Hello neighbors. As I sit at my computer composing this month’s column, I’m not certain, but I think I just saw Noah’s Ark floating by. Heading through San Luis Bay Estates this morning I dodged rampaging waters and oozing mud on the roads – a condition likely present throughout the Avila area. Traveling along Avila Beach Drive to the Community Center I noticed several fairways at the golf course that were mostly under water. I don’t think we’ll be taking out the golf clubs for awhile. Hopefully by the time you receive this issue of the Avila News things will have dried out all over.
Moving on to the business at hand for 2011, it is with sadness that the Foundation says goodbye to retiring board member Ted Ivarie, who was first appointed as a Trustee in 2002. Ted added a great deal to the organization and will truly be missed. THANK YOU FOR NINE GREAT YEARS, TED! Replacing Ted as the Foundation’s Vice President is Julian Varela, who joined the board about six months ago. Mike Ritter returns as President, Bill Gerrish as Treasurer, and Pete Kelley as Secretary. And, we are excited to announce that Pelican Point resident Lucinda Borchard will be joining our board later this month. Be sure to visit our website to read about Lucinda, a SLO County native sporting a laudable background in community involvement as both a professional and volunteer. Welcome, Lucinda!
Have you heard about the upcoming “Live Well Symposium?” This special event is presented by the Avila Beach Foundation, and co-sponsored by SLO County Supervisor Adam Hill. Join us for this half-day workshop filled with valuable information about healthy living. Hear from some local experts on topics such as wellness, nutrition, fitness, exercise, caring for self/others - and even enjoy a free lunch. This dynamic “Symposium”, scheduled for February 26 at the Avila Community Center, is offered for FREE - but open only to Avila Beach and Avila Valley residents. We have only 75 seats available, so you will need to register soon, which can be done online only at www.avilabeachfoundation.org. Look for the special link on our homepage.
Once again I encourage the members of the community to attend meetings of our local community groups. Personally, I rarely miss the monthly AVAC (Avila Valley Advisory Council) meetings, because there is often much to learn. At the December meeting we heard again from acting CALFIRE Chief Rob Lewin who, among other things, talked about having EMTs, but not paramedics, on call at the Avila Fire Station. The difference comes down to two critical areas – one being the abilities of EMTs as first responders, the other being response time. There are certain life saving actions EMTs can provide, but they are limited by training and certifications. Valuable minutes – sometimes the difference between life and death – are lost waiting for paramedics to arrive from other parts of the county. Under ideal conditions the Avila Station would have a trained paramedic on call at all times, but budget constraints are once again the primary hurdle. There are steps that can be taken to generate support and funding for paramedic coverage, but will require a community-wide effort, according to Chief Lewin. What do you think Avila neighbors? Is this something that should be pursued, and something you can get behind?
Last, we are still progressing on the topic of a community alerts program, as mentioned in my previous columns. Thanks to some research by my colleague, Penny Burciaga, the Foundation has purchased and reserved the domain name avilaalerts.com, which will likely be used once we are ready to go. It’s an easy enough web name to remember, and should make it easier for locals to go online and access information about upcoming possible disruptions to our daily activities.
That’s it for now. I wish you each a healthy and prosperous 2011.
Moving on to the business at hand for 2011, it is with sadness that the Foundation says goodbye to retiring board member Ted Ivarie, who was first appointed as a Trustee in 2002. Ted added a great deal to the organization and will truly be missed. THANK YOU FOR NINE GREAT YEARS, TED! Replacing Ted as the Foundation’s Vice President is Julian Varela, who joined the board about six months ago. Mike Ritter returns as President, Bill Gerrish as Treasurer, and Pete Kelley as Secretary. And, we are excited to announce that Pelican Point resident Lucinda Borchard will be joining our board later this month. Be sure to visit our website to read about Lucinda, a SLO County native sporting a laudable background in community involvement as both a professional and volunteer. Welcome, Lucinda!
Have you heard about the upcoming “Live Well Symposium?” This special event is presented by the Avila Beach Foundation, and co-sponsored by SLO County Supervisor Adam Hill. Join us for this half-day workshop filled with valuable information about healthy living. Hear from some local experts on topics such as wellness, nutrition, fitness, exercise, caring for self/others - and even enjoy a free lunch. This dynamic “Symposium”, scheduled for February 26 at the Avila Community Center, is offered for FREE - but open only to Avila Beach and Avila Valley residents. We have only 75 seats available, so you will need to register soon, which can be done online only at www.avilabeachfoundation.org. Look for the special link on our homepage.
Once again I encourage the members of the community to attend meetings of our local community groups. Personally, I rarely miss the monthly AVAC (Avila Valley Advisory Council) meetings, because there is often much to learn. At the December meeting we heard again from acting CALFIRE Chief Rob Lewin who, among other things, talked about having EMTs, but not paramedics, on call at the Avila Fire Station. The difference comes down to two critical areas – one being the abilities of EMTs as first responders, the other being response time. There are certain life saving actions EMTs can provide, but they are limited by training and certifications. Valuable minutes – sometimes the difference between life and death – are lost waiting for paramedics to arrive from other parts of the county. Under ideal conditions the Avila Station would have a trained paramedic on call at all times, but budget constraints are once again the primary hurdle. There are steps that can be taken to generate support and funding for paramedic coverage, but will require a community-wide effort, according to Chief Lewin. What do you think Avila neighbors? Is this something that should be pursued, and something you can get behind?
Last, we are still progressing on the topic of a community alerts program, as mentioned in my previous columns. Thanks to some research by my colleague, Penny Burciaga, the Foundation has purchased and reserved the domain name avilaalerts.com, which will likely be used once we are ready to go. It’s an easy enough web name to remember, and should make it easier for locals to go online and access information about upcoming possible disruptions to our daily activities.
That’s it for now. I wish you each a healthy and prosperous 2011.
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