Hi: We are Chico and Chica and will make someone wonderful additions to their household. We are sweet and loving toward people and especially to each other. We have been VCAS ambassadors and provided comfort to the elderly during visits to a nursing home. Do you know someone who needs perfect company? Ventura County Animal Services – Simi location – 670 W. Los Angeles Ave
Chico A521758 and Chica A521674
Hi: I’m Boo Boo a handsome 3 year old Chow rescued from Animal Services. I’m grateful to be given a second chance at finding my forever home. I was good with the family I lived with and good with other dogs, but I didn’t enjoy being brushed or bathed. I hope I don’t have to wait too long before my special someone comes to take me home. CARL CARL Adoption Center-call 644-7387 for more information.
Hope takes her first ride in a motorcycle, thanks Jim Estes, and Jim’s friends Tucker, Robert, Patricia and Gregory.
Have you ever had a dream? Hope Jeter did. Hope is a resident at Cypress Place Senior Living in Ventura. She resides in their Generations Memory Care community, a specially designed area for residents with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.
Just shy of her 95th birthday, Hope shared that her dream was to ride on a motorcycle. Asked if she had ever been on one she replied, “No. I’ve sat on one standing still, but I’ve never ridden on one.”
When Generations Memory Care Coordinator, Sarah Perez, got wind of Hope’s dream, Sarah and the staff at Cypress Place went to work to fulfill that dream. With the help of Melinda and Becky from Ventura Harley-Davidson, and motorcycle owner Jim Estes, Hope took her very first ride in a sidecar, at the tender age of 94!
Jim invited his Harley riding friends, Tucker, Robert, Patricia and Gregory to join the procession. Cypress Place friends followed along in the Cypress bus to cheer her on. The adventure included a sidecar trip to Rincon, lunch at In-n-Out Burger, and a basket full of gifts from Ventura Harley Davidson, all making it a memory-making, ride-of-a-lifetime for Hope.
If you have a loved one struggling with dementia, Cypress Place Senior Living will be hosting a Dementia 101 Seminar titled “Exciting Breakthroughs & Practical Tips”. Guest speaker for the seminar will be Norma Featherston, R.N., M.S., Gerontology. Featherston is a geriatric care consultant with New Hope Senior Services.
A variety of important topics regarding Dementia will be covered including: who can get it, how they get it, what to expect, practical tips and strategies for everyday use, and information on exciting breakthrough research and what it means for you.
The free Dementia 101 seminar takes place from 10a.m. to 11:30a.m. on Saturday October 14 at Cypress Place Senior Living in Ventura and is open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.
On Oct.5, at 9:22pm Ventura City Fire Department responded to a report of smoke and fire in a residential home in the 200 Block of N Ventura Ave. Upon arrival fire crews found a fire burning underneath of a raised foundation house and extending into the interior of the home. Firefighters extinguished the fire seventeen minutes after arrival. The home, which had burned a year earlier, was unoccupied at the time of the fire. The cause of the fire is suspicious and remains under investigation. No firefighters were injured as a result of this incident.
The newest member of the City of Ventura’s Parks, Recreation and Community Partnerships division, Kellogg Park, is currently in its first phase of construction. Kellogg Park began as a community driven project to increase park area on the Westside of Ventura, and although there were no available funds to build the park, the City and its partners secured $3.5 of the $4.5 of the funds needed to construct the park through grants and donations. The first phase of the 2.41 acre park will feature community gathering spaces, an amphitheater, playground area, outdoor exercise equipment, and a perimeter walking path.
The construction at Kellogg Park is moving along quickly. People walking by can now see that play and exercise equipment have been installed, as well as, new cobble seat walls surrounding the play areas. Work has also begun on beautiful pebble mosaics. Park staff are set for an April 2018 expected completion date, of the first phase of this park. The first phase of the 2.41 acre park will feature community gathering spaces, an amphitheater, playground area, outdoor exercise equipment, and a perimeter walking path. For more information, photos and videos please visit the Kellogg Park website https://www.cityofventura.ca.gov/521/Kellogg-Park.
How should the city approach the new pending marijuana regulations?
by Paul Peterson- Pat 1 of 2
The city of Ventura has just announced it will host a community meeting for all Venturans to offer input as to how the city should approach the new pending marijuana regulations. The meeting will be held Thursday, September 28th at 6pm in the Community Meeting Room at City Hall, 501 Poli Street. The public will be asked to weigh in on issues such as marijuana store fronts, delivery services, cultivation, taxes, zoning and other related issues. The input will then be given to the city council at another public meeting on October 9th, also at 6pm in council chambers. Those who can’t attend are encouraged to email their input to [email protected]. This is a real opportunity for the people to speak out on this subject.
On January 1st, 2018 marijuana becomes legal to consume and cultivate for Californians over age 21, many enjoying strains similar to blue venom. The supporting cannabis industry has been gearing up for legalization with a series of pot industry conventions and confabs throughout Southern California. The level of business acumen and innovation is surprising. More details on these gatherings along with input from the September 28 meeting will follow in a second installment for The Breeze. The CBD industry is set to skyrocket too with many businesses looking for a CBD manufacturing company from whom they can purchase private label products to sell under their brands.
Recent polls have shown national support for medical marijuana now tops 90% while support for legalization for all is now over 60%. It seems to be the will of the people. Ventura has remained on the sidelines so far as to whether the new law will be approached as a problem or an opportunity.
There has been enormous financial success for Colorado since enacting their law. Gross sales will surpass one and a half billion dollars this year resulting in tax revenues of over 116 million dollars for Coloradoans. Additionally, new business ventures have been able to grow into the sector to help promote it in their regions, such as Avidon Marketing Group to name one example. California’s gross sales are expected to top 8 billion in a few short years.
