City Reimbursed for Balboa Island Sewer Spill
The dredging firm that caused a sewage spill off Balboa Island last summer will reimburse the City of Newport Beach $25,000 for expenses in making repairs, according to a city memo.
The Aug. 15 incident occurred when a crane working on a dredging project accidentally pulled up a section of the Balboa Island sewer force main while working about 100 yards away from the Balboa Yacht Club. The accident caused 2,800 gallons of sewage to spill, closing a section of the bay. Newport Beach vactor trucks, along with additional trucks from Costa Mesa, the Irvine Ranch Water District and the Orange County Sanitation District, were used to manually move waste from a station on Balboa Island to another facility on Bayside Drive so that Balboa Island residents’ would have uninterrupted service; read our stories here, here and here.
“The repairs were made to the line in a cooperative effort between the City and the dredging firm,” the city memo states. “Divers spent several days replacing the section of underwater sewer main that was damaged. The Wastewater Crew supplied the necessary parts to get the line back in service as soon as possible.”
Library to Host Imagination Celebration Event on Saturday
The Central Library will host a free Imagination Celebration children’s event called “Fireflies and Honey Bees” from 11 a.m. to noon Saturday.
The event will feature author and illustrator Chip Fesko, according to the city’s website.
His book, “Fireflies & Honey Bees – Children’s Poems for You and Me,” includes 15 original poems and watercolors for readers from kindergarten through fifth grade. Fesko will explain how he writes and paints, and the English actress Eila Ulyett will narrate the poems. Children will also receive materials and instructions for making their own lighted firefly jar.
The Newport Beach Sunrise Rotary Foundation and the Friends of the Library sponsored the event, which will be held in the library’s Friends Room. The library is located at 1000 Avocado Ave.
For more information, call (949) 717-3870.
Planet Beauty Hosting Grand Opening Party This Weekend
The new Planet Beauty shop at 2801 East Coast Highway is hosting a weekend-long grand opening party.
The event will run until 5 p.m. today, and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
On Saturday only, the shop will offer 25 percent off most items in the store, according to an event flier. Throughout the weekend, you can spin the “Wheel of Beauty,” receive gift bags and mini facials, enjoy refreshments and more.
For more information, call (949) 734-4433.
Click here to read our earlier story about Planet Beauty, which replaces the LA Jo clothing boutique.
CdM Dog Needs Home
A Corona del Mar dog walker is seeking a home for a labradoodle whose owner has died.
“I’ve been Charlie’s dog walker and best friend for 3 years,” Stacey Kissam said in an email. “His mom passed away and her wish was for me to find him a new home that would cherish him as we do. Charlie is staying with a friend indefinitely. He would be with me but my 3 dogs don’t like other dogs.”
Charlie is 8 years old and a boy and is very healthy, Kissam said. He weights 85 pounds and is good with children and other dogs.
“Charlie grew up in this area and wants to stay in the Corona del Mar area,” she said. “A home where someone is around most days. Does not need a big yard just a daily walk and a squeaky toy or two.”
Kissam said she can take Charlie on play dates weekdays at no cost to his new family.
If you’re interested in meeting Charlie and could adopt him you can reach Kissam at Stacey at watchdogsps dot com or by calling (949) 500-6022.
Photo courtesy of Stacey Kissam.
CdM Donor Gives Half Million to Girls Inc.
A Corona del Mar woman this week donated $500,000 to Girls Inc. of Orange County, a non-profit organization that inspires girls to be “strong, smart, and bold,” according to a news release.
Gena Reed, past president of the organization’s board of directors, presented the gift at the Girls Inc. annual “Day of Gratitude” donor recognition luncheon in Santa Ana.
“I support Girls Incorporated because I’ve seen the transformation of the young girls and women that complete their programs,” Reed said in a statement. “They are exposed to science, math, technology and other fields that are traditionally thought of as male oriented. These young women ‘graduate’ from Girls Inc. knowing that they can choose their career and go to college.”
