Huntington Central Park to get pavement and irrigation work, City Council decides

Dilapidated areas of Huntington Beach’s Central Park will be renovated as a result of a City Council vote Monday night.

The council voted 6-0, with Councilman Mike Posey absent, to replace and repair asphalt and upgrade the irrigation system in the eastern part of the park, plus repair the parking lot of the Park Bench Cafe.

Some regular volunteers at the park attended the meeting to voice support for the work.

Resident Steve Engel said volunteers need help to keep the park clean and beautiful. Engel and his wife, Shari, are members of the Huntington Beach Tree Society and led an effort to restore Central Park’s Secret Garden.

Resident Betty Reinertson said it’s time to put more money into the park.

“It’s a treasure we need to save,” she said.

In January, city staff determined that $500,000 of a $1.6-million city surplus could be used for park infrastructure improvements, according to a city report.

The Huntington Central Park Committee worked for months with the Public Works and Community Services departments to determine the areas in need of repair.

The committee is an arm of the Community Services Commission, which makes recommendations to the council on issues related to development and renovation of parks and recreational facilities.

Beach Cities Interfaith Services

Dozens of people at the council meeting demonstrated their support for Beach Cities Interfaith Services, an advocacy group for the homeless that in late June received a notice from the city evicting it from its location at 18131 Gothard St.

City officials contend the organization attracts homeless people to Central Park who engage in unlawful activities such as vandalizing bathrooms and using them for drug use.

Many of the group’s supporters, wearing red shirts to express that the city should stop the eviction process, took to the podium during public comments Monday.

Former Huntington Beach mayor Shirley Dettloff said BCIS is an important piece of the solution to homelessness in the city.

“It is our responsibility to help those in Huntington Beach that need it,” she said.

BCIS Executive Director Karen Maurer said she hopes the city will rescind the notice, which originally gave the organization 60 days to vacate the city-owned site. During a July 5 meeting with Maurer, city officials granted a six-month extension. About 70 people gathered outside City Hall that day to show support for BCIS.

Waste management contract

The council received a brief update of a review of the city’s waste management agreement with Republic Services, formerly Rainbow Environmental Services.

During the presentation, City Manager Fred Wilson listed areas the city could consider restructuring, including the transfer station user fee and the formula used to calculate rates.

Councilman Erik Peterson, a member of a committee reviewing the contract, said the analysis is not complete. The group, which was formed in mid-May and given 60 days for the review, will return to the council when it is finished, Peterson said.

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