Entrepreneurial incubator established in Rosh Pina

City Notes: Baha'i Temple close in Haida for maintenance work; Israel Police officers recovered 110 stolen sheep in the Negev.

By COMPILEDMICHAEL OMER-MAN
Bahai Gardens in Haifa (photo credit: REUTERS)
Bahai Gardens in Haifa
(photo credit: REUTERS)
NORTH
Businesspeople and entrepreneurs in the North received an injection of opportunity last week with the establishment of a business incubator in Rosh Pina.
Industry, Trade and Labor Minister Shalom Simhon attended the inauguration of the center, which was established in cooperation with the Negev and Galilee Development Ministry and local authorities in Rosh Pina and the Upper Galilee.
The center, which is being started with an investment of over NIS 1.1 million, will place its emphasis on finding investments and joint ventures to assist up-and-coming entrepreneurs and businesses. The center will offer full office facilities, meeting rooms, administrative services, business support, entrepreneurial training and other types of support to business owners in northern Israel.
Simhon said of the program, “The establishment of the small business center is no doubt an important and significant step towards the development of the North.
The power of entrepreneurship and the development of new business ideas will greatly contribute to the region, bringing economic growth and momentum. New businesses create new jobs, contributing to industry and will bring new services to Rosh Pina.”
Negev and Galilee Development Minister Silvan Shalom described the incubator’s role as providing entrepreneurs with support for development and the establishment of new businesses. “The incubator’s activities work in tandem with the ministry’s efforts to encourage job creation in the North and its vision to bring to it another 300,000 residents over the next decade.”
Baha’i Temple closes to public for maintenance work
Several attractions at the Baha’i Gardens in Haifa will be closed to the public as maintenance work is carried out through the month of August. Closing this week until August 25, the Baha’i Temple and the inner gardens surrounding it will be closed to visitors. But the exterior gardens will remain open, and guided tours will continue, the Local website reported. The facilities will reopen fully on September 8.
Hadera gets new traffic lights
The Hadera Municipality installed two new traffic lights this week as part of general infrastructure upgrades along Hanassi Street. The new traffic signals are LED lit and include audio systems to assist the vision impaired in crossing the road. In addition, pedestrian crossings were expanded and made more accessible, the Local website reported.
Hadera Mayor Haim Avitan said the municipality “is doing everything it can to improve the quality of life for its residents, and first and foremost to ensure their safety.
The traffic-light project regulating traffic on Hanassi Street will allow drivers to easily navigate traffic and pedestrians to safely cross the roads,” according to the report.
CENTER
TA youth center kicks off ‘accessible art’ exhibition
The Tel Aviv Youth House opened its second series of exhibitions this week, a local initiative designed to give the city’s youth access to the arts. The project, taking place at the Mazeh 9 Youth House, has two goals: to allow young Israeli artists to gain exposure and to sell their works, and to allow art-loving youths an opportunity to acquire works of art at affordable prices. All purchases are made directly from the artist, who receives the full price for their work.
The event is taking place in the framework of the Mazeh 9 social laboratory, aimed at promoting social entrepreneurship in young people.
“The aim is simple – to enable young people to shape society, community and the city we live in and to turn their wildest ideas into feasible ones,” program organizers said prior to the opening. Young people are provided with support, advice and consultation from experts, helping turn their ideas into reality.
Mazeh 9 is intended to create initiatives and influence in Tel Aviv-Jaffa, giving young people between the ages of 18 and 35 services such as vocational guidance, legal assistance, financial counseling and resources for the development and furthering of art, cultural, civic, community and leisure activities.
Rosh Ha’ayin to expand CCTV program
The Rosh Ha’ayin Municipality issued a tender last week to upgrade its closed-circuit security cameras deployed throughout the city, the Local website reported.
The tender calls for adding cameras to two sites in public parks by the end of 2012 and other security cameras by the end of 2014.
In 2011, the municipality installed cameras at six locations in the city, including parks, educational institutions and commercial districts, according to the Local website. The municipality noted that the cameras allow for security officials to respond immediately to criminal and safety issues in the city, allowing dispatchers to give more accurate and timely information to responders.
Rishon dog owners lose park but get a temporary solution
Rishon Lezion dog owners won a small battle this week after filing dozens of complaints with the municipality over the closure of a dog park on Avi Ha’asirim Street.
The dog park was closed recently in order to begin construction of a new building for the Ron Vardi Center for gifted and talented students, the Local website reported.
Upon receiving numerous complaints from residents regarding their canine companions’ need for a park of their own, Rishon Lezion Mayor Dov Tzur ordered the establishment of a new park. Municipal landscape development director Uri Zigron decided to create a tempo-rary dog park next to the previous one, according to the report.
Tzur noted that the previous park was closed as part of the city’s investment in education, but added that “We understand that dog owners need a replacement park in the area,” the Local website reported. “We are having trouble finding a space but decided, after a thorough review of all the options, to build a temporary park.”
As the educational center is being built in several stages, part of the land designated for it will be used for the temporary park until construction begins. “I would like to invite residents to suggest a permanent location for a nearby park,” Tzur added, according to the report.
Herzliya reports decrease in youth disturbances
The number of disturbances in public parks involving youths during the summer months went down by 30 percent from the same period last year, the Local website cited the Herzliya Municipality as reporting. The numbers, compiled by the municipal security department, documented 153 cases of public disorder in city parks, down from 230 cases last year.
Herzliya municipal director of security Avi Broitman attributed the decline to the stationing of security guards in parks at night and an increase in the number of activities offered for youths during the summer vacation, according to the report.
Herzliya Mayor Yael German said, “We want youths to continue enjoying their summer vacation, but not at the expense of residents’ peace of mind,” Local reported. To that end, the city initiated nighttime activities and increased supervision and law enforcement, “allowing everyone to enjoy themselves in the city with minimum disturbances.”
SOUTH
Southern rail service stops for structural upgrades
Israel Railways halted commuter rail service along the Ashkelon- Rehovot line last Friday for more than two weeks to perform structural improvements. The service interruption is scheduled to last until August 13. Stations in Yavne, Ashdod and Ashkelon will not be operational during that period. Israel Railways will provide passengers alternative transportation between the non-operational stops while they are out of commission.
ILA approves construction of new Sderot neighborhood
Some 15 years after the beginning of its planning process, the Israel Land Authority’s Regional Committee for Planning in the Southern Region approved the construction of a new neighborhood constituting 500 housing units last week. The plan covers some 47 hectares in the southwest area of the city. It will include 196 groundlevel homes, 146 garden apartments and 146 rooftop apartments, the Local website reported. In addition, the new neighborhood’s plans include public buildings and common public spaces for the benefit of residents and the neighborhood.
ILA director Benzi Liberman said the new neighborhood would “strengthen the city and will be another step furthering Sderot’s development.
Sderot is a shining example of a development town on the southern front that faces security threats but, nonetheless, attracts many good Israelis.” The ILA, he added, will continue promoting the development of the Negev and Gaza-area communities, Local reported.
Police retrieve stolen sheep in the Negev
Israel Police officers recovered 110 stolen sheep in the Negev town of Hura last week, after receiving intelligence on livestock stolen from a ranch near the Re’em Junction, the Local website reported.
Officers who arrived in Hura to retrieve the stolen sheep found them dehydrated and hungry. Police loaded the livestock onto a truck and returned them to their rightful owners. Police estimated the value of the stolen sheep at NIS 150,000. The owner of the land where the sheep were found was arrested and jailed while police investigated.