Carlsbad Climate Action Plan Recognized
The City of Carlsbad’s leadership in sustainability continues to gain statewide attention as its energy efficiency ordinances were highlighted at the Bay Area Regional Energy Network Codes & Standards Regional Forum in San Francisco.
Senior Program Manager Mike Grim was invited to speak at the forum where he shared the city’s strategies to meet Climate Action Plan goals and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Carlsbad is the first California city to adopt energy reach codes in the 2019 California Building Code cycle, laws that require new and renovating residential and non-residential buildings to go beyond current state code requirements.
The planning team, which also includes David de Cordova, Christie Marcella, Mike Peterson and Jeremy Riddle continue to evaluate new ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, work with the community to implement them and fulfill the city’s strong commitment to protecting the local environment.
City Joins International Network of Problem Solvers
The City of Carlsbad has been selected to join the 2019 Startup In Residence program to partner with startups and small businesses for their creative solutions to various challenges the city is facing. The program is led by City Innovate, a nonprofit focused on bridging the gap between government and business.
Under the coordination of Chief Innovation Officer David Graham, the entire city was tapped to provide ideas on challenges the city is facing. About 80 ideas were evaluated and refined into nine challenges, all of which have been accepted into the Startup in Residence program, more than any other participating city. These nine challenges, ranging from how to replace paper routing for City Council agenda items to how to improve mobility and behavior change, are now open until Nov. 20 for startups and small businesses to submit their creative solutions.
This approach is called challenge-based procurement, a type of request for proposal that does not specify all the details of a product or service as in a traditional RFP. Instead it describes the desired outcome for the solicitation. This approach unlocks creativity to problem solving and attracts different solutions from different types of companies, instead of the same solutions from the same companies.
Carlsbad’s innovative approach led to Information Technology Director Maria Callander being asked to speak at the City Innovate Summit in October. She shared how Carlsbad wants to create partnerships between government and emerging technology companies. She explained how attracting new innovative partners who are willing to explore new ways of doing business can lead to more collaborative problem solving, which ultimately leads to solutions to help our employees and residents. Kudos to city staff for working on new ways of problem solving to benefit the community of Carlsbad!
Carlsbad City Libraries Servicing the Community
Carlsbad City Library recently shared stats on library usage with the California State Library, which annually collects statistical data from public libraries throughout the state.
Highlights for Carlsbad’s three libraries includes:
Nearly 669,000 people walking through the doors of one of the three libraries last year
More than 195,000 reference questions asked
More than 1.153 million items checked out
And more than 122,000 electronic materials (e-books, e-audiobooks, etc.) circulated
Aquatics Maintenance Supervisor
On Monday, the Parks & Recreation Department welcomed the new Aquatics Maintenance Supervisor, Chris Gray. Chris comes to Carlsbad with a breadth of aquatics and maintenance experience. Having started his career in aquatics as a lifeguard in Fullerton, Chris continued to gain knowledge and experience as a pool manager in the City of Irvine where he helped lead, train, and schedule a staff of over 100 lifeguards and swim instructors. While there, Chris was involved in the management of large aquatic events such as USA Swimming Nationals, Pan Pacific Championships and Crossfit games. As his career evolved, Chris became instrumental in the corrective and preventative maintenance operations of these and other facilities, and was eventually promoted to facility maintenance technician. Since 2016, Chris has overseen the maintenance operations for Irvine's aquatic facilities as well as The Great Park's many diverse facilities, including recreation buildings, ice arenas, carousels and restrooms. We are very fortunate to have him joining the City of Carlsbad team, overseeing aquatic maintenance at Alga Norte Aquatic Center and Monroe Street Pool.
Monster Bash Dance Party
Last Thursday, the Pine Avenue Community Center gym transformed into a Monster Bash Dance Party! Adults of all ages arrived in their finest Halloween costumes to dance the night away. The night began with a social dance class led by City of Carlsbad dance instructor Abigail Astley. Participants received a brief intro to dance styles, including the two-step, jitterbug and the cha cha. Afterwards, the live band, Alias, lit up the dance floor. The event was accented by a costume contest for most creative, funniest and creepiest costumes. More than 75 dancers enjoyed the bash and are looking forward to the next dance party on Nov. 21. In December, social dance classes are available on a drop in basis.
Haunted Escape Teen Event
Last Friday, middle schoolers celebrated Halloween at the Haunted Escape teen event in the Friday Nights @ Pine series. Teens were encouraged to face their fears in the haunted corridor and navigate the cemetery themed escape room. For teens looking for a more relaxed Halloween, they gathered upstairs for gaming, and hung out with friends in the gym where Halloween lights and music set the scene for the spooky theme. This event featured a costume contest that brought out the best and most creative costumes in Carlsbad. Friday Nights @ Pine in November will showcase a movie night in the gym. Reserve your spot online today!
Weekend Events
The Parks & Recreation Department has permitted three events taking place during the next two weeks.
On Sunday, Nov. 3, the Chamber of Commerce presents their biannual Carlsbad Village Street Faire from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. This year marks 45 years of what is known as the largest one-day street faire in the nation. Approximately 70,000 people will descend on the heart of the Village to enjoy more than 750 unique booths, family entertainment and a delicious international food court. For road closure information see the city’s website.
