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"May you live in interesting times."
That expression is more of a curse than a blessing. This year, for our country and the world, it seems to be a wish fulfilled.
Here on the Peninsula, life was less startling. Not stagnant, but steady as she goes.
These twelve months brought joy and celebration, emotional farewells, hope for continuing endeavors and frustration with inability to cope with complex issues. (Homeless crisis and short term rentals come to mind.)
PLA continues to focus on positives while working to nudge the negatives toward resolution.
Let’s review and look ahead…
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A Banner Year – Literally.
Scorching sun and winters of howling wind took a toll on the colorful Point Loma Association banners that decorate light poles in the Village and on Shelter Island.
We display 67 banners on more than 50 poles.
Thanks to great design work by Brown Marketing Strategies and a generous grant from San Diego County, through Ron Robert’s office, we replaced the tattered banners with beautiful new designs.
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We also signed on as scoreboard sponsor for Point Loma Little League.
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And we continued our long-time support for Point Loma Summer Concerts.
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Dick Lareau
Architect & Point Loma Visionary
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Dick Lareau turned 90 this year. Mr. Lareau designed the Peninsula Bank Building (now U.S. Bank) on Rosecrans, the Visitor Information Center at Mission Bay, many buildings on the Point Loma Nazarene University campus and other structures around the world.
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He is also a longtime sparkplug in the Point Loma Association engine, contributing much to our work in the community.
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Over the years he has captured our history and documented our progress with wonderful photographs.
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Dick’s slide shows at PLA annual dinners are legendary.
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This past year he let us copy a few of his pictures. You may have seen them in our newsletters and elsewhere.
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We’re asking Dick to let us digitize more of his photos – he has thousands – so we may share them with you.
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Slide projectors are so dated. Dick’s photos are ageless. And priceless. If you know Mr. Lareau, please encourage him to accept our request!
Dick Lareau is also a member of the PLA Arts Committee that has worked diligently for more than a year to bring a sculpture to the Nimitz Boulevard median.
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Here he is celebrating the City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture’s approval of our gift to the community.
Actually, it’s Dorothea Laub’s gift. PLA is facilitating the donation. And it has taken plenty of work by many people.
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Lots of folks showed up at the Commission’s hearing in July, encouraging acceptance of the artwork our community has chosen. It’s fair to say, public support saved the project from rejection. Thank you to all who attended!!
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Here’s the latest. With assistance from Christine Jones, Chief of Civic Art Strategies for the Commission, contractor Brian Thomas, from Thomas Marine and Jeffery Laudenslager, the artist, we are working through the permitting and review process which should lead to installation early in the new year.
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Meantime, click this photo to see a day at the beach with Taiji.
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Cecilia Carrick
Longtime PLA member, past Chair and our own Wonder Woman, Cecilia Carrick, is also a key member of our Art Committee and did much of the detailed work to bring the Laudenslager kinetic sculpture to the Peninsula.
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Congratulations to Cecilia who was honored as a City Council District 2 Volunteer of the Year for her community service work.
Councilmember Lorie Zapf presented the award in April, at a Volunteer Appreciation event at Belmont Park.
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On June 30, 2017, Cecilia Carrick completed her second, 4-year term on the Board of Directors of Point Loma Association. She chaired our group from 2011 to 2013.
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Other retiring PLA Board members shown here with Cecilia are Dwayne Little, Nancy Palmtag and Stan Nadel.
We thank them all for years of service, and we appreciate their continued involvement and support of the Association.
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New Directors
We added new Directors to our PLA Board this year.
In March, we welcomed Julie Borcher and Richard Bregante.
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In July, JT Barr, Jim Canfield and Sarah Kelty took over for retiring members. Also on July 1st, Dave Martin became Vice-Chair and Ted Kay assumed the role of PLA Secretary.
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Click on a Director’s photo to learn more.
We have an enthusiastic, active group! Our bylaws call for up to twenty Board members. In January, we will introduce you to Branden Boysen and Mike McCurdy, new Directors who will bring us to full strength.
