Desalination debate scheduled
The League of Women Voters of Santa Cruz County will host a debate on whether to build a seawater desalination plant in Santa Cruz.
Teams from the SCWD Desalination Program and Santa Cruz Desal Alternatives will debate the issues surrounding the proposed seawater desalination project in Santa Cruz.
The free debate will be from 7 to 8:30 p.m. April 14 at the First Congregational Church, 900 High St., in Santa Cruz.
For information: lwvscc.org or 460-1714
Bridge due for an upgrade
A bridge built in 1920 on San Lorenzo Way is scheduled to get an upgrade in the next several years, thanks to money from the federal Highway Bridge Program.
The program will reimburse Santa Cruz County for $450,000 it will spend to begin pre-engineering this year. The project is slated to be completed in summer 2014.
The single-lane bridge will be replaced with a concrete bridge meeting the latest design standards.
Valley museum wins grant
The San Lorenzo Valley museum received two grants from the Union Bank Foundation in support of the exhibit “Did we make a difference?” — a look at the Chinese cultural and historical impact in the San Lorenzo Valley between 1850 and 1920.
The exhibit will highlight Chinese migrant workers through photographs, artifacts and the historical writings of local residents. It will open in April and be on display for a year.
For information: 338-8382 or www.slvmuseum.com
Weekend passport day scheduled in Santa Cruz
A special Saturday passport day is planned from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Simpkins Family Swim Center, Room A, 979 17th Ave., in Santa Cruz. Saturday passport office hours are offered once a year for those who cannot visit the office during the week.
Those who apply for a passport must provide photo identification, a copy of the front and back of the photo ID on an 8½-by-11 inch white paper, a certified copy of a birth certificate and a recent color passport photo, 2 inches square. Both parents or guardians must be present for children younger than 16 to apply for a passport.
A passport book costs $80 for children and $110 for people age 16 and older. A passport card costs $30. The office also charges a processing fee of $25 per passport.
For information: Santa Cruz County clerk’s office, 454-2060; or www.travel.state.gov
Winery fundraiser to pay for science seating
Science classes at Scotts Valley High School literally have become a pain in the rear, and the school’s aging and broken lab stools need replacing.
The SVHS Parent Club has joined with the school’s science department to host a wine tasting fundraiser from 4 to 6 p.m. April 14 at Bargetto Winery, 3535 N. Main St., in Soquel. Light snacks and a winery tour showing the science of winemaking will be included.
Tickets, $10 per adult, are available at the high school office, 555 Glenwood Drive, in Scotts Valley, or from Mike Rein, 440-9835 or mi**@re*****.net.
Thirty percent of the proceeds from wine that’s bought during the fundraiser or ordered online between April 14 and 24 at www.bargetto.com, using code SVHS2011, will go directly to buy new lab chairs.
For information: Denise Ahlstrom, 454-8235 or de*******@ya***.com.
Big Basin general plan in the works
California State Parks will host a meeting for the public Saturday, March 26, at Felton Community Hall, 6191 Highway 9, to present a general plan alternative for Big Basin Redwoods State Park in Boulder Creek.
State parks staff is putting together a plan to provide park management with a framework for how to use Big Basin park lands.
March 26 will be the second public meeting to share a draft of the general plan. Based on input given in February, parks department staff revised the original plan to come up with an alternative. Officials hope to have a preliminary draft of the plan and a draft environmental review completed in the fall.
The plan highlights new development outside the old-growth forest, concentrated in the Little Basin and Saddle Mountain areas.
The preferred alternative plan is online at www.parks.ca.gov/BigBasinGP.
Book signing at the Brewery
Local author Joyce Oroz will sign her new mystery novel, “Secure the Ranch,” and answer questions from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 26, at Boulder Creek Brewery and Café, 13040 Highway 9.
“Secure the Ranch” is the first book in a planned Josephine Stuart mystery series. The author will talk about the storyline, which unfolds mainly in Boulder Creek.
The signing will benefit the SLV Home School fund.
For information: jo*******@sb*******.net
