Dear Downey Friends, We have a lot of great community events to look forward to in March.  First, the State of the City Luncheon is scheduled for next Wednesday, March 4th and I invite you to join us as we discuss some of the great things happening in our community. I will have the pleasure of giving a presentation that will highlight current and future City developments. It’s a great opportunity for residents and businesses to learn about what’s going on in our City. The Downey Chamber of Commerce always does a great job in putting this event together and I look forward to seeing many of you there.  Contact the Chamber at 562‐923‐2191 to reserve your spot.

On Thursday, March 5th, our City will participate in a groundbreaking event for the I‐5/Florence Avenue Interchange Project.  Caltrans, along with Metro and the Federal Highway Administration, will host this groundbreaking to kick‐off construction for this project.  Residents in the northeast portion of our City will be mostly impacted by the construction and we encourage residents to visit Caltrans’ website for up to date information at www.my5la.com.

Next up on our calendar for March will be the Furman Park Outdoor Fitness Equipment Dedication on Saturday, March 7th at 10 a.m.  This new fitness equipment was purchased thanks to a generous donation from the Downey Los Amigos Kiwanis.  The equipment will be installed directly adjacent to the Furman Park walking trail and will be a great addition for our park goers to enjoy.  Our sincere thank you to the Downey Los Amigos Kiwanis for investing in our community and helping provide opportunities that promote healthy and active lifestyles.  This goes hand in hand with our goal of creating a healthier Downey.

The Gangs Out of Downey (GOOD) Luncheon will be held on March 18th.  This event serves as a fundraiser to help raise money to support gang prevention in our community.  GOOD is made up entirely of volunteers who dedicate their time to help fight gang activity in our City.  I encourage everyone to support the work that GOOD does in our City and join us for this luncheon.  For more information, please call 562‐862‐8141 ext. 777 or email at goodluncheon@downeyfcu.org.

One of our favorite community events is taking place on Saturday, March 21st – The Arc Walk for Independence.  The Arc Walk supports those with physical and mental disabilities, and every year thousands come out to show their support.  Like every year, the event is taking place at Stonewood Mall, so put on your walking shoes and join us in supporting such an amazing cause!

Following the Arc Walk, we will be heading over to Apollo Park to dedicate the newly constructed walking trail.  We invite the public to join us at 12:30 p.m. to dedicate this new trail, which was made possible through a grant the City received from the L.A. County Regional Park and Open Space District.  The trail will be very similar to the one recently completed at Furman and we’re excited to open this one up at Apollo Park.

Lastly, on March 28th, our Parks & Recreation Department will be having their annual Bunny Breakfast & Spring Extravaganza event at Golden Park.  The event will feature breakfast, arts & crafts, carnival games, prize walk, portable skate park and information booths.  Thank you to Downey Los Amigos Kiwanis, Downey Lions Club and Boy Scout Troop #441 for helping sponsor this event.  For tickets and more information, please call our Parks & Recreation Department at 562‐904‐7238 or visit our City website at www.downeyca.org.

As always, I welcome your thoughts and ideas, so please feel free to reach me through email at lmarquez@downeyca.org or by calling our City Council office at 562‐904‐7274.

Until next month,

Mayor Luis H. Marquez