WEST FLORAL PARK NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION ISSUE #44 Fall 2013

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WHERE NEIGHBORS TURN INTO FAMILY & FRIENDS

West Floral Park - The New Mayberry, USA?

by Melinda Jordan-Heathcock, Social Co-Chair

My parents moved from the East Coast to California in 1953. My father was introduced to SoCal during WWII and fell in love with the warm weather, the sunshine, the orange trees, and the job opportunities, so he moved our young family to Lakewood, California. A year later, he and my mother purchased their starter home in Garden Grove, and nearly sixty years later my mother is still living in her starter home where she and my father raised four children who watched The Andy Griffith Show and believed that good neighbors were important.

Few people today remain in their homes and neighborhoods for this long. People buy and sell houses, switch jobs, and trade in old friends for new ones without a second thought, and for many people in today’s California, a house is an investment and neighbors are just something to tolerate. The sense of community from the 1950’s that many once enjoyed is virtually lost in our frenzied lifestyles. Few people in Southern California neighborhoods even recognize the people next door, much less invite them over for coffee; not so in West Floral Park. Not only does the West Floral Park Neighborhood Association strive to improve the appearance of the neighborhood and work with the city to keep our homes in a safe environment, the social committee schedules events throughout the year to help nurture relationships. While being able to identify the faces of your next-door neighbors is good, how much better is it to go to the next level and call them your friends? Attending our social activities help to make this happen. Consider that barking dog down the street—isn’t discussing the barking dog over a meal or a glass of wine a better way to solve a problem than calling the police to complain about it? WFP presents many opportunities to meet, socialize with neighbors, and even solve problems, in the friendly and personal atmosphere of our own homes. We are lucky to have good neighbors who are genuinely interested in our day-to-day activities, and many who we can even call our friends. Attending the various social events we have throughout the year is a great way to keep this happening.

West Floral Park

NEWSLETTER

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Not many of us would really want to trade in our modern conveniences for the return of living during the 1950’s. We enjoy the iPads and smart phone technology we have today, and I certainly don’t want to go back to a black and white TV set or a phone number with a party line (how many of you remember that?). But living in West Floral Park is a little bit like returning to the Mayberry of our youth. We are surrounded with the security of neighbors who really care about us and even want to get together to plan a wine walk, a progressive dinner, or a Christmas party for just another reason to socialize. So even though we don’t have Barney Fife and Andy

Griffith as our friendly sheriffs, our little corner of Santa Ana is that slice of American apple pie most of us look for in a neighborhood.

Upcoming Events

• November 13: WFPNA General Meeting—Election of 2014 WFPNA Board • December 8: Christmas Party • December 15: Holiday Lights Judging

The Virginian…Fundraiser for Santa Ana Police Foundation By Scott Lohse

The Santa Ana Police Foundation is organizing a fundraiser event to support the K-9 and mounted units. With the department facing budget cuts, the foundation has stepped in to bring police, business, and youth together for a safer community. This event is on Sunday, October 27, 2013, 5:00–10:00 PM at the Regency South Coast Village Theater located in Santa Ana. Enjoy a dinner and movie with the Santa Ana Chief of Police. Other great activities are planned as well. For tickets and additional details, please visit www.SAPDF.org/Virginian or call 714-972-0200. Don’t miss the movie trailer on the website! Your generous contributions will help replace two police dogs, one who is medically retired due to cancer and the other who is retiring from the force. This leaves four working dogs on the police team out of six. Also our mounted units are in need of new tack and are not funded by the city. These dedicated officers use their personal horse and tack to keep our city safe. With your financial help, the foundation can continue with the on-going fulfillment of their mission and Santa Ana will continue to increase its safety and prosperity for all members of our community. You may also contact Scott Lohse, a volunteer with SAPF at 714-675-5823. The need is great—the need is now. Be a part of filling it! The Foundation is a 501c3 charitable organization established in 2008.

