Santee Wins State Grant for Local Parks

The state announced today it has awarded the city of Santee a $117,450 grant that can be used to acquire land and develop a neighborhood park.
Santee was one of five cities in San Diego County to earn a grant under the Housing Related Parks Program administered by the state Department of Housing and Community Development.

"We’re excited because this grant will enable Santee to enhance the quality of life by building a park in one of our neighborhoods where it is needed the most," said Community Services Director Bill Maertz.

The purpose of the grant program is to reward cities and counties that provide new affordable housing units by awarding them funds to build parks in under-served neighborhoods.

Santee qualified for the grant because its Community Development Commission provided partial financing for the construction of a 48-unit affordable apartment complex called Cedar Creek, which was completed in 2010 at a cost of $14.1 million.

State Housing and Community Development Director Linn Warren applauded the 33 cities statewide that received $11.3 million in grants under the program.

"These local governments have demonstrated a commitment to affordable housing at a time when the housing market has proven to be a significant challenge for California families and low-wage workers," Warren said in a news release.

Free Concert Features Caribbean Sounds from Upstream

Se habla reggae?  Take a quick Caribbean vacation (at least in your mind) by attending a free concert at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Santee’s Town Center Community Park East.

The amphitheater parking is located behind the YMCA at the south end of Park Center Drive.

The concert will be headlined by the band Upstream, which plays a mix of reggae, calypso and soca (soul of calypso). This high-energy, five-piece band will enthrall you with their vocal harmonies and musicianship.

The band, which has already recorded five of their own CDs, was originally formed in 1989 in Trinidad and Tobago and features two sons of the late Ras Shorty, who is credited with creating soca music.

Click on this link to listen to one of the band’s sample tracks called “Dance”: http://www.myspace.com/music/player?sid=22955403&ac=now

Click here to see video samples of the band on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/upstreammusic

Santee’s free Thursday concert series is produced by the Special Events Division of the Community Services Department and is sponsored by Barona Resort & Casino, Cox Communications and Union Bank.

Quail Brush Public Workshop Cancelled

The California Energy Commission has cancelled a public workshop on the Quail Brush power plant project originally scheduled for Friday, June 29 at West Hills High School in Santee.

The workshop was cancelled after the Cogentrix  Energy LLC, which is seeking permits to build a 100-megawatt natural-gas-fired  power plant, missed a June 22 deadline for filing supplemental project information with the commission.

Commission officials said the additional information was to include details about a revised design aimed at addressing concerns raised by the public and the city of Santee, including the visual impact of the plant on the surrounding open space.

Commission officials decided the public would be better informed if the workshop takes place after Cogentrix unveils details of the proposed redesign, which requires complex re-engineering that isn’t finished yet. The commission issued a statement saying the hearing would be rescheduled when Congentrix files information on the revised design.

Cogentrix has indicated it is working on a redesign aimed at lessening the plant’s visual impact by consolidating the original 11 smokestacks that would be 100 feet tall into two clusters that would be about 70 feet tall.

The proposed plant would occupy about 11 acres of a 21.6-acre parcel near the Sycamore Landfill near Santee’s western boundary with the city of San Diego.

Santee Hosts Top Chef TV Show

Monday, June 25 was an extra rare day for gourmands in Santee. The city hosted the Top Chef TV show under a tent outside the Cox Solutions store at The Marketplace shopping center on Mission Gorge Boulevard.

The show featured a live “quickfire cook-off” competition between chefs Brian Malarkey of San Diego and Tre Wilcox of Dallas, Texas.  Audience members were chosen to judge the culinary creations of the two chefs and pick the winner.
The show recorded in Santee is the 24th of 25 competitions that will be aired on the upcoming season on the Bravo Network.  Spoiler alert: Wilcox was the winner.

Free Concert Tonight by Emerald River Band

The Emerald River Band, which plays country and classic rock favorites, headlines tonight’s free concert at 6:30 at Town Center Community Park in Santee.

Come on down and sit for a spell and tap your toes to the twang of an electric guitar. Bring a lawn chair, a blanket and all the friends you can gather. If you also happen to bring an appetite, you’ll have your choice of four gourmet food trucks.

Here’s an audio sample of what Emerald River sounds like: http://www.myspace.com/music/player?sid=23705143&ac=now

The free concerts, which are produced by the Santee Community Services Department, are every Thursday (except July 5)  through August 16. Go to our web page to view a map of the concert location.

Night Work Scheduled on Mission Gorge Road

Watch out for traffic cones and caution signs on Mission Gorge Road in Santee early next week.

Construction crews will be resurfacing the road between Tamberly Way and Cottonwood Avenue from Sunday June 24 through Wednesday, June 27.

Work hours will be from 9:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.

Traffic will be reduced to one lane in each direction over the duration of the project.

Questions or concerns can be directed to Associate Civil Engineer, Toby Espinola at tobyespinola@ci.santee.ca.us or (619) 258-4100 ext. 174.

Deadline Today For Power Plant Comments

Today  (June 19) is the deadline for submitting letters or emails to the San Diego Planning Commission regarding a proposed rezone that would allow for the construction of the Quail Brush power plant project.

Email comments can be sent to planingcommission@sandiego.gov

The commission is scheduled to consider the rezone at its June 28 meeting, which begins at 9 a.m. at San Diego City Hall.

The commission is still in the process of deciding whether San Diego planners should analyze whether the power generating plant can be built on a 10-acre parcel currently zoned for open space.

The proposed power plant site is in the city of San Diego north of State Route 52 but close to Santee's western boundary near the Sycamore Landfill.

Cogentrix Energy of North Carolina, the firm that wants to build the 100-megawatt natural gas-fired facility, also is seeking a construction permit from the California Energy Commission.