The Carmel Valley Recreation Council will meet on Tuesday, May 14, 2013 at 7:00 PM at the Carmel Valley Recreation Center (3777 Townsgate Drive.) The CV Rec Council Meeting Agenda is attached here, or see the CV Parks Page for additional information on parks in the community and their operation. On the agenda are: the Gonzalez Canyon Neighborhood Park in Pacific Highlands Ranch (PHR), some requests for funds, and some other financial items. See the agenda for complete details.

May’s free family music program sponsored by the Friends of the Carmel Valley Library will be presented on Wednesday, May 8, at 7:00 p.m. in the library’s community room. It will feature the Oberon Quintet performing “viola” quintets by Mozart and Dvorak that are scored for two violins, two violas, and a cello. The program will last 45 minutes. The Library is located at 3919 Townsgate Drive in Carmel Valley. For further information call (858) 552-1668. For more information, see the CV Library Music Page, call the CV Library at (858) 552-1668 or see the Friends of the Carmel Valley Library website at www.carmelvalleylibrary.org.

Aqua Edge LLC will be holding a free water safety demonstration at Cathedral Catholic High School on May 18, 2013 from 10:00 to 11:00 am. The event will include a special guest appearance by 2008 Olympic Water Polo Silver Medalist Moriah Van Norman. Watch as Moriah demonstrates swimming strategies and techniques with her daughter Ava. Afterwards, Moriah will sign autographs on your favorite item and will also be available to have you take pictures of her and her Olympic medal! Additional information at the Aqua Edge Events Page.

The San Diego Blood Bank has opened a new Carmel Valley Donor Center in the Piazza Carmel shopping center, 3880 Valley Centre Dr., Ste 209 (in the middle of the center, behind the food court.) A Grand Opening celebration is scheduled on Friday, April 19 at 11 a.m. The hours for the new Carmel Valley Donor Center are: Friday to Monday from 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM; and Tuesday from 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM. Anyone 17 or older, who weighs at least 110 pounds and is in good health may be eligible to donate blood. A good meal and plenty of fluids are recommended prior to donation. For more information or to make an appointment to give blood, please call 1-800-4MY-SDBB (1-800-469-7322) or visit sandiegobloodbank.org.

There will be a Guided Tour of Gonzales Canyon on Saturday, April 6, 9:00am-11:00am. Come and learn about canyon plants and wildlife! Sponsored by the City of San Diego. The tour requires intermediate hiking ability (steep hills, uneven surfaces, narrow trails). Wear sturdy shoes, bring sunscreen and water. Cancelled in the event of rain. Meet in front of Torrey Highlands Dog Park, off Lansdale (behind Torrey Pines HS.) Parking is limited. Location Link: http://goo.gl/maps/Ji50q. FOR MORE INFO: tstuhr@sandiego.gov or carmelvalleycanyon@yahoo.com .

How about an Easter Church service that's fun for the whole family? You’re invited to Easter at C3 San Diego - Food, pony rides, petting zoo, egg hunts, game truck, bounce houses, rides, the Easter bunny and more. Join them on March 31st at 10am for a phenomenal worship experience, impacting media, and live message. At the Carmel Valley Middle School, 3800 Mykonos Lane, San Diego CA 92130. For more information visit www.c3sandiego.com, or see their Easter Service Page.

There are two new restaurants opening in the area: Royal India has replaced the old Star of India in Piazza Carmel (Click here for the story, & click here for the restaurant website), and Snooze Del Mar will be replacing the iHop in the Town Center (Click here for the story, restaurant website not yet available.) You'll know Royal India from their downtown location, and Snooze has another branch in Hillcrest.

The CV Planning Board Election will be held at the CV Library on March 28, 2013 from 5:00 to 5:30 PM (on the Patio of the Library, located at 3919 Townsgate Dr., San Diego, CA.) The only contested seat is the Neighborhood 5 seat, where Resident Elissa Krasenbaum is challenging the Incumbent Debbie Lokanc. Here is a Neighborhood 5 map:

Where the boundaries are Carmel Creek Road, Carmel Country Road, and SR-56 (the area around Carmel Del Mar Elementary School.) Only residents of a neighborhood may vote for the neighborhood candidate. An individual voting for a Neighborhood candidate will be required to show proof of residency in that Neighborhood (driver's licence, utility bill, etc.)

There are other seats up for election, but none are contested. Note that an individual voting for a Business or Investor candidate will be required to show written permission from the local business or property owner to act as their designee. A business owner or investor must also show proof of business activity or ownership of property with the Carmel Valley Planning Area.

The 2013 Spring Program for the Carmel Valley Recreation Center is now available, complete with online program registration details. Register Online at the SD City Online Registration Portal (www.SDRecConnect.com). Registration instructions are in the brochure at the top of page 8, with class registration already underway. Note that online registration requires you to create an online account. If you have questions, or if you'd rather deal with a person, you can also register in-person at the CV Rec Center. For additional information, read the brochure or call the Rec Center at 858-552-1616.

The Gonzales Canyon Park committee meeting on Thursday, March 21, 2013 at 7:00pm has bee moved to the Carmel Valley Recreation Center, 3777 Townsgate Drive, San Diego, CA 92130. Sorry for any inconvenience. This park is in Pacific Highlands Ranch (PHR) to our east (out near Canyon Crest Academy (CCA), at the end of Del Mar Heights Road.) There will be 2 committee meetings on this park: the meeting on March 21, and another on Tuesday, April 16, 2013 at 7:00pm (probably also at the CV Rec Center.)

March's free family music program will be presented on Wednesday, March 20, at 7:00 p.m. in the library's community room. It will feature mandolinist Chris Acquavella, harpsichordist Ruben Valenzuela, and soprano Anne-Marie Dicce in music by Beethoven, Scarlatti, Mozart, and Kioulaphides. A second March concert will be presented on Saturday, March 30 at 12:30 p.m. in the library's community room. It will feature several talented students of California Institute of Music (CIM) Professors Michael and Irina Tseitlin. They include violinists Nathan Gendler, Harold Reeves, Annelle Gregory, Jasmine Wang, Kalvin Hibi, Hailey Schricker, and Shirley Wu, cellists Paul Maxwell and Megan Wu, and pianists Shirley Wu and Stephen Ai. They will play music by Tchaikovsky, Wieniawski, Shostakovich, Kreisler, J S Bach, Vieuxtemps, and Ravel. The Library is located at 3919 Townsgate Drive in Carmel Valley. For further information call (858) 552-1668. For more information, see the CV Library Music Page, call the CV Library at (858) 552-1668 or see the Friends of the Carmel Valley Library website at www.carmelvalleylibrary.org.

Here are the documents from the Gonzales Canyon Park introduction at the CV Rec Council on March 5, 2013. This park is in Pacific Highlands Ranch (PHR) to our east (out near Canyon Crest Academy (CCA), at the end of Del Mar Heights Road.) The plan is for the park to be completed by the end of 2014.

There are 4 documents -- Caution, they're large files! The first document is an Overview of the Area and Preliminary Designs, the second is Preliminary Design 1, the third is Preliminary Design 2, and finally, Preliminary Design 3.

There will be 2 committee meetings on this park: Thursday, March 21, 2013 at 7:00pm at the Pardee Offices in PHR, 6025 Edgewood Bend Court, San Diego, CA 92130 (behind CCA, near the fire station); and Tuesday, April 16, 2013 at 7:00pm at the same location. Here's the March 21 Gonzalez Canyon Park Meeting Agenda.