for residents and business owners, which reads: “Carlsbad Preserves,
We’re Doing Our Part.” The signs are available at city libraries and offices. Carlsbad is currently in Drought Response Level 2, which places mandatory restrictions on residents. Sprinklers are allowed for eight minutes twice a week, on assigned days depending on the address. Residents at addresses ending in an odd number may water on Tuesdays and Fridays. Those living at addresses ending in an even number, plus all apartments, condos and businesses, may water on Mondays and Thursdays. Residents are not allowed to wash down hard surfaces, like sidewalks
and parking lots, unless required for sanitation reasons. Restaurants and hotels are only allowed to serve water as requested. The water district also has awareness tools and resources available, including rebates, free home use water checkups and water-wise landscaping seminars. The restrictions are part of the statewide mandates that went into effect April 1. The Carlsbad Municipal Water District must reduce water use by 28 percent. The city uses recycled water in about half of the parks. Where recycled water
isn’t available, the city is ripping out turf that is solely for decorative purposes. Water-saving tips can be found online at carlsbadca.gov/water. People who violate the water restrictions will first be visited by water district officials. If they continue to violate the restrictions, they will be fined. The citywide restrictions have been in place for almost a year but the state restrictions went into effect in April. The state can fine local water agencies up to $10,000 a day for not complying with the mandates to incentivize districts’ adherence.
patrons to park at event Parking fee came without OUSD permission By Aaron Burgin
OCEANSIDE — When Carlsbad High School junior Cameron Gage arrived at the parking lot of Oceanside High School on April 3 for his track meet, he said he was met with a surprise. Gage was told at the school entrance that it would cost $5 for him to park for the track meet, the fourth annual Willie Banks Invitational, which is the region’s largest high school track event, attended by 14 schools and hundreds of athletes across Southern California. He took to Twitter to complain about the parking fee. “How is Oceanside going to charge you $5 to park...in a public school parking lot?” Gage tweeted. The Oceanside High Track and Field Team, which puts on the annual event, said the parking fee was a fundraiser for the club, and helps pay for the team’s activities. Upwards of 500 people
attended the event as spectators. The track team has charged for parking for the four years the track invitational has been held, said Willie Buchanon, one of the school’s most famous alumni who currently serves as a track coach. “We’ve been doing this for four years and it never has been a problem until you brought it up,” Buchanon said to a reporter this week. Buchanon said that he wasn’t sure how much money was raised by the parking fee. But school district officials said they were unaware that the track team charged people for parking at the event, or that the parking lot fee was part of the fundraiser. This, officials from a state agency that provides schools with fiscal advice, is a problem. “We believe it is clear that the governing board is responsible for approving fund-raising events,” said Anthony Bridges, the deputy executive officer of the Fiscal Crisis and Asset Management Team, an agency that provides school districts with fiscal advice and management TURN TO PARKING ON A21