Foothills Sentry December 2020

Foothills Sentry Page 8 December 2020 Boy Scout Troop 543 from Salem Lutheran Church in Orange Park Acres performs a Veterans Day flag ceremony honoring veterans at the Meadows Senior Living Community; from left are Jonathon Almgren, Jonathon Endo, Anthony Endo, Daniel Ashford, Robert Endo and Lo- gan Doan. Canyon voters elected Michele Agopian, left and Julie Morris to serve on the Silverado-Modjeska Recreation and Parks Department. They were sworn in at the Nov. 17 SMRPD board meeting. New trustees join SMRPD Local genealogist’s contributions reach national audience Genealogy website FamilySe- arch.org is sponsoring “Roots- Tech Connect 2021,” a virtual event to be held Feb. 25-27, 2021. This free event will be the world’s largest genealogy and technology conference of its kind, and it all started as a collaboration with a genealogist in Orange. Barbara Renick, a nationally known professional genealogist and an Orange County Fam- ily Search Library staff member, helped create the FamilySearch computer program, and, with oth- er staff, was instrumental in start- ing the RootsTech conference in Salt Lake City 11 years ago. RootsTech will feature present- ers from international locations, keynote speakers and an expo hall, where cultures and tradi- tions from around the world will be celebrated with such activities as homeland cooking demon- strations, storytelling, and music performances. Register at Root- sTech.org. The Orange County FamilySearch Library, 674 S. Yorba St, Orange, is currently closed but the free genealogy pro- gram is available. Villa Park Rotary to host virtual French wine class Rotary Club of Villa Park in- vites the community to join a French wine tasting adventure via a Zoom class on French wines, Dec. 18 at 5:30 p.m. The virtual class will be taught by French Wine Expert and Certi- fied Sommelier Sasha DeJaynes of Vinolust, which specializes in wine experiences for novices and enthusiasts. Dejaynes brings an excitement to the French wine experience that is inviting to all who participate. Rotary will deliver three bot- tles of French wine, cheese and crackers to your home prior to the Zoom class. By sampling wines from vari- ous regions, participants will experience a virtual tour of Bur- gundy, Bordeaux, Rhone Valley and more. The cost of the event is $95 per household, which includes the class, the wines, cheese and crackers. Sign up before Dec. 11 at bit.ly/RCVPwine , or by calling (714) 406-0060. This event is sponsored by the Villa Park Rotary as a fundraiser to support its services to the com- munity. TUSD welcomes two new, one returning board members Allyson Damikolas, Jonathan Stone and James Laird were elected to the Tustin Unified School District Board of Educa- tion. This will be the first term for Damikolas and Stone. Laird was re-elected, and will begin his fifth term on the board. The trustees will be sworn in at the TUSD Board meeting on Monday, Dec. 14, at 6 p.m. in the Board Room at the District Ad- ministration Center, 300 South C Street, Tustin. Allyson Damikolas, represent- ing Trustee Area 1, is an engineer, parent, PTO president, member of the PTA/PTO Coordinating Council and an active community volunteer. Her three children at- tend TUSD schools. Jonathan Stone, Trustee Area 4, attended Tustin Unified schools and is a graduate of Foothill High. Stone served as co-chair of the TUSD Measure N bond campaign and was a member of the district’s Measure S Citi- zens’ Oversight Committee. He has a background in technology and corporate training before a 10-year stint as a small business owner. He also served on the board of the Tustin Chamber of Commerce, including a term as chairman. Stone’s daughter is currently a TUSD student. James Laird, Trustee Area 2, has served on the board for 16 years. He has been appointed board president and vice presi- dent three times each. Laird is an Orange County deputy district at- torney. He is a product of Tustin Unified schools and a graduate of Foothill High School. His chil- dren also attended TUSD schools. Board members Tammie Bul- lard and Francine Scinto are leav- ing the school board after a com- bined 24 years of service. Diocese plans new maintenance building The Orange Planning Com- mission approved plans for a 6,000-sq.-ft. storage building to be constructed at Holy Sepulcher Cemetery, owned by the Catholic Diocese. The new 108-ft. long, 28-ft. high building will enable the dio- cese to add more cemetery plots where the current storage shed now stands. Located on Santia- go Canyon Road on the eastern fringe of Orange, the cemetery has the zoning needed to accom- modate the structure. The project was presented to the Orange Park Association Ad- visory Committee for recommen- dations before going to the plan- ning commission. Aware that the project would go forward with or without the neighbors’ approval, the OPA committee offered several com- promises to reduce its impact. OPA’s requests for an additional setback, a lower building pro- file, and mature trees were turned down, but the Diocese agreed to replace bollards signaling the end of a horse trail with a locked six- ft.-tall gate. The end of the trail faces Santiago Canyon Road and riders feared that a runaway horse could end up in traffic if there was nothing to stop it, and bollards likely wouldn’t. With the addi- tion of the gate, the neighbors are more amenable to the project. Allyson Damikolas Jonathan Stone James Laird Sideways by request