Volume XV, Issue 39
www.solanabeachsun.com
Sept. 22, 2011 Published Weekly
SB agrees to share cost of parking study Transit Center project a step closer to fruition
■ Local teen attends Young World Summit in Switzerland. Page 4
BY JOE TASH Contributor Planning for a proposed mixed-use development at the Solana Beach Transit Center took another step
forward as the Solana Beach City Council approved paying half the cost of a parking study for the project. The council voted unanimously at its meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 14, to spend up to $33,500, which includes half the cost of the $58,000 study, plus 15 percent for unforeseen contingencies.
property, which is at the intersection of Lomas Santa Fe and West Cedros avenues, Ott said. The North County Transit District owns the 5.7-acre parcel, although it is located within the city of Solana Beach. Coaster and Amtrak trains stop at the station each day on their way back and forth between San Di-
Accurately estimating the amount of parking needed to serve transit riders is seen as critical, because spaces in an underground parking structure cost $30,000 to $35,000 apiece, City Manager David Ott told the council. Underground parking is the only way to fit adequate parking on the long, narrow
■ New chief of pediatric GI at Rady is a man with a mission. Page 8 Dancers perform at last year’s Arts Alive on the Coastal Rail Trail. PHOTO: CAROL CHILDS
Arts Alive returns to Coastal Rail Trail ■ Founder of Jenna Druck Center visits ‘Ground Zero.’ Page B1
JOHN R. LEFFERDINK
619-813-8222
The winner of “Best Event in San Diego County” for 2010, this year’s event will again feature live music, dancers, stilt theatre walkers, and visual artwork scattered about the CRT. Unlike last year, however, activities will take place along the section of CRT on South Highway 101 that spans from Lomas Santa Fe south to Via de la Valle. “It will be a fantastic day
SEE PARKING, PAGE 6
Earth Song Books to close in November
Art thriving in Solana Beach
BY DIANE Y. WELCH Contributor Carnivale is coming to the Coastal Rail Trail in Solana Beach and everyone is invited to be a part of this free celebration of the arts. Arts Alive on the Coastal Rail Trail (CRT) will take place on Sunday, Oct. 2, from noon - 4 p.m. The event embraces all aspects of the arts with a focus on involvement by community.
ego and destinations to the north. Ott said work on the parking study was set to begin immediately after the council approved its share of the cost. The city and the transit district signed a “memorandum of understanding” in
for art appreciation for the community,” said Carol Beth Rodriguez, a member of the Public Arts Advisory Commission that has overseen and organized the event with the City of Solana Beach. “There will be something for everyone. People will be able to actually experience the arts with their families.”
BY CLAIRE HARLIN Staff Writer Earth Song Books & Gifts, which has been part of the Del Mar community for more than 40 years, will close its doors in November. “For a long time, we’ve been competing with Amazon and Kindle, and our customers haven’t been supporting us in this economy,” said owner Annette Palmer. “We have to close because the funding just isn’t there. The numbers just don’t add up.” Earth Song opened in 1969, and Palmer, with the help of her family, bought the independent bookstore in 2007, only days before wildfires began to ravish nearby areas. She was 24 when she became owner of the store, located at 1440 Camino Del Mar, which she said she fell in love with at first sight. She found out the store was for sale from a Craiglist ad, advertising a $250,000 price tag. “I was just out of college and owned a bookstore by the beach,” she said. “It was my dream.” Palmer said she has already started writing a book about her experience. The closing comes just after the shuttering of Book Works, an independent bookstore that operated at Flower Hill Promenade for 35 years. Across the country, the diminishing of bookstores has been a trend. “When I heard Book Works was closing I SEE BOOKS, PAGE 6
SEE ARTS, PAGE 6
Exceptional Service every step of the way! www.johnlefferdink.com
ANGELA MEAKINS-BERGMAN
858-405-9270
LISA KELLEY
858-880-5242
CONNIE SUNDSTROM
858-334-8114