Greetings, fellow Avilones.    According to the definition in Wikipedia, “an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not governed by a local municipal corporation; similarly an unincorporated community is a region of land that is not governed by its own local municipal corporation, but rather is administered as part of larger administrative divisions, such as a township, parish, borough, county, city, canton, state, province or country”.  Why do I mention this?  Well, as we all know, Avila Beach falls under the definition of being unincorporated.  But that doesn’t mean our community relies solely on the governance and oversight of SLO County to keep us ticking.

As a matter of fact, Avila Beach wouldn’t be the fine place it is without the numerous civic and non-profit organizations, councils and commissions, homeowners associations and services districts that are so essential to us all.  While the majority of Avila Beach residents go about their daily lives without great concern over the machinations happening behind the scenes, there is a solid corps of individuals who jump in as volunteers and spend countless hours serving the aforementioned groups.  I bring this up because it is important that we, as a community, be aware of the work done on our behalf, and that we, as a community, take the steps necessary to ensure a steady and ongoing supply of volunteer leaders. 

The residential communities of Avila Beach today look quite different than that of, say, 20+ years ago.  There is a constant flow of “newbies” who arrive with little knowledge of our area’s past, but who have, like most of us, found themselves fortunate enough to land in this slice of paradise we call home.  I often come into contact with new Avilones interested in learning more about the opportunities and organizations that make up the “alphabet soup” of names/acronyms we refer to so freely. ABCF, ABCA, ABCSD, ABTA, AVAC, PSLHB, SLBE, etc.  How many of you can assign the actual names to their acronyms?  With that in mind, it is my pleasure to inform you that a special event titled “Meet the Agencies Showcase” is being planned for later this fall, thanks to a generous grant from our friends at Chevron who, time and again, have stepped up with financial support of the “Foundation” and many other community organizations.  Details about the “Showcase” will be provided in the coming months, but the purpose and goal is to bring together representatives from the various groups that work so selflessly to keep the Avila engine running with those Avilones who want to meet and learn more about them.

In the blink of an eye, 20 years have come and gone since the inception of the Avila Beach Community Foundation.  Over that time it has been our pleasure to fund more than 160 local programs, projects and organizations, and to have funneled into the Avila community in excess of $3 million. The upcoming “Meet the Agencies Showcase”, while shining a light on the many Avila groups, will also serve as the “Foundation’s” 20 year anniversary celebration.  So, you can count on there being the usual generous offerings of refreshments that accompany our hosted activities.  Likewise, we plan on introducing the first of its kind “Avilones of Distinction Awards”, an honor to be bestowed upon local individuals known in the community for philanthropy, volunteerism, and advocacy.  The process will include a nomination and selection format with specific categories and criteria for consideration.  I know this is short on details, but you may want to start thinking ahead about people you feel deserving of special recognition.

If you have been following the painstakingly slow process of the County’s updating of the Avila Community Plan, the SLO County Department of Planning & Building recently released a comprehensive background report.  It contains nearly 180 pages, but for those of you not wanting to pour through the whole thing, you can read a snapshot in the five-page Executive Summary.  To take a look, visit www.EnvisionAvila.org.  When the home page appears, just click on “Draft Background Report.”  Then you can decide how much you want to read/learn.  There is certainly a great deal of history contained in the publication for those curious and willing to spend the time. 

Here’s another reminder that the Avila Trolley has once again included in its route a stop in Avila Village, in front of the entrance to the Avila Bay Athletic Club.  Due to restricted parking, this stop primarily serves San Luis Bay residents. Visit www.slorta.org for information and route schedule.

That’s it for now, fellow Avilones.  See you at the beach!

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!