Mayor Alex Saab with Downey Youth Commissioners.

Hello Downey!

Summer is here and the City of Downey has been working hard to create programs to keep children of all ages active and entertained this summer. So put down your tablets and jump feet first into our great summer activities!

The City will be hosting a Freedom Festival on the 4th of July at Downey High School Stadium. This free festival will consist of live music, DJ’s, carnival games and a spectacular fireworks show that will also help celebrate Downey’s 60th Anniversary as a City.

The pool will open at 5 p.m. and the fireworks show will commence at 9 p.m. The festival is a safe and fun way to celebrate Independence Day.

Also, remember that the Columbia Memorial Space Center is free to all Downey students and is a gem in our City. If you have never visited, I invite you to visit the website at columbiaspacescience.org to learn of all the awesome upcoming events.

Our Police Department will be out in full force cracking down on illegal fireworks in an effort to keep our community safe and minimize firework related injuries. Hefty fines have been put in place for those in possession and use of illegal fireworks. Fines begin at $2,000 for a first offense and increase for subsequent offenses up to $3,000.

The City of Downey has a “zero tolerance” for illegal fireworks. Any firework that launches into the air, propels across the ground, or explodes, is illegal to sell or possess and can result in fines and/or arrest. Legal fireworks may be purchased between at July 1-4 at one of the local fireworks stands by a Downey non-profit organization.

The Twilight Summer Concert series will begin this Wednesday, July 6, at 7 p.m. at Furman Park. Various performers will open the series so make sure you arrive early. It is an evening promised to be full of family fun with great live music.

Besides the aforementioned wonderful events, the City of Downey also offers great transportation services to its residents. Many may not be aware but the Downey LINK operates Monday through Friday with four circulating routes. The fare is only 50¢ with free transfers to other routes.

The Downey Dial-A-Ride serves senior citizens, 65 years or older, and the disabled community. This service is a shared ride, curb-to-curb service for individuals who are unable to use DowneyLink. For more information about these services please call the Downey Depot Transportation Center at (562) 904-7215.

As many of you have already notice, Downey continues to grow. A variety of businesses are bringing with them new services and goods to our community. Some of the more recent grand openings are Grocery Outlet Supermarket, Wesley Health Center, Gaucho Grill Argentinian Steakhouse and Closet G Clothing. Stay tuned for more business to open later this year including Home Goods, Aldi Market and much more.

Our Capital Improvement Street Repair Project is in line with its projected timeline. Gardendale Street was completed in June and looks great with new pavement and bicycle lanes between Lakewood Boulevard and Garfield Avenue.

The Firestone Boulevard Improvement Project from Brookshire Avenue to Lakewood Boulevard commenced last week and is scheduled to be completed by September. This project consists of rehabilitation of the existing pavement for the entire length of the project between Brookshire Avenue and Lakewood Boulevard, raised median island construction and modifications including retrofitting of median island irrigation with recycled water, miscellaneous repair of concrete surfaces (i.e., curb and gutter, sidewalk, driveway approaches, curb ramps), adjusting of manholes, valve covers and survey monuments to grade, and replacement of traffic striping and markings.

Every attempt will be made to minimize disruption during construction, however, please expect traffic some delays. Once completed, our City not only look even nicer, but our infrastructure will be upgraded.

One of the things I always like to highlight here are our city’s upcoming events. This time I would also like to share with you some facts about our city that you may not know:

■Population: 113, 363
■Median Age: 34.3 years
■Total Number of Households: 33,491
■Median Home Sale Price: $421,000
■Median Household Income: $56,675
■Low Unemployment Rate of only 4.4%

Lastly, I would like to congratulate the Class of 2016. As you start on your new journey in life, always remember that your alma mater is much more than just a place where you studied. Your campus is where teachers, staff and residents shared a common goal to build your foundation and instill your pursuit of knowledge and success. Throughout the years, your local schools have committed themselves to develop students like you who are self-motivated learners, productive, responsible and compassionate members of an ever-changing global society.

Our hope is that as you achieve your goals, you remember our Downey community and think of ways in which you can give back to our City.

As always, we welcome your comments, concerns, or questions. We are still accepting submissions for the “If I Were Mayor Contest” as well. You can reach me by calling (562) 904-7274, or at asaab@downeyca.org.

Until next month,
Mayor Alex Saab

Mayor's Corner: A happy and safe Independence Day