On Feb.11 a groundbreaking ceremony was held for a new, 173-unit development in Ventura, Parklands Apartments at Wells Road & Telegraph Road. The estimated completed date is March, 2017.

In attendance were the developer, construction employees, interested neighbors  and city dignitaries. Speaking to the gathered crowd were City of Ventura Councilmember Cheryl Heitmann and Community Development Director Jeffrey Lambert, as well as Trustee of the Gladys Daily Coffman Trust (Previous property owner) Laura McAvoy and Owner/Developer John Ashkar.

Residents will have access to various courtyards and an elevated deck overlooking the Brown Barranca, along with amenities including recreational facilities, barbeque areas, a pool and spa. Linear parks, bike pathways, and pocket parks in and around the project will provide residents with ample green space for outdoor recreational activities. Other amenities will include a full gym, lounge, conference room, and game room.

Future plans for the site call for over 200 single-family homes and other type housing. This will make it one of the biggest developments of its type in Ventura.

John Ashkar’s development company Westwood Communities Corp. has several other large apartment projects in the planning stage to be built in Ventura. With Ventura’s vacancy rate extremely low more units are very much needed.

In celebration of the City of Ventura’s 150th Anniversary, Pier into the Future is offering deckhand engravings at a reduced price of $150 through March 1, 2016. This is a savings of $25 per engraving.

Commemorate that special loved one or honor your family with an engraving in granite on the historic Ventura Pier. The $150 donation includes your name, or the name of a loved one, engraved on a granite honor roll at the entrance to the pier, a plank “grant deed” suitable for framing and a collector’s edition lapel pin. A special memorial section is available for donations in memory of an individual. Orders received by March 1, 2016 will be engraved prior to the City of Ventura’s 150th Anniversary on April 2, 2016.

“This is the perfect time to have your name engraved in granite at the historic Ventura Pier, all while helping to raise funds to keep the Pier well maintained”, said Pier Into the Future Executive Director Jenise Wagar. The organization was founded by a group of dedicated community leaders, in partnership with the City of Ventura, to establish an endowment fund to maintain and enhance the historic Ventura Pier for future generations to enjoy. The organization has contributed over $500,000 to the City of Ventura over the last 23 years to enhance the Pier.

Engraving forms can be found at www.pierintothefuture.org or by calling 804.7735.

Community members and church leaders came together Thursday morning, January 29th, at the River Community Church to support the “Life Worth Living” breakfast and information meeting of The City Center Transitional Living. The breakfast was planned and presented by Executive Director Pastor Jim Duran. Some of those in attendance were Stephanie Caldwell, President and CEO of the Ventura Chamber of Commerce; Steve Bennett, Ventura County Supervisor; Christy Weir and Carl Morehouse, Ventura City Council members and Cheryl Heitmann, former mayor and council member, who all pledged to help address the homelessness issue. Current residents brought some members of the audience to tears with stories of their struggles and success. The City Center currently houses about a dozen adults and their children, who are in transition. During the 12 to 18-month program, the residents work on two main goals: gainful employment and permanent housing. The City Center is located at 837 E. Thompson. www.theciitycenter.org

California Attorney General Kamala Harris (center) was the guest of honor at the recent annual meeting and board election of the Ventura County Women’s Political Council held at the Pierpont Inn. Harris just announced that she’s running for Barbara Boxer’s US Senate seat. Flanking her are Solair Kargodorian (left) and Thousand Oaks City Council candidate Angie Simpson (right).

Ventura County Community College District Board of Trustees, along with Chancellor Bernard Luskin congratulate Ventura College President Greg Gillespie. The Aspen Institute College Excellence Program this week named Ventura College one of the nation’s top 150 community colleges eligible to compete for the 2017 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence and $1 million dollars in prize funds, as well as Siemens Technical Scholars Program student scholarships, highlighting the critical importance of improving student success in America’s community colleges.

The Prize, awarded every two years, is the nation’s signature recognition of high achievement and performance among America’s community colleges and recognizes institutions for exceptional student outcomes in four areas: student learning, certificate and degree completion, employment and earnings, and access and success for minority and low-income students.

Nearly half of America’s college students attend community college, with more than seven million students – youth and adult learners – working towards certificates and degrees in these institutions across the country.

“I am grateful for the dedicated work of all our college employees,” said President Greg Gillespie. “Their efforts directly help students succeed at Ventura College.  It is very exciting to receive this recognition from the Aspen Institute and we look forward to completing our application for the 2017 award.”

“Community colleges have tremendous power to change lives, and their success will increasingly define our nation’s economic strength and the potential for social mobility in our country,” said Josh Wyner, executive director of the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program. “This competition is designed to spotlight the excellent work being done in the most effective community colleges, those that best help students obtain meaningful, high-quality education and training for competitive-wage jobs after college. We hope it will raise the bar and provide a roadmap to better student outcomes for community colleges nationwide.”

“The community colleges of Ventura County are in driving distance of every citizen and are among the best in America,” said Chancellor Luskin.

“Our job is to serve the citizens of our county, and we are proud to do it. Again, we congratulate Ventura College,” said Larry Kennedy, Chair, Board of Trustees.

This year, California saw the largest increase among states in the number of colleges eligible for the Prize—tripling from seven to 21 since the last Prize cycle in 2015. Most states saw only small changes in the number of eligible institutions.

A full list of the selected colleges and details on the selection process are available at www.aspenprize.org.

Ventura College and 149 other community colleges announced this week were selected from a national pool of over 1,000 public two-year colleges using publicly available data on student outcomes in three areas:

• Performance (retention, graduation rates including transfers, and degrees and certificates per 100 full-time equivalent students)
• Improvement (awarded for steady improvement in each performance metric over time)
• Equity (evidence of strong completion outcomes for minority and low-income students)

Ventura College has been invited to submit an application to the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence containing detailed data on degree and certificate completion (including progress and transfer rates), labor market outcomes (employment and earnings), and student learning outcomes.

Ten finalists will be named in fall 2016. The Aspen Institute will then conduct site visits to each of the finalists and collect additional quantitative data. A distinguished Prize Jury will select a grand prize winner and a few finalists with distinction in early 2017