Around Town: Fountain Valley pickleball courts have grand opening

Pickleball is officially in Fountain Valley.

The Fountain Valley Pickleball Club and the city Recreation & Community Services Department will hold a grand opening and demonstration match on the new pickleball courts at the Fountain Valley Tennis Center from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

The popular game combines elements of tennis, badminton and ping-pong.

Saturday’s festivities will feature prizes, music and treats, and the first 50 guests will receive an event T-shirt.

The tennis center is in the Fountain Valley Sports Park at 16400 Brookhurst St.

Newport police Tip-A-Cop will help Special Olympics

Newport Beach police officers will serve as celebrity hosts and servers from 5 to 9 p.m. Monday at Javier’s restaurant for the annual Tip-A-Cop fundraiser for Special Olympics Southern California.

Javier’s is at 7832 E. Coast Hwy., Newport Beach.

District to seek $17 million for new OCC chem building

The Coast Community College District board of trustees Wednesday approved a plan by administrators to request $17.1 million from the California Community Colleges chancellor’s office to help pay for the construction of a $34.6-million chemistry building at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa.

The project’s remaining cost would be funded by Measure M, a bond initiative approved by area voters in 2012.

OCC’s architects can start designing the chemistry building upon passage of a statewide education facilities bond in the 2020-21 fiscal year, according to public documents.

Meanwhile, construction crews are surveying underground utilities for a $50.5-million arts complex at Orange Coast College, district spokeswoman Letitia Clark said. That project already has received state funding and design approval.

CMHS junior chosen a Bank of America Student Leader

Ethan Gay, a junior at Costa Mesa High School, is one of five Orange County high school students selected as Bank of America Student Leaders.

The philanthropic program offers young people an opportunity to build work and leadership skills through a paid summer internship at the Boys & Girls Club of Central Orange Coast or Second Harvest Food Bank and participate in a national leadership summit in Washington, D.C. Bank of America Student Leaders also work with bank volunteers on financial management skills including budgeting and saving.

More than 3,000 students nationwide have participated in the program since 2004, according to Bank of America.

Laguna executive and F.V. teen honored by Girl Scouts

Melinda Masson of Laguna Beach has been named one of four 2018 Celebrate Leadership honorees by the Girl Scouts of Orange County.

Those being recognized are Girl Scouts alumni who are outstanding examples of what it means to be a G.I.R.L. (go-getter, innovator, risk-taker and leader), the organization said.

Masson is chief executive of Scripsense, a digital fundraising program for organizations and their members. She also founded Merit Property Management Inc., which over 30 years grew into four real estate-related service companies under the Merit Cos. umbrella, which she sold in 2007 to FirstService Corp.

The Girl Scouts of Orange County also announced it will honor 16-year-old Girl Scout Ambassador Lucy Vu from Fountain Valley as one of two recipients of the Gold Award, the Girl Scouts’ most prestigious award, for special projects.

All the honorees will be recognized at the organization’s ninth annual Celebrate Leadership event Oct. 12 at the Fashion Island Hotel in Newport Beach.

Laguna Beach wins award for financial reporting

For the third consecutive year, the city of Laguna Beach has received an industry award for its government accounting practices.

The Chicago-based Government Finance Officers Assn. awarded Laguna the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting, its highest honor, according to a city news release.

Laguna was judged on its comprehensive annual financial report from June 2017. The association said the city demonstrated a “a spirit of full disclosure to clearly communicate the city’s financial story,” according to the release.