Neena Strichart, Publisher for the Signal Tribune Newspaper, wrote a heartfelt article relating the current Movies in the Park series to her childhood memories. Thank you Neena for covering an event that is near and dear to our company. Read the entire article below.

“I have fond childhood memories of hot summer days being spent at movie theaters. My friend Becky and I didn’t just enjoy the films. We were also glad to be staying cool in the totally dark, air-conditioned, kid-filled sanctuary.

Back then, during those miserably hot school breaks, our moms would tell us to “go out and play.” When we did, we were overheated, sweaty, dirty, sunburned and darned thirsty. Do any of you folks remember childhood summers when staying hydrated meant drinking from hoses or sucking the water from sprinklers? Nowadays, kids have sports drinks, juice boxes, bottled water and Sunny D to quench their thirsts. I don’t think a little sprinkler head dirt would hurt any of them– we lived through it.

For those of us who want to keep ourselves, family members and friends cool and entertained during these upcoming warm summer nights, starting next Monday, June 19, we can all enjoy free movies in the park– sponsored for 12 years in a row by Signal Hill Petroleum (SHP). The 30 free movie showings will take place throughout Long Beach and Signal Hill at 29 different local parks.

According to a press release sent to us by SHP, they can’t wait for opening night, which will be held just three days from now at Signal Hill Park. That first night of movies will feature the showing of Star Wars: Rogue One.

I encourage attendees to get there early, because the people at SHP will be continuing a tradition that started last year– an opening-night raffle. Before the start of the movie, park staff members will be handing out free raffle tickets to the kids in the community for a chance to win one of three free raffle prizes. The first prize includes a movie basket complete with lots of candy, popcorn, and a Fandango gift card. Also to be won will be a summer-themed basket filled with essentials such as a beach towel, flip flops and a s’mores kit. Lastly, one lucky winner will walk away with the grand prize– a new bike!

In years past, two movies have been shown in Signal Hill each year. However, this year, the people from SHP tell us that they increased their donation budget to make sure that a third movie will be shown in Signal Hill this summer. The classic film ET has been added to the movie schedule and will be shown on Saturday, July 15 at Reservoir Park.

For the complete schedule of the Movies in the Park, please visit longbeach.gov/park/recreation-programs/programs-and-classes/summer-family-entertainment/movies-in-the-park.”

Middle school students participating in interactive drilling game.

Signal Hill Petroleum was proud to participate in the Long Beach Unified School District Career Fair last week at California State University Long Beach. Thanks to all the hard work from our Public Relations Manager, Stefanie Gillett, we were able to organize an energy sector and had several of the Long Beach local producers participate as well. The career fair consisted of approximately 6,000 7^th graders in attendance over the course of 3 days. With the help of some of SHP’s geologists, engineers, and community relations specialists, we were able to share with students more about the oil industry and how it affects their everyday lives.

SHP engineer explaining to students how petroleum is used in many everyday products.

A special shout out to the local producers Termo, California Independent Petroleum Association, E&B Natural Resources, California Resource Corporation, Long Beach Gas and Oil, California Oil Museum, Society of Petroleum Engineers, and The Young Professionals at the Petroleum Club for volunteering their time to make this event a success. SHP looks forward to participating again next year and sharing with students the type of career opportunities that are in the oil industry.

Kevin Laney, Vice President of Business Development.

The Long Beach Business Journal interviewed SHP’s Vice President of Business Development, Kevin Laney, on the future plans for a mixed-used development coming to Signal Hill. Below is the article and link to see the digital version from the Long Beach Business Journal.

“A vacant eight-acre parcel of land next to the closed-down Fresh & Easy at the corner of Cherry Avenue and Crescent Heights Street may be transformed in coming years into a mixed-use development with luxury apartments, retail and community space.

 Signal Hill Petroleum (SHP), which owns the Fresh & Easy property and adjacent land, has entered into an exclusive negotiating agreement with the City of Signal Hill to purchase parcels surrounding the property. Assuming a deal is signed within the coming months, Signal Hill Petroleum will begin fleshing out its conceptual plans for the site into reality.

 Renderings by architectural design and planning firm KTGY reveal a development, tentatively dubbed Heritage Square, that would hearken back to the history of Signal Hill as an oil town but also integrate modern elements.

