The Orange County Register Council sets goals for 2002 January 17, 2002 By CHARLES ADAMSON Orange City News The Orange City News asked members of the Orange City Council last year to list the goals they wanted to accomplish in 2001. The following is a review of those goals and a list of new goals for 2002. Mayor Mark Murphy: Current term expires: 2002 Year first elected to council: 1993 1. Establish and hold an education summit meeting with participation from the city of Orange, the Orange Unified School District, Chapman University, Santiago Canyon College and parents and students to collectively identify strategies and methods to enhance education for our youth. Mayor Murphy said he introduced the concept of an Education Alliance to City Council in October. Plans are now being developed with initial meetings targeted for this spring. 2. Create/host youth forums at the local high schools in coordination with the OUSD Office of Student Welfare and the Youth Services Bureau of the Orange Police Department. The purpose of these meetings will be to identify important current issues from the students' point of view and identify strategies on how to effectively address them. Youth forums were held at the local high schools in the spring and fall 2001 semesters. Both sessions targeted current issues relating to the schools and the City of Orange. Murphy said forums are expected to continue in 2002. 3. Coordinate efforts with Caltrans to expedite completion of the Costa Mesa (55) Freeway widening project and complete the related work on city streets such as Chapman Avenue. Improvements were made on Chapman Avenue, Katella Avenue, Collins Avenue and Lincoln Avenue. Murphy said work on the Costa Mesa (55) Freeway and those streets was expedited as a result of joint efforts between the city of Orange and Caltrans. 4. Break ground and begin construction on the new community park and active sports facility at Prospect Avenue and Spring Street. The environmental analysis is being completed on the facility and is scheduled for final review in spring by the Park, Planning and Development Commission and City Council. 5. Complete the engineering redesign of Yorba Park for use by Orange Central Bobbysox and the Orange Dog Park Association. The environmental analysis is being done and is scheduled for final review in spring by the Park, Planning and Development Commission and City Council. 2002 Goals: 1. Open Grijalva Park on Prospect/Spring. 2. Initiate at least one additional joint-use, city/OUSD facilities project to provide additional sports and recreation facilities for Orange youth. 3. Expand the police department's Youth Services Bureau programs to include the elementary and middle schools. 4. Expand the "Concerts in the Park" program with additional evenings and entertainment. 5. Begin televised coverage of city commission meetings (Planning, Traffic and Park, Planning and Development) to provide additional public access to city meetings. Mike Alvarez: Current term expires: 2004 Year first elected to council: 1996 1. Continue the work on building a new park at Prospect Avenue and Walnut Street. The park is not yet built but plans are in the works for Grijalva Park at the site. 2. See that the library renovation at the Taft Branch Library continues as scheduled. The library is closed for renovation. It's expected to reopen in early summer. 3. Continue to allocate more money to fix the streets and sidewalks in the city. The council awarded a contract this month for $216,216 for the Orange Olive Road paving and has allocated money for repairs on Taft Avenue and other streets. 4. Work hard to prevent a county jail from being built in east Orange. With the gift in November by the Irvine Co. of thousands of acres of open space east of Orange, the land will to be set aside as open space, not a jail, said Alvarez. 5. Work hard to stop an airport at El Toro and work on the effort to build a world-class "Great Park'' at the El Toro site. On the March ballot is an initiative, brought about by the effort of anti-airport groups county-wide, to change the former El Toro Marine Corps Air Station zoning from airport use to park use. Alvarez plans to run for Orange County Board of Supervisors and part of his platform will be opposing the airport. Goals for 2002: 1. Increase park space in the city. Open Yorba Park and build Grijalva Park. 2. Get more involved with the district schools. "I want to see our teachers salaries become very competitive with some of the best districts in the county. 3. Keep a tight rein on the city budget. 4. Keep tight hold on any new developments that are coming to the city 5. Watch and influence the Sully-Miller mineral mining site housing project proposal and the Irvine Company's Santiago Hills Phase II. "The goal is to make sure those developments reflect the best elements of our city." Joanne Coontz: Current term expires: 2004 Year first elected to council: 1986 1.Complete of Plaza Park Preservation construction. Project is completed and the city is celebrating it Jan. 19. 2. Beginning of community input on 20-year strategic plan for library services. Library users have been polled and said they want more hours and a larger variety of materials, including more on audio tapes and compact discs. 3. Complete conceptual design and community input for Prospect Community Park and purchase 27 acres of railroad property for the park. The city purchased the 27 acres. The city is still working on the design and more community input is needed, said Coontz. 4. Get the alignment and construction documents approved for the first segment of the Santiago Creek plan. The first phase construction of the Santiago Creek Plan was approved. 2002 goals: 1. Set in place programs to build public and staff awareness of the special design and building standards in the Old Towne Historic District. 2. Pursue greater cooperation with the Orange Unified School District. Assist them with their school site problems and promote shared facilities between the two agencies. 3. Vigorously pursue grant money and other funding for the expansion of our library system. 4. Develop broader community support for acquisitions and improvement to our parks and trail systems. 5. Determine how the proposed unilateral changes to our east Orange General Plan by the Irvine Co. will affect Orange and its long-term financial stability. Dan Slater: Current term expires: 2002 Year first elected to council: 1994 1. Open dog park at Yorba Park. Slater said this goal will be carried over into 2002. "It's bogged down by environmental reviews that nobody saw coming. It is my strong hope that it will be opened this year," Slater said. 2. Work toward a more cooperative working relationship with the OUSD board of education. "I think we have made a lot of progress in that area, especially with a newly elected school board," Slater said. "I personally have an outstanding relationship with the school board. And the rest of the council, if they don't, they will shortly, I'm sure." 3. Adopt an ordinance addressing rampant and unsightly phone booth installations. "The city attorney's office is apparently working on that and we're hoping to see something soon," Slater said. "I'd say within two months. "We have nothing regulating public telephone booths and people have put them up willy-nilly everywhere and have really created some eyesores around town," Slater said. 4. Obtain at least one new grant for parks (other than state bond money). A grant was obtained for environmental clean-up of a park. 5. Adopt a city motto. Hundreds of submissions have been made and a committee has been formed. "The committee has been chosen by council. We will meet and make a selection and the council will ultimately approve that, probably by summer." New 2002 goals: 1. Set guidelines for phone booth installation and more effective code enforcement for existing laws. 2. Get the dog park open. 3. Select a city motto. 4. Work on getting 12 of the city's 15 county islands annexed, all but the three largest, El Modena, Orange Acres and Olive. 5. Initiate steps toward the transfer of Barham Ranch from OUSD to county. Carolyn Cavecche Current term expires: 2002 First elected to council: 2001 2002 goals: 1. Help Orange Police Department's Youth Services Bureau expand efforts in city schools and increase anti-graffiti program. 2. Approve change in city ordinance to provide stricter guidelines for "infill" developments. 3. Finish Library System Master Plan and set up joint use program between OUSD and city libraries. 4. Actively represent Orange and its community's best interests in Irvine Co. development of East Orange. Negotiate for a new sports park and branch library to be included. 5. Implement and monitor new traffic management program to make sure neighborhood traffic problems are mitigated in the city.