ENVIRONMENT
Back bay dredging plan gets the go-ahead
The Orange County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a
dredging plan for Upper Newport Bay on Tuesday.
Officials have decided that dredging is needed to prevent
sediments carried by San Diego Creek from filling the bay. Dredging
is expected to be a three-year project. The Army Corps of Engineers
could hire a contractor by next month.
The projected cost for the project is $39.2 million, and county
officials are counting on the federal government to pay two-thirds of
the tab.
So far, $1 million has been allocated for dredging through the
Corps of Engineers. Congress could pass a budget outlining an amount
between $2 million and $7 million when lawmakers go back to work in
September.
After the supervisors' vote, Orange County Watershed and Coastal
Resources Division manager Larry McKenney said the county will need
to lobby Washington for about $20 million to complete the project.
COSTA MESA
Skate park has its official opening ceremony
Unofficially open for two months, the Volcom Skate Park of Costa
Mesa received its official blessing by city officials Tuesday.
Mayor Allan Mansoor hopped on a skateboard and rode across the
flat parts of the 15,000-square-foot park. Young riders from across
Orange County strutted their stuff at the ceremony, which included
representatives from Volcom, the Costa Mesa-based company that is
sponsoring the park.
* The Orange County Fair board approved a contract with event
promotion company Richard Goodwin Presents to hold a New Year's Eve
party at the fairgrounds this year.
Promoter Rich Goodwin said the deal clears the way for his company
to finish party plans and sign performers. Tickets will likely go on
sale Oct. 1.
NEWPORT BEACH
Construction company holds blood, marrow drive
Employees at McCarthy Building Companies in Newport Beach were
tested to be bone marrow donors in an attempt to find a match for two
friends of the corporation.
Drew Spaeth, a friend of McCarthy preconstruction director Brent
Newby, and Lisa Vega, the sister-in-law of employee Ed Vega, are in
need of a marrow transplant.
This was the first time the construction company has held a bone
marrow drive. A blood drive occurred simultaneously.
* The City Council on Tuesday voted to add 4,000 square feet to a
conceptual design for a new city hall and to upgrade the building's
appearance, bringing the projected cost of a redone civic center to
$46.3 million. The council hasn't yet officially voted to build the
