Hello friends and neighbors. I hope you have enjoyed the summer, which is rapidly coming to a close. For the second consecutive year we in Avila Beach have awoken each morning more often to fog than sunshine. My fingers are crossed that this is not the new normal for our previously sun drenched patch of the central coast. Fortunately October looms, which usually marks the exchange of gray skies for blue.
I would like to extend a healthy “thank you” to the individuals and businesses who have thus far taken advantage of the Foundation’s Matching Community Gifts Initiative. Combining the personal contributions received with some of the matching dollars available has resulted in nearly $13,000 being funneled into local organizations and projects that benefit Avila Beach. We remain extremely grateful to Old Custom House, P.G.& E. and Chevron for kicking in $5,000 each to help launch the “Initiative”. View the embedded donations thermometer to track our progress, and visit our website if you wish to take advantage of this opportunity to double the value of your gift.
Some of you may recall that last year the Avila Foundation hosted the first Avila Beach Town Hall Forum, featuring SLO County Supervisor Adam Hill and speakers from Port San Luis Harbor District, P.G. & E. and Chevron. I am pleased to report that we are now gearing up for our next “Forum”, which will likely take place late next February or early March. Supervisor Hill will once again moderate the evening, update us on County matters, and introduce a panel of presenters now under consideration . If you have any requests to hear from specific entities or individuals that night, now is the time to chime in. Forum 2010 was a full house, as will be Forum 2012, so keep an eye out for registration information as seating is quite limited in the Community Center multi-purpose room.
The other exciting event we are gearing up for is a yet to be named Avila Beach history and heritage series – possibly coming late spring of 2012. As you know, Avila enjoys a rich history going back to the days of the Chumash. Playing a huge role in Avila’s past was the railroad, commercial fishing industry, oil production and more. This series will explore a variety of subject matter from the past, and will include anecdotal stories from some of the family members whose ancestors span several generations of ties to Avila Beach. I have to admit it has been fun receiving the occasional email from people no longer in the area who have stumbled upon the Avila Foundation’s website. The stories they share are informative and often quite amusing. And speaking of Avila past, I ran into Pelican Point resident Hank Campbell at the gym the other day. He told me of his recent hobby collecting old film strips and turning them into DVDs. Hank asked where he might acquire some old home movies that capture Avila Beach pre-oil contamination and clean-up days. While there are countless photos kicking around that go back many decades, I have not personally heard about any home movies. If you happen to have some, or access to old film strips, Hank would like to hear from you. He can be reached at 595-7313, or by email at [email protected]. Wouldn’t it be fun to see a DVD compilation of Avila’s past at the upcoming history and heritage event?
As part of my ongoing effort to keep Avila News readers informed, I will share with you a summary of the July 17th Sheriff’s Town Hall meeting, arranged by the Avila Valley Advisory Council. We met new Sheriff Ian Parkinson up front and personal, and heard his views on public safety. We were told that the Sheriff’s Department is the largest law enforcement agency in the County, with 280 employees – compared in size to second largest SLOPD with a staff of roughly 80 employees. The County consists of 1,320 square miles, has a population of around 270,000 residents, and is served by three Sheriff’s stations and seven “beats”. Sheriff Parkinson has invested a great deal of time getting to know his staff, building collaboration with other County law enforcement agencies, and working with his management team on a new vision and strategic plan for the Department.
Oh, before I forget – the Foundation would like to introduce its new logo. Thanks to the artistic work of Foundation project specialist Penny Burciaga we can boast a very Avila appropriate graphic on our electronic and hard copy outreach. Plus, we added a tagline to the logo - “Honoring the past, Investing in the future” – that I feel states concisely what the Avila Beach Community Foundation is all about. Visit our website to take a look – www.avilabeachfoundation.org. That’s about it for now. School is back in session, so be careful when driving by Bellevue Elementary. See you at the Beach.
I would like to extend a healthy “thank you” to the individuals and businesses who have thus far taken advantage of the Foundation’s Matching Community Gifts Initiative. Combining the personal contributions received with some of the matching dollars available has resulted in nearly $13,000 being funneled into local organizations and projects that benefit Avila Beach. We remain extremely grateful to Old Custom House, P.G.& E. and Chevron for kicking in $5,000 each to help launch the “Initiative”. View the embedded donations thermometer to track our progress, and visit our website if you wish to take advantage of this opportunity to double the value of your gift.
Some of you may recall that last year the Avila Foundation hosted the first Avila Beach Town Hall Forum, featuring SLO County Supervisor Adam Hill and speakers from Port San Luis Harbor District, P.G. & E. and Chevron. I am pleased to report that we are now gearing up for our next “Forum”, which will likely take place late next February or early March. Supervisor Hill will once again moderate the evening, update us on County matters, and introduce a panel of presenters now under consideration . If you have any requests to hear from specific entities or individuals that night, now is the time to chime in. Forum 2010 was a full house, as will be Forum 2012, so keep an eye out for registration information as seating is quite limited in the Community Center multi-purpose room.
The other exciting event we are gearing up for is a yet to be named Avila Beach history and heritage series – possibly coming late spring of 2012. As you know, Avila enjoys a rich history going back to the days of the Chumash. Playing a huge role in Avila’s past was the railroad, commercial fishing industry, oil production and more. This series will explore a variety of subject matter from the past, and will include anecdotal stories from some of the family members whose ancestors span several generations of ties to Avila Beach. I have to admit it has been fun receiving the occasional email from people no longer in the area who have stumbled upon the Avila Foundation’s website. The stories they share are informative and often quite amusing. And speaking of Avila past, I ran into Pelican Point resident Hank Campbell at the gym the other day. He told me of his recent hobby collecting old film strips and turning them into DVDs. Hank asked where he might acquire some old home movies that capture Avila Beach pre-oil contamination and clean-up days. While there are countless photos kicking around that go back many decades, I have not personally heard about any home movies. If you happen to have some, or access to old film strips, Hank would like to hear from you. He can be reached at 595-7313, or by email at [email protected]. Wouldn’t it be fun to see a DVD compilation of Avila’s past at the upcoming history and heritage event?
As part of my ongoing effort to keep Avila News readers informed, I will share with you a summary of the July 17th Sheriff’s Town Hall meeting, arranged by the Avila Valley Advisory Council. We met new Sheriff Ian Parkinson up front and personal, and heard his views on public safety. We were told that the Sheriff’s Department is the largest law enforcement agency in the County, with 280 employees – compared in size to second largest SLOPD with a staff of roughly 80 employees. The County consists of 1,320 square miles, has a population of around 270,000 residents, and is served by three Sheriff’s stations and seven “beats”. Sheriff Parkinson has invested a great deal of time getting to know his staff, building collaboration with other County law enforcement agencies, and working with his management team on a new vision and strategic plan for the Department.
Oh, before I forget – the Foundation would like to introduce its new logo. Thanks to the artistic work of Foundation project specialist Penny Burciaga we can boast a very Avila appropriate graphic on our electronic and hard copy outreach. Plus, we added a tagline to the logo - “Honoring the past, Investing in the future” – that I feel states concisely what the Avila Beach Community Foundation is all about. Visit our website to take a look – www.avilabeachfoundation.org. That’s about it for now. School is back in session, so be careful when driving by Bellevue Elementary. See you at the Beach.
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