Residential Customer Del Mar CA, 92014 ECRWSS
Volume XVI, Issue 5
www.delmartimes.net
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Jan. 26, 2012 Published Weekly
Spanish program ends at Del Mar Heights School board votes to follow letter of the law regarding fundraising
■ Biological collector uses his expertise for unique project. Page 15
BY KAREN BILLING The Del Mar Heights School Spanish program ended Jan. 20, following a Del Mar School District board vote of 4-1 on Jan. 18. The underlying issue the decision was based on was the role PTA (parent-teacher association) fundraising plays versus Del Mar Schools Education
Foundation fundraising. Simply put: According to district rules, people come from the foundation, programs come from the PTA. The board was placed in a difficult position as Del Mar Heights parents donated more than $15,000 with the intent of paying for a Spanish teacher, which was perceived by the
board to be a consultant, not a teacher. District superintendent Jim Peabody admitted “full blame” in thinking that it was
SEE SPANISH, PAGE 6 The Del Mar Union School District’s Jan. 20 meeting was well attended. Photo/Bill Morris
DM passes off-leash hours for Shores Park
Big 6 Club Salute
BY CLAIRE HARLIN EDITOR@DELMARTIMES.NET
■ Condoleezza Rice tells students to follow their passion. Page 4
The Del Mar Rotary Club featured Rick King, past president of Rotary International, as guest speaker at its Big 6 Club joint meeting at the Solana Beach Boys & Girls Club. (Above) Dee House, Jim Watkins and Kit Leeger were among those who attended the meeting. See page B15 for more. Photo/Jon Clark
The Del Mar City Council on Jan. 23 passed an ordinance outlining shared use of the Del Mar Shores Park, which has for months been a point of contention namely between the Little League and dog communities. The ordinance, which will be assessed after a sixmonth trial period, will allow Little League or other licensed sporting groups to use the park on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 3:30 p.m. until dusk. Dogs will be allowed offleash every day from 6 to 8:30 a.m. and from 4 p.m. to dusk on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The ordinance originally allowed morning off-leash hours
only on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, however, the council heeded suggestions from community members and amended the ordinance to open the park to dogs every morning. All other daylight hours not included in the ordinance or used by the Winston School will be reserved for general park use, with dogs on leashes and no organized sports. The issue first came to the council’s attention in October, when a plan that involved putting up a fence on the park was presented by Friends of Del Mar Parks and supported by the council. But after extensive public testimony, the council shifted gears on Dec. 5 and directed staff to develop an
SEE OFF-LEASH, PAGE 2
Del Mar council votes to look into limited Coaster service ■ Local haiku specialist practices random acts of poetry. Page B1
BY CLAIRE HARLIN EDITOR@DELMARTIMES.NET
The possibility of having limited Coaster Service in Del Mar is on the table, after the City Council on Jan. 23 authorized the city to have North County Transit District (NCTD) look into it.
NCTD has expressed interest in stopping at the Del Mar Train Station on weekends and during special events, and while the community has expressed disinterest in having a local train stop in the past, council members agree it is at least something to look into.
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Mayor Carl Hilliard says the issue at hand is not whether this should be done, but if it can be done. Whether the Coaster has the right to stop in Del Mar cannot be determined without authorizing NCTD to look into it. Sharon Firerobin, a Del
Mar resident, reminded the council that the community previously voted against having a train stop in Del Mar. “It appears as if this is being done for the fairgrounds, and how do we get people from the train station to the fairgrounds? Are
we going to have big buses picking them up?” she said. “Del Mar is really becoming too urban, and this will be adding to the problem,” Firerobin said. “If you are going to move forward with this, you need a new
SEE COASTER, PAGE 6
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