P O Box 1879 Garden Grove, CA 92842-1879
October
31, 2009
Dear Neighbors,
The Brookhurst Triangle project goes before the City Council this Tuesday, November 10, 2009, at 6:30 p.m. in the Council Chamber in the Community Meeting Center at 11300 Stanford Ave. Information flyers will be delivered door-to-door to as many central Garden Grove residents as possible during the days leading up to that meeting, as this project will surely impact our quality of life here in central Garden Grove. No actual project or developer has been selected; pre-approval is being sought for this planned unit development (PUD), which is described as consisting of 800 units plus retail space. Volunteers who would like to help hand out these flyers door-to-door are urged to contact Cheryl Armstrong at 714 260-8468, or any of the other current CGGNA Board members (see website http://www.cggna.org/ )
As expected, the Garden Grove Planning Commission, on Thursday, October 1, 2009, approved the proposed Brookhurst Triangle. During the City Council meeting on Tuesday, October 27, 2009, the City Council, acting as the agency, voted to permit the transfer of the 20,700-square-foot parcel at the corner of Brookhurst and Trask (formerly Union Dodge) to the owner of the Hundai dealership that previously had been located on Garden Grove Blvd., which extended into the Brookhurst Triangle. This opens up the land of the former Hundai dealership for development of the Brookhurst Triangle.
Also of interest, the Garden Grove City Council, during its meeting on October 13, 2009, approved the hiring of Chevron Energy Solutions Company to build a 1.5 million dollar photovoltaic solar panel structure at the city’s maintenance yard on Bushard Street. The solar panels are to be incorporated into a 6,000-suqare-foot carport roof that will cover the yard equipment and employee vehicles, and was touted as a means of saving around $53,800 a year in electrical costs. However, during the City Council meeting on October 27, 2009, Mr. Donald Kinda, a Garden Grove resident and independent solar power consultant, questioned the anticipated savings and stated, “I don’t think it’s such a good project.” He described a price with Chevron Energy Solutions as $20/watt, which would not save the city any money, whereas the going price on solar carports is usually $9-12/watt. He pointed out that the 1.5 million dollars could be spent on a Solar Power Purchase Agreement indicating that many cities and municipal entities in the state are purchasing these with no up front cost. A third party designs, installs, owns, operates and maintains the facility and sells the produced power back to the entity at a fixed price that is usually lower than the going utility rate. Another option would be using the money to update heating installations and HVAC ventilation systems, which would conserve electricity and save 10 percent. He called the Chevron Energy Solutions proposal a very expensive installation for $20/watt. I spoke with Keith Jones, Director of Public Works, who did point out that 4.5 million dollars had been spent five years ago for Chevron Energy Solution to re-lamp and upgrade the HVAC systems of Garden Grove city facilities. He also pointed out that the 1.5 million dollars currently being spent on the maintenance yard comes from federal stimulus money and are not allowed to be spent on Solar Power Purchase Agreements. Obviously, this is excellent food for thought and perhaps further education on our part.
Announcement: Taste of Main Street/Health and Safety Fair on November 21, 2009, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. For more information, please contact Kelly Bell of the Garden Grove Downtown Business Association at 714 651-5080. Sounds like fun!
Respectfully,
Cheryl Armstrong
714 537-8468 Home
714 260-8468 Cell
Dear Neighbors,
The Brookhurst Triangle project goes before the City Council this Tuesday, November 10, 2009, at 6:30 p.m. in the Council Chamber in the Community Meeting Center at 11300 Stanford Ave. Information flyers will be delivered door-to-door to as many central Garden Grove residents as possible during the days leading up to that meeting, as this project will surely impact our quality of life here in central Garden Grove. No actual project or developer has been selected; pre-approval is being sought for this planned unit development (PUD), which is described as consisting of 800 units plus retail space. Volunteers who would like to help hand out these flyers door-to-door are urged to contact Cheryl Armstrong at 714 260-8468, or any of the other current CGGNA Board members (see website http://www.cggna.org/ )
As expected, the Garden Grove Planning Commission, on Thursday, October 1, 2009, approved the proposed Brookhurst Triangle. During the City Council meeting on Tuesday, October 27, 2009, the City Council, acting as the agency, voted to permit the transfer of the 20,700-square-foot parcel at the corner of Brookhurst and Trask (formerly Union Dodge) to the owner of the Hundai dealership that previously had been located on Garden Grove Blvd., which extended into the Brookhurst Triangle. This opens up the land of the former Hundai dealership for development of the Brookhurst Triangle.
Also of interest, the Garden Grove City Council, during its meeting on October 13, 2009, approved the hiring of Chevron Energy Solutions Company to build a 1.5 million dollar photovoltaic solar panel structure at the city’s maintenance yard on Bushard Street. The solar panels are to be incorporated into a 6,000-suqare-foot carport roof that will cover the yard equipment and employee vehicles, and was touted as a means of saving around $53,800 a year in electrical costs. However, during the City Council meeting on October 27, 2009, Mr. Donald Kinda, a Garden Grove resident and independent solar power consultant, questioned the anticipated savings and stated, “I don’t think it’s such a good project.” He described a price with Chevron Energy Solutions as $20/watt, which would not save the city any money, whereas the going price on solar carports is usually $9-12/watt. He pointed out that the 1.5 million dollars could be spent on a Solar Power Purchase Agreement indicating that many cities and municipal entities in the state are purchasing these with no up front cost. A third party designs, installs, owns, operates and maintains the facility and sells the produced power back to the entity at a fixed price that is usually lower than the going utility rate. Another option would be using the money to update heating installations and HVAC ventilation systems, which would conserve electricity and save 10 percent. He called the Chevron Energy Solutions proposal a very expensive installation for $20/watt. I spoke with Keith Jones, Director of Public Works, who did point out that 4.5 million dollars had been spent five years ago for Chevron Energy Solution to re-lamp and upgrade the HVAC systems of Garden Grove city facilities. He also pointed out that the 1.5 million dollars currently being spent on the maintenance yard comes from federal stimulus money and are not allowed to be spent on Solar Power Purchase Agreements. Obviously, this is excellent food for thought and perhaps further education on our part.
Announcement: Taste of Main Street/Health and Safety Fair on November 21, 2009, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. For more information, please contact Kelly Bell of the Garden Grove Downtown Business Association at 714 651-5080. Sounds like fun!
Respectfully,
Cheryl Armstrong
714 537-8468 Home
714 260-8468 Cell