Coronado Common Sense

More Than Cinco de Mayo Celebrated This Weekend

 

This past weekend was full of Cinco de Mayo celebrations, not really a hispanic holiday but one made popular by Americans. But more importantly, it marked the 100th birthday of La Jolla Shores resident Kathleen Briggs this year.

 

Author Dave Schwab recounted the festivities in the La Jolla Light. He begins the article by thrusting Coronado into the light with the information that Ms. Briggs "was conceived on the third floor of the Hotel Del Coronado, which she noted gave special rates to Naval officers at the time for occupying the hotel’s third floor".

 

She was a "Navy brat" and as one, traveled around with her family. One of her favorite places was the Naval base in Bremerton, Washington because they were so many Naval Academy grads arriving by ship. Though engaged six times, she never married. She "grew up with the McCain family,  having known the father and grandfather of John McCain who ran for president in 2008".

 

Ms. Briggs is quite entertaining and has not let the years diminish her spunk for living life to the fullest. My favorite Coronado story was this:

"Briggs said her father used to sail frequently when she was young to South America, and would bring back an exotic animal each time, turning their home into a miniature zoo. Once she said the family inquired with a friend about moving from Coronado into an apartment elsewhere. They asked a friend to find a place that  would accept a kinkajou, two monkees, two parrots and an ocelot. The answer back was, 'Stay in Coronado!'”

For more details about Ms. Briggs' life, read "Kathleen Briggs of La Jolla Shores turns 100 on Cinco de Mayo, May 5".

USS Coronado (LCS 4) Delivery A Little Behind Schedule

 

LCS4 Coronado under construction in the Austal's Mobile, Alabama shipyard. Photo by Austal USA.

The Coronado is an Independence-class Littoral Combat Ship (LCS). Coronado will be the second LCS to feature a high-speed trimaran hull and will be designed to defeat littoral threats and provide access in coastal waters for missions such as mine warfare, anti-submarine warfare and surface warfare. (Source: Wikipedia)

 

Susan Keith christens the Coronado. U.S. Navy photo.

 

On 14 January 2012, Coronado was christened by Coronado resident Susan Keith, just as her mother commissioned the previous ship of that name in 1966.

Coronado Shows Up In The Darnedest Places

 

I was reading an article last night written by Andrew Donohue, writer for the voiceofsandiego.org, about District 7 Councilwoman Marti Emerald. You might recall Ms. Emerald as the "Consumer Advocate" at San Diego’s ABC for the last twenty-some years. During that time, she earned "more than a hundred awards for community service and journalistic excellence". So I was interested in seeing how she had fared in politics.

 

The article discussed her top three priorities: voter registration, public safety and redevelopment. It never seems to fail that when redevelopment is mentioned, the City of Coronado is never far behind. Coronado has become the poster child for redevelopment fund abuse and waste in the eyes of our neighboring cities.

 

Yesterday I attended the first meeting of the Successor Agency to the Coronado Development Agency, known as the Oversight Board. You would think as the followup to the CDA, that the meeting would be broadcast on Channel 19 (like the CDA meetings were) for all to watch. But it was dark. Four residents were the only attendees at the 2:30pm meeting and the only ones outside of city staff who witnessed what evolved. I was one of them and I'll be writing about that meeting sometime this week. Tune in, you won't want to miss it.

Tammy's Planters

by Tammy Carney

 

 

Tammy Carney with her Pyramid Planters

 

Nothing tastes better than going out back to pick fresh, sweet salad ingredients for the evening meal. Luckily, we can do it throughout the year here in Coronado.  But if all you have available is a condo deck or a small cement patio, it is often hard to find a good planting place for our herbs and vegetables.

 

 

My small cement back yard isn’t a great place for growing vegetables. Those lovely  tomatoes that I planted in ceramic pots dried out easily or sat in mud for too long, and, well, let’s just say, failed to thrive. The delicate herbs needed their own private umbrellas and personal “misting” attention, and other veggies were strewn about in heavy planters that I had to drag from one place to another as the sun bore down on them.

