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CINCO DE MAYO
SAN DIEGO COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER GROUP
FRIDAY, MAY 2, 2014
FAMILY FESTIVALS ON TAP
FESTIVALS GALORE As spring begins in earnest, the area is gearing up for two noted (and distinctive) festivals – the colorful Fiesta Old Town Cinco de Mayo and the rambunctious Gator by the Bay. The Cinco event, above, is the largest of its kind in Southern California, spanning three days with live music stages, a low-rider car show and pretty girls like the folklorico dancer above. The event takes place in various Old Town locations Friday through Sunday, May 2 through 4. For more, see oldtownsandiegoguide.com. Below, Gator by the Bay is reserved for the Cajun in all of us, with Louisiana food, music and fun from Thursday through Sunday, May 8 to 11. For further information, see gatorbythebay.com. COURTESY PHOTOS
LJTODAY.COM | VOLUME 18, NUMBER 15
Contractors fighting clock to complete construction along Avenida de la Playa Contractors are racing against time to complete the so-called Avenida de la Playa Infrastructure Replacement and Sewer & Water Group projects at La Jolla Shores before Memorial Day, ahead of the city’s summer construction moratorium. “Everyone involved is doing their absolute best to complete the project, making every effort to finish up as quickly as possible,” said Department of Public Works spokeswoman Mónica Muñoz. “But as you know, we can never assume that everything will go smoothly and without a hitch.” The projects are designed to improve stormwater, sewer and water services by creating more reliable systems and replacing undersize storm drains, which have contributed to frequent flooding and resultant pollution to the adjacent Shores beach and its state-designated Area of Special Biological Significance. They involve installing new sewer and water mains within portions of the public rights-of-way of Avenida de la Playa, Paseo del Ocaso, E1 Paseo Grande, Vallecitos, Calle Frescota, Camino del Sol, Camino del Oro, Paseo Dorado and Avenida de la Ribera. In a prepared statement, the city said both projects — which have been combined into one and are
By DAVE SCHWAB being done concurrently to save time and cost — is “not on schedule due to delays caused by utilities conflict/relocation, the SDG&E under grounding of power lines and the redesign of box culverts to provide proper street drainage.” The city said unforeseen construction delays occurred in late February because of a quality-control issue with material from a supplier and in early March, when there were several days of rain. “The schedule, as often happens with construction, currently is in flux. The recovery schedule may be provided in the next two weeks or so. Due to these delays, an acceleration change has been submitted to the city engineering department for approval,” according to the city’s statement. “Everyone is tolerating it (construction) knowing it’s for improvement and has to happen,” said Izzy Tihanyi, of Surf Diva on Avenida de la Playa. He added some work changes have been disconcerting. “We were told they weren’t going to cut up the avenue and now they are, so we’re (merchants) a little confused,” she said. Tihanyi said the community and city have been collaborating for the
SEE AVENIDA >> PG. 2
Condo residents, SANDAG to meet amid trolley corridor route flap May 9 is D-Day for the La Jolla condo residents who will invade a San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) board meeting to lobby against a proposal to bring the Mid-Coast Corridor Transit Project trolley service closer to their homes, which they fear could negatively impact their quality of life. The project would extend trolley service from Santa Fe Depot in downtown San Diego to University City, serving Old Town, UCSD and Westfield UTC. Construction is expected to begin in 2015, with service starting in 2018. But there’s a lot of time — and a long way to go — between now
By DAVE SCHWAB and then, said Cape La Jolla Gardens residents, who want to ensure residents’ opinions aren’t bypassed in SANDAG’s efforts to select the trolley extension’s final alignment. Condo spokesman Michael Krupp said he and his neighbors aren’t opposed to the trolley’s extension. They just want a practical — not a political — decision made on the path selected. “The (original) trolley alignment has been moved 360 feet further south,” Krupp said, “which means its elevated tracks will be 120 feet from windows in half a dozen of
SEE TROLLEY >> PG. 2