The Midtown Ventura Community Council moves to an in-person meeting this Thursday, May 9, at Cooper Hall at Grace Church, 65 MacMillan, Ventura. The meeting starts at 7 p.m.

Edward Caliento, Ventura Police Department Commander, will give a public safety update.

Our nonprofit spotlight is on CLEAN International, a Ventura-based nonprofit that works globally to provide and protect water. Today, 2 billion people worldwide lack access to clean water. CLEAN International is working to ensure that everyone everywhere has access.

To date, the organization has helped 508,071 people have clean water, restored 378.5 million gallons of water (think water from once-undrinkable lakes or captured rainwater, for example) and helped plant 19,792 trees (including ones in midtown Ventura).

Founder and President Heather Baker (a Midtown resident) and Chief Global Impact Officer Ashley Bautista will provide insight on the water crisis and how we can all make an impact, even in our own backyard. Learn more about CLEAN International here.

Derek Towers, City of Ventura Active Transportation Specialist, will present on the Active Transportation Plan. MVCC last worked on a Vision in April 2019, and our highest priority was to be pedestrian and bicycle friendly: Make our community pedestrian and bicycle friendly, especially around schools, with trees, deeper sidewalks, traffic calming, speed indicators, ADA sidewalks, and separated bike lanes.

Some key items we identified were that Main Street near the mall isn’t pedestrian friendly (no sidewalks), that many young people don’t own cars, that traffic calming near schools is important, and that we’d like to see separated bike lanes.

We’ll also hear committee reports and announcements.

For more information, contact Chair Karen Flock at (805) 850-2591.