Next door, my neighbors were easily growing lushious vegetables in their hardscaped patio.  The difference wasn’t a fancy bag of soil or magic incantations!  They simply were growing their plants in attractive redwood containers that allowed the soil to better retain the needed moisture content.

 

 

So one day my neighbor helped me build a terrific redwood planter. At this point you should know that I had no hammer and nail experience at all. Not only did I love all that I could plant in one of the planter boxes, I really enjoyed making the box.  My first pyramid boxes, which take up only 2' x 2' of room, came from the proverbial lightbulb moment.  Because of the simple pyramid, they actually hold 3 levels of herbs, strawberries, succulents, or colorful flowers. 

 

Wheels are optional.

 

So, I made another and then another and then actually sold several to friends who saw them. I made two more boxes for herbs with wheels that allow me to easily roll them around the patio without even bending over.  Last season I planted spinach and lettuce in one of the boxes and herbs in the other.

 

 

I’ll build one or more for you and deliver them to you here on Coronado. They are built with premium grade redwood (untreated), water sealed on the outside to preserve the redwood, excellent drainage on the bottom, and optional wheels.  The boxes hold 1 bag of 2 cubic foot of soil.

 

 

Pyramid Planter Prices:  $55 without wheels, $70 with wheels

To order: tammysplanters@gmail.com or call Tammy at 619.925.6025

Rob Talbot Joins Team At Lee Mather Co., Realtors

 

Rob Talbot of Lee Mather Co., Realtors | Photo by Joe Ditler

 

CORONADO - Rob Talbot is the newest member of Lee Mather Co., Realtors. He has been a successful Texas realtor since 2002, averaging more than 20 transactions a year over those ten years. Before that he worked ten years for Ford Motor Company as a general manager.

They do things big down Texas way. Rob Talbot is a good example of that. The long-time Texas realtor just relocated his family to Coronado and he’s already active in the Coronado Optimist Club, Island Beer Club, Chamber of Commerce, the Lawn Bowling Club, and he's playing drums with the St. Paul's Methodist Church praise band.

One of his most interesting transactions was representing the buyer in selling the 1,000-acre ranch once owned by renowned heart surgeon, Dr. Michael Debakey. “They’re still talking about that one in Fayette County,” laughed Talbot. “It was the largest real estate transaction they had ever seen.”

The Talbots—Rob, Maryellen and daughter Carly— officially moved from the Austin area to Coronado this past fall, after having been summer visitors here for many years. Maryellen works as a commercial interior designer with BKM Office Works of San Diego. Carly is a junior at Coronado High School and active in the Coronado School of the Arts. Another daughter, Claire, is a senior at Texas State University.

Rob was very active in his community back in Texas. So much so that instinctively he immersed himself in Coronado’s community without pause. In Texas he was past president of the Lions Club, past president of The Frisch Auf Valley Country Club, member of the advisory board of The La Grange Chamber of Commerce and a board member of The South Central Board of Realtors.

“One of the most enjoyable aspects of being a Realtor is being able to be involved with the community and getting to know the people who live here," said Rob of his recent transition, “and you don’t do that unless you become involved. We’re very proud to be a part of Coronado’s business landscape, and look forward to making this our home for a long time to come.”

Lee Mather Co., Realtors is Coronado’s oldest brokerage, located at the same 944 Orange Avenue location since 1953. “The fact that Lee Mather Co. is an independent, family owned and operated Real Estate agency really appealed to me,” said Rob. “I am so impressed with the professionalism in this organization, and I look forward to working with them and becoming a strong community player in our new home town of Coronado.”

Meanwhile, you can see Rob and his family riding their bikes around town, attending CoSA performances and Concerts in the Park. Like ducks to water Rob and his family have quickly assimilated all that Coronado is known and revered for, and made themselves active members of this community.

