FEATURED THIS WEEK 

Old Escondido Neighborhood Historic District Sign Toppers
Old Escondido Historic District, Escondido’s first and only officially designated historic district, was awarded “Grants to Blocks” funding that will be combined with their own fund raising effort for the fabrication and installation of Historic District sign toppers throughout the District. The “Grants to Blocks” program affords opportunities for residents in designated neighborhood groups to collaborate on features for their community that promote and enhance identity, aesthetics, and neighborhood pride.  The Old Escondido Neighborhood Historic District generally includes properties along 5^th Avenue, east of Escondido Boulevard, north of 13^th Avenue, and west of Chestnut Street. The sign stoppers will be installed in Spring 2019 in time for Historic Preservation Month and the Old Escondido Annual Mother’s Day Home Tour. Old Escondido Historic District’s website is: https://www.oldescondido.org/ 

New Housing Regulations Demonstrate Success
Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU’s) help meet the City’s affordable housing needs in existing neighborhoods by providing a housing resource for seniors, students, families, and low- and moderate-income households.  Last year the City Council updated Escondido’s ADU regulations to allow accessory dwelling units to be detached from the primary residence and up to 1,000 square feet in size.  These modified regulations recently completed their first year and the results are impressive.  During the past year, 18 new accessory dwelling units were approved compared to two that were approved in the prior 12-month period before the regulations were updated. 

Congratulations Officers and Pups!
Congratulations to Officer Moore, with Police Service Dog ‘Aros’, and Officer Brown, with Police Service Dog ‘Roy’, for successfully graduating the 231st Adlerhorst Police Service Dog Basic Handler’s Course. This is a great accomplishment and the first step in a long career with the city of Escondido. 

FEATURED THIS WEEK

Escondido Fire Department Honors Heroes Alongside Local Students
On Tuesday, September 11, Heritage Charter School held an assembly to honor those who put themselves on the line every day to protect others. In attendance were students, teachers, staff, and family members who are active military, police and fire. Presentations were given by Emergency Preparedness Manager Jeff Murdock and Fire Prevention Specialist Sandra Bauer. Our American Flag was honored and a special song presentation was given by the students and music teacher.

Free Community Wellness Event Next Tuesday
The 12th Annual Escondido Community Wellness Expo is happening on Tuesday, September 25 from 8:30 – 11:30am at the Park Avenue Community Center. This is a free community event providing vital information and resources to older adults and their families.
Learn more about the event by clicking the image below.

FEATURED THIS WEEK

Exciting New Ramp at Escondido Skate Park
The Escondido Skate Park, located in Kit Carson Park, recently renovated an existing skate ramp and installed a new and improved jump box feature. Staff worked with former professional skateboarder and skate park designer, Kanten Russell to discuss recommendations on the redesign.  The new feature offers a new experience for our users and improves the flow of the skate park.  It has already become the favorite ramp for riders of all wheel action sports, and adds a new dynamic for competitions and events.

New Welcome Signage
New graphics welcoming residents and visitors to Escondido started rolling out this week. Keep an eye out for them on the California Center for the Arts, Lexus, and Westfield digital signs.

The Escondido Creek Conservancy Awarded Major Grant to Improve Reidy Creek
The Conservancy has been awarded $380,873 by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to implement the Reidy Creek Restoration and Beautification Project. The project is a partnership of the Conservancy, the City of Escondido, and the private property owners along the creek. The grant provides funding to remove invasive exotic trees and plants from the creek, as well as clean up and prevent trash and pollution on a large scale. 

FEATURED THIS WEEK

Scooter Competition Draws National Crowd
On Saturday, September 1st, the Escondido Sports Center hosted another successful scooter competition called the ESCOOTER Pro/Am Competition. Hundreds of spectators enjoyed watching a total of 87 scooter riders compete in 6 different skill levels from Jr. Beginner up to the Professional Division.  Riders traveled from as far away as Indiana, Arizona, and Nevada, along with our local scooter riders, to compete for prizes and the Professional cash purse. The entire event was professionally live streamed by The Shop Pro Scooter Lab.  This all day competition was planned and coordinated by our Sports Center staff.

East Valley Parkway Widening Project Moving On to Next Phase
Overnight on Thursday (9/6) the contractor will be shifting lane closures associated with the East Valley Parkway widening project, located between Beven Drive and the northerly City limits.  This third phase of traffic control will support completion of the final phase of the project construction.  Making use of the recently widened roadway, two through lanes will be provided in each direction during non-working hours.  Information on the project progress and schedule can be found at https://www.escondido.org/east-valley.aspx