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The Social Buzz by Melinda Jordan-Heathcock, Social Co-Chair

This year’s progressive dinner was another huge success. We had over 110 neighbors turn out for our Picnic in the Park theme this year. Old-fashioned picnic baskets, sunflowers, fried chicken, and hot dogs, along with great live entertainment, were enjoyed by all. The group "Acoustic Monday" played guitars and sang familiar songs as we dined on Laurie Hampton’s beautiful front lawn with our friends and neighbors. A few guests even got up to dance to the music. One of our neighbors got up from his table to get seconds from the potluck table and was overheard saying, “I’m looking out on this group and seeing my neighbors and friends having a great time eating and enjoying each other’s company, and I just have to think how lucky I am to live in a neighborhood like this where people care enough to plan and put an event like this together.” We have to agree. There are a lot of people planning, meeting, and organizing to pull these functions off, but when we see how much fun everyone is having, it’s worth it. Can’t wait to see all of you at the next social function.

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New North Santa Ana Traffic Committee Formed By Dan Edmunds

A new traffic committee was recently formed to address the joint interests of West Floral Park, Floral Park, Jack Fisher Park, and Morrison Park. The initial impetus for the committee came after the release of a draft of a Santa Ana traffic engineering document called the “Circulation Element,” which seemed to show a change in the designation of Flower Street to “collector” status. No one knew exactly what this re-designation would mean for our communities, but it didn’t sound good. The committee was formed to jointly discuss how to react. But, shortly before our first Traffic Committee meeting we discovered the purported Flower re-designation was a map publishing error. City officials assured us that our portion of Flower is working fine; no one at city hall has any desire to change it. Still, this incident pointed out why a traffic committee might be necessary. A group that represents our common interests would be helpful should anything substantial arise in the future. We ought to keep tabs on local developments that pertain to road and traffic-related matters that affect our corner of Santa Ana. Also, certain neighborhoods have local concerns they want to bring to a larger group’s attention, especially if the issues span across neighborhood boundaries.

Here are some of the items that have been discussed: • Interstate 5 Carpool Lane Project: The Orange County Transportation Authority is finalizing plans for a second I-5 carpool lane through our vicinity to address the current bottleneck where the I-5 and 57 Fwy HOV lanes merge. The goal is dual HOV lanes between the 57 and 55 freeways. The chosen solution does not encroach on our neighborhoods, but it will require the permanent removal of the carpool entrance and exit ramps near the Discovery Science Center. That carpool exit ramp is abnormally tight and has an accident rate that’s five times higher than the state average, so it will not be missed by our local public safety officials. Construction should begin in mid-2016.

• Interstate 5 First Street entrance ramp project: The southbound on-ramp currently deposits merging cars too close to the 55 freeway off-ramp, resulting in congestion that backs up through our area. OCTA and Cal Trans are still evaluating two proposals (reconfigure the ramp or move it to Fourth Street), and neither one affects our neighborhoods directly. Either choice should make our lives easier on our way toward the 55 freeway junction. Construction is slated to begin in mid-2016. • Bristol Widening Project: This project is broken into five phases. The section north of 17th Street, our section, is phase five, the final phase. At present, ours is the only phase without a construction schedule because its status is listed as “Looking for Funding.” Phase four will be complete in late 2016, so we don’t expect much movement before then. • Morning Right Turn Restriction from Memory to Flower: Our neighbors to the north have problems with drivers making odd U-turns and unwanted detours through their neighborhoods to avoid this restriction, and most of us would like to be able to turn right to get home in the morning. Ideas are being discussed, but we all understand that the sign was put there to discourage commute traffic down Flower, so the issue may not be as simple as petitioning for the removal of the restriction outright.

We’re open to bringing other neighborhood traffic issues to the table. Is the intersection at Towner and 21st especially tricky? Would the awkward intersection at Flower, North Park and Riverside be safer and easier as a roundabout? Do we have a problem with commuter cut-through on Olive and 19th to Flower by those avoiding the northbound straight-through driving restriction at 17th and Flower? Or are

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those drivers mostly locals from our four neighborhoods? These are the sorts of issues we might investigate and put forward to city traffic officials.

Our next meeting will be held on Tuesday, October 22 at 7:00 PM. Each community can appoint a maximum of two members, and the group has plans to meet once every month. West Floral Park still has one open slot. Contact Dan Edmunds at dedmunds@edmunds.com if you’d like to be the second West Floral Park representative.

