By Shain Haug

Town hall meetings

The next Allied Gardens/Grantville Community Council (AGGCC) town hall meeting will be on Nov. 28 at 7 p.m. at Ascension Lutheran Church, 51st and Zion avenues.

San Diego State University geology professor Eric Frost will speak on the Lake Murray Watershed, Adobe Falls, and Alvarado Creek water dynamics and their effects on Grantville.

He will describe the system, how it gives rise to flooding in Grantville, and the benefits of a partnership with the San Diego River Conservancy.

Our budding scientists at Lewis Middle School, Patrick Henry High School, and Magnolia Science Academy will find this program of particular interest.

Zion Avenue Beautification Project

As cooler weather arrives, and with the rainy season approaching, we encourage and invite residents along Zion Avenue to join our community improvement project — a partnership between AGGCC, the San Diego Regional Urban Forests Council (SDRUFC) and the city of San Diego.

• Background: Zion Avenue is one of the major thoroughfares in the Allied Gardens and Grantville communities. First constructed in the 1950s, the roadway connects residential Allied Gardens to shopping, dining, entertainment, and transit along the Mission Gorge/Friars Road corridor.
• The project: The AGGCC and the SDRUFC are collaborating with the city of San Diego to plant trees along the Zion Avenue corridor. AGGCC and SDRUFC members have been collecting tree permit applications from residents along Zion Avenue and are planning an Arbor Day event in the near future when all of the trees will be planted to help transform and improve our community.
• Benefits: Trees improve property values. The addition of trees and shrubs can increase property values 10 to 20 percent. Mature trees improve our aesthetic environment, absorb noise, calm traffic, and reduce stress and crime. Urban neighborhoods with trees can be up to 11 degrees cooler in the summer heat.

Celebrate the holidays with us

Two important events are coming up very soon for Allied Gardens. The tree-lighting ceremony on Dec. 7 at 6 p.m. will take place at the Triangle between Waring Road and Zion Avenue. It is AGGCC’s effort to recognize students from our local schools who have demonstrated outstanding citizenship.

A decorated tree will be simultaneously lit by two second grade students from Foster and Marvin Elementary. Parents, be sure to bring your flashlight as it is quite dark until the children light the tree. Members of the Lewis Band will perform a community sing-along during the tree-lighting ceremony.

The Holiday Festival will be held on Dec. 8 beginning at 7 p.m. in the Lewis Middle School Auditorium. The fifth-grade choir from Foster Elementary will be singing several holiday selections and the Lewis Middle School Concert Band has been busy working on a number of seasonal orchestral songs under the direction of their teacher, Mr. Prout.

The Lewis Band Mothers have graciously agreed to serve the refreshments, donated by AGGCC, which will be immediately available at the end of the festival.

Please come join us! There is no admission fee. During the festival, each child will be given a free raffle ticket for a chance to win a Barnes and Noble gift certificate. The grand prize is a $50 gift certificate. Hope to see you there!

Board of directors meetings

The AGGCC board of directors meets on the first Monday of each month at 7 p.m. Our next meeting will be on Dec. 4. Our board of directors is comprised of some very fine folks, your neighbors, who care about the community and who care about your interests. You can support them in their work by subscribing to or advertising in the newsletter, by attending our town hall meetings, and by giving them your ideas about what the community most needs.

Website

Visit our new website at aggccouncil.org. It is still a work in progress so bear with us. We hope that in the near future, it will be a great source of information for our community. Give us your suggestions at aggcc@gmail.com.

—Shain Haug is the president of the AGGCC. Reach him at aggccshain@yahoo.com.