Planners approve mausoleum

The Planning Commission on Tuesday approved an expansion of the Good

Shepard Cemetery that will include a 50-foot mausoleum.

The new facility, at the corner of Beach Boulevard and Talbert

Avenue, will include an 85,000-square-foot mausoleum that will be at

the center of the property. Some neighbors complained about the sheer

size of the building, but the property’s owner, the Catholic Diocese

of Orange County, agreed to surround the building with trees and

landscaping to make the facility more aesthetically appealing.

“It’s a huge project when you think of its sheer size and that it

fronts four streets,” Planning Commissioner Tom Livengood said. “It’s

as big as any shopping center. I think people will be happy when it’s

completed. It won’t be an ugly strip mall, but instead, a place of

serenity.”

The new facility will also include about a half-dozen garden

crypts along the eastern edge of the property. Neighbors had

complained that the crypts, combined with several block walls, would

create an alleyway in front of their homes. In response, the diocese

scraped the block walls for fencing, creating regular intervals in

the perimeter of the building where neighbors can see far into the

property.

A block wall proposed by the diocese to block noise at the

intersection of Beach and Talbert proved to be one of the most

controversial elements of the project. Commissioner Ron Davis said he

was worried that the wall would make the intersection seem like a

freeway corridor, but in the end, the commission approved the design

on the condition that it be set back a little further into the

property. The diocese also is planning to add sidewalks to the

perimeter of the cemetery and complete $3 million in public utility

improvements throughout construction.

New members join council, Hardy becomes mayor

Surf City said goodbye to the old and hello to the new Monday

night in an emotional swearing-in ceremony at City Hall.

Goodbyes went to outgoing Councilwoman Connie Boardman, who

elected not to run for a second term, as well as Grace Winchell, who

was brought back for a short stint to replace Councilwoman Pam

Houchen, who resigned recently and faces federal charges on suspicion

of mail and wire fraud.

New Councilmen Keith Bohr and Don Hansen were welcomed to the dais

after winning two of the top three spots in November’s ballot. Debbie

Cook was congratulated for her resounding, top vote-getter reelection

victory, and Jill Hardy was sworn in for her first term as the city’s

new mayor.

Cathy Green’s departure from the top position also drew a lot of

attention, with about a dozen residents lining up to thank her

publicly for her year in office.

“This is a city of people who help one another in need,” Green

said. “If there was ever a dream job meant for me, this is it.”

The two-hour ceremony was cordial and polite, but several

references to the city’s controversial invocation -- the prayer said

before council meetings -- added a little edge to the ceremony.

After Green cited returning the invocation to the beginning of the

meeting as one of her accomplishments, Boardman said she was

comfortable with the fact that she didn’t reinstate the invocation

first halted by Cook in 2002.

“We instituted a moment of silence and I felt that this led to

inclusiveness,” she said.

Hansen ended the ceremony by thanking his wife for her help with

the campaign and promising to do his best to lead.

“I will work hard to shoulder my new responsibility, and I promise

never to betray your trust,” he said.

Memory Tree needs funds to grow

Adult Day Services of Orange County officials are asking residents

to celebrate this holiday season by honoring or remembering loved

ones on their Memory Tree.

The tree is a chance to honor someone living or deceased by

designating a light in that person’s name for a donation of $50. The

money raised will offset the cost of a day of care for a patient

struggling with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.

The two-story Memory Tree is being displayed on the corner of

Bushard Street and Indianapolis Avenue in Huntington Beach. Beginning

on Dec. 16, all the lights on the Memory Tree will shine in honor of

the community’s collective memories.

“The Memory Tree is an opportunity to help our friends and

neighbors with Alzheimer’s disease this holiday season while

celebrating and remembering those special people in all of our lives

who make this season so meaningful,” Executive Director Cordula

Dick-Muehlke said. For more information, call (714) 593-9630.