During the recent State of the City Luncheon at Knott’s Berry Farm Hotel, Buena Park Mayor Virginia Vaughn and City Manager Jim Vanderpool noted 2017 city accomplishments and the city’s vision for the future in 2018 and beyond.
The two walked luncheon guests through a video tour of the city as they and council members interviewed various shop owners. The results? Business is good in coffee locations, restaurants, and markets to name a few from the North to Central and Southern parts of the Buena Park corridor.
Some of the accomplishments include: The Buena Park Police Department is adding a K-9 Unit and now has 53 police officers and 93 total sworn personnel, along with five trainees in the City’s Field Training Officer program and two positions for Knott’s Berry Farm. The former Nabisco site along Artesia Blvd. is heating up with new businesses and townhomes.
There is a lot that is new in Buena Park, starting with the New Moon restaurant; the new “HangTime” rollercoaster, the first “dive coaster” at Knott’s, that will definitely make riders catch their breath at gravity-defying inversions, mid-air suspensions, and twisting dive tracks. The new, nearing-completion (July 2018) Fire Station No. 61 will house 36 fire personnel according to Councilwoman Beth Swift.
Councilman Fred Smith said four million people visited Knott’s Berry Farm in 2017 and rode their myriad of rollercoasters and other venues.
Mayor Pro Tem Art Brown talked about the Larwin City Park at Ball Rd. and Valley View St. that houses a playground and a splash pad for kids and a basketball court. It’s in Phase I and will provide shade trees, a seating wall, and picnic tables and a concrete walking path around the inside of the park.
Buena Park adopted voting districts in 2016 and 2018 is an election year for districts 1, 2, and 5; the city has maps of the various districts that can be viewed at City Hall or online.
“To comply with Federal and State law with district elections, City Council has decided not to make decisions by district but by looking at the common good of the whole city because they have all made oaths to serve all of the citizens of Buena Park,” said Vanderpool.
The General Fund is $60,000,000-plus strong and expenditures slightly more that sum for the 2017-2018 year. The City General Fund of uncommitted reserve is $16,000,000 for 2017-18.
“All projections indicate that Buena Park will close 2017-2018 in a balanced position and likely a bit better than balanced,” Vanderpool said. “Kudos to the mayor and city council and staff for ensuring the fiscal health of Buena Park.”
Homelessness is an ongoing issue and the city is working with the Buena Park Police Department, Orange County Healthcare Agency, Bright Paths, and City Net to find solutions and there is a marijuana moratorium in Buena Park. The state of California grants cities local land use authority in the matter; Vanderpool reported that council has unanimously voted to have a moratorium on marijuana.
Chosen as Buena Park’s 2018 Citizen of the Year for the annual Cypress Americana Awards is Savanna School District Superintendent Dr. Sue Johnson; she was honored over the weekend at the Disneyland Hotel.
Taking care of the city involves citizens volunteering to be part of the “Love Buena Park” event to clean up graffiti and debris for one day of service projects, to “demonstrate kindness, meet needs and impact lives.” A day where service groups, schools and sports organizations, along with city officials and others ban together to make the city a better place. Save the date—Saturday, April 28.
Buena Park Historical Society is selling bricks to be engraved and placed at the historical site of Whitaker-Jaynes and the Bacon House at Buena Plaza on Beach Blvd. at 10th St. Councilman Art Brown is the historical curator and Rinda Berry of the Historical Society is Chair of the brick endeavor.
Coming up is the new Butterfly Palladium at the former Movieland Wax Museum site on Beach Blvd.
Aloft Hotels, a mid-scale, urban-style business/boutique hotel chain is coming to Buena Park with 149 guest rooms, two restaurants with outdoor dining and conference/banquet space, along with a new Hilton Hotel and Resort; a Stanford Hotel and Knott’s Cauldron Spirits and Brews that just held its grand opening.
The Source will get a new freeway sign. Poquito Mas, a fairly new Mexican restaurant, is located in the historic Tice House next to Visit California in the hstoric Stage Stop Hotel.
The city is replacing water meters with new ones that can detect water leaks and notify the city who can alert the home owner.
And this is only the tip of the iceberg, as they say, with one last mention of a multi-million dollar retrofit of the Krikorian Buena Park Metroplex 18 to retrofit its auditoriums with oversized reclining luxury chairs, a full bar and kitchen, and wide aisles in the near future.
