Hillcrest Town Council May meeting
Hillcrest residents gathered Tuesday evening at the Joyce Beers Community Center for the monthly Hillcrest Town Council meeting. Political reps Jessica Poole from Congress member Susan Davis’ office and Tim Orozco representing State Assemblymember Toni Atkins gave brief reports. Stanley Paul Cook, Realtor for the Pernicano’s announced that the family has retained him to market the long vacant property. HTCer Walter Chambers presented the negative aspects of SANDAG’s proposed Rapid Bus Line including closing Polk Street to cross traffic. A motion was unanimously passed opposing the Park Boulevard portion of the line through our neighborhood.
UCSD’s Dr. Susan Little (at left) shared the new “Lead The Way” program which will be canvassing the neighborhood asking residents to test for HIV. Their new office opens on Wednesday at the corner of Park Blvd & University Avenue in the Egyptian building. The federally funded program is a first-of-its-kind research project.
In June, researchers in the mobile clinic will begin going door-to-door in the 92103 and 92104 ZIP codes, including Hillcrest and North Park. Researchers plan to offer free 10-minute finger-prick tests in hopes of 
raising HIV testing rates. According to surveys, only 10% of adults in the U.S. have been tested in the past year. Surveys also showed about 40% have ever been tested. “It gives them the option of testing in the privacy of their own home,” said Dr. Little to the town council.
The last presentation of the evening was by board member Dave McCulloch who shared a proposed map to the membership for support. A motion was made and passed to accept a “Heritage District” map with includes all of Uptown, but none of City Heights. The motion excluded downtown and left to the commissioners discretion what other neighborhoods to add in order to arrive at a satisfactory number of constituents. The meeting adjourned at 8pm.
