 ‘I Love A Clean Alpine’ has vendor space
ALPINE ---- Reserve your vendor’s space now for the annual “I Love A Clean Alpine” celebration!
Free electronic recycling, document shredding, tire recycling and more will be offered at the big community event on Saturday, April 14. It will be from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.at the Alpine Albertsons parking lot at 2955 Alpine Blvd.
Going Green Displays and Demonstrations are included. Vendor spaces are available at $25 each.
Call the Alpine Mountain Empire Chamber of Commerce at (619) 445-2722 for more information or to register or download the form here.
Kids get fit at Kiwanis Youth Olympics
 ALPINE ---- Almost 80 children ran as hard as they could; threw, dribbled, tossed or kicked balls; biked and did other things to show their physical fitness at the annual Alpine Kiwanis Youth Olympics!
Sponsored as always by the Kiwanis Club of Alpine, the Jan. 14 competition drew smiles all around as youngsters competed for medals at the Alpine Elementary School at 1850 Alpine Blvd.
“All of the kids went home with up to 10 medals around their necks,” said Kiwanis member Carol Lewis of Alpine Family Medicine. “Every kid goes home with a medal.”
Corinne Lewis of Alpine Elementary School, Kiwanis Club chairperson for the community service event, said next year she plans to extend the physical fitness invitation to children in Descanso and Pine Valley “because it’s open to all groups.”
Boys always compete against boys and girls against girls in four age groups ---- 4-6; 7-8; 9-10, and 11-13, said the chairperson.
“So it’s really fair,” she said. “It’s judged very fairly.”
The Youth Olympics include 20- and 40-meter dashes, a softball throw, basketball dribble and toss, bicycle track, sit ups, pull ups, jump roping and a soccer course.
Of course, the Kiwanis Club of Alpine ---- a member of the Alpine Mountain Empire Chamber of Commerce ---- always adds special fun.
The Kiwanis Cook Shack provided hamburgers, hot dogs and nachos, Mountain Empire princesses awarded the medals and Rod Galloway emceed.
“Between the awards and events we had Dana the Magician,” a magic show geared toward healthy living, Carol Lewis said. “That’s always the highlight. He had one of the girls levitated.”
The Alpine Kiwanis Club sponsors Boy Scout Troop 105, which did the flag ceremony, and the Granite Hills Key Club, which helped competitors.
For more information about the Kiwanis Club of Alpine, visit www.alpinekiwanis.org.
Improvements continue at Sharp Grossmont Hospital
Steady progress is being made on bond-financed infrastructure improvements at Sharp Grossmont Hospital in La Mesa, according to the Grossmont Healthcare District.
The district is a taxpayer-supported public agency that owns the hospital property and buildings as the hospital’s landlord. The hospital is the largest medical facility in East San Diego County.
Grossmont Healthcare District officials are hoping state regulators will approve in February plans for a $60.3 million Heart & Vascular Center. If plans are approved, construction bids could be submitted in March or April.
The work is being paid for through Proposition G, a $247-million bond measure voters approved in 2006 to finance improvements at the regional medical facility.
“We’re pleased to see that construction is progressing in a timely manner,” said Deborah McElravy, 2012 district board president.
The new 83,330-square-foot center will include space for a new pharmacy and clinical lab and cath labs.
It will also have flexible, multi-purpose procedure rooms for such specialties as general surgery, minimally invasive surgery and image-guided surgery, and endovascular intervention procedures.
Another improvement, according to the district, is an 18,000-square-foot Central Energy Plant.
That $51-million project with new energy efficient technologies and equipment will include a new chiller and a steam boiler to heat and cool parts of the hospital.
The work is scheduled for bids early this year with construction planned to start in spring.
Meanwhile, work is continuing on undergrounding utilities on a two-lane road behind the hospital. Parts of the road, which connects the Women’s Center to Murray Drive, will be closed to the public at times until the work is finished this year.
The project includes relocating more than 7,500 feet of gas and water lines, steam lines, medical gasses, electrical power and telecommunication lines.
For more information, call (619) 825-5050 or visit www.GrossmontHealthcare.com.
Chamber members enjoy casino mixer
 CAMPO ---- Plenty of networking, a barbecue dinner and complimentary play at slot machines marked this year’s first mixer for Alpine Mountain Empire Chamber of Commerce members.
The free evening on Jan. 18 at the Golden Acorn Casino & Travel Center in Campo, just off Interstate 8, included lively bus rides to and from the casino and free opportunity drawings.
Chamber member Joseph Murray of Premier Mortgage & Real Estate in Alpine rode home with the grand prize ---- a 40-inch LCD television set.
“It just goes to show (that) if you get involved, good things happen,” Murray said.
