Greetings, fellow Avilones. As I sit at my desk working on this month’s column, it is March 16th, and the end of a week that has been full of “April showers”, which seems appropriate for the April issue of the “News”. In another one of our feast or famine weather situations, I am keeping an eye on the public parking lot next to the Community Center building, as it has been known to flood during heavy rains. Harbor District vehicles have been patrolling the area, but what will be will be.
Avila Beach is inching ever closer to our beach area high season, which as we all know means more people, more traffic and parking access woes. Living in the San Luis Bay Estates, I have heard from quite a few fellow residents here that they simply stay away from the beach areas during the summer because of the aforementioned congestion. Discussions continue at the County and local levels to discover measures to address traffic and parking, but we all know there has been no progress. At one time in the not so distant past, the Avila Trolley had one of its route stops at the entrance to Avila Village/San Luis Bay Estates, but it was discontinued due to the objections of a business owner there. Last year I met with the Trolley operating agency (SLO Regional Transit Authority) in an effort to restore an Avila Village stop, and they began negotiating with management at the Avila Bay Club and Avila Village Inn towards that end. I am pleased to announce “mission accomplished”! Beginning April 6th through June 3rd on Fridays from 4:00-9:00p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays from 10:00a.m.-6:00p.m., SLBE residents can hop on for a free Trolley ride to the beach at the new stop in front of the Avila Bay Athletic Club at 15 minutes after the hour, and catch a ride back according to the schedule you can download at www.slorta.org. Summer and fall hours differ. HOWEVER, I must share with you that the new stop will operate on a trial basis, and continuation depends on a reasonable volume of riders taking advantage of the opportunity. SO PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD! Also, it is important to note that SLBE residents must park on the street adjacent to the Avila Bay Club, and not in their parking lot. Enter through the side gate and it’s just a few steps to the Trolley stop.
If there’s one thing we all know, it’s that change is constant. You readers are well aware that the “Foundation” and other Avila organizations have been continually assisted and financially supported by our District 3 County Supervisor Adam Hill, but most of you never had the opportunity to meet or work with his dedicated Legislative Assistant, Hannah Miller, who has been so responsive and helpful when called upon by our community. Sadly for us, Hannah recently accepted another position with the County, and will no longer be our “go to” person at Supervisor Hill’s office. Hannah, you have been terrific, and will be missed. Best of luck! Introduced at the March meeting of the Avila Valley Advisory Council was new Legislative Assistant Blake Fixler, who has a tough act to follow. Welcome, Blake!
A couple of years ago I reported my new role as a “member at large” with the SLO County Commission on Aging, and that periodically I would share some of what I’ve learned while attending Commission meetings. At the March meeting, like at all others, a discussion ensued about the various scams becoming more and more prevalent in our daily lives. Encouraging all of us to be more cautious and suspicious was a representative from the County Victim Witness program. Current scams include fake phone calls to land line and mobile devices that appear to be from local area codes and prefixes – this in addition to calls coming from other parts of the country and abroad. These bogus callers are trying to separate us from our money in a variety of ways, claiming to be from the IRS, law enforcement agencies, on behalf of supposed relatives, insurance or utilities companies, banks, etc. While some at the meeting believed that simply having their phone numbers included on the “do not call” registry solves the problem, it does not stop callers who don’t obey the laws. The best defense is to NEVER answer unless caller I.D. shows it’s from someone you know. If the caller is otherwise legitimate, she/he will leave a message. If messages left are from a business or agency seeking personal information and a return call, ALWAYS take steps to verify the authenticity of the alleged business or agency first.
Hats off to the local group of folks known as “Concerned Citizens for Avila”, who continue to ramp up efforts to ensure SLO County acts in our best interests when it comes to current and future development in the greater Avila communities. A good deal of their energy recently has to do with the long and drawn out creation of the SLO County General Plan, within which includes the Avila Community Plan. Much about this issue has been discussed the past few years, and I won’t rehash it here. Nor can I, in my capacity with the Avila Beach Community Foundation, take a political stance or express views on the subject. But I will say it behooves all Avilones to become aware of these issues related to current and future development. Visit the website – ConcernedCitizens4Avila.org for more information.
On March 15th I attended an informational gathering hosted by Port San Luis Harbor District. We were presented with an update concerning the status and future of the Avila Pier, including renditions of what a new structure could look like. Right now the District is focusing on concept design and exploring ways to fund the project. I encourage all of you interested in the Pier to visit www.portsanluis.com for more information.