More information on Rob Talbot can be found at www.leemather.com. He can be reached at 619.241.9144 or at robtalbot@leemather.com.

The Talbot clan enjoying Coronado Beach. From left are Carly, a junior at Coronado High School; Maryellen, Rob, and Claire, a senior at Texas State University | Photo courtesy of the Talbot Family

This release prepared by Joe Ditler and Part-Time PR,

serving all of Coronado's marketing needs.

For more information call 619.435.0767.

 

Local Architect Wins Bid To Design Coronado Senior Center

 

Coronado Common Sense would like to congratulate Coronado home-grown Architect Chris Ackerman who won the bid to design the new Senior Center at this week's City Council meeting.

 

About thirty five supporters were there to show their support and many spoke on Mr. Ackerman's behalf. The vote was unanimous for the homeboy and the crowd joyfully cheered their approval.

 

I think that the community would agree that it's nice to see "one of our own" get the job and we are looking forward to seeing Mr. Ackerman's architectural design!

Local Coronado Residents To Cash In As Bonds Default

 

A Common Sense reader sent in this message along with a link to a story that appeared last week in the San Diego Union-Tribune:

 

"Recent Chairman of Coronado First Bank Bill Huck and Board Member Todd Anson launch Common Bond Capital Partners.  Bill Huck—former executive of Stone & Youngberg and issuer of Coronado's $181 million municipal bond—forecasts 'About 200 bond issues totaling more than $5 billion will default in the next few years . . .'

 

Mr. Huck was also a longtime member of Coronado's Tunnel Commission."

Read "New S.D. Firm to Target Troubled Bond Projects" to learn about Mr. Huck's and Mr. Anson's new business.

Susan Keith Christens "Coronado" In Mobile, Alabama

 

 

Source: Austal ship christened: fox10tv.com

 

 

How The Alfredo Ramos Martinez Murals Came To The Coronado Library

 

 The 48 feet long El Dia del Mercado mural in the Coronado Library

by Alfredo Ramos Martinez

 

The Coronado Public Library started their own blog in November 2011 and called it "The Library Lookout". The writer begins:

 

"Art graces a public library, where all may come to enjoy the artworks freely as they use the library for a host of purposes. Being surrounded by art brings these pieces into close contact with  our everyday world. This not only adds culture to our endeavors as adults, but puts youth in regular contact with art as well. While some people may come to the Coronado Library just to tour the building, the art does not need a dedicated visit to be seen - it is part of the Library's host of services. Over the decades the Coronado Library has been given, or has acquired several notable pieces of art. These include the Donal Hord sculpture of The Mourning Woman, the Donal Hord-designed tapestry The Fruits of the Earth, the "Village Church" pastel by Alfredo Ramos Martinez,  the War Hounds watercolor by Arthur Beaumont, the "Hotel del Coronado Boathouse" by Monty Lewis, the "Wizard of Oz" glass portal, and several others. None of these is more famous or more artistically significant, however, than the murals painted by Alfredo Ramos Martinez for the La Avenida Cafe."

 

The posting continues on to tell the wonderful story of how the murals came to the library. I believe that you'll enjoy reading "Art In The Coronado Library" and viewing all of the photos of the art.

Coronado Public Services Director Leaving For Job In Del Mar

 

Public Services Director Scott Huth will be leaving his position in Coronado at the end of this year. After sixteen years of beach, parks and street maintenance; wastewater, sewer, and storm water issues—he is headed for greener pastures.

 

Mr. Huth begins his new job as City Manager of Del Mar on January 1st. Retired Coronado City Manager Mark Ochenduszko had served in the interim  position after Karen Brust left in June. At a special council meeting held on November 21st, Mr. Huth was chosen from a group of more than 106 candidates. His new salary will be $180,000 . . .  with a review after six months of employment.

 

Mr. Huth holds a bachelor's degree in geography from SDSU and a business administration masters from University of Redlands. He is married and has two children.