2017: Celebrations and Progress

By Noel Smith

Truly Capitol is the Festival/Celebration Center of the Central Coast. 2017 for Capitola was the scene of the last of its 68th and final Begonia Festival — The 45th running of the Wharf to Wharf race from Santa Cruz To Capitola — The 37th annual Nathan’s Day Christmas celebration Party — The 35th Capitola Art and Wine Festival — The 23rd Monte Foundation Fireworks Extravaganza — And the 3rd annual Plein Air Art Festival.

The Storms of 2017 covered the beaches of Capitola and Monterey Bay with driftwood from the rivers and streams in the county that had been filled to overflowing by record rainfalls giving them the energy to bring even whole trees out to sea.

Capitola Museum’s “The Nature of Capitola” was its first ever exhibition devoted entirely to the beauty and history of the town’s natural features. The town was founded in 1874 as a summer resort because of the beach, Soquel Creek and its valley. One display compared photos of Capitola in the 1870s with the same scenes today showing that Capitola was then mostly open fields, with some woodland along Soquel Creek and Noble Gulch.

Patricia Potts, a local parent and co-founder of the Santa Cruz Playground Project said, “Every child deserves the chance to play and learn together.” With the support of partners Shane’s Inspiration, the Chanticleer Park Neighbors Association and the County, LEO’s Haven design for children of all abilities, would provide interactive and sensory-rich experiences for children ages 0-5 and 6-12 in this all-inclusive playground planned for Chanticleer Park in Live Oak, the first in Santa Cruz County.

In the November 2016 election, City voters elected Kristen Petersen to join the City Council for her first four-year term and returned incumbent Council Member Ed Bottorff for another four-year term. Bottorff and Petersen join Michael Termini, Jacques Bertrand and Stephanie Harlan on the Capitola City Council. Voters also extended an existing 0.25 percent sales tax for the City for another 10 years to help rebuild the Wharf and other infrastructure on the beach, as well as maintaining the current high level of police services.

The design of the New Capitola Branch Library is entering its final phases. The architects have completed the detailed design work, which was presented to the City Council on September 28, 2017. Building design refinements have been made and the project remains on budget. The current schedule calls for the existing library to close late in spring of 2018, and the new library opening in fall of 2019. The new library will include an open reading area, a children’s area, a teen study area, several meeting and computer rooms, and a community room.

The county’s musical stage presentations included My Fair Lady by Aptos High School, Peter Pan by the Christina Youth Theater and Cabrillo Stage with stellar productions of The Addams Family and Beauty and the Beast.

The Santa Cruz Symphony and Santa Cruz Shakespeare in The Grove at DeLaveaga Park both added tremendously to the level of the arts in our community… then there was Viva La Lehrer to somewhat bring it back to earth.

Recycled Water has become a topic of controversy for the Soquel Creek Water District as the best place to put the facility seems to be next to the District offices on Soquel Drive, but the neighbors won’t be convinced that it’s safe or quiet enough for that location.

The county’s musical stage presentations included My Fair Lady by Aptos High School, Peter Pan by the Christina Youth Theater and Cabrillo Stage with stellar productions of The Addams Family and Beauty and the Beast.

When Jack O’Neill passed away Santa Cruz lost a legend. Besides his success as a businessman, in 1996 he began a non-profit organization called O’Neill Sea Odyssey, which provides students with hands-on lessons in marine biology and has hosted about 100,000 children since it started.

Happy New Year! From all of us at Time Publishing Group, Inc.