Library & Cultural Arts Holiday Performances Library & Cultural Arts celebrated the holidays with several recent performances. Nearly 80 people enjoyed a concert at Cole Library on Dec. 2 featuring harpist Leah Panos performing Christmas tunes mixed with some popular favorites. A lively crowd of all ages enjoyed a performance by Mariachi Divas Trio at the Library Learning Center on Dec. 6. And acclaimed San Diego musicians Yale Strom and Hot Pstromi performed for a full house in the Schulman Auditorium on Dec. 9. A final holiday concert takes place during Front Row Fridays on Dec. 14 with The Nutcracker and Beyond. You haven't heard The Nutcracker quite like this – with four hands on one piano! Featuring pianists Anna Grigorian and Natasha Gubenko performing exciting selections by Debussy, Dvorak and Tchaikovsky.
Library Receives Donation from Falkenstein Estate On Tuesday night, City Council accepted a generous library donation. The estate of the late Rosemary Falkenstein, a longtime library supporter, has donated $860,000 to Carlsbad City Library. Rosemary’s husband Dr. Herbert Falkenstein was a college professor, diplomat and former president of Carlsbad City Library’s Board of Trustees. The donation has been designated to preserve and support the library’s history resources. A news release with more information is available on the city website.
Teambuilding
Last Thursday, the Public Works and Parks & Recreation Departments joined forces for an impromptu interdepartmental teambuilding exercise. Thunderstorms brought heavy rainfall to Carlsbad, causing flooding at the Carlsbad Senior Center. In a short period of time, water pooled deeply outside the building and began pouring into the front door, flooding the entryway and stairwell leading to staff offices. Within minutes, staff from both departments rolled up their sleeves, grabbed the nearest sandbag, squeegee, or any other tool they could get their hands on, and got to work slowing the flow of water until reinforcements could arrive. Thanks to a rapid response and working together like a well-oiled team, staff was able to prevent damage that could have been much worse.
Trail Maintenance Event at Old Rancho Santa Fe Trail
Last Saturday, approximately 35 volunteers; including trail captains, first time volunteers, local high school students and city staff, put in about 90 hours of volunteer service by spending the morning cleaning up the beautiful Old Rancho Santa Fe Trail. Volunteers worked hard to repair the erosion at the entrance to the Bobcat Trail, collect trash, trim vegetation, and replace the rope fencing along the trail. Thank you to all the volunteers and staff for your effort in helping to maintain our trails. This successful event would not happen without the passion and commitment of people who came out and eagerly worked side by side with their community.
Trail Volunteer Appreciation Event
On a rainy Thursday afternoon, approximately 30 trail volunteers and city staff joined together at the Pine Avenue Community Center to celebrate the past year’s collective successes and dedicated work on improving the City of Carlsbad’s trail network. Guests enjoyed dinner, desserts and a cup of a hot cider. Volunteers were recognized for their long-standing commitment to the trail program, and for over 1,300 hours of volunteer service for this calendar year alone.
Ionis Pharmaceuticals Wins Economic Development Award
Ionis Pharmaceuticals won an economic development award at the San Diego North Economic Development Council Annual Awards Luncheon last Friday. Ionis was nominated because of their contribution to Carlsbad’s economy including: recent real estate investments of their locations in Carlsbad, the development of a new recreation facility for their employees, installation of a larger solar array on their campus and a new conference center they are currently planning through the development process. Mayor Pro Tem Blackburn along with economic development staff attended the lunch to celebrate their success and growth in our community.
Welcoming Water Professionals
Last week, the city hosted a Vendors Workshop sponsored by the San Diego Section of the California Water Environment Association (CWEA). There were approximately 150 water and wastewater professionals who attended technical sessions, featuring tracks for both management and field staff, and learned about the latest innovations in the wastewater field.
Tamarack Area Drainage Improvements Project Update
Crews will be working on manholes located on Tamarack Avenue from James Street to Park Drive from Thursday, Dec. 13 through Tuesday, Dec. 18. Work hours are 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. All lanes will be open with traffic control near the work area. Monroe Street will be closed to through traffic at the Park Drive intersection on Tuesday, Wednesday and possibly Thursday, Dec. 18, 19 and 20. The closure is scheduled from 8 a.m. through the following afternoon. Crews will be pouring a concrete gutter swale across the intersection. The area will be fenced off and closed to pedestrians and through traffic. In mid-December, construction on the pipeline and storm drains will be complete and most of the equipment will be moved off of Park Drive and Monroe Street. Weather permitting, the project is on schedule to be completed in early January.