Laguna Canyon Road

Laguna Canyon Conservancy to hold dinner meeting The Laguna Canyon Conservancy will host its dinner meeting at Tivoli Terrace on Monday. The meeting will allow attendees to meet Mayor Toni Iseman and find out what's happening in Laguna Canyon. They will discuss the groundbreaking ceremony for the Laguna Canyon Road construction project on Jan. 7. The no-host bar will open at 6 p.m., buffet dinner is at 6:45 p.m. and the program follows. Tivoli Terrace is on the Festival grounds on Laguna Canyon Road.

Celebrate Laguna Coast Wilderness Park 2004 will feature a ground-breaking ceremony for the new Rosemary and Jim Nix Nature Center on May 22. Buses will transport guests into Little Sycamore Canyon and the center. The ceremony will be at 1 p.m. and the park will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Shuttles to the nature center site will run continuously from the ACT V parking lot, 1900 Laguna Canyon Road, between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Parking in the Act V lot will be free.

Laguna Beach residents should plan for lane closures and power outages until January, according to the city. Southern California Edison will begin to replace three miles of power transmission lines and poles on Laguna Canyon Road, stretching from the 73 toll road to the Sawdust Art Festival grounds. The upgrade is necessary for the city and its electrical energy needs, the city said, adding that the work was expected to begin by the end of this month. The majority of work is planned to occur at night in an effort to not affect traffic congestion.

Twenty-five artists will open their studio's for the Laguna Canyon Artists' annual Holiday Studio Event out in the canyon from noon to 5 p.m. tomorrow and Sunday. Art lovers can experience working studios, artworks in the making and previously created pieces. "It's really exciting because we've added so many new artists this year," said Marsh Scott, artist and event organizer. "You can discover new artists, add to your collection, find one of a kind gifts and explore working studios."

A 70-foot-tall oak tree fell into nearby power lines on Laguna Canyon Road Friday, blacking out 11,136 homes and businesses. The tree fell just north of Raquel Road near the Dog Park, said Vanessa McGrady, a Southern California Edison representative. The damage happened about 12:45 p.m. and power was restored to most of the affected areas by about 1:10 p.m. About 600 Edison customers remained without power Friday afternoon. Edison will try to have the problem fixed as soon as possible this weekend, McGrady said.

A 70-foot-tall oak tree fell into nearby power lines on Laguna Canyon Road Friday, blacking out 11,136 homes and businesses. The tree fell just north of Raquel Road near the Dog Park, said Vanessa McGrady, a Southern California Edison representative. The damage happened about 12:45 p.m. and power was restored to most of the affected areas by about 1:10 p.m. About 600 Edison customers remained without power Friday afternoon. Edison will try to have the problem fixed as soon as possible this weekend, McGrady said.

Send AROUND TOWN items to the Laguna Beach Coastline-Pilot, P.O. Box 248, Laguna Beach, CA 92652; fax to 494-8979; call (949) 494-4321 or at e-mail coastlinepilot@ latimes.com. Submissions must be received two weeks before publication. SATURDAY GREENBELT RESTORATION DAYS Laguna Greenbelt Restoration Days is looking for people to join park volunteers for a morning of habitat restoration in Laguna Coast Wilderness Park. Laguna Greenbelt, Inc. has planned a series of restoration days on the third Saturday of each month through June 2004.

A 19-year-old Laguna Beach woman was killed in an early morning crash on Laguna Canyon Road between the dog park and animal shelter. Jamie Verst, 19, was driving south in a 1998 maroon-colored Honda Civic at an unknown speed when she apparently veered into the north lane and was hit on the passenger side by a 27-foot delivery truck driven by Higinio Soto, 53, of Orange, according to a preliminary police investigation into the accident. The crash happened at about 3:50 a.m. Thursday in the 20600 block of Laguna Canyon Road.

LAGUNA COAST WILDERNESS PARK Laguna Coast Wilderness Park, 20101 Laguna Canyon Road; reservations and information, (949) 923-2235; o7www.ocparks.comf7. Open weekends, 7 a.m. to sunset. Parking lot hours: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Willow Canyon on Laguna Canyon Road, just south of the El Toro Road intersection. Open to hikers, equestrians and mountain bikers on specified trails; parking, $3. Tours led by Laguna Greenbelt Inc. at 8 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 8 and 15. Laurel Loop hike, 8 a.m. Saturday, Oct.22.

The Laguna Beach City Council is poised to loan the Laguna Relief and Resource Center $100,000 to purchase a property at 2633 Laguna Canyon Road, not too far from the center’s existing site at 3305 Laguna Canyon Road. The council will consider the loan at its meeting at 6 p.m. tonight, at Laguna Beach City Hall, 505 Forest Ave. City staff is recommending approval of the loan, which would help create a multi-service center with emergency shelter and other services for homeless and needy people.