Santa gets requests
These are the requests from our local children to Santa at the Seal Beach Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony on Friday, Nov. 29:
• Elsa Doll, Robot Doll, Bike Trampoline, Princess, bull’s-eye, Woody and Jesse doll.
• Train, Dinosaur, Soccer Ball 5, IPod, lots of Arts and crafts, Monster High Mansion 7.
• iPad 9, popcorn machine, Kiddie Zoom, Lego 5, Train 1.
• Doll stroller, guitar.
• Elsa, Legos for 5- and 6-year -old girls.
• iPad, guinea pig (real one), Power Rangers Super Megaforce (American version).
• Makeup 5, Isabel, Mermaids 3, my little pony, bike 3 skateboard 5, skylanders, legos, dogs, doll 4.
• Ninja Turtle, coco train 3, tryke, Legos, big girl bed (so she can jump on it).
• Pogo stick, a German sheppard (a real one).
• Race car, swingglider, truck, dress, Harry Potter movie 10, Ariel or Ana 2, snowball launcher 8.
• Tax free million dollars (obviously mom or dad is a CPA).
• Dillon wants a ferris wheel. (I asked Marcela McSorley to take a photo of this boy.)
My personal favorite: three different children from different families said they want Santa to surprise them.
Interesting to note: There isn’t one “got to have toy.” With technology being so prevalent in our society, there were only three requests for iPads and iPods. The old favorites are still what the children want: trains, dolls, car, Lego’s, arts and crafts.
Laura Ellsworth
Seal Beach
Holiday greetings to Belmont Shore residents
The guest speaker at tonight’s, Thursday, Dec. 11, Belmont Shore Resident’s Association meeting will be Mike Conway, director of Economic and Property Development, who will talk about the upcoming Belmont Shore Parking Study. The study was triggered by the uproar over the effort to have the city purchase and demolish the residence at 205 LaVerne Avenue and convert it to a parking lot. BSRA strongly opposed the taking of homes for parking lots, and has urged a change in the city’s Local Coastal Program to protect all Shore homes along the commercial alleys from being demolished and converted to parking lots. The Parking Study is being requested by Long Beach Third District Councilwoman Suzie Price. Conway intends to issue a Request for Proposals for the study after hearing from members of the community.
• The City Council at its Dec. 2 meeting approved a plan to install “Smart Meters” on Second Street and in the Downtown area; these meters will accept credit cards in addition to cash. The council set the hourly fee for Second Street at 75 cents per hour, with a 5-minute grace period at all of the new meters (rates will increase to $1-$1.50 in the downtown and Pike areas). In-ground sensors will be installed in Belmont Shore to keep tabs on usage of metered spaces. Current operating costs are approximately $158 per meter annually, which the council was told could increase up to $446 per meter. No changes have been announced for the Shore’s metered parking lots.
• The City Council has voted to proceed with plans to build the Belmont Beach Pool and Aquatic Center.
Concerns were expressed about funding the pool project, as it will be paid for out of the Tidelands Fund, which comes from city oil revenues. Oil prices are currently down markedly. The council asked staff to return in December with an analysis of how to pay for the pool. The project website has a memo explaining the committee’s recommendation: http://www.longbeach.gov/citymanager/tidelands_capital_projects/belmont_aquatics_center.asp.
Demolition of the existing pool is underway. Once the city Council decides on a final design for the pool complex, it will go through an environmental impact report and California Environmental Quality Act review, before going to the California Coastal Commission. If you have any questions, please contact Dino D’Emilia, consultant project manager at 714-458-0703 or by email at ddemilia@andpen.com.
• The new 11-foot wide pedestrian beach path is being built inland from the existing bike path. It will stretch 3.1 miles along the coast from the Downtown Shoreline Marina through Belmont Shore to 54th Place. For more information or questions, please contact Bill Zein, Project Manager at 310-986-9688 or by email at bzein@andpen.com.
• There will be free two-hour parking in Belmont Shore on Saturday and Sunday (December 13, 14 and 20, 21).
Check the BSBA website for Second Street carolers, entertainment, and visits with Santa Claus: http://www.belmontshore.org/eventshtml.
Belmont Shore Residents Association
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