Around Town: Costa Mesa to cut the ribbon on new fire station Saturday

Costa Mesa will officially open its rebuilt Fire Station No. 1 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday.

The new $10-million, 11,740-square-foot station at 1570 Adams Ave. replaces the original Station 1, which was built in 1961 and was considered outdated.

“This is a proud moment for the city of Costa Mesa and all of our residents,” Mayor Sandy Genis said in a statement.

Saturday’s event will include guided tours of the station and a display of fire equipment, along with comments by city officials, a color guard presentation, a plaque unveiling and a flag raising. Refreshments will be available.

“Our fire family is grateful and honored to have this rare opportunity to open a new station for our Costa Mesa community,” Fire Chief Dan Stefano said in a statement. “In addition to being a picturesque and contemporary facility, it will be an extraordinary resource for our residents and firefighters. It will clearly serve as our flagship fire station for decades to come.”

The building, Costa Mesa’s first new fire station in 25 years, has a public lobby, three fire offices, rooms for laundry, communications, exercise and training, a kitchen and dining room and 10 bedrooms and five restrooms.

Since construction began in March 2017, fire personnel have operated out of a temporary station in a double-wide mobile home at 1368 Adams Ave.

Community events will bless the pets

Animals great and small, furred, scaled and feathered will have the chance to be blessed during community events scheduled to mark the Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi.

St. Joachim Catholic Church will hold its blessing of the animals at 2 p.m. Sunday at 1964 Orange Ave. in Costa Mesa. For more information, visit stjccm.org.

Another blessing will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 4 at Animalia pet store at 16389 Bolsa Chica St. in Huntington Beach. Call (714) 377-7630 for more information.

St. James Episcopal Church at 3209 Via Lido in Newport Beach will host a blessing Oct. 7, featuring pumpkin decorating, face painting, games, a petting zoo and snacks. For more details, visit stjamesnewport.org/events.

Beach cleanup in Huntington picks up over 200 pounds of trash

The Pacific Marine Mammal Center in Laguna Beach and Western Digital collaborated on a beach cleanup in Huntington Beach last week, collecting more than 200 pounds of trash.

The Sept. 21 event included hundreds of Western Digital employees and Pacific Marine Mammal Center volunteers picking up refuse such as surfboard pieces, cigarette butts, plastic items, straws, bottles and cans, according to a news release.

“Our partnership with Western Digital is an extraordinary example of how a community can come together to make a broader impact,” PMMC Chief Executive Peter Chang said in a statement.

Western Digital employees have volunteered in the past at the center , scrubbing pens, cleaning pools, weighing fish and other jobs to help the facility care for sick and injured marine mammals.

“Environmental preservation is one of our key focus areas, and our efforts with the Pacific Marine Mammal Center enable us to demonstrate we care for our planet and the animals,” Giselle Phan, vice president of human resources for Western Digital, said in a statement.