On Saturday, Nov. 8, 200 walkers will participate in the Challenge Walk MS, a three-day, 50-mile fundraiser for multiple sclerosis research. On Nov. 9, North Coast Vettes hosts their 8th annual Vettes for Veterans All-Corvette Car Show at The Shoppes at Carlsbad from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event features 250 Corvettes of all generations, music, raffles, goodie bags and a silent auction.
My Life, My Story: Genius Project
Last Wednesday, Sage Creek High School students presented “My Life, My Story” at the Carlsbad Senior Center. This program was a Sage Creek Genius Project created by high school senior, Belle Flanegan, who wanted to present life stories that would transcend generations and speak to a wide range of people. The process demonstrated to the audience the value of intergenerational connections within a community and exemplified the magic of a great story. Preparation began in the summer when students came to the Senior Center to interview senior volunteers, and ask them about their life. Students transcribed the interviews, creating verbatim scripts to retell the seniors’ life stories.
Hosp Grove Trail Maintenance
Last Saturday morning, 24 trail volunteers accomplished many tasks at Hosp Grove, and collectively put in over 50 volunteer hours. Community members worked side-by-side on a very warm morning repairing trails and improving the overall aesthetics of the grove. The work included re-surfacing of the bench pads, mulching and picking up trash. Volunteers assisted in preparing for the rainy season by installing straw wattles, cleaning drainage channels and setting up check dams with sandbags. After the event was finished, a hiker praised the group on the outstanding job they did. The City of Carlsbad appreciates all the volunteers and staff that worked so hard to make this event a success.
What’s Out There Weekend
The Parks & Recreation Department received this nice note from the event organizer:
“We want to pass along our gratitude to the city for your involvement in the What’s Out There Weekend San Diego and to express how successful the tour led by Mick Calarco was of the Leo Carrillo Ranch Historic Park! The content Mick delivered was informative and the participants enjoyed his stories of the ranch and of Leo. Mick talked about the cultural landscape aspects of the ranch and why this ranch was located where it is. The Cultural Landscape Foundation What’s Out There Weekend and to our local partner – the group I’m associated with …. The Historic American Landscapes Survey of the San Diego Chapter of ASLA appreciates Mick’s fun and informative tour, and all that the city does in support of cultural landscapes and public parks.
The weekend was a success, with 25 tours, over 900 tour participants, 100 people at the Friday reception and a lot of good publicity including a piece on Midday Edition KUAT radio. Here is a summary of the weekend.”
Palomar Airport Emergency Response Drill
Carlsbad’s McClellan-Palomar Airport held a required Federal Aviation Administration emergency drill on October 30. The purpose of the drill was to train and evaluate emergency responses from its own Palomar Airport Fire Rescue, and local neighboring agencies. The exercise provided an opportunity for agencies to interface and test the mass casualty incident command system. Fire agencies, including Carlsbad, Oceanside, San Marcos and Encinitas, responded along with Carlsbad Police Department and San Diego County Sheriffs. The additional agencies are all part of the county’s North Zone. The drill was evaluated by more than 10 volunteers and included approximately 25 additional volunteers acting as passenger victims of the aircraft.
Fire Response During Weather Conditions
As winds and temperatures have increased, Carlsbad Fire Department has been busy across all ranks preparing for and responding to the recent weather and fire activity. Carlsbad brush fire engines have been staffed with additional personnel to improve initial response abilities to any rapidly developing fires. Carlsbad’s Emergency Operations Center has been on standby and developing situational awareness for weather and fire events as they occur around the county.
Chief Calderwood, serving as San Diego Operational Area Coordinator, has assisted fire efforts by ensuring resources are positioned and available for our region while also responding to emergencies occurring across the state. Carlsbad Fire crews have been pre-positioned as part of strike teams with other regional resources to decrease response time for larger incidents as part of a preparedness agreement funded by Cal OES. Those strike teams, including Carlsbad resources, responded to the Miller Fire near Rincon and the Sawday Fire threatening Valley Center.
Police Department Welcomes New Officer
Please help us give a warm Carlsbad welcome to Officer Chris Lucas. Chris is a lateral officer (comes to us from another agency) and was born and raised in San Diego County. Chris attended Valley Center High School and went on to get a Sports Management Degree from Gonzaga University. Chris began his law enforcement career in 2016.
Robotics Teams Share their Inventions
Some middle schools Robotics Teams in Carlsbad demonstrated to the Carlsbad Police Department personnel their inventions. One group addressed homelessness and a second, traffic related issues. The Police Department was honored and amazed by these young inventors.
Community Partners Day
School Resource Officer Martinson helped out at a local elementary school in Carlsbad with Community Partners Day. The day gives the children the opportunity to get to know those that help them in the community. It also gives the children a little insight into the community.
Public Works Staff Present at Conference
City of Carlsbad staff from several Public Works departments including, Environmental Management, General Services and Transportation attended the California Stormwater Quality Association conference in Monterey, CA. Environmental Management’s Vivi Stevens presented at one of the sessions on the Carlsbad's Trash Amendment Implementation and Roll Out planning process. She discussed the trash control measures currently implemented by the city and how those activities can be leveraged and enhanced to meet compliance with a statewide mandate to reduce trash in our local waterways.