Linda Vista Library Opens for Indoor Services
Plus: Upgrade Projects for Linda Vista, LV Parade of Flags Tradition Resumes, SD Loyal Soccer, and Upcoming Community Events
Readers, rejoice! After being forced to limit services to the outdoor pick-up of books for the past fifteen months, the Linda Vista Library was finally able to open its doors on July 6 for the restart of indoor/in-person services. The opening saw a small but steady flow of library customers eager to make their way through the bookshelves and the computer lab. “We had more people than expected” commented LV Library Branch manager Jeffrey Davis, “considering we were able to open with very little public notice. Probably a total of 200 customers for the day.” Davis further remarked that the library opening saw a broad combination of customers coming in to pick up books, browse, get library cards, or use the computers. “Some people who had been utilizing our outdoor book pick-up service were surprised to arrive and find we were actually open.”
Although the library is finally open, the hours of operation are not exactly similar to pre-pandemic days. Right now, the library is open from 9:30 am to 5:30 pm daily (closed Sunday). However, the hours are expected to eventually change back to include night hours on certain days of the week. According to Davis, the number of “employee vacancies that came up in the system during the pandemic timeframe has slowed us down and kept us from operating at full strength.”
The Linda Vista library’s operating hours had originally been planned to be reduced due to city budgetary reasons, but the hours were restored after the city received feedback from the public.
Davis mentioned that a couple of the library’s programs are still awaiting resumption, to include the Tai Chi program, which will soon start up again in the next week or two (Monday/Thursday at 9:30 am) in the patio area, and the popular Homework Help program, which involves paid tutors providing tutoring services for students. The Homework Help program, which is expected to resume in time for the new school year, is provided at a dozen city library branches, and the Linda Vista Library’s program happens to be the busiest of them all.
Now that indoor service is available, masks are only required in the library if you have not been fully vaccinated.
Relying on the checking out of digital books during the pandemic proved a very popular option for many library patrons, as did the online browsing/check out and pick up process option (both of these option were mentioned in a previous post of this digital newsletter), but it is still great to have a place in the neighborhood to actually browse through the bookshelves and share a sense of community with fellow readers.
Two Major Upgrades for Linda Vista
Two major long-sought improvements are in the works for Linda Vista sites.
The first involves upgrades to the Linda Vista Road and Comstock street intersection. This is one of the busiest intersections in the community, with the Fire Station on one corner, Skateworld at another corner, John Baca Park across the street, and the Bayside Community Center on the other side. Councilmember Raul Campillo (District 7) was able to secure $750,000 in funds for this upgrade. This project will involve upgraded crosswalk signals and other traffic calming measures. The funding comes from the City’s Climate Equity Fund. According to Anthony Hackett, District 7’s community representative for Linda Vista, the Climate Equity Fund “targets green infrastructure projects that advance climate justice, resilience, and adaptation in disadvantaged communities. The revenue sources for the Climate Equity Fund will come through the gas tax, the regional half-cent sales tax for local transportation, and gas and electric franchise fees.”
The second project involves improvements for Kelly Street Neighborhood Park. Councilmember Campillo was able to secure $400,000 to fund a General Development Plan for the park. According to Hackett, “This would be the first step of preliminary engineering, to identify park improvements and their associated costs.”
The Linda Vista Update will attempt to keep readers informed of prospective start and completion dates for these projects as further planning and final budget approval occurs.
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The Linda Vista Update wishes to thank Councilmember Campillo’s office for answering our request for information regarding these two projects.
Linda Vista Parade of Flags Resumes
The Linda Vista Parade of Flags, a longtime organization of community volunteers, recently used the 4th of July to restart a local patriotic tradition brought to a temporary halt by the COVID pandemic. In the process, Linda Vista was able to once again see a number of U.S. flags lining Linda Vista Road for the Independence Day observance. Though the number of volunteers, as well as the number of flags put on display, were both limited compared to previous years, this display of flags served as an appropriate patriotic display for the community as well as a hopeful sign that the pandemic is finally coming to an end.
The Linda Vista Parade of Flags has been in existence since 1994. Its mission is to line a long segment of Linda Vista Road with U.S. flags as a way of celebrating/observing 10 national holidays each year. Each flag lining operation requires approximately 12 volunteers planting a total of 110 U.S. flags in prepared holes located next to the curb from the Via Las Cumbres/Linda Vista Road intersection (near the University of San Diego) to the Genesee Boulevard/Linda Vista Road intersection. The flags, mounted on 12 foot poles, go up early in the morning (delivered via volunteer vehicles) and are brought down late in the afternoon on the same day.
In between holidays the flags, donated over the years by various individuals and organizations, are kept in a storage room provided by Skateworld.
This recent Independence Day flag operation was limited to only 21 flags positioned near or at John Baca Park. However, the organization plans to revert to planting all 110 flags this Labor Day.
If you are a Linda Vista resident interested in volunteering during the year for the Linda Vista Parade of Flags, please call the head of the organization Joanne Carini at 619-436-9700.
SD Loyal Soccer Team Plays for a Tie
This past Saturday the San Diego Loyal of the USL Championship League, battled to
a 1-1 draw with the Sacramento Republic, spoiling the Loyal’s chance to take the division lead. The 4:00 pm game, with about 4,200 fans in attendance, was played at the University of San Diego’s Torero Stadium, the team’s home field.
Continuing the post-pandemic outdoor pro soccer season, the Loyal grabbed a 1-0 lead early in the second half. They had better ball possession overall, but couldn’t convert this into shots and additional goals. Republic’s footwork was impressive.
The tie goal from a header was in the final minute of the 4-minute stoppage time. The fans were disappointed, yet they cheered along with the pep band’s drum beats and flag waving to say thanks for a good game.
The next game will be July 10th (5:00 pm), an exhibition game with the Club Tijuana Xolos.
Upcoming Community Events
—FridayTeen Nights: The Linda Vista Recreation Center will be hosting Friday Teen Nights from July 9 to August 27. See the below poster for details.
Movie Night. The Linda Vista Recreation Center will be hosting a Movie Night on July 16. See the poster below for details.
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The Linda Vista Update publishes informative, interesting, and fun news about Linda Vista and its neighboring communities.