Neighborhood Watch: See Something Say Something

By Mika Denny As the Neighborhood Watch captain for West Floral Park, I have been in touch with the Santa Ana Police Department plenty of times this year to talk about ways to stay alert and crime free. The officers I have talked with all say the same thing about us. We are fortunate to live in such an active and caring neighborhood. We have a unique situation in West Floral Park that is different from other neighborhoods in the city. We look out for each other and we call the Police when we see something suspicious. This plays a major part in keeping our crime statistics low. If we see something, we say something!

As I mentioned in the last newsletter, it’s important that we stay in touch with each other virtually through our private social media sites (Nextdoor.com and our West Floral Park Neighborhood Facebook page) but we also need to have easy ways to pass information on to the city and the Police Department.

There is an app for that! There are two helpful apps for smartphone users to make reporting issues to the Santa Ana Police Department and the City of Santa Ana more convenient. Search “Santa Ana Police Department” in your app Store. The app for the iPhone has features that include: an easy way to report graffiti or crime, the city’s most wanted list, links, city-wide directory and more. It even has a function that allows you to catalog your valuable property with serial numbers and photos. The Android version of this app, called “Santa Ana PD Tips,” is basically a way to submit anonymous tips to the SAPD.

The other app is called “mySantaAna” and is also available for both Android and iPhone/iPad users. This app also makes it really easy to report graffiti, potholes, street light issues and more. Important to note that there was an earlier version of a similar app called “MySantaAna2Go” that no longer functions, so make sure your apps are up-to-date.

Neighborhood Watch Sign Update In closing, you may have noticed that we have 6 new Neighborhood Watch signs up around the perimeters of WFP. We are the first neighborhood in Santa Ana to receive these signs under the new city program. Phase 1 was placing the 6 new signs the city allows us, Phase 2 will be resurfacing the old C.O.P. signs that are scattered throughout the neighborhood with new graffiti proof graphics that will match the new Neighborhood Watch signs. Stay tuned for more information, and if you have any questions please send an email to WFPNAwatch@gmail.com.

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New Neighbor Perspective By Rolando Chavez

Living in West Floral Park for the last 14 months has allowed us to create some memories we will cherish for years to come.

Our most favorite to date has to be 4th of July. Where else do you get great weather, great food, a parade, a fire truck ride, AND you get to set off your own fireworks? If you have children, these are memories that will last a lifetime and, we hope, traditions they will carry forward. It's events like this that create phrases out of our children's mouth such as, "This is the best day EVER!" "These fireworks are just for us?" It makes parents look like rock stars!

The events and the feeling of community continue long before and after 4th of July. Exploring neighbors’ gardens through the eyes of a child brings a whole new meaning to the beauty we often take advantage of. It inspires us to take pride in our homes, in our yards and encourages us to meet new people and build friendships and relationships we might otherwise have not had. There is nothing, in my opinion, physically healthier for you than getting outside, enjoying the fresh air, working in your yard, and making a difference.

Being on the neighborhood board, if you have not participated, has been quite an experience and one I would encourage everyone to try at least for 1 year while they are here. It allows you to be involved with people, be a part of creating and implementing new ideas, bettering our neighborhood and making a difference. Your voice counts, your opinion counts, what we do in WFP counts.

You may have seen people soliciting through the neighborhood for a security system, for pest control, for newspapers…. Although it can be bothersome, I look at it as an opportunity to meet someone new, find out if there are better products out there, and meet someone my life path otherwise would have not crossed. I actually sat at Subway one day and heard a team of solicitors discussing their WFP strategy since this was such an amazing neighborhood and what their plan of attack was. Consider yourself lucky, people love where we live, it is truly a privilege.

There may be some challenges in the neighborhood such as traffic when school is in session, crime, etc., but you will get that everywhere you go in life. What WFP provides is the neighborhood email to keep you informed and connected, neighbors with open eyes and ears, and a sense of a community who cares. Log on, sign up, and stay informed; a wealth of information is at your fingertips.