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The Mean Green Team is Everywhere!
This year we created a map showing how many public areas our members tend on the Point Loma Peninsula.
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If your eyes are as old as ours, you may need a magnifying glass to read that map. Or, just click on it to see a larger version.
The Green Team averages more than 100 volunteer hours each month, leveraging City resources to keep our community beautiful and inviting.
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Team members are the most visible part of the Association – our ambassadors to the community. They are our heroes.
This fall, The Wine Pub saluted the Green Team among unsung heroes who are making the Peninsula a better place to live.
Naturally, we celebrated!
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Thanks also to the MGT for the addition of planter boxes beside the memorial bench on Rosecrans in front of HomeStreet Bank, and to bank staff who keep the plants watered.
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Among Point Loma Association members who passed away in 2017 were two key members of our Green Team.
Ed Streicher Blanche Welch
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We saluted Ed in our May 4th PLA Newsletter, and Blanche in our November 16th PLA Newsletter.
In honor of Mr. Streicher, who gave white-knuckle rides to team members in the old PLA pickup truck, our newly-acquired vehicle is affectionately known as, “Mr. Ed.”
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Thanks to Nancy Peckham, the Hervey family and many other contributors for helping us purchase the vehicle.
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In honor of Blanche Welch, a new jacaranda tree is now growing along Rosecrans at Jarvis Street.
Thanks to the Point Loma Garden Club for that living memorial.
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In 2017, after a couple years of neglect, we again began nurturing our community Garden Awards. Credit goes to past PLA Chair Patti Adams who asked, “Howcome we haven’t given out any Garden Awards recently?”
Not only did she ask the question, she then volunteered to shepherd the project!
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For a look at recent winners, click this picture.
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We call them “Garden Awards”, but actually they are kudos to anyone who is making a special effort to bring beauty to our world.
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If you have a nominee, let us know, online, by email, on Facebook or Instagram.
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Oh What a Night!
On May 16th, the annual PLA Town Hall Forum focused on Journalism 2017 – the Best of Times...the Worst of Times. Guests enjoyed delicious food, creative community displays, and a lively conversation with some of our areas most respected journalists.
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Gems & Jewels Dinner Gala
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This event was a lot of fun. Just ask these guys.
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To see a ton more photos of the evening, click on the money hat above.
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To relive all the fun, clank a champagne glass.
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And whatever you do, save this Tuesday in 2018 for another enjoyable evening at Kona Kai with PLA!
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Getting Social
On a Sunday in April, Bay City Brewing held a Crafts and Drafts event which generated a nice donation to the Point Loma Association.
Wonderful hospitality, super promotion and impressive organization by Adam Zack and the folks at Jensen’s Foods brought together about a hundred people in August for Wine Tasting to benefit PLA.
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This year we also partnered with other PLA business members – Solare Ristorante, Sushi Lounge, Point Loma Coffee and Shanghai Bun for social gatherings offering happy hour specials, professional networking, amateur visiting and frequent spontaneous laughter.
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If you own a business in the Peninsula area, and you are not a PLA member, you’re missing out on professional networking opportunities. Plus, spontaneous laughter. Join us!
And keep watching the PLA Newsletters for details on events planned in 2018.
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2017 Peninsula Sign of the Year
In case you missed it, toward the end of the summer of ’17 we unofficially named this the “official sign” of the year in our community.
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Looks like it may be a contender to repeat the distinction in 2018.
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If you build it…
Considerable commercial construction commenced or continued in 2017. Much of it was out-with-the-old and in-with-the-new.
Recently, on Rosecrans, Arby's became Dunkin'…
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In the Midway District, a long summer of remodeling replaced snowboards and soccer balls with handbags and high heels.
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Across the street on Kemper, an empty lot owned by the San Diego Community College District sprouted a new mixed-use development.
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Here is where this is headed…
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On Catalina Boulevard, on the crest of the Peninsula, Engine 22 is getting a new home.
Quaint is making a quantum leap.
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The Voltaire Corridor is stirring. For about 14 years, builder Mike Stevens has been dreaming of this project at the intersection of Voltaire and Wabaska…
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This year it began taking shape.
