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City Manager's Report July 8, 2021

The Curtis Theatre Presents: Summer Serenade

The Curtis Theatre welcomed the principal string players from the Orchestra Collective of Orange County on June 5 to perform a concert entitled Summer Serenade. Performances were held outdoors between the Curtis Theatre and the Brea Art Gallery and featured selected works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Antonín Dvořák, and Terry Riley. By holding the concert outdoors, audiences were treated to an intimate, yet COVID-safe event, during a time when state restrictions were more stringent. Patrons were delighted by how well the ambiance and acoustics of the Brea Civic & Cultural Center plaza accommodated the string quintet’s performance. With the price of admission, ticketholders were also able to attend the Made in California exhibit at the Brea Art Gallery, making the event an even more dynamic and exciting cultural experience.

Summer Day Camp Fun

Kids are having fun at Summer Day Camp while adhering to COVID-19 guidelines. Summer Day Camp began on Monday, June 7 with 52 registered campers; a lower number than usual due to current capacity guidelines. Campers are enjoying daily activities in the safety of their stable groups with the same assigned weekly staff. Fun activities have included: sports and games in the gymnasium, dress-up days, nature walks, tie-dye, cooking clubs, tournaments, and water play. Staff is doing a phenomenal job keeping the kids healthy, active, and engaged while remaining at the Brea Community Center. All 10 weeks of camp are at capacity, with a waitlist.

Sports Park Field Renovation Completed

The Public Works Department has completed the Summer Sports Park Field Renovation Project for soccer field #4, which is one of the larger and most used fields at the park. This process included scalping the existing turf, leveling the field with 55 yards of topsoil, and overseeding the field with a grass seed mixture of Rye and Bermuda. A top dressing was also added, which is an organic mixture of seed, fertilizer and mulch, that helps establish seed growth. Field closure time was agreed upon by Brea Soccer Association and the fields are scheduled to open the week after July 4, in time for their primary season. The summer renovation of the soccer field benefits the community and the sports user groups by keeping the fields safe, looking nice, and playable year-round.

Landscape Improvement Projects to Start Soon

Landscape improvement projects for the medians on Lambert Road, from Pointe Drive to Kraemer Boulevard; parkways on Associated Road, from Lambert Road to Sleepy Hollow Lane; and medians on Associated Road, from Birch Street to Imperial Highway, are currently out to bid. The new landscaping will include low-water-use plants like agave, aloe, lantana, and bougainvillea. Landscaping work is anticipated to start later this month.

Prior to the landscape work, diseased Liquidambar trees were removed from the medians. In all, 41 trees were removed on the Lambert Road medians and 30 trees on the Associated Road medians. New low-water-use replacement trees will outnumber the removals on the medians with 48 new trees on Lambert Road and 33 on Associated Road. In addition to the new trees, irrigation systems will be retrofitted to drip systems, and new low-water plant material installed. All of the projects are expected to be completed by mid-September.

Tiny Tots Graduation Celebration

The Brea Community Center celebrated the graduation of 32 Senior Tiny Tots preschoolers who will be moving up to kindergarten this fall. To adhere to COVID-19 safety protocols, multiple ceremonies were held, and each graduate marched into their ceremony to the tune of Pomp and Circumstance, where their families safely and proudly cheered them on. Each ceremony began with the Pledge of Allegiance, the announcement of the children’s names, and the children sang songs they had been practicing for this special day. As the ceremony progressed, each child proudly walked to the podium where they were presented with their graduation certificate. The children also announced what school they would be attending in the fall and what they aspire to be when they grow up. According to their answers, this generation will have an abundant number of veterinarians, astronauts, police officers, teachers, and even an ice cream tester. The children and their families were extremely appreciative of this event and special memories created.

Congratulations to the wonderful Tiny Tots staff for their continued hard work and dedication to the children.

Brea’s Backyard Boutique

On June 5, the Community Services Department hosted its first Brea’s Backyard Boutique, in lieu of the Spring Craft Boutique, at the Brea Community Center. There were over 1,300 customers and community members in attendance. The boutique featured 70 vendors selling unique one-of-a-kind seasonal and year-round gifts and décor, wearable art, jewelry, florals, baby items, tasty goodies, and much more.

The Community Services Department would like to thank the City’s Print Shop and Communications & Marketing divisions, and Public Works Department for their assistance with the boutique, and the community for making this event a success.

Build Your Dream Home Challenge Wrap-Up

As part of the Housing Element Update, Brea’s Build Your Dream Home Challenge took place in the month of March and was extended to April 15. Those who live, work, or play in Brea were encouraged to join the challenge and design the ideal home they would like to see in Brea. As part of our partnership with Laurel Elementary Magnet School of Innovation & Career Exploration, and the Brea Community Center, staff prepared over 100 goodie bags with toy blocks to engage and involve students in the process. Over 113 Breans answered the call to build their dream home by using toy building blocks, designing on programs like Minecraft, or drawing on paper.

View a recap of Brea’s most creative and imaginative designs here.

Continue to stay informed on the Housing Element by signing up on ShapeBrea.net/Housing-Element-Update.

Gradual Re-opening of the Brea Senior Center

After being closed for 15 months due to the pandemic, the Brea Senior Center was excited to begin re-opening on Tuesday, June 15. Seniors were welcomed back to the facility with multiple bingo games, an updated computer room, and ActiveNet software. Anthem Blue Cross sponsored an ice cream station outside the Senior Center, passing out cold treats to returning seniors on the 95-degree day. A record for the most frozen meals distributed in one day was reached on June 15, with 660 meals. It was an emotional day as seniors were able to hug, laugh, and spend time with each other and staff members for the first time in over a year.

Throughout the next few weeks, a phased approach will be used to bring back seniors’ favorite fitness classes, bingo events, group activities, and monthly holiday parties. Frozen meals and groceries will continue to be available for pickup, two days a week, on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Operating hours have expanded to 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, and safety protocols will continue to adjust based on state and local health agencies’ requirements.

Updated Community Services Outdoor Header Sign

The Community Services Department’s outdoor banner displays recently received a makeover with the installation of updated fixed header signs. Initially installed in 2012, this is the first time header signs have been replaced. Outdoor banner displays are located throughout the City at City Hall Park, Arovista Park, Greenbriar Park, the Brea Community Center, and Brea Fire Stations 2 and 3. The banner displays have been an effective way for Community Services to advertise community programs throughout town.

Mayor’s Youth Award

This year, 14 Brea Olinda High School Seniors earned the Mayor’s Youth Award by volunteering at least 160 hours throughout their high school years. The Mayor’s Youth Award was established in 1997 to help encourage Brea youth to develop and continue a life-long love of volunteering. Mayor Steven Vargas acknowledged these students for their efforts during the City Council Meeting on Tuesday, June 15. In total, this year’s recipients volunteered 3,234 hours of community service. Great job seniors.