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The OB Rag has received word that Councilman Kevin Faulconer is hosting a news conference tomorrow morning – September 24th – at Sunset Cliffs to unveil the new, City-installed wooden benches. The conference/ unveiling is at 11:45 a.m. on Sunset Cliffs Boulevard between Froude and Guizot streets.
Faulconer’s office stated:
Kevin promised community members benches would return to the park after the City determined the guardrail benches at the park are not safe and need to be removed: http://bit.ly/clVCAh
Here is Kevin Faulconer’s message:
Dear friends,
I have very good news to share: Benches are returning to Sunset Cliffs Natural Park.
Over the past several months, with your input, my staff and I worked with the City of San Diego Park and Recreation Department and Sunset Cliffs Natural Park Council to create new, one-of-a kind benches specifically built for this unique park. Local residents picked the bench design, material and locations.
The City will be installing 14 wooden benches along Sunset Cliffs Boulevard. The installations began last weekend and are scheduled to be completed in phases. I want to thank Ocean Beach and Sunset Cliffs residents for the passion and creativity they brought to this project. These benches will be a lasting asset to Sunset Cliffs Natural Park.
We will be celebrating the installation of the new benches Friday, September 24 at 11:45 a.m. on Sunset Cliffs Boulevard between Froude and Guizot streets. Parking is available on the street or in the lot just north of Froude Street. I hope you can join us.
Best,
Kevin
The following nuts and bolts on the benches were also supplied by Faulconer’s office and are as follows:
FACTS
Number of benches and donations:
· 15 benches in total
· 7 of the benches were funded through donations
· 14 benches were built by a City contractor; 1 was directly donated to the City
Cost:
· Total cost: Approx. $45,072
Breakdown
o Donations: $17,306
o Council District 2 Infrastructure Fund: $20,000
o City: $7,766
What Happens to the Old Guardrail Benches?
· Once the new bench installations have been completed, all guardrail benches will be tagged with posted information regarding future removal.
· After posting, there will be a period of seven days in which the benches may be removed by individuals who installed them in the guardrails.
· If the benches have not been removed after seven days, city staff will remove and transport them to the Rose Canyon Operations Yard where they will be stored for 30 days to allow the owner to contact staff for recovery.
· If the benches are not recovered within that time frame the materials would be recycled or destroyed.
· Anyone with questions about the benches should contact Dan Daneri, Park and Recreation District Manager, at (619) 235-5914.
- Anyone with other questions pertaining to issues within our 2nd City Council District, call Tony Manolatos, Communications Director of Faulconer’s office. 619.533.6229
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Gosh thanks Kevin. I hope you put a name plaque “CARRIE NATION” on some of those benches. It will remind all the people never to sip an alcohol drink as they watch the sunset.
Hows the math work out per bench. Thats around $3000 per bench but $17K of that was donated. So roughly $1860/ bench of city money I guess that is a deal and how much were the other benches. I don’t know. So I am curious how much did the city save by building these benches versus the old one s that were there. If they were built by a private contractor would they have been less that $3K per bench. I have to go sit on $3000 bench. They have to be more comfortable than the old ones
One more thing I am curious about how are District 2 funds different than city funds. I though that District 2 was in the City.
I am really confused now but I know the City had to save money by taking out the old benches and building new ones
I agree this is a bit confusing…Who built the benches ?? a private contractor at what cost…Who is installing the benches ?? same contractor >?? or the City…I saw a city crew doing the install……
If it cost 45k for the benches…..and that is JUST the cost of the benches and the 8 man city crew is doing the install….Dont you incorporate the cost of install with the cost of bench to come to a grand total ??? hummmm.
Here’s my blog post criticizing the spending in a time when we’re cutting essential services.
http://lastblogonearth.com/2010/09/23/faulconer/
Didn’t know seating was such a big issue in this city. Has anyone driven by Dusty Rhodes park lately? There are all kind of broken plastic chairs and no longer wanted pieces of lawn furniture in the park. Will these be removed by the city because they don’t fit the bill and will benches be installed? Golly gee $3,000 a piece for a bench. Couldn’t the city get a trade school or community college to make the bench and have urban core do the installation? Just a little ingenuity and we could have gotten 30 benchs for that grand price tag of $45,000!
Good ideas. (BTW Urban Core fired Kip recently, so maybe we could think of another hard-working non-profit.)