At a recent OB Town Council meeting on August 22nd, our representative from Councilmember Kevin Faulconer’s office, Michael Patton, gave updates to several issues of interest here in Ocean Beach. Patton cited new information regarding the OB Gateway Project (see our recent post here) and the OB Sign design process. He also commented on the addition of highly anticipated bathroom stall doors for the recently completed Brighton St. comfort stations.
OB Gateway Project at Corner of West Point Loma and Sunset Cliffs Blvd.
In our follow up with Patton, he shed positive light on several key concerns. As previously cited, the Entryway Phase II will be funded by $100,000 from a previously allocated (2010) Community Development Block Grant and $50,000 from Ocean Beach Development Impact Fees.
According to the City’s Engineering and Capital Projects Division, the timeframe for the Entryway Phase II will be established after the city generates a Request For Proposal (RFP) which is expected to be finalized by the end of September. According to Faulconer’s Ocean Beach representative,
The RFP will be available for review by potential bidders for 30 days. Once closed, it will take 60 days to select a winning bidder and award the contract. The current timeframe is to have a contract for construction of Phase II by the end of the year.
Regarding maintenance of the the new entryway, as stated in our report of the OB Planning Board Meeting of August 1st, “the OB entryway, presently weed ridden, will be maintained by the Parks and Recreations.”
There are rumors afoot that OBceans will descend on the site this coming weekend – Sept 8th – and lend a hand in clearing out the weeds.
New OB Sign
As we reported last month, the process continues in the selection of a new design to replace the existing, termite infested sign. You may recall the debate and responses which followed from the on-set of this process, due in large part to the recently completed Open Call to Artists, as per the Ocean Beach Mainstreet Association website and proposal guidelines. The deadline for submissions was July 31st. The OBMA website acknowledged the deadline completion, stating:
Thanks to everyone for their feedback and spirited dialog about their fondness for the sign and ideas for the future. If, at the end of this public discussion, the community feels it’s best to re-create the original sign, then this could still happen. The call went out for public discussion for exactly this reason, to see how everyone felt. So thanks for paying attention and for being vocal and caring about your community. You are the reason the community is as fantastic as it is!
This acknowledgement seems a partial reference to a strong public outcry. Many of us made calls against replacement and expressed a collective desire to retain the existing sign or the original design, if possible. These plans are intended to represent a joint effort between the public at-large, along with the OBTC, Ocean Beach Community Development Corp., the Ocean Beach Community Foundation, and the Ocean Beach Planning Board, among others. As the design selection process is coming to a close, make your voice be heard!
So, where are we at in this process? According to Faulconer’s office, in a prepared statement:
A design for the new sign must be selected before funding is identified. Creating a new entryway sign is a community effort led by the OB Town Council and has not been designated at a City project. Once a design has been selected, Councilmember Faulconer looks forward to working with the [Ocean Beach] community to obtain the necessary funding.
New Bathroom Stall Doors to be installed in September
Patton also brought us up to date on the addition of much anticipated bathroom stall doors which are being added to the newly completed Brighton Avenue comfort stations. Apparently, the original designs did not call for stall doors in the bathrooms.
We are happy to report the new stall doors will be funded through remaining funds from the original project and, according to City staff, they have already been ordered. The only persons who’ve not been properly thanked for their effort is you, our fellow OBceans, as the new stall doors are deemed to be the direct result of yet another community outcry. As a result, look for the new doors to be installed sometime this month.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Just curious…does anyone know if the OBCDC is still being funded and to whom is receiving a payroll check from them?
Debbie – excellent question. The OBCDC must still be involved somehow. Are you suggesting that they’re now a paper organization?
I don’t know what the OBCDC is doing, how they are funded, if they have a payroll/expenses. I am curious to know what the purpose/future is of this organization and if it is funded and if so how much annually.
Still have to put in my much more than two cents about how the archaeologists who busted their asses digging the site during phase one so we could all have this beautiful gateway, have STILL not been paid what they were owed. They only got about $40k, and are still owed $100k! How about taking that block grant money and do the right thing?!
We’re hoping that the new doors for the stalls also include the men’s room.
What did the archaeolgists find? Who gets the find? Where are the finds?