Hello fellow Avilones. Happy November! I imagine most of you are gearing up for the busy holiday season rapidly approaching. Geez – weren’t we just enjoying the calm following an end of a chaotic Avila Beach summer season? Of course, the BIG question we now face is El Nino or El Nino not? The Central Coast has already experienced some rain, thunder and lightning this fall, with predictions leaning toward strong and prolonged rainfall. As I sit at the computer typing this column, it is the very same day that Hwy 5 along the “Grapevine” was closed due to post-storm mudslides, thus re-routing thousands of vehicles and big rig trucks to the 101. This was just another reminder that it doesn’t take much for traffic through SLO County to come to a screeching halt.
For those of you who may not be aware of efforts by some Avila Beach locals to lobby on behalf of our town, it was at the October 13th SLO County Board of Supervisors meeting that 40 or so Avilones wearing blue tee-shirts imprinted with “Advocates for Avila” staked out seats, held up signs and assigned representatives to deliver their message. No, they weren’t supporting the Los Angeles Dodgers fruitless playoff run, they were imploring the Supervisors to include in their priority planning another look at the County general plan and, specifically, the Avila area plan as it applies to property development, special events, traffic, parking, etc. Disturbingly enough is the fact that the current Avila area plan is based on information and studies that are both outdated (over 30 years old) and irrelevant (based on traffic counts conducted in early May each year, instead of higher summertime traffic). A very similar concern/complaint was shared by an equally represented and passionate group of people from the Paso Robles communities of Willow Creek and Adelaide, whose once quiet and serene way of life was being overrun by an onslaught of winery-hosted special events and weddings. Credit given where it is due, it appears that the message by Avila and Paso residents struck home and resonated with the Board of Supervisors who, if I understood correctly, have moved into their priority list action to update the general and area plan to address all the concerns shared. A big shout-out to the Avila “Advocates” who spoke that day; Jim Hartig, Martin Suits, Denise Allen, Carol Goldberg and Deb Humphreys. Not to get lost in the shuffle of the day was a proposal by Sherri Danoff, that the County take steps to remove billboards along the Central Coast 101 corridor by applying to have that stretch declared a “State Scenic Highway”. Such a designation could also bring with it other benefits, protections and possibly funding.
Did you happen to see/read the four-page story about the highly controversial Wild Cherry Canyon project in the October/November issue of SLO LIFE MAGAZINE? I won’t even begin to try and summarize for you the historical content, corporate background, intrigue and mystery that shape the Tom Franciskovich report. If you want a comprehensive and unbiased, outsider’s look at the inside, I encourage you to track down the latest issue if there are still any left. I believe you can also access the online version of the magazine.
Care to know the latest on the “Foundation’s” public art initiative? Okay, you win. I am happy to report that the project is moving along nicely. The Request for Proposals (RFP) has been released, and interested artists (about fourteen of them) attended an orientation on October 14th and 15th at the Avila Beach Promenade to view possible public art “canvasses”. We now await the proposal entry deadline of November 20. The artists are excited and so are we! More on the “Foundation” front – shortly after you receive this issue of the Avila Community News our Trustees will have met to determine grant awardees to be funded for projects and programs in 2016. This year we received 13 grant applications seeking a grand total of slightly under $95,000. Some of the 13 requests are from repeat grantees, and some for new projects. We will be able to announce the grants awarded in December, so stay tuned.
I close with more information that will be of interest to our area seniors and their caregivers. The local Area Agency on Aging has announced the arrival of flu season, and encourages all seniors to get inoculated. The open enrollment period for new or renewing Medicare recipients ends on December 7th. Senior Connection is a free and confidential service that provides information and referrals to help seniors and their families – call 800-510-2020 or visit www.centralcoastseniors.org. Coast Caregiver Resource Center maintains a comprehensive list of local support groups – call 805-534-9234.
That’s it for now, fellow Avilones. Enjoy the holidays!
.
RSS Feed