www.BeachandBayPress.com | Thursday, June 9, 2011
Fundraising efforts intensify for July 4 fireworks display Events set to ignite support toward $24,000 goal BY TERRIE LEIGH RELF | BEACH & BAY PRESS
HAS THE FUTURE DRIED UP FOR THE PLUNGE?
This year marks the Mission Bay Yacht Club’s 28th annual Fourth of July fireworks event, a tradition that the beach and bay community, and children of all ages, looks forward to each year. But fundraising is so far less than halfway to the targeted goal of $24,000 to put on the pyrotechnics display. As of June 1, the yacht club was busily trying to raise an additional $15,000 toward that mark. There was good news last week, however. Show organizers at Mission Bay, La Jolla and elsewhere in the city breathed a sigh of relief June 3 when a San Diego County Superior Court judge suspended
her ruling requiring Fourth of July fireworks in La Jolla and elsewhere to undergo environmental review. Now the challenge for the Mission Bay Yacht Club will be to continue its appeals for financial support for the show that is roughly only a month away, said Jennifer Henehan, the yacht club’s volunteer fundraising chairwoman While the yacht club is only open to members, Henehan said the display, which is created by one of the top pyrotechnic companies in the nation, is visible throughout the north side of the bay, and can also be seen from the Pacific Beach hills, Mt. Soledad and Kate SesSEE FIREWORKS, Page 6
The Plunge at Belmont Park sits unused after being closed in the midst of a bitter lease dispute between the city and Tom LochtePhotos by Jim Grant I Beach & Bay Press feld, the master leaseholder of the revitalized Belmont Park amusement/entertainment complex.
Acrid lease dispute places fate of historic pool in jeopardy BY DEBBIE HATCH | BEACH & BAY PRESS om Lochtefeld, owner of the Wave House Athletic Club, Sound Wave and the master lease holder who operates the Plunge at Belmont Park, has found himself in a leasing stalemate with the city — and neither side seems to have a solution to reopen the historic swimming pool built in 1925. The Plunge has been closed since May 26 and there are no indications the pool will reopen anytime soon. “The city provided me with official notice that they are requesting that the bankruptcy court terminate the extension of stay [that would allow the Plunge to continue operating under previous leasing terms],” Lochtefeld announces the indefinite closure of the Plunge in late May after the city Lochtefeld said. “The city is no reportedly refused to budge on its demands to increase his lease from $70,000 annu- longer willing to negotiate.”
T
ally to $480,000. The city claims Lochtefeld knew what he was getting into when he signed the lease agreement in 2002 and that he has since exhausted his rent credits.
CLASS OF 2011 READY TO WALK THE WALK Seniors at Mission Bay High School finalized classwork this week in preparation for Friday’s commencement ceremony for the class of 2011. The graduation ceremony takes place beginning at 5 p.m. in the Mission Bay High football stadium. Send us the best photo of your favorite graduate for consideration in the next edition of Beach & Bay Press on June 23! Email the high-resolution photo to bbp@sdnews.com no later than June 14 and celebrate MBHS’s young scholars and their accomplshments. Photo by Don Balch I Beach & Bay Press
SEE PLUNGE, Page 6
Organizers and supporters of the Mission Bay Yacht Club’s annual Fourth of July fireworks display are stepping up efforts to raise the remaining funds for the $24,000 show. About Photo by Paul Hansen I Beach & Bay Press $15,000 is needed to make the show happen, said organizers.
A whale of a time awaits explorers with oceanbound sightseeing cruises BY KENDRA HARTMANN | BEACH & BAY PRESS The San Diego Natural History Museum and H&M Landing are teaming up to present a second season of nature trips at sea, where passengers can expect to see blue whales, pods of dolphins, sea lions, sea birds and more. Ship’s passengers will have an opportunity to learn about all they see through commentary and interpretation by the Museum’s highly trained volunteers known as the “Museum Whalers.” The largest mammal to ever inhabit Earth, there were once an estimated 300,000 blue whales roaming the oceans. Their numbers have been reduced to less than 15,000 worldwide, but the species is making a comeback and San Diegans can experience them up close off the coast. Operating from two boats — the 105foot Bright & Morning Star and the 85foot Ocean Odyssey — the museum
offers two trips a week on Thursdays and Sundays through October. Boats board at H&M Landing, 2803 Emerson St. in Pt. Loma. Trips run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and tickets are $75 for museum members and military and $80 for non-members and can be purchased through the museum’s website at www.sdnhm.org, H&M Landing’s website at www.hmlanding.com or by calling (619) 222-1144. The whales off the California coast are Northern Hemisphere blue whales who spend the summers in nutrient rich waters off the coast of California. They winter in the warmer waters of the Gulf of California and near Costa Rica. They travel to where the krill is found, usually off the coast of California. The weather patterns El Nino and La Nina influence the availability of krill. Northern Hemisphere blue whales are slightly smaller than their Antarctic counterparts. They can grow up to 80 feet long.
WHAT’S INSIDE: A local legend passes, Page 3 | On the Street, Page 4 | Live Music Roundup, Page 5 | Boardwalk Beat, Page 6 | Retail Therapy, Page 8 | Sports, Page 10 | In the Schools, Pages 11, 12