By Lois Lane
The City of San Diego Budget hearings are just beginning. OB did get to keep the standard services – trash pickup, beach maintenance, lifeguard services, library and rec center support – all covered under general categories.
What is unfunded is interesting.
The North Ocean Beach Gateway Project (adjacent to Robb Field) Phase II for FY2016 shows no additional funding.
In contrast, FY2015 touts as an accomplishment “Completion of the Ocean Beach Gateway Mini Park.”
OB also did not get the requested library or lifeguard station upgrade in the budget as proposed.
Ocean Beach will get one Capitol Improvement – the OB Fire Station upgrade, with a new kitchen, dining/meeting room, and ADA upgrades, for a total of $500,000.
The budget proposed for 2016 covers the time period for July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2016. The budget document also shows expenditures for prior years, current appropriations, and money planned for future years.
Looking at the Capitol Improvement Project for the Fire Station, the project is budgeted for a total of $500,000 with no clear distinction between design and construction costs. To quote:
“Project Design began in Fiscal Year 2015 and will be completed in Fiscal Year 2016. Construction is scheduled to begin in Fiscal Year 2016 and be completed in Fiscal Year 2018.”
This budget allocates $100,000 to complete the $500,000 required. How much of this remains to be expended in design is unclear. So far, at least $115,532 has been spent on design, with more allocated.
Another area of the budget describes FY 2015 accomplishments.
“Fiscal year just ending: Design completion of Fire Station 15 (Ocean Beach) for a new kitchen, dining/meeting room and ADA bathroom.”
Elsewhere we have for a 2016 goal,
“Initiate construction of Fire Station 15 (Ocean Beach) for a new kitchen, dining/meeting room and ADA upgrades.”
So, it looks like the OB Fire Station will get a new kitchen, dining/meeting room, and ADA upgrades by 2018 with the design either already completed or to be completed in FY 2016.
Ocean Beach also gets augmented services:
- two lifeguard III’s ($116,937),
- 35-60 additional hours of Rec Center open hours per week,
- and playground resurfacing of the Ocean Beach Community Park ($300,000 for 21 different parks).
That’s it for the moment for Ocean Beach in the City Budget. Changes are possible – the budget is final when the City Council votes to approve it by the end of June, when the current fiscal year ends.
There’s a nifty web site developed just for you under Mayor Falconer’s direction that drills down to various levels in graphical form. Try www.sandiego.gov and click on “Use the Visualization.” With two clicks, I learned that we spend $16 million on golf courses.
But not in Ocean Beach, of course.
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‘Don’t tell me what you value, show me your budget, and I’ll tell you what you value.’
Under such a test the Mayor and former council member for District 2 doesn’t value OB and its citizens very much at all.