Finally, it’s batter up at cages

The city has finally opened the batting cages at the Huntington Beach

Sport Complex, more than a year after the city cut off ties with the

original contractor on the project.

“They’re completed, in time and under budget,” Community Services

Director Jim Engle said.

The cages were originally set to open in June 2004 as phase 2 of

the $18-million sports complex project, along with several

artificial-turf soccer fields and roller hockey arenas, but the

contractor hired to do the project abandoned the work and kept nearly

$950,000.

City officials eventually filed a lawsuit against Joe O’Connor and

his Oregon-based Community Parks Foundation. An investigation by the

Independent revealed that O’Connor had abandoned several similar

projects in the past and had an outstanding felony arrest warrant for

failing to appear in a lawsuit involving a Kalamazoo, Mich.,

soccer-club owner.

In June, Burbank firm Major League Softball Inc. was hired to

complete the project. City staff members will now operate the

facility.

The operating hours are Monday through Friday, 3 to 9 p.m.,

Saturday 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. The batting

cages may also be reserved for use at other hours.

City leaders hope the batting cages bring in much-needed revenue

to pay the loan debt on the project. Last year the city’s baseball

diamonds generated about $100,000 in profits.

The city must now determine how it wants to complete the project.

Engle said he plans to submit a proposal to the City Council by the

end of the year addressing the remaining portions.

Environmental Board announces awards

The city’s environmental board has announced the winners of its

annual Awards for individuals and businesses who have contributed to

quality of life through their environmental work in the community.

This year the awards will be presented at the Oct. 17 City Council

meeting by board chairman Ray Hiemstra. This year’s winner’s include:

* Cartridge World of Huntington Beach, a local business

specializing in refilling printer cartridges for reuse rather than

disposal.

* Former mayor Shirley Dettloff, for her leading role in Amigos de

Bolsa Chica and membership on the California Coastal Commission. She

is also on the board of directors for the Bolsa Chica Conservancy and

Orange County Coastkeeper.

* Huntington Beach Wetlands Conservancy Executive Director Gary

Gorman for his work restoring the wetlands from Beach Boulevard to

the Santa Ana River.

* Bolsa Chica Conservancy volunteer Claire Grozinger for running

their water quality monitoring program for years and documenting the

water conditions at the Bolsa Chica Wetlands.

* Former Bolsa Chica Landtrust President Evan Henry, who served as

integral force in the effort to preserve the Bolsa Chica Mesa.

* Bolsa Chica Stewards founders Kim and Thierry Kolpin for their

work recruiting and supervising an army of volunteers over the last

nine years to restore native plants on the lower portion of the Bolsa

Chica Mesa.

* Huntington Beach Tree Society leader Jean Nagy, who has been a

force in the greening of Huntington Beach through many tree-planting

programs.

* Brian R. Parker, whose lifestyle and home are models for

environmental responsibility in Huntington Beach. His home features a

full solar-power system and energy-efficient components and utilizes

native plant landscaping to reduce water and pesticide use.

* Simple Green for marketing an environmentally friendly product

and administering the Adopt-a-Beach Program that sponsors 17

nonprofit groups to maintain a section of Huntington Beach for five

months during the winter.

* Bolsa Chica Land Trust volunteer Linda Wolfe, who has supervised

the “Miracles on the Marsh” elementary school education program since

2003.

Boys and Girls club to hold annual auction

“Building Dreams,” the 27th annual benefit dinner and auction for

the Boys and Girls Club of Huntington Valley, is scheduled to take

place at 5:30 p.m. Friday at the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach

Resort & Spa.

The event, chaired by KOCE-TV’s “Real Orange” host Ed Arnold, aims

to raise $385,000 to support youth programs and scholarships for

disadvantaged families in Fountain Valley, Huntington Beach and the

surrounding communities. Funds will be raised through ticket sales

and silent and live auctions.

KZLA radio personality Shawn Parr will lead the evening’s voice

auction, which features items such as getaways to Cancun and Maui, a

Lasik eye procedure, VIP dinners and tickets for luxury suites at the

Staples Center.

Attendees will also enjoy a formal dinner and entertainment

provided by participants in the ClubHouse Theatre program, a drama

program for youths 8 to 18. The young thespians will perform several

numbers from their most recent production, “Fiddler on the Roof.”

Individual tickets for this event are $150 per person, with tables of

10 starting at $1,500.

To purchase tickets for “Building Dreams” or for more information

about the event, call (714) 531-2582.

For more information on the Boys & Girls Club of Huntington

Valley, call (714) 531-2582 or visit o7www.bgchv.comf7.

QUESTION OF THE WEEK

How would you go about finishing the Sports Complex project? Call

our Reader’s Hotline at (714) 966-4691 or send e-mail to

[email protected]. Please spell your name and include

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