How Ventura will fare in this coming tax and licensing windfall lies in the policies developed going forward.
It should be noted that at all the aforementioned cannabis confabs, optimism is very high and opportunities for cannabis jobs and starting new businesses were everywhere. Many women were seen as leading entrepreneurs in these new businesses, especially in food infusion and minorities seek to be equally represented as shop owners and distributors. There seems to be new opportunities for many.
January is right around the corner and Ventura’s opportunity to take advantage of a whole new industry and is on the line. It appears to be the biggest new revenue source in decades for city coffers. Opposing progress might be akin to being the last dry town in a wet state, to use a prohibition example. Illustrating this, the town of Milliken, Colorado is now approving pot shop licenses to two new businesses because the nearby town of Garden City now credits pot taxes and license fees for bringing in half of their $1.3 million dollar budget. Imagine doubling a city’s income and being able to fund new projects and complete existing ones. That may be the opportunity before our city council. Citizens have a chance to express responsible views at the upcoming events September 28 and again October 9th. City funding and jobs are at stake.
Harbor Boulevard west of Figueroa (adjacent to the Amtrak station) has been permanently converted to an eastbound one way street. Note that the section of Harbor Boulevard east of Garden Street (adjacent to the fairgrounds) is already an eastbound one way street.
For the past couple years Harbor Boulevard west of Figueroa has been converted to eastbound one way as a part of the VC Fair traffic control set up. Since the conversion was made VPD has indicated a significant improvement to traffic flow during the 10 days of the fair, particularly when fairgoers exit the fairgrounds in the late evening. A significant amount of work has to be done each year to make this conversion which includes re-striping the roadway. The removal of the striping has an impact to the condition of the pavement and over time will require additional maintenance. In addition, there is a significant cost in making these changes each year.
With the growing number of special events at the Fairgrounds and the amount of work it takes to convert to one way each year prior to the fair, it would be beneficial to just make the one way permanent. People wanting to go to the Amtrak station will need to traverse through the fairgrounds parking lot. New signage has been installed as a part of the permanent conversion to guide motorists to the station. The fairgrounds will accommodate access to the station through their parking lot. The fairgrounds already has an agreement with the City to provide 22 parking spaces in their lot for long term parking for Amtrak passengers. In addition to coordinating with the fairgrounds we have also coordinated with the DVP (Downtown Ventura Partners)trolley. The trolley will also need to traverse through the fairgrounds parking lot. This has been discussed and there doesn’t seem to be any issues.
The plan is to evaluate the one way conversion in six months to see if there are any major issues that arise. The City, Fairgrounds, VPD, Fire, and DVP will all be involved in the evaluation. Since the striping has been done in paint rather than a more permanent striping material it can be changed back to the original layout fairly easy.
Pierpont Racquet Club is excited about the planned renovations.
When the PRC first opened its clubhouse doors 40 years ago this October 1st it was one of the first multi-purpose clubs in the United States. Tennis and swim clubs were common and racquetball was growing in popularity throughout the country. Yet the Garrett brothers were among the first to combine tennis, racquetball, swimming and a workout room to create a private membership club. Fourth generation Venturans, Scott and Spencer Garrett returned to Ventura in the summer of 1975 and started developing the Club on 5.5 acres leased from the Pierpont Inn. With the backing of their parents Betty and Joe Garrett they attracted a few investors and secured a loan from the Bank of A Levy. Over the years the Garrett’s have continued to make improvements to the Club to keep pace with the changing needs of its members.
Shortly after the 40th Anniversary party to be held Sept. 30th, the Club will begin yet another construction phase. More fitness areas will be created, an elevator added, and the locker rooms, clubroom and lobby will be remodeled.
There aren’t many businesses that make it through 40 years. When asked what gives him the greatest satisfaction, Spencer Garrett said “I think what we have done well and still do is to create an atmosphere where people can meet and make life-long friends.”
There are still 44 people who have been members ever since the clubhouse opened in 1977. As they did for the 35th Anniversary in 2012, the Garrett’s have invited the Charter Members to a special reception the afternoon before the club wide party. On Saturday, September 30th, this year’s party, “Neon Nights”, will feature a barbecue and dancing to the tunes of D.J. Marty Glassman. Once again party proceeds will go to benefit a local non-profit. This year the Museum of Ventura County is the beneficiary.
Club Manager Kerrie Anderson, who first started at the Club in 1986 as a Fitness Director, is excited about the planned renovations to the Pierpont Racquet Club. “The changes we are making will enhance our partnerships that we have now with various community groups such as CMH to provide services not only to our members but to the general public as well,” added Kerrie.
When asked about future plans, Spencer Garrett said, “Scott and I never gave much thought to what was in store 10 years after we opened let alone 40. We’ve been blessed with so many great employees and members that this has never felt like a job. It’s been a privilege to see all that we have created and I know the future will be even brighter. It is a dream come true.”
Hi: We are Chico and Chica and will make someone wonderful additions to their household. We are sweet and loving toward people and especially to each other. We have been VCAS ambassadors and provided comfort to the elderly during visits to a nursing home. Do you know someone who needs perfect company? Ventura County Animal Services – Simi location – 670 W. Los Angeles Ave
Hi: I’m Boo Boo a handsome 3 year old Chow rescued from Animal Services. I’m grateful to be given a second chance at finding my forever home. I was good with the family I lived with and good with other dogs, but I didn’t enjoy being brushed or bathed. I hope I don’t have to wait too long before my special someone comes to take me home. CARL CARL Adoption Center-call 644-7387 for more information.
