At yesterday’s fundraising event for the new OB Veterans Plaza, the lead organization behind the project, the OB Community Development Corporation, rolled out its 3-dimension models of the planned memorial.
A hundred people – including many biker veterans- joined the CDC and a color guard from Point Loma High School at the unveiling of the Plaza and the kickoff for fundraising for it on Tuesday, November 11th – Veterans Day.
Tom Perotti speaking, President of the OB CDC, behind him seated, L to R, Steve Grosch, Councilman Ed Harris, and Dave Martin.
Tom Perotti, head of the OB CDC non-profit, welcomed the crowd, introducing the other speakers, who included Councilman Ed Harris, CDC vice-president Steve Grosch, and Dave Martin, rep from the Mainstreet Association and past president of the OB Town Council.
As head of the project, Grosch explained that the old Veterans Rock memorial, installed on Veterans Day 1995, has suffered from the salt air and water and from “foot traffic”. “The old medallions can’t even be read,” Grosch said.
Steve Grosch.
The new memorial campaign was begun with a grant from County Supervisor Ron Robert’s office. The CDC held two workshops, attended by a hundred people, Grosch said, at the Masonic Center.
People at the workshop came up with four goals: To raise the names of the veterans off the ground; to define the space dedicated to veterans better; to create a memorial made of sustaining materials; and fourthly, to move the memorial space to a more appropriate site – such as next to the lifeguard parking lot. These were the community’s goals, Grosch reiterated.
The project is entering phase 2, and hopefully construction documents will be produced by January 2015. The project has raised $100,000 with the goal of $1 million.
Other local dignitaries were on hand, including Jim Musgrove, the former OBTC prez and Gretchen Newsom, the current prez.
From L to R: Chet Barfield – aid to Harris and member of Vets for Peace, Gretchen Newson and Councilman Ed Harris.
Pictures are worth a 1000 words, they say, so check out the models and drawings.
The 3-D Model
A view of the back.
Another view.
The drawings are also more informative.
And the next one displays a comparison of the real cliffs from the model.
The plan is to raise a lot of money.
{ 24 comments… read them below or add one }
I wonder, if the deceased memorialized veterans could vote on options, would they vote for housing for homeless vets rather a million on names on walls?
Really true. I wondered about a stat that showed 10 best cities and 10 worst for veterans and was glad to see San Diego isn’t in the worst. One “study” showed Chula Vista to be #15 of 100 cities and San Diego to be #24. Some town in Nebraska was #1 and Newark, NJ is #100. If this link works you can see how they were rated. http://wallethub.com/edu/best-and-worst-cities-for-veterans/8156/#carol-l-giardina
But it seems if this $million can be raised your question should somehow be asked, put forth as a “choice” for many who need a home, a place, a VFW, and many services now here in OB and San Diego!
As someone said, it’s our duty to honor the vets without honoring the military-industrial-complex; we can honor the dead without honoring the wars that made them so.
I believe it has been stated that it’s NOT a MEMORIAL – it honors VETERANS, dead or alive. And you don’t have to have OB names only; if your cousin in Iowa is a veteran you may be able to honor him with a contribution. Details to be provided.
This is a bad location for this big of a structure. This area is seasonally a high traffic area integral to access and beach use. It’s a staging area for ocean sports and lifeguards as well as valuable open grass space. To try and merge that existing use, which can get very crowded , with what’s proposed here seems short minded and irresponsible. I support and respect vets but this is a bad idea.
Yawn.
C’mon. This is awful looking. It just doesn’t work. Wrong place, wrong idea. Let it go.
It seems more like the whole point of this is to elevate (“raise”) the name of the CDC in OB. OK, so we now know who you are, Next, find a project that isn’t $900,000 short of reality.
See all those people sitting in metal folding chairs?
That what is needed in the this area….places to sit, relax, enjoy the view and all that can be done while honoring the vets with less than $1 Million.
I was there at the speeches.Could not here most of the speeches because the pa system failed,and of course the jets made it even more hard to hear. A good point, that makes sense is we have a memorial already.ThePOW flag has been missing from its flag pole for months.Our state flag is missing,the area is seldom cleaned,and the lights on the flags are often not working.why do we need to spend 1 million dollars ,again no price per name from Steve,so how did he come up with the 1 million dollar figure??? Someone asked about repairs needed on the flagpole would cost $200,and a new POW flag from the VFW is about $60. FIX WHAT WE HAVE ,I saw $30,000 being donated that day,whos pocket does that go into??? OF THE 1 MILLION DOLLARS ,a stone wall ,names,permits,how much will go to some administration cost BS,STEVE,owner of the OB HOTEL???????PROVE WE REALLY RESPECT THOSE THAT HAVE SERVED,FIX WHAT WE ALREADY HAVE. WE DO NOT NEED MORE LIP SERVICE
Take the $100K that is there now. Do something constructive with it that does not require maintenance and be done with it. Almost Anything…you are correct in wondering who is profiting from this proposed idea. Let’s see the financials on this proposal.