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(Hello mudder, hello fadder.)
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Southeast on Voltaire at Las Lomas, in this triangle, something old will soon be replaced by something new: Nimitz Crossing.
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Work on “the new” has not begun. For now, we’re living with a ghost mall.
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Nimitz Crossing is a Rudy Medina project. He recently completed Bellamar on Rosecrans.
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Bellamar’s new landscaping includes many jacaranda trees, even more than were removed during construction.
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Next month we’ll explore the historical significance of this intersection…Rosecrans at Byron.
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Further north on Rosecrans, the Dolphin’s days are numbered.
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In the year ahead, watch for the transformation of that location to the boutique hotel, Monsaraz…
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The Port of San Diego’s improvements on the Shelter Island Boat Ramp are coming along. Here’s a cool video of early work on the project. But it’s way behind real time.
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This shows you what’s been done as of late December.
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Completion is expected by March, 2018. Maybe then we’ll see boats on the bay more often than parked in our neighborhoods.
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Again We Ask, “Why?”
Back in August we wondered why people hold on to things that should have been abandoned years ago.
Following recent sexual harassment revelations and a national awakening, we wonder even more.
So we ask again, why do these remain in our family community?
How are they still a ‘thing’?
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There’s more…
PLA formed a new Public Safety Committee this year. Board member Julie Borcher chairs the group. She is joined by PLA Vice-Chair Dave Martin and other volunteers.
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The increase in homelessness and accompanying health issues, problems with theft, vandalism, graffiti and trash dumping threaten quality of life in our neighborhoods.
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The Safety Committee will report to PLA on progress addressing these problems, and speak for our members in encouraging long-term solutions. We are working closely with City, County and State officials to craft effective strategies.
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Plans for the pocket park, top of the hill, at the end of Avenida De Portugal are progressing.
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Following community input, the City merged a couple of designs. A plan was finalized in November. Estimated completion of the park is spring 2020.
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Proposed development of a new condominium project on the beach side of San Antonio Avenue (#405) has the Point buzzing. There is a call to “save Kellogg’s Beach.” There are also knowledgeable people who have seen the plans and say they not only confirm to code but call for less construction than could be allowed.
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The developer made an informational presentation to the Peninsula Community Planning Board last January and said recently, “We anticipate making our formal presentation to them in the first quarter of 2018.”
These are among the things we will continue to report on in the year ahead.
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On Saturday, December 16, at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, Point Loma Association members were among more than a thousand people laying Christmas wreaths by the markers.
Wreaths Across America happens nationwide each December.
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The annual event brings out throngs wishing to celebrate our freedom and pay respects to those who helped preserve it.
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Volunteers placed about 13,000 wreaths at markers in San Diego County. Locations include Miramar National Cemetery and Greenwood Memorial Park.
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The mission of Wreaths Across America is, “Remember, Honor and Teach.”
It is a wonderful, family activity, linking generations, teaching history and civics, and inspiring all who attend.
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The future looks bright. PLA begins 2018 with renewed energy and dedication to maintaining and improving life on the Peninsula. We have wonderful members – business and personal. We are growing, with fresh eyes and creative ideas.
Point Loma Association is an all-volunteer group. Some members work on beautification, others arrange events, help plan future projects, inform our community, and interact with government officials and civic leaders to keep our neighborhoods safe and thriving.
But we cannot stress enough. Just as important to our efforts are PLA members whose sole contribution is renewing their annual membership. You keep everything going!
Attend a PLA event if you’d like. No heavy lifting. But simply joining the Association helps keep us strong and vital. In turn, we hope it gives you a sense of pride of participation.
You are the Point.
Happy New Year!
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Archived we are!
Here’s a great way to turn back time and check out previous editions of our Point Loma Association e-Newsletter.
It's also an easy way to send a link to a friend.
Visit our PLA e-News Archives.
Thanks for letting us into your day. Have issues, comments, suggestions or story ideas? Please let us know.
YOU ARE THE POINT!
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