Boys & Girls Clubs of Carlsbad is pleased to announce that an exceptional candidate has accepted the position of CEO at Boys & Girls Clubs of Carlsbad – Mr. Chad Nelson.
“I am delighted to say that we have identified the person we believe is best prepared to lead us into the future. Chad Nelson’s experience, ability to inspire those around him, and history with the Club make him an exemplary leader,” stated Travis VanTreese, the Club’s Board President. “Having someone that is so engrained in the Carlsbad community is exciting for us, and the long term relationships that he has with people and businesses in Carlsbad will be integral to the Club’s growth.”
A Club kid himself, Chad grew up in Carlsbad. After graduating from SDSU with a BS in Business Management and a lot of hours on the basketball court, he returned to Carlsbad to begin his 20+ year career in the health care industry. He experienced success by building strong teams that work together to achieve each company’s goals. As fate would have it, Chad was looking for a new opportunity to motivate people and make a positive difference when the CEO opening occurred at the Boys & Girls Club.
The City of Carlsbad is doing their best in mitigating traffic issues around town. They’ve developed training programs for e-bikes, handed out Safer Together Slow Down Carlsbad signs, and even declared a state of local emergency when it comes to traffic problems. But one effort stands out as their oddest work yet. And that is the intersection of Valley Street and Tamarack Avenue.
Located at the southeast corner of Valley Middle School the intersection is jammed morning and afternoon by kids walking to and from school, parents driving their kids to and from school, and angry commuters just trying to get up or down Tamarack. It obviously needed some kind of traffic solution, but what the City came up with is one of the most confusing, least understood traffic lights in all of Carlsbad. In fact, it is the first such intersection application in the City. It’s called a “pedestrian hybrid signal” a.k.a. Hawk signal.
The lights only function when a pedestrian presses the button to cross the street. The rest of the time the signals simply tower over the intersection like loitering giants with nothing to do. During the morning and afternoon school commute, however, the lights blast out a nearly unintelligible series of red and yellow lights. Sometimes blinking, other times solid. But with nary a green light to be seen.
The City of Carlsbad should have known their solution to the intersection was a failure when they were forced to implement an extensive educational campaign (including light boards on both sides of the intersection) explaining how drivers should use it. Sadly, few paid attention to the educational materials and now that the light boards are gone most drivers continue to be mystified by how to proceed through the intersection once a pedestrian has pressed the crossing button.
So, to help everyone out. Here’s how it works.
The Valley Street side of the intersection is ALWAYS A STOP SIGN. Drivers heading south on Valley need to stop, then proceed through the intersection when safe as they would at any other stop sign in the city. If the crosswalk lights are on, however, drivers must wait at the stop line until the lights go off and the intersection is clear. This one is pretty simple.
Drivers on Tamarack (goin east or west) have several options. And this is where most of the chaos originates. When no lights are on, drivers may proceed through the intersection at a safe speed like there is no stop sign at all. When the button has been pressed by a pedestrian the light begins flashing yellow, it means the intersection is about to turn into a stop signal and drivers should roll through with caution. When the light turn solid red, drivers should stop and wait. When the red light begins blinking, drivers may proceed as if it were a stop sign. They should not do what most drivers do and sit stopped at the intersection while the red light is blinking. Again, the blinking red light is just like a stop sign. Stop, then proceed when it is safe.
On school days the intersection also has a energetic, brave, and kind crossing guard mornings and afternoons who acts as the ringmaster for this circus. We’ve never seen the crossing guard go against any of the previously listed lighting cues, but if and when they do, then drivers should follow any and all directions from the crossing guard regardless of what is going on with the flashing or static lights.
It’s that simple. Any questions? Here’s the graphic if you’re a visual learner.
The oddest part about the entire solution is that a simple three-way stop i.e. adding stop signs on both directions of Tamarack Avenue, would have solved most all of the intersection’s problems. City Staff did not think that was a good idea. Sadly, they were wrong.
[Editors Note: Last night (April 3, 2023) the City of Carlsbad Traffic and Mobility Commission met to update everyone on general traffic issues and specifically hear a report from City Staff on how the intersection of Tamarack Avenue and Valley Street is working. As is usually the case, City Staff believes that what the City has done is the right thing and their report seemed overly positive. To hear the City report and see the comment from one person Click here.]
Carlsbad Reads Together is an annual event that connects the entire Carlsbad community through reading, discussion and engagement of selected books. Throughout the month of April 2023, all three library locations will host book discussions, an author visit, and offer corresponding Exploration HUB classes, youth and teen events and more. This year’s selection for adult readers is Francisco Canú’sThe Line Becomes a River: Dispatches From The Border.
Selected with input from some of the most engaged library patrons, the 2023 Carlsbad Reads Together adult selection is “The Line Becomes a River” by Francisco Cantú. This true story of a U.S. Border Patrol Agent’s experience on the front lines of the U.S.-Mexico border presents a nuanced, balanced view of courage and compassion in the line of duty. . . Raised in the Southwest United States, Francisco Cantú’s lifelong fascination with the border led him to find a job where he would experience its danger and heartbreak firsthand. He became a US border patrol agent, and over the next four years, he policed drug routes and smuggling corridors and tracked lost migrants across the desert. Now the author of a bestselling memoir about his experiences, he speaks with urgency, honesty, and empathy about how the border wreaks violence on both sides of the line.
For all the details on the book and planned events, please click the link.
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Negotiating Carlsbad’s Oddest Intersection
by The Editors on April 4, 2023
The City of Carlsbad is doing their best in mitigating traffic issues around town. They’ve developed training programs for e-bikes, handed out Safer Together Slow Down Carlsbad signs, and even declared a state of local emergency when it comes to traffic problems. But one effort stands out as their oddest work yet. And that is the intersection of Valley Street and Tamarack Avenue.
Located at the southeast corner of Valley Middle School the intersection is jammed morning and afternoon by kids walking to and from school, parents driving their kids to and from school, and angry commuters just trying to get up or down Tamarack. It obviously needed some kind of traffic solution, but what the City came up with is one of the most confusing, least understood traffic lights in all of Carlsbad. In fact, it is the first such intersection application in the City. It’s called a “pedestrian hybrid signal” a.k.a. Hawk signal.
The lights only function when a pedestrian presses the button to cross the street. The rest of the time the signals simply tower over the intersection like loitering giants with nothing to do. During the morning and afternoon school commute, however, the lights blast out a nearly unintelligible series of red and yellow lights. Sometimes blinking, other times solid. But with nary a green light to be seen.
The City of Carlsbad should have known their solution to the intersection was a failure when they were forced to implement an extensive educational campaign (including light boards on both sides of the intersection) explaining how drivers should use it. Sadly, few paid attention to the educational materials and now that the light boards are gone most drivers continue to be mystified by how to proceed through the intersection once a pedestrian has pressed the crossing button.
So, to help everyone out. Here’s how it works.
It’s that simple. Any questions? Here’s the graphic if you’re a visual learner.
The oddest part about the entire solution is that a simple three-way stop i.e. adding stop signs on both directions of Tamarack Avenue, would have solved most all of the intersection’s problems. City Staff did not think that was a good idea. Sadly, they were wrong.
[Editors Note: Last night (April 3, 2023) the City of Carlsbad Traffic and Mobility Commission met to update everyone on general traffic issues and specifically hear a report from City Staff on how the intersection of Tamarack Avenue and Valley Street is working. As is usually the case, City Staff believes that what the City has done is the right thing and their report seemed overly positive. To hear the City report and see the comment from one person Click here.]
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