The businessman was one of about 70 people who attended the event, shared with the San Diego East County Chamber of Commerce and the Alpine Business Networking Association.
Another Alpine Chamber member, Ben Everhart of Comfort Keepers, won a set of ecologically friendly coffee cups, fleece throw and a notebook. He also won $20 with the free gaming money.
“Can’t complain,” Everhart said with a smile. “Free money.”
The crowd took time out to exchange business cards, ideas and information during the two-hour mixer at the casino at 1800 Golden Acorn Way.
With festive trimmings added for the evening, the mixer was held in the same room where MMA Cage fighting was going to be held on Friday, Jan. 20.
The casino hosts a variety of such special events, in addition to regular featured gaming and specials.
In addition, Senior Days add to the fun on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Sunrise Specials are available Tuesday and Thursday mornings.
For more information about the Golden Acorn Casino, call (866) 7-WINBIG or (866) 794-6244 or visit www.GoldenAcornCasino.com.
Call the Alpine Mountain Empire Chamber of Commerce at (619) 445-2722 for more information about good business opportunities.
Tax issues ‘hot topic’ for Chamber members
ALPINE ---- The things you don’t know about taxes and your tax preparer could cost you in 2012.
 Virginia Fellows, Certified Public Accountant in Alpine, outlined the tricky currents of tax issues at the Jan.10 monthly “Hot Topics Business Networking Breakfast” of the Alpine Mountain Empire Chamber of Commerce.
“You just want to be sure who you’re looking at,” Fellows said about tax preparers. “Do they go to seminars? Do they go to trainings? Do they keep up on the laws?”
Chamber members and guests also learned about area business and community organizations during a delicious breakfast near a crackling fireplace at the Alpine Inn at 2225 Alpine Blvd.
“We’re looking at a little less activity on the boulevard,” said Don Parent of the San Diego Gas & Electric Co. said about the Sunrise Powerlink Project on Alpine Blvd. “Things will look a whole lot better when we leave than when we started.”
The friendly crowd applauded that information as well as updates from legislators, upcoming Chamber events and a round of self-introductions.
Everyone paid close attention when Fellows, who has more than 30 years’ experience, talked about tax preparers, new tax laws and what questions to ask when filling out this year’s income tax forms.
“Over 88 percent of the taxes people do on their own are wrong,” said Fellows, who represents people in Internal Revenue Service cases and has a master’s degree in business administration.
Going over new tax issues for 2011 and 2012, she included changes in business mileage rates, extended provisions, limited non-business energy credit and new ways to report capital gains.
“Do you have to report barter?” someone asked.
Fellows answered yes and explained how it can be done.
She also covered Roth conversions, health insurance deduction for the self-employed, the new form for reporting foreign financial assets, California conformity issues and health insurance for children.
Chris Wiley of Primary Residential Mortgage Inc. in Alpine noted how important it is to have a known, trusted, longtime CPA who is independent for tax preparation.
“You might be cheating yourself out of a lot more than you think you’re saving” by using other methods, Wiley said.
For more information about tax preparation, call Virginia Fellows, CPA, at (619) 445-3480. Call the Chamber at (619) 445-2722 for information about good business.
Ambassadors and renewing members at the Hot Topics Breakfast; Rowena Murray, Carol Morrison, Don Parent, Merv Banks, Tyler Smittle, Pene Manale, Chris Wiley and Ben Everhart
Daffodil Days are here again 
Place an order for a bouquet (s) of Daffodils to help support the American Cancer Society. Orders placed by 02-22-12 & delivered by 03-20-12.
Options are:
- (1) bouquet of ten daffodils for $10.00
- (1) bouquet of ten daffodils in a 7" clear glass vase for $20.00
- (2) bouquets of daffodils in a 8" clear glass vase for $35.00
- Donation of $25.00 for an Enesco Bear to be delivered to children with cancer
Contact Kelly at the Chamber at (619) 445-2722 for information.
Chamber Coupon Program
Click to see whole coupon!
Chamber businesses can offer discount coupons through the web site. To find out how you can put your coupons on the web site call the chamber at 619-445-2722. To see more great coupons click here!
Free Business Profiles
Each week we will be featuring different member's profiles. If you would like your profile featured here contact the chamber for the form. Profiles will also appear in the business directory.
Reserve your space now in the "Most Popular Directory" in the Region!
 Orders are being taken for the new Alpine Mountain Empire Chamber of Commerce Directory. The most comprehensive and best read Directory serving the communities of:Alpine,
Boulevard, Campo,
Descanso,
Harbison Canyon,
Pine Valley,
Lake Morena, and
Guatay. The directory is mailed to all business and residences in these areas and it keeps on working; the Directory is available at the
Alpine Mountain Empire Chamber office throughout the year. Reserve your space now, Click here to download the order form.
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