Lemon Grove Patch 2011 Year in Review

From budget cuts to new projects, there were many significant stories in Lemon Grove this year. Here are our top 10 news stories from 2011:

New Downtown Village

City leaders and community members looked toward the future during the in September. A crowd gathered as the Pin Up Girl Photography building was bulldozed to make way for the first phase of the redevelopment project. The $5.1 million project was financed through $4.5 million in grants from the state infill infrastructure program, as well as smart growth initiative funds awarded by SANDAG. The balance is coming from the city's redevelopment agency monies.

Lemon Grove Recreation Department Eliminated

Faced with a need to make cuts to the 2011-2012 budget, the City Council in May voted to shutter . The action, which was taken in an effort to close the gap on a $311,000 deficit, eliminated most youth programs but retained community services. The Engineering Division was moved to the Community Development Department and two new positions in the Public Works Department were created to maintain services. Four full-time positions and one part-time position were cut. The city projected about $177,000 in savings during 2011-2012 under the restructuring.

City Raises Sewer Rates

Residents have had to pay more to flush the toilet in Lemon Grove since June 16. In May, the for property owners. The city estimated the increase would generate $186,000 this year to fund improvements to Lemon Grove’s sewer pipes and other operational obligations. The city last raised sewer rates in 2007. Rates increased 7.7 percent annually through fiscal 2010, then 7.2 percent this year.

‘Lemon Grove Incident’ Remembered 80 Years Later

2011 marked the t. On March 11, 1931, a San Diego Superior Court judge ruled that the Lemon Grove School District did not have the authority to send Mexican children to a separate school. The case is considered the nation's first successful school desegregation court ruling, 23 years before the landmark Brown vs. Board of Education decision. To remember the Lemon Grove Incident, the San Diego Museum of Man hosted a screening of the KPBS film The Lemon Grove Incident as part of its exhibit, “Race: Are We So Different?” The Lemon Grove Oral History Project Team also screened a short documentary on the Lemon Grove community in the 1930s at the museum. 

District Breaks Ground on School, Library Projects

Lemon Grove School District officials . Lemon Grove Middle School, which has been closed since 2010, is being modernized. When complete, the school will open as a science, technology, engineering and math magnet school. A joint-use library, which will be operated by the school district and the San Diego County Library, is also being constructed adjacent to the school. The proposed for the site would replace the 9,000-square-foot county branch library currently located in a storefront on Broadway. 

Lemon Grove School District Lays Off Staff, Teachers to Close Potential $3.9M Deficit

Lemon Grove students in kindergarten through third grade faced bigger classes in 2011. Classrooms increased from 27 to 30 students per teacher as a result of fewer teachers due to budget cuts. In order to address a projected $3.9 million budget deficit, the governing board of the Lemon Grove School District . After employee unions agreed to another year of pay cuts in the form of five unpaid work furloughs, however, dozens of positions were restored. About half of the 50 mostly part-time classified positions, nine permanent, full-time teaching positions, and four of the 36 full-time-equivalent temporary teaching positions were restored during the board’s . 

Lemon Grove Resident Inducted Into the San Diego County Women’s Hall of Fame

One of Lemon Grove’s very own was . Longtime Lemon Grove resident was presented with the “Multi-Cultural Bridge Builder” award at the 10th annual induction ceremony, which took place at San Diego State University's Alumni Center in March. Harris was honored for her work toward improving the lives of women, promoting fair housing and speaking out against discrimination. She served as the executive director of Heartland Human Relations and Fair Housing Association, now known as the Center for Social Advocacy, for 20 years. The nonprofit organization, which was founded in 1969, is one of San Diego’s oldest civil and human rights organizations. 

Goats Clear Vacant Lot and Parcels 

The city hired goats to clear dangerous overgrowth in fire-sensitive areas. In July, Lemon Grove and Heartland Fire & Rescue contracted with Environmental Land Management to , where about 150 Boer goats ate their way through weeds and brush. The hungry goats consumed even more weeds and brush in August when they at the site of the proposed Main Street Promenade. The urban weed abatement project gained national attention when it was .

Winning Lotto Ticket

Someone purchased an early holiday present at a local 7-Eleven. A was sold on Dec. 21 at the 7-Eleven on Broadway and Buena Vista Avenue. The winning numbers were 8, 21, 38, 43, 44 and Mega 24. The estimated payout for the jackpot is $12.2 million if the winner takes a lump sum. The store receives an $85,000 bonus—one-half a percent of the jackpot—for having sold the winning ticket. Exactly who the new millionaire is remains a mystery—a winner has yet to come forward publicly.

Millions Affected By Blackout

, like the rest of San Diego County, went dark on Sept. 8. The blackout, which affected an estimated , occurred after an Arizona Public Service employee carried out a procedure in a substation northeast of Yuma. While SDG&E restored power in 24 hours, Lemon Grove residents had to be . Some community members—including Lemon Grove Patch Editor Christine Huard—enjoyed the night by hanging out with neighbors.