News Briefs

Scotts Valley extends Town Center negotiations with Safeway
At its Wednesday, March 19 meeting, the Scotts Valley City Council voted to extend its exclusive negotiation agreement (ENA) with Property Development Centers for the second time.
The city is hopeful that the Pleasanton-based developer — which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Safeway — will be the answer for getting the long-awaited Town Center development project off the ground.
The agreement calls for extending the negotiation period by 180 days, with a pair of 30-day extensions — the third time such a time frame was allowed.
The city’s original ENA agreement — which also covered 180 days, which two 30-day extensions —went into effect on Dec. 19, 2012. The ENA was extended for the same amount of time on Aug. 7, 2013. That extension was set to expire on April 13.
Felton Library Friends announces 10th annual SLV Poetry Reading
Felton Library Friends invites poets of all ages to submit poems on the theme of “Sharing” for the 10th Annual San Lorenzo Valley Poetry Reading.
Poems, selected by former Santa Cruz County Poet Laureate David Swanger, will be read by their authors at the SLV Poetry Reading on Thursday, April 24, 7 p.m., at the Felton Community Hall.
In addition, poems selected for the event will be published in the Press-Banner.
One poem per poet may be submitted, accompanied by the poet’s name, age category, email address, and phone number. The age categories are 4-8, 9-12, 13-17, and adult.
Entries must be submitted by March 28 by email to

sl**************@gm***.com











or by mail to Felton Library Friends, P.O. Box 1245, Felton, Calif. 95018.
For more information, including questions to encourage poets in writing about the theme, visit www.feltonlibraryfriends.org.
Monning, Stone announce district office open house
State Sen. Bill Monning and Assemblymember Mark Stone announced that they will host a reception at their Monterey District Offices on Thursday, April 17.
Residents of the 29th Assembly District are invited to drop in to ask questions and discuss legislative issues or concerns. Light refreshments will be provided.
The event will take place between 4 and 6 p.m., and will be hosted at 99 Pacific Street, Suites 555-D and 575-F in Monterey.
For more information, call the Monterey District Office at 649-2832.
SV Arts Commission issues a call for poets
The Scotts Valley Arts Commission announced it is seeking poets to participate in its 14th annual Verse in the Valley contest.
Contestants of all ages are welcome to submit poems of not more than 200 words to the Arts Commission at the Scotts Valley Parks and Recreation offices at 361 Kings Village Road by April 26.
Admission forms and guidelines can be obtained at the parks office, as well as at local schools or from Arts Commissioner Trish Melehan at

tm******@ao*.com











.
For more information, call 566-9411.
Substance abuse treatment program seeks public’s input
The Health Services Agency Alcohol and Drug Program (ADP) is seeking the public’s input as it develops a strategic plan for substance abuse treatment in Santa Cruz County.
Over the first 6 months of 2014, the program will be collecting information about local needs and resources relevant to substance use disorders.
Community input in this data-driven strategic planning process will inform treatment systems and services in terms of priorities, goals, objectives, and strategy recommendations.
Community members can share their input by submitting comments to www.recoverywave.com
For more information, call Bill Manov at 454-4220 or Brenda Armstrong at 454-5483.
Youth Shakespeare Program meetings announced
Scotts Valley Performing Arts recently announced its 8th Annual Youth Shakespeare Program.
A pair of hour-long informational meetings to learn more about the program, which focuses on enhancing acting and public speaking skills through an in-depth instruction on a specific work by William Shakespeare, are scheduled for 4 p.m. Sunday, March 23, and Monday, March 24 at 7 p.m.
Both will be held at St. Philip’s Episcopal Church in Scotts Valley.
This year’s play will be “The Trader from Tau Cetia, formerly known as The Merchant of Venice.”
The production will be directed by longtime Santa Cruz director, playwright and actor Rita Wadsworth, and is open to youth between the ages of 6 and 20.
For more information, contact Trish Melehan at 566-9411 or

tm******@ao*.com











.
4-H of Santa Cruz County launches paper clover fundraiser
The Santa Cruz County 4-H recently announced its upcoming Paper Clover Fundraiser.
Between April 5 and April 19, participating local businesses will accept tax-deductible donations of any amount right at the register, with all proceed benefiting local 4-H programs.
An awareness event is scheduled for Saturday, April 12 with an event from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Scarborough Ace Hardware in the Kings Village Shopping Center in Scotts Valley.
For more information or for questions about 4-H, contact Stephanie Fontana, 4-H Program Representative at 763-8015 or

4h*********@gm***.com











.
San Lorenzo River community forums announced
The public is invited to a community discussion at the Highlands Park Senior Center on Monday, March 24 to discuss plans for the future of the San Lorenzo River.
The event, which begins at 6:30 p.m., is being hosted by the San Lorenzo River Alliance — a project of the Coastal Watershed Council.
At the forum, which will be hosted by Supervisor Bruce McPherson, the public will be asked to provide thoughts, concerns, and other input and information that the Alliance will take under consideration to help restore and revitalize the riverway.
For more information, contact the Coastal Watershed Council at 464-9200 or

in**@sa*************.org











.