NO WALLS IN OB…..new bumper sticker?
Separate Vonnegut from Dresden from Germany from Third Reich from WWI from WWII from Standard Oil from Hiroshima from Nagasaki from Korean Conflict from Agent Orange from Dupont from Viet Nam from 60,000 US dead from Afghanistan 1979 from Afghanistan 2001 from Iraq from Gaza Strip 2014 ; pick one to commemorate, then build your wall to obscure your view of the beach.
Violin music in the background.
I’ll change my moniker if this guy changes his to Numbskull. Try thinking beyond what the military instilled in those brain cells of yours. Violins won’t bring back the dead.
LOL.
A question: what would the annual maintenance of this rock and landscaping cost, and who would pay for it? The OB Mainstreet Assoc (OBMA) is named on the poster – would the 73 parcel owners who pay $64,113 into their Newport Avenue Maintenance Assessment District be picking up the maintenance tab? OBMA’s Newport Ave MAD 2014 budget for maintenance costs is $15,397 more than it was in 2014. Is that increase meant to pay to maintain the OBCDC project?
Also, a request for OBCDC: please update your website to include meeting dates AND current meeting agendas and minutes. The last agenda (with no minutes) posted is exactly a year old.
A thought…rethink the proposed wall
How about? Tiles or mosaic along on the Sea Wall with a beautiful design and memorial tiles can be included with vets names as in the prior proposal. That can’t cost $1Mil !!!!
Check out:
http://www.esiarts.com/#!__about-esi.
http://paintencinitas.org/paint-encinitas-public-art-map/leucadia-mosaic-stone-steps-beach/
or …consult with Mark Patterson and Robert Nichols who did the Encinitas surfing Madonna for ideas – http://surfing-madonna-store.myshopify.com/pages/about-us
OB locals could submit design proposals. The tiles could be washed off and a maintenance fund established.
The wall has not been built yet and the funds are still being raised. It’s not too late to continue the discussion and ideas for this area…IMO
I’m not in love with the design (specifically losing the green space area) but there were numerous forums and the design has been presented all over the community for input as well as being shown here on the rag multiple times.
I had my chance to provide input, perhaps many of you complaining here missed those opportunities… I’d suggest you follow along with upcoming plans about street designs for Neport/Abbot and West point Loma/Bacon and provide input in advance at the appropriate Community Planning Board meeting.
I’m not in love with the design (specifically losing the green space area) but there were numerous forums and the design has been presented all over the community for input as well as being shown here on the rag multiple times.
I had my chance to provide input, perhaps many of you complaining here missed those opportunities… I’d suggest you follow along with upcoming plans about street designs for Newport/Abbot and West point Loma/Bacon and provide input in advance at the appropriate Community Planning Board meeting.
Has the OB Planning Board already approved this wall? Does it have to have a Coastal Permit? I was unaware that a CDC forum constituted official approval. What DOES?
I wonder if you will get an answer to this question?
and this questions to the list….Who pulls a salary on OBCDC? And how much?
This is a terrible-looking thing, and the spot being considered is just a terrible location. If such a wall must be done, put it along the row of bushes next the the life guard station parking lot. If located there- a straight and dignified wall of some sort (not a zig zag), it will be away from the high traffic that has been so bad for the existing stones on the ground, and would be a perfect location for any ceremony honoring veterans. It would also be a quiet place to go and contemplate. Plus, it won’t block views of the ocean.
I must have missed something, but the monstrosity proposed seems to have come out of left field.
TODAY is Monday,11/17/2014, I came by the OLD VETERANS PLAZA,BUILT IN 1985.THE FLAG POLE STILL IS NOT WORKING ? NO POW FLAG?? NO STATE FLAG?? THEY WANT A MILLION DOLLARS FOR WHAT..JEFF LEVIT SAID HE WAS GOING TO GET ON IT,I HEARD HIM TALKING ABOUT ,HIM AND HIS DAD WOULD FIX THE POLE .DOES ANYONE ELSE SMELL THE BS,
This is just the ugliest thing going. What happened to dignity? Why not a straight line wall, which could have beautiful mosaics on it – something striking, yet professionally done?
And the price tag seems like a joke.
What is the process to get this design junked and get something more fitting?
And what about the above posters’ point? What is the plan for what is currently there?
Things without function are a burden.
The highest honor is to attach one’s name to something that makes the world better. People fight war to make life in their country better. Shade, view, seating, or children’s playground are what societies produce in times of peace.
If through the enjoyment of these spaces we can honor the dead who gave us this great country, then it seems to me we will have accomplished something.
Otherwise it is just a rock.