That’s it for now, fellow Avilones. See you at the beach!
Avila Beach is inching ever closer to our beach area high season, which as we all know means more people, more traffic and parking access woes. Living in the San Luis Bay Estates, I have heard from quite a few fellow residents here that they simply stay away from the beach areas during the summer because of the aforementioned congestion. Discussions continue at the County and local levels to discover measures to address traffic and parking, but we all know there has been no progress. At one time in the not so distant past, the Avila Trolley had one of its route stops at the entrance to Avila Village/San Luis Bay Estates, but it was discontinued due to the objections of a business owner there. Last year I met with the Trolley operating agency (SLO Regional Transit Authority) in an effort to restore an Avila Village stop, and they began negotiating with management at the Avila Bay Club and Avila Village Inn towards that end. I am pleased to announce “mission accomplished”! Beginning April 6th through June 3rd on Fridays from 4:00-9:00p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays from 10:00a.m.-6:00p.m., SLBE residents can hop on for a free Trolley ride to the beach at the new stop in front of the Avila Bay Athletic Club at 15 minutes after the hour, and catch a ride back according to the schedule you can download at www.slorta.org. Summer and fall hours differ. HOWEVER, I must share with you that the new stop will operate on a trial basis, and continuation depends on a reasonable volume of riders taking advantage of the opportunity. SO PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD! Also, it is important to note that SLBE residents must park on the street adjacent to the Avila Bay Club, and not in their parking lot. Enter through the side gate and it’s just a few steps to the Trolley stop.
If there’s one thing we all know, it’s that change is constant. You readers are well aware that the “Foundation” and other Avila organizations have been continually assisted and financially supported by our District 3 County Supervisor Adam Hill, but most of you never had the opportunity to meet or work with his dedicated Legislative Assistant, Hannah Miller, who has been so responsive and helpful when called upon by our community. Sadly for us, Hannah recently accepted another position with the County, and will no longer be our “go to” person at Supervisor Hill’s office. Hannah, you have been terrific, and will be missed. Best of luck! Introduced at the March meeting of the Avila Valley Advisory Council was new Legislative Assistant Blake Fixler, who has a tough act to follow. Welcome, Blake!
A couple of years ago I reported my new role as a “member at large” with the SLO County Commission on Aging, and that periodically I would share some of what I’ve learned while attending Commission meetings. At the March meeting, like at all others, a discussion ensued about the various scams becoming more and more prevalent in our daily lives. Encouraging all of us to be more cautious and suspicious was a representative from the County Victim Witness program. Current scams include fake phone calls to land line and mobile devices that appear to be from local area codes and prefixes – this in addition to calls coming from other parts of the country and abroad. These bogus callers are trying to separate us from our money in a variety of ways, claiming to be from the IRS, law enforcement agencies, on behalf of supposed relatives, insurance or utilities companies, banks, etc. While some at the meeting believed that simply having their phone numbers included on the “do not call” registry solves the problem, it does not stop callers who don’t obey the laws. The best defense is to NEVER answer unless caller I.D. shows it’s from someone you know. If the caller is otherwise legitimate, she/he will leave a message. If messages left are from a business or agency seeking personal information and a return call, ALWAYS take steps to verify the authenticity of the alleged business or agency first.
Hats off to the local group of folks known as “Concerned Citizens for Avila”, who continue to ramp up efforts to ensure SLO County acts in our best interests when it comes to current and future development in the greater Avila communities. A good deal of their energy recently has to do with the long and drawn out creation of the SLO County General Plan, within which includes the Avila Community Plan. Much about this issue has been discussed the past few years, and I won’t rehash it here. Nor can I, in my capacity with the Avila Beach Community Foundation, take a political stance or express views on the subject. But I will say it behooves all Avilones to become aware of these issues related to current and future development. Visit the website – ConcernedCitizens4Avila.org for more information.
On March 15th I attended an informational gathering hosted by Port San Luis Harbor District. We were presented with an update concerning the status and future of the Avila Pier, including renditions of what a new structure could look like. Right now the District is focusing on concept design and exploring ways to fund the project. I encourage all of you interested in the Pier to visit www.portsanluis.com for more information.
That’s it for now, fellow Avilones. See you at the beach!
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