PRSRT STD ECRWSS U.S. POSTAGE PAID SAN DIEGO, CA PERMIT NO. 835
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VOL. 5, NO. 17
AUG. 14, 2009
Board pays to improve school
THISWEEK KICKIN’ IT INTO GEAR The Rancho Santa Fe
Attack soccer team went three for three, fighting their way through the Copa Del Mar Invitational tournament 5
HEALTH CARES
By David Wiemers
said. “We really appreciate it.” In other Association news, eligible former art jurors and board members were chosen at random to establish a committee for selection of Art Jury candidates. The committee will interview prospective candidates and propose to the board of directors a list of at least two candidates in excess of the number of appointments to be made. This year two seats will be available on the Art Jury when the terms of Paul Slater and Midgie VandenBerg expire. “This is a
RANCHO SANTA FE — The Rancho Santa Fe Association board of directors voted Aug. 6 to provide $132,000 to the new R. Roger Rowe School renovation, guaranteeing to enhance the exterior portion of the building that will be visible to the community. The decision to provide funds sets a new precedent and came with much debate. Board members were divided in their support, but in the end, the decision to pay to beautify the school prevailed. Earlier this year, the Art Jury made suggestions for nonstructural changes to help the new school buildings conform to the architectural style that exists in the village. The changes were wellreceived by the school board; however, the costs to implement the proposed changes would be $264,000. The school could only find funds for half that amount without dipping into reserves set aside for contingencies, so the school board asked if the Association was willing to guarantee the remaining 50 percent. Andrew Wright, consulting architect to the Art Jury, showed the board of directors the original plans for the school as well as the revised plans as suggested by the Art Jury. “It’s a friendlier building, more in-tuned to the village,” Wright said. All directors agreed that the revised plan was an aesthetic improvement, but couldn’t agree on whether the Association members should have to pay for it. Director Deb Plummer felt strongly that the Association should pay. “The revision is at the request of the Art Jury,” Plummer said. She also reminded the other board members of the close alliance the Association has with the school, especially with the recent sale of the Dacus property; and the housing of the patrol on that property, now owned by the school. On the opposite end of the spectrum was new board Director Dick Doughty. “I do not support this,” he said. “The school should do it.” Board directors were under the gun to make a decision, as the matter was time sensitive. If approved,
TURN TO TRAFFIC ON 22
TURN TO SCHOOL ON 20
Congressman Brian Bilbray went straight to the source — local medical professionals — to get input on health care reform 6
INSIDE
TWO SECTIONS, 32 PAGES
Business Directory . . . . . 24 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Comics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Consumer Reports . . . . . 11 Coupons . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Crime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Eye on the Coast . . . . . . . 4 Frugal Living . . . . . . . . .19 Hit the Road . . . . . . . . . 13 Lick the Plate . . . . . . . . . 19 Machel’s Ranch . . . . . . . 14 Odd Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Outside Perspective . . . . 4 Pet of the Week . . . . . . . 20 Second Opinion . . . . . . . 21 Small Talk . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Sold Homes . . . . . . . . . . 11 Taste of Wine . . . . . . . . . 19 Who’s News? . . . . . . . . . 12
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CURTAIN CALL Rehearsing for Village Presbyterian Church’s Aug. 7 presentation of “Once Upon a Parable” are, front row from left, Christa
Inouye, Sarah Bohling and Miriam Segarra. In the back is Abby Richard. The show was one of two presented as part of the church’s annual summer drama and music camp. Photo by Bianca Kaplanek
Local church brings drama to summer By Bianca Kaplanek
RANCHO SANTA FE — More than 130 aspiring thespians representing 30 churches and schools from throughout the county gathered for the annual summer music and drama camp at Village Community Presbyterian Church. The weeklong event began with daily devotions at 9 a.m., followed by vocal warm-ups. Participants then split into two groups based on age and continued until 4:30 p.m. with rehearsals, choreography and workshops. The camp culminated with two performances Aug. 7. Tom Long, founder of the CAMP SONGS Katelyn O’Hare leads fellow cast members, including Abby Richard, Brenna Arant, Kirsti Ohio-based Friends of the Doolin, Ariana Arant, Christa Inouye, Kyle Fait, Nick Collom and Katy Gauvin, as they rehearse a scene from TURN TO DRAMA ON 20
“Once Upon a Parable.” The show, which featured middle- and high-school students from throughout the county, was one of two presented Aug. 7 at the end of Village Presbyterian Church’s weeklong summer drama and music camp. Photo by Bianca Kaplanek
Ranch traffic accidents down, says patrol chief By David Wiemers
RANCHO SANTA FE — “The good news is traffic collisions are down by 22 percent,” Rancho Santa Fe Patrol Chief Matt Wellhouser said during his semiannual report to the Association on Aug. 6. Wellhouser attributed the reduction to coordinating efforts with the California Highway Patrol, or CHP. “The CHP has made traffic safety a priority,” Wellhouser said. “We’ve shifted our officers around and our deterrence is working.” According to his report, Wellhouser said that in the first six months of 2008 there were 47 noninjury accidents; this year there were
only 38. If there was bad news in the report, it was that burglaries were up slightly. There were 15 burglaries and attempts made in the first six months of 2009, compared with 14 last year. “But the burglaries were less significant this year,” Wellhouser said.“The village was hit hard last year. Our presence is greater in the village now and I think that’s a deterrence.” More than 14,000 security checks have been performed this year. In the future, that task may be eased as new software is being introduced that will allow residents to ask for vacation
checks online. “This will be a tremendous cost savings,” Association Manager Pete Smith said. The online process will save on phone cost fees, which, according to Smith, average $55 to $60 per call. Wellhouser said there appears to be less traffic coming through Rancho Santa Fe and speculated that it was due to either higher gas prices or fewer people commuting to and from work. “Let’s hope this trend continues,” he said. President Bill Beckman commended Wellhouser for his report. “Thanks for keeping the community safe,” he