2002 Year in Review

by Scott Peters
January 2003

Happy New Year! It is a great honor to serve the residents of Rancho Peñasquitos on the City Council. I have appreciated the opportunity to meet and work with many of you over the past year to find effective ways to enhance the quality of life in the area. For my family the start of the new year is always a time for reflection on the year past and a time to look forward to the opportunities and challenges ahead. 2002 was a great year and by working together we will continue to get things done.

In 2002 we successfully blocked a threat to the quality of life of PQ residents with the defeat of the proposed County Water Authority pressure control facility in Ridgewood Park. Through an outstanding movement by the community we worked together to persuade the CWA to place the facility near the freeway, where it will provide the needed service without diminishing the quality of life of residents in the Ridgewood Park area. It was a pleasure working with so many of you to get this done for the community.

Last year we also began to address the drainage problem at Canyonside Park. As a parent and a youth sports coach I know that it is essential that we maintain access to our recreation fields. In 2001 we were able to fund the initial drainage studies, and in 2002 we began the design of a plan to fix the drainage problem. We will begin construction on that plan in late Spring.

Other good news for the kids of Rancho Peñasquitos came in the form of tremendous progress toward completion of the PQ Skate Park. The Skate Park has entered the design phase and after hearing comments on the initial design from members of the Recreation Council, parents and kids, the design team has set about redesigning the skate park with all the comments in mind, and they should return to the Recreation Council for final comments and a review of the environmental documents this Spring. Starting construction on this project in 2003 is one of my top priorities.

The youth of PQ also helped out this year at the kickoff of the Mayor's community forest initiative. The Mayor and I were pleased to work with parents and students at Adobe Bluffs Elementary School to plant 13 new trees around the school, an idea that came from the 2nd and 3rd graders themselves.

2002 saw the opening of the Canyon Rim Literacy Center. I was thrilled to be able to find the funding necessary to help Cindy Marten open the center, and her enthusiasm for literacy is infecting the community as more and more kids show up to read.

Many of you may have noticed the new speed trailer on Black Mountain Road or the police with new radar guns. I was pleased that we were able to work with area developers to get this new equipment donated to the police department to help them better enforce speeding violations in our neighborhoods.

My biggest frustration of the year was that although we developed a plan to advance the completion date of the Camino Ruiz interchange project from 2006 to 2002 we were not able to complete the project before school started at Westview High School. Despite setbacks from Caltrans issues and contractor disputes, we did not give up, and I directed the City to put all of its resources behind completing this project. You may have noticed that work has resumed on the interchange and we are looking forward to its completion in early Spring.

2003 will bring challenges due to the budget woes of the State, but I will be vigilant in protecting the quality of life in Rancho Peñasquitos. I know that we can continue to make strong progress on increasing recreational opportunities for our kids and enhancing the livability of our neighborhoods, through creative solutions and community involvement. I am proud of the achievements we have made over the past year and look forward to working with you to make 2003 a terrific year.