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Fourth of July Parade

Welcome New Neighbors! We would like to welcome the following people to our neighborhood. These new neighbors were invited to our September 26 New Neighbor Social. • Dahlbo Family on Olive Street • Vandervoort Family on Towner Street • Bruce & Anne Lim on 18th Street • Richard & Cathy Boutelle on Westwood Ave • Armand Barragan on Louise Street • Garrett & Tamerra Ellis on Westwood Ave • Juan & Maria Velez on Riviera Drive

WFPNA Newsletter Staff Editor, Donna Layne Production Editor, Tracy Edmunds Contributing writers: Melinda Jordan–

Heathcock, Rolando Chavez, Charlie Guerami, Kay Housley, Dan Edmunds, Scott Lohse, Mika Denny, & Donna Layne

Photographers: Laura Jagerman, Michele Chatelle, Paul Davey, & Donna Layne

Plus the great team of 19 people who deliver our newsletter

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Porta-Potty Blues…Tales of Remodeling By Donna Layne

About two months ago, another porta-potty suddenly appeared in the driveway just two houses away from me. I was thrilled that our new neighbors had started their remodel. However, like most of you, I have a love/hate relationship with the arrival of this structure. On the positive end, I will have more stories to report!

And speaking of stories, I caught up with some of the people in the neighborhood that I have been reporting on. Steve and Judi on 19th Street started their work three years ago with the immortal words “Honey, I think it is time to paint the outside of the house….” Steve reports that, of course, it’s never that simple. From those words, the transformation of a neglected backyard into a dining oasis began…with the need to paint the house. Theirs is the story of how one improvement dominos into many improvements. In November, they decided that they couldn’t paint the house unless they replaced the roof. Then in December they realized that they couldn’t put on a new roof and then paint the house unless they insulated the exterior walls. This decision was a good one in terms of being energy efficient, but doing this eco job resulted in multiple patches causing the decision to re-stucco the entire house in January. After the roof, the painting began, including the house, trim and doors. Steve goes on to tell the story that after all of this was done in February/March they said, “Hey, that’s looking pretty good! Let’s finish it up with some landscaping. Then the knock on the door—we need a backyard for the upcoming Open Garden Day.” Well, they decided their yard needed fixing up as well! With the help of a vision, some local tradesmen, and many hours of backbreaking work, Steve and Judi have a great outdoor dining area with a garden view. The final outcome is quite impressive. Via the grapevine I heard that they had some very interesting conversations regarding this process but I don’t think they want to tell those stories. Needless to say, they were very happy when this “Honey I think we need to paint the house” saga ended.

Charlie and Molly on Riviera have almost completed “phase one” of their remodeling and have decided to directly go to “phase two” of remodeling the kitchen right away. Their porta-potty, as you might remember, was in their front yard for quite a long time. After purchasing the house, they lived in their house for a while before starting their remodeling. After much planning and discussion, the remodeling job of the entire house (except for the kitchen) began. They report that they were glad they

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lived in the house before remodeling it because it helped them decide what changes they wanted to make. Molly says that the house works better for them now and that they are enjoying it. Molly calls it their “refreshed” home. Molly and Charlie considered moving out during this remodel but ultimately decided to live in the house during the remodel. They are glad they lived in the house while the work was being done as it allowed them to answer questions that came up and, as a result, nothing had to be redone. Although you really couldn’t tell what was going on inside, every room (except for the kitchen) was refreshed including ceilings redone, walls reconfigured, and bathrooms expanded. Molly and Charlie are happy that most of the remodel is behind them and say that, “all in all, the process went well.” Good luck Molly and Charlie on “phase two”—the kitchen remodel! Homeowner Laurie on Riviera purchased her home, a charming little 1933 cottage which was originally on Heliotrope and moved to Riviera in 1953 by Mrs. Daninger in 2004. Her original remodeling intent was to modify the footprint “just a little” to enlarge the kitchen, bathrooms, and closets. After three years of planning, she took it down to its bones and rebuilt it, “pushing it out and over and in and out.” It developed into a major—move out for 1 year—remodel! The house still has its homey charm and unique “anglely” footprint. The architecture remained very close to the original and visitors that have seen the home before and after feel the integrity of the style and the 1930’s “feel” have been unchanged. In 2010 she began the planning of her outdoor space in the backyard. The result is a fabulous entertainment space, complete with louvered patio cover that rotates with the sun electronically, a dining room, living room, kitchen, and water/fire feature. The patio flooring is slate and brick. The rest of the area was landscaped, allowing her cute dog Rocky a grassy area to enjoy. Laurie opened her backyard twice for Open Garden Day, allowing visitors to see the before space and the plans for the space and then the next year showing visitors her completed space. Now Laurie enjoys entertaining inside and outside! And, since the inside remodel, she has already redecorated some of the rooms!

