Carlsbad Marathon & Half Marathon this Sunday
The Parks & Recreation Department recently permitted the annual Tri-City Medical Center Carlsbad Marathon & Half Marathon and Surf Sun Run 5K, which takes place this Sunday. The event attracts more than 9,000 runners and includes a two-day Health & Lifestyle Expo on Friday and Saturday, and the Kids Marathon Mile on Saturday. A list of temporary road closures may be found here.
Pine Avenue Community Center Intergenerational Programs
The Parks & Recreation Department is hosting intergenerational programming at Pine Avenue Community Center, with the new Painting with Polly art class. Polly is a volunteer Senior Center artist, sharing her passion for art. She instructs teens how to unleash their creativity through the fine art of acrylic painting.
A major benefit of having intergenerational programs is bringing together diverse groups to help eliminate stereotypes, so older adults and youth may develop enriching relationships. Building relationships between teens and seniors, provides an opportunity to create a sense of personal and community identity while encouraging tolerance and mutual understanding. More intergenerational programs are on the horizon with the Kindness Project, Farm to Fork Gardening, and homework mentoring.
Construction Starts on Chapters Café On Thursday, construction started on “Chapters,” the café within Carlsbad City Library on Dove Lane. Work is expected to continue for approximately two to three months, with an anticipated opening in late spring. Library patrons and staff are looking forward to their first cup of coffee at the new café!
Shining a Spotlight on Public Works
City of Carlsbad was featured during the Agency Spotlight at the American Public Works Association San Diego & Imperial Counties Chapter luncheon on Jan. 10 at the Handlery Hotel in San Diego. A video highlighting “a day in the life” of Public Works was shown, created by the Communications Department to show all the ways Carlsbad is “Public Works Proud.” The keynote speaker was Hasan Ikhrata, the new executive director for the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG).
Leading the Way in Traffic
On Jan. 10, the city hosted a meeting of the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) San Diego at the Faraday building. Doug Bilse from Public Works Traffic & Mobility Division presented on “A Brave New Multimodal World and How to Analyze It,” sharing how the city is applying new ways of analyzing traffic that accounts for other forms of transportation besides vehicles. Last month the city’s work in this innovative space was recognized by an award from the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) for the Traffic Impact Analysis Guidelines, which will be used to guide the review of future development projects in the city. This recognition reflects the City of Carlsbad’s strong commitment to implement the General Plan Mobility Element, and positions the city as a leader in transportation innovation.
Building Transportation Expertise
This week Hossein Ajideh, engineering manager in the Public Works Transportation Engineering division, is attending the Transportation Research Board (TRB) 98th Annual Meeting at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, in Washington, D.C. The information-packed program is expected to attract more than 13,000 transportation professionals from around the world. The meeting program will cover all transportation modes, with more than 5,000 presentations in nearly 800 sessions and workshops, addressing topics of interest to policy makers, administrators, practitioners, researchers, and representatives of government, industry, and academic institutions. A number of sessions and workshops will focus on the spotlight theme for the 2019 meeting: Transportation for a Smart, Sustainable, and Equitable Future. Hossein has been elected to serve on multiple TRB standing committees, and was a panel member on the National Cooperative Highway Research Program 46-03 synthesis study. Leveraging industry expertise drives strategic innovation and leadership on critical transportation infrastructure issues throughout Carlsbad and the region.
Carlsbad’s CommonGrounds Workspace Raises $100 Million in Series A Funding
Carlsbad-based startup, CommonGrounds has secured $100M in Series A financing to build out 50 locations across North America. The coworking space company already has three locations in California and one in Denver, but has plans to build 2 million square feet of flexible office space over the next few years. The company’s shared workspaces are known for their popular amenities including freshly prepared food, cars made available to tenants, and recreational items (such as surfboards and bicycles at the Carlsbad location).