Welcome to Winter - Big Bear Style!
Our incredible alpine setting kicks into high gear with
the start of the winter season! Thanks to the state-
of-the-art snow making capacity provided by Dick Kun
& Brent Tregaskis, our winter season was stimulated
to an early start. The boarding activities at Bear
Mountain’s Central park are brimming. As
snowmaking progresses, more lifts and runs are being made available at Bear Mountain and Snow Summit. With the return of winter sports, businesses along the Moonridge corridor are realizing enhanced patronage with their creative novel stores and food offerings.
Holiday Events & Fun
Ice Skating has returned to Big Bear for the first time in nearly a decade! The new Ice Garden Skating Rink at the center of the Village Business District will provide a great setting to enjoy the holidays. With the arrival of Santa Claus during the annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony, and the installation of festive lighting, our community knows winter has arrived! Art & Cultural opportunities are also available at the Performing Arts Center (PAC), with the late December performance of the The Nutcracker ballet.
New Businesses
The winter season also welcomes a number of new businesses to town. Trish Gordon has opened the incredible Sugar Pine Bake Shop in West Big Bear. Village Avenue is the home of the recently opened Grizzly Mountain Gourmet Market Place. Scubies Yogurt is a welcomed addition to the Big Bear Blvd corridor near the Fire Station. Linda Ricchiuti is completing construction of her innovative ‘Copper Q’ Kitchen store which will provide another anchor to Pine Knot Blvd. Each is providing a new service that broadens our market supply. Congratulations to each of our hearty new business entrepreneurs that succeeded in starting up in a difficult economy.
Affordable Housing
New residential construction could be on the horizon as a result of decisions by our Improvement Agency Board. The Board authorized negotiations with two proposals. One proposal is from the firm National CORE, based in Rancho Cucamonga, to develop 76 family units on 3.6 acres across from Big Bear Middle School on Jeffries Road The second proposal is a project on 13 acres on the east side of Sandalwood Drive in the area behind the Interlaken Center. This project, as outlined by EAH, Inc. of San Rafael, includes two phases with 160 units. This will compliment the recently approved 42 unit development along Knickerbocker Road by UHC Housing Corporation of Orange County.
Environments Achievements
Recent City council action adopted a Live Green movement as our standard to enhance environmental practices and achieve greater sustainability. A few recent actions include:
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Reduction of Paper Use and Vehicle Trips - Nearly every public document, application, hearing and meeting notice, staff report, financial statements, agendas and staff reports are available to view on the City website. Our residents can also watch public meetings live on our City website http://www.citybigbearlake.com/ and our local public access cable TV Channel 97.
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Green Material Management – our Neighborhood Chipping Program allows residents to leave vegetation and brush at their curbside for pick-up. City crews pick up and chip the material and re-distribute it to those who want it for ground cover or mulch. This program also reduces live fuels on properties, which in turn, helps reduce fire risk.
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New construction design - We will seek LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification when constructing the new Public Works Yard. The LEED Green Building Rating System, designed by the U.S. Green Building Council, advances energy and material efficiency and sustainability for new construction and for existing buildings.
So as we approach the apex of our winter period, we expect continual economic recovery in greater Southern California that will allow Big Bear to maintain its successful place as the region’s only four-season resort.
Jeff
Mathieu
City
Manager
(909)
866-5832
bblcm@citybigbearlake.com |