And so, for these homeowners, their remodels were remarkable in the end with homeowner satisfaction and happiness. From their stories, we can see that the remodeling process takes twists and turns and sometimes goes in phases. Our beautiful, unique, custom-built homes are worth it! Even if the work comes with an ugly gray, porta-potty.

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The Backyard Scoop…Stepping Back into Fall By The Garden Keeper, Contributing Columnist

I enjoy the subtle autumn leaves of the liquid ambers along our tree-lined streets and the cool brisk walks through the neighborhood as nature begins to recede under the cooler weather. Soon, shorter days and longer nights will be accompanied by falling leaves, spiky pods, and October Santa Ana winds, as the memory of summer’s warm early dawn fades from my memory. The change of pace hardly inspires me to start planning a winter garden. My tomatoes are long gone and a limited group of

pitiful pepper plants continue to hang on out of spite for the poor attention I gave them during the heat wave. So, I’ll just pull up what’s left, rework the dirt, water, and rework some more and think about what I want to do with my little garden area. Perhaps I’ll plant winter veggies: spinach or other leafy greens for salads, onions, and of course, herbs. Adding fresh picked herbs brings vibrant flavoring to winter stews and homemade soups. All the while, I'll remember to be thankful for what’s been entrusted to me. Then, I’ll redirect my attention to the fruit trees, their branches weighed down with a bountiful harvest of fall pomegranates and persimmons, and anticipate battling the squirrels. Yes, fall is a nice time to slow my pace, refresh my outlook and prepare for the holidays as it wraps around me in subtle ways. As I look out over my yard, I begin to ask what I will do next to make it interesting. Change is good. And so goes the Gardener, trying to prepare a place for a little ʻwinterʼ garden. And that’s The Backyard Scoop!

Neighborhood Tree Update

The WFPNA board has created a map identifying all of the trees in the neighborhood. This map shows healthy trees, empty tree spaces, and trees needing replacement. A list of needed trees has been submitted to the city. The city is reviewing tree planting citywide and will be in touch, hopefully in the next 30 days. Stay tuned!

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Neighbor Spotlight: Cheryl Walsh, Portrait Photographer By Tracy Edmunds

Cheryl Walsh is an international award-winning photographer who creates beautiful images right here in West Floral Park. With the support and assistance of her husband, Todd, and twin daughters Alex and Madison, Cheryl pursues her artistic vision with talent and passion. Half of the year, Cheryl specializes in personalized photography of high school seniors. Her goal is to tell the individual story of each senior she photographs; she wants them to be able to look back and remember who they truly were at this important time in their lives. Parents and students alike love Cheryl for the creativity and joy she brings to her work.

Cheryl is also the staff photographer for Orange County School of the Arts. She photographs school events and performances by the talented

OCSA students and 100% of the sales of these photographs go to the school's arts conservatories (OCSAphotos.net).

In the summer, Cheryl's backyard pool is transformed into a professional photo studio as she creates her amazing underwater fine art portraits. These breathtaking images are the result of Cheryl's creative vision combined with years of work developing specialized underwater

photography techniques. Her models are mostly students, including neighbors Shelby and Sarah Edmunds, who just have to run across the street to hop in the pool. Great art is being created in West Floral Park! If you'd like to see more of Cheryl's work, look her up on Facebook as "Cw Alt-senior."

Do you know a neighbor who deserves the spotlight? Let us know! westfloralpark@gmail.com

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Richard J. Politiski Attorney at Law

1002 N. Broadway Santa Ana, CA 92701

Telephone 714.542.1161

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800.758.4955 13293 South Street, Cerritos, CA 90703

Cathie Lentz-Fryer

WFP Neighbor Since 1988 cathief@ctatravel.com

CST #2018799-40 www.ctatravel.com