Lets go fly a kite
The 38th annual Festival of the Kite will be held at the Redondo Beach Pier at 100 Fisherman’s Wharf on Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. The event will also feature the 6th annual Corn Dog on a Stick Eating Contest, the 9th annual Redondo Throw Down Yo-Yo Competition and a 25 ft wide kite will also be launched. The event is free and open to all ages. Visit www.pierkites.com for more information.
Continue your education
Spring term starts March 19, so sign up for classes at the South Bay Adult School by March 13. Classes include working with websites and WordPress, Intro to QuickBooks, Job Readiness for Advanced ESL Students, beginning tennis classes, and even how to cook Fancy Finger Foods. Visit www.southbayadult.org for more information. The South Bay Adult school is located at 3401 Inglewood Ave.
Every drop counts
The Redondo Beach Educational Foundation recently launched its annual donor drive. The yearly fundraiser helps support district positions that include teachers, counselors, vital programming including the STEM program music classes, college prep and anti-bullying programs. According to a release, this “360 initiative” asks Redondo Beach families and community members to donate $360 to the donor drive. “If all families in the district gave just $360 per year, the growing gap between decreasing state funds and deficit would be bridged and there would be no need for staff programming cuts,” said Vicky Gallion, Vice-President of RBEF. This year’s campaign, “Every Drop Counts,” was designed to help remind parents and residents that no matter the amount they can give, all of it counts. As a way to give back to each school immediately, RBEF will run their school competition for cash grants to the top four schools with the largest participation numbers. There will be a weekly incentive to win an iPad to the school with the largest donor dollars collected each week during the campaign. The drive runs through April 6. For more information visit www.rbef.org
Goldberg Kids Fund
The Redondo Beach Police Officers’ Association and the Redondo Beach Fire Fighters’ Association created a community fund to raise money for the Goldberg children, who lost both their mother and father after the Feb. 22 homicide. The Goldberg Kids Fund has been established at the South Bay Credit Union. Community members can make donations directly to the branches located in Redondo Beach at 2304 Artesia Blvd or in Torrance at 25360 Crenshaw Blvd. “Tragic events like last week’s homicide impact all of us within the Redondo Beach community,” said Dave Taneman, President of the Redondo Beach Police Officers’ Association. “Something like this, even for cops and firefighters, can leave you feeling like the wind has been knocked out of you. The partnering between the [associations] to raise money for the kids is our way to engage the community in the healing process. Don’t forget, Redondo Beach is a great community…and here is our opportunity to show the world how great we are at taking care of our kids.” Checks made out to Goldberg Kids Fund can be mailed to the RBPOA office at 713 S. Pacific Coast Hwy #J, Redondo Beach, CA 90277.
Historical Commissioner appointed
Michele Brown, a member of the California and National Associations of Realtors was appointed by Mayor Mike Gin to the City’s Historical Commission. Brown is in her second year on the South Bay Association of Realtors Board of Directors and has served on key committees, including recently as chair of the Commercial Committee. She also served two terms as President of the Women’s Council of Realtors South Bay. She has also served on boards of local and state apartment associations in Texas and California for more than 20 years. Her duties at the Historical Commission will include investigating, maintaining and cataloging all historical information, documents, records and pictures that would be of general interest to the city and its citizens. She will also compile records and recordings to promote and keep a written historical record of the city in narrative form.
SEA lab update
After early February’s tragic loss of more than 7,000 marine animals because of an accidental leak of household bleach at its Temporary Ocean Water Desalination Demonstration Facility, West Basin, the company responsible for the desalination plant, made it its goal to restore the SEA Lab’s aquarium to its full tank capacity. Within a week, the goal was reached and they are now focused on repairing the leak in the chlorine bleach line. Divers have confirmed the cause of the leak is a failed coupling that connects two pipes; a team is working to engineer a new, more protective solution for repairing the leak. The residual chlorine remaining in an underground holding basin is currently being pumped through a purification system before being released. They are also installing a bleach detection monitor and an automatic pump shut-off system on SEA Lab’s water intake line. According to West Basin, an improved system will be engineered and the additional safety barriers will be fully tested before pumping new water from these pipes into SEA lab’s aquariums.