The donation was made in memory of Nick Reed, who died last year of cancer. Gena and Nick Reed have been longtime supporters of Girls Inc., the statement said.
“This is an amazing day for the girls of Orange County,” said Lucy Santana, CEO of Girls Inc. of Orange County, in a statement. “Because of Gena’s generosity, we’ll be able to serve even more girls and inspire them to be strong, smart, and bold.”
The gift will be used specifically for scholarships for elementary programs at the Costa Mesa-based Youth & Family Center, and for college scholarships for girls who have participated in Girls Inc.’s high school programming, the statement said.
Girls Inc. of Orange County works with 4,500 girls between 4 1/2 and 18 years old each year.
Photo courtesy of Girls Inc.
CdM This Weekend: Five Great Things For Your To-Do List
1. The 24-hour Newport Beach Relay for Life will begin at 9 a.m. Saturday at Newport Harbor High School. The event will begin with an Opening Ceremony followed by a 9:15 a.m. survivors’ lap. Then teams, all raising money for cancer research, will keep a continuous walk around the track until the closing ceremony at 8:30 a.m. Sunday. The luminaria ceremony will take place at 9 p.m. Firefighters, police and City Council members traditionally participate, as well as students and cancer survivors of all ages. For more information, click here.
2. Head to the Central Library for a kids’ program at 1 p.m. Sunday, where teen authors Laurel Smith, Katie Weaver and Alexandra Zalewski, along with illustrator J. H. Everett, will tell kids how to create their own illustrations. The Newport Beach Public Library Foundation is hosting the event featuring the authors of “Red Rocker’s Hairy Day,” which was written to support a local charity when the authors were in eighth grade. The library is located at 1000 Avocado Ave.
3. The Balboa Island Art Walk will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, featuring more than a mile of live music and artwork on display along South Bay Front. Carpooling is encouraged; click here for more information.
4. Crystal Cove State Park will host a tidepool walk at 10 a.m. Saturday, when the low tide will fall to 0.9.; meet at Pelican Point lot #2 at the boardwalk. At 9 a.m. Sunday, you can join a Family Hike that meets at the Moro Amphitheater.
5. Newport Beach mom and author Cynthia C. Muchnick will appear at Barnes & Noble Metro Pointe at noon Saturday to discuss her book, “The Everything College Checklist Book.” Muchnick will discuss college visits, paperwork, letters of recommendation, essays, application fees, student loans and more that will help you and your college-bound student. Barnes & Noble Metro Pointe is located at 901 B South Coast Drive in Costa Mesa. Muchnick and her son, Harbor Day alum Justin, recently published a study guide book they wrote together; read more about that here.
Magic Shoe Run to Close Roads Near CdMHS
The Magic Shoe 5K Run/Walk will take place Saturday, causing street closures near the Corona del Mar High School campus.
A police alert says that between 5 and 11 a.m. Saturday, the following streets will be closed or have limited access:
• Eastbluff Drive (between Mar Vista Drive and Vista del Oro/Cacao Street)
• Mar Vista Drive
• Vista del Sol
• Vista Del Oro (between Mar Vista Drive and Eastbluff Drive)
Parking will be available at the school at 2010 Eastbluff Drive. For information on the race, including how to register, click here.
Shore Cliffs Water Project Underway
A city water improvement project is underway in the Shore Cliffs neighborhood.
The project, which costs about $25,000, will install an “infiltration gallery” at the end of an esplanade off Shorecliff Road. The gallery uses layers of gravel and sand to give runoff from streets a chance to absorb back into the ground rather than through an underground pipe that drains directly into the ocean, thus reducing runoff into an area that has been designated as an Area of Special Biological Significance. The State Water Resources Control Board works with city agencies to make sure efforts are being made to limit runoff, city officials have said.
Construction began last week and will be complete by the end of June, said Robert Stein, an assistant city engineer. Read our earlier story here. The Newport Beach City Council voted in April to fund the Shore Cliffs project, along with other water quality improvement projects; read our story here.
