City, school and chamber officials gave an overview of the last year during the Los Alamitos State of the City luncheon Nov. 10 at Old Ranch Country Club.
The event, presented by the Los Alamitos Area Chamber of Commerce, marked the first time in recent years all three entities spoke about recent successes. Mayor Marilynn Poe spoke about the past, present and future of the city in its 50th Anniversary.
The success of prior city events honoring the celebration was highlighted as were the events that residents can still take part in.
A 50th Anniversary Gala is scheduled for Nov. 20 at the Eagles’ Nest at the Navy Golf Course in Cypress. Dinner, dancing and a night of reminiscing are planned.
Tickets are still available for the event.
Those who want to attend may still purchase a brick for the 50th Anniversary Courtyard in Little Cottonwood Park through the end of the year and have a permanent remembrance of the year.
Items to be placed in the 50th Anniversary Time Capsule to be buried in the Courtyard next month are still being sought. Items must be small and reflect what life is like in Los Alamitos right now.
For information on any of the events, contact Recreation and Community Services at (562) 430-1073. Poe said none of the $5,000 budgeted for the event has been used, thanks to the community and generous donors.
The city has had several accomplishments over the year with the public works department doing more than $1 million in street resurfacing on Katella and in the Highlands neighborhood. Thanks to the hard work of city staff and the council, 12-percent of the city’s budget has been cut in the last 18 months with no reduction in services, Poe said.
“Our city staff does an absolutely incredible job in getting done what the council requests them to do,” Poe said. “They bring work home with them and go above and beyond because they truly care about our community.”
The city also has a new garbage contract effective Jan. 1, which will give it the third lowest residential rates in Orange County. A new summer series of entertainment called Music & Movies In the Park was started and received good response.
A negative earlier in the year became a positive for the next several years. Because of budget cuts, the annual Fourth of July Spectacular was in danger of being cancelled. Retired businessman Kenny Brandyberry came through with a check to keep the event going in 2010.
Through the donations of corporate sponsors, the event has now been paid for for the next five years at no cost to the city, Poe said.
The city will continue working on the development of a central downtown area. A Compass Development Grant through the Southern California Association of Governments provided a study to see what residents and business owners wanted. Lots of outreach is planned for the upcoming year as well.
An update on the city’s general plan is being done with 10 focuses, including what to include in the city’s sphere of influence, working with the Los Alamitos Medical Center and its plans for the next 25 years, establishing a business improvement district and more.
Chamber of Commerce President Judy Klabouch said establishing a partnership with the Cypress Chamber of Commerce has been positive. Proceeds and donations from Wings, Wheels, Rotors and Expo go toward MWR and its programs, which benefit all the soldiers at the Joint Forces Training Base. It is nearly double the amount that was donated last year.
Los Alamitos Unified School District Board of Trustees President Dr. Jeff Barke said despite the difficult time for education in California of late, the LAUSD is doing just fine.
The district’s English and Language Arts scores are tops in all of Orange County and the district is one of two to have districtwide Academic Performance Index scores above 900.
A voter approved bond issue in 2008 has already reaped rewards as McGaugh Elementary has been completely renovated with Los Alamitos Elementary and McAuliffe Middle School completing the first phase of their 16-month construction last month.
Barke said by the end of 2014 all district schools will have their renovations completed, many for the first time since their construction.
Continued improvement is paramount, however. Police and district staff are working on improving the numbers of a survey that stated that 30-percent of Los Alamitos High School juniors reported significant drinking in the last 30 days. Implementation of a bullying prevention program is also being done and is expected to be fully in place to start the next school year.