 “The idea behind this is very open concept,” Kevin Laney, vice president of business development for SHP, said. “It’s not your run-of-the-mill strip center. . . . That’s not what we’re going for here.”

 Tentative plans for the site include 35,000 to 50,000 square feet of retail, which will be mostly food-oriented and accessible and open to the surrounding Cherry Avenue, Crescent Heights Street and Burnett Street.

 SHP hopes to develop a two-story restaurant fronting the corner of Cherry Avenue and Burnett Street for “a very reputable restaurant group” that has a location in Long Beach and has expressed interest, Laney noted. A covered community space will serve as the development’s center.

 “We and the city very much feel this needs to be kind of the town center,” Laney said. “We have worked hand-in-hand with the city so far, and we will moving forward, as well as with the community.”

 At the rear of the site, SHP hopes to create a luxury apartment complex with potentially 200 units wrapped around a four-story garage to serve both residents and shoppers, according to Laney.

Signal Hill Petroleum’s proposed project off of Cherry Avenue would include a new market where Fresh & Easy once operated, as well as an adjacent community center. This conceptual rendering shows what such a center might look like. (Rendering provided by Signal Hill Petroleum)

 SHP is already in negotiations with multiple boutique grocers for the former Fresh & Easy location. “The residents of the hill are very excited about having another nicer market coming in here,” Laney said. “It will be somebody that has a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables, probably a deli section, probably an outdoor dining patio [and] that sort of thing.”

 Because SHP already owns that site, the market will open in advance of the new development, Laney noted.

 Perhaps unsurprisingly, given the city’s history, there are several oil wells on the site that need to be abandoned (properly closed off) or re-abandoned, Laney said. “They are kind of scattered throughout. And there will probably be a couple of producing wells that are retained that stay within the project, which is something that we’ve done all over town,” he said. This remediation work, which Laney pointed out SHP is well versed in, must take place before the development breaks ground.

 Due diligence work associated with seismic assessments must also be undertaken. “Right now we are working on a fault study,” Laney said. “The Cherry Hill Fault, which is a sliver of the Newport Inglewood Fault system, runs through Signal Hill. . . . You have to locate that fault to know where it is in proximity to the building you are going to build.”

 An agreement with the city for the purchase and development of former redevelopment agency-owned parcels within the proposed development footprint is being drafted, according to Laney. “I would hope we would have a signed agreement within six to nine months. . . . Then we are full steam ahead, actually investing in construction drawings,” he explained.

 “Obviously, we want to respect the heritage of Signal Hill, and that is kind of the main theme of the entire project,” Laney said.”

Long Beach Business Journal Article: Signal Hill Petroleum Hopes to Create New City Center with Mixed-Use Development

Signal Hill Petroleum was honored today, Thursday, April 27th, to receive the Corporate Citizen of the Year Award from the Long Beach Chamber of Commerce. David L. Slater, Exec VP and COO of SHP, accepted the award on behalf SHP. While accepting the award David stated,

“We see ourselves as not just an oil company, but more so as a provider of sustainable and environmentally sound energy and jobs for California. We believe that sustainability includes meaningful investments of not just money, but also our time in the communities in which we do business. A key factor in our success in doing this is the character and the quality of people who work at, lead and believe in our company. Some think that the value of an oil company is their oil reserves in the ground, but we know that our prime asset is our people.”

Below is the article written by the Chamber explaining the many reasons why SHP was chosen for this award. Thank you to all who have helped us earn this award. We are proud to be a contributing partner in our communities.

Egg Hunt at the Signal Hill Spring Fest.

Signal Hill Petroleum representatives attended the annual Signal Hill Spring Fest Saturday, April 15^th. SHP proudly helped sponsor this event along with the Signal Hill Community Foundation, and we congratulate the Signal Hill Community Service Department for organizing such a great event.

This family fun event offered many different activities and opportunities for kids to get into the holiday spirit. Some of the activities included an egg hunt, bounce houses, a trackless train ride, arts and crafts and a live performance. Families were encouraged to bring their cameras to get a free photo with the Spring Fest Bunny.

This event brought hundreds of community members out to join in on all the fun. We are looking forward to the next Signal Hill Community event. For more information on community events and the Signal Hill Community Service Department click here.