Update

Here’s an update on things that have been happening in the City -

SADDLEBACK RANCH ROAD

The Council approved the addition of the bike lanes and the reduction in the size of the medians, as well as removing the medians from the top of the hill to make more room for on street parking. Unfortunately we are stuck with the 10’ lanes, but they will have 5’ bike lanes next to them.

SHOP AND DINE WEEK

This year was our biggest year yet, with 400 businesses participating, and more than 4,000 people attending.

WHISPERING HILLS

The Parks and Recreation workshop planned for Whispering Hills has been re-scheduled to January 21, 2016. Meantime the City finally started to “beautify” the area, although their success in this regard seems questionable.

PORTOLA PARK

At my request the City Clerk reviewed the minutes of the past Council meeting and corrected the minutes to remove the placement of a “dedicated soccer field” in the open area. The open area has been expanded, but it is an open area and can be used by any group, and is not to have any permanent marks for any one sport. It is a multi-use field and can be used for baseball, lacrosse, soccer, etc.

GRAFFITI

We are down from 2012, and if the trend stays the same, 2015 will be our lowest year.

RECALL

The recall petition was returned to the originators for some minor corrections. Once it is returned to the City Clerk and approved, signatures can be collected.

BAKER RANCH PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE

Construction has started on the bridge and the span will be put in place in January.

BUSINESS APPRECIATION LUNCH

This annual event is scheduled for Dec 9, 2015, from 11:30 to 1:30 at the Sports Park. At 36% the sales tax revenue is an important part of the income the City collects, so we are very appreciative of everything our businesses do.

DOG PARK OPENING

Don’t forget the opening of our first dog park, on Tuesday, from 10 am to Noon. The address is 26500 Baffin Bay.

TRAFFIC ADVISORY GROUP

If you have traffic concerns, the Council’s advisory group meets on Tuesday night at 7 pm at the City Hall.

THANKSGIVING

The Lake Forest US Marine Support Committee is collecting donations to help make this a great Thanksgiving for our Marines and their families at Camp Pendleton. You can help by sending a donation to “LF USMC Support Committee” at 22365 El Toro Rd, LF CA 92630 or directly through Pay Pal. Click here for more information.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. Jim Gardner is on the City Council for Lake Forest. You can check him out on LinkedIn and/or Facebook and you can share your thoughts about the City at Lake Forest Town Square on Facebook. His comments are not meant to reflect official City Policy.

Dr. Gardner has office hours every Tuesday from 4 pm to 6 pm at the City Hall. In addition, he holds a Town Hall meeting every quarter. The next meeting will be on Dec 12 at 2 pm at the Foothill Ranch Public Library.