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THURSDAY, JUNE 13, 2013
Permanent overnight closure of Brighton restrooms eyed BY TONY DE GARATE | THE BEACON A decision on whether to close the restrooms at the foot of Brighton Avenue permanently from midnight to 6:30 a.m. could come as early as this week. The city began closing the restrooms at night on a 30-day trial basis in mid-April. But the Park and Recreation Department and District 2 City Councilman Kevin Faulconer wanted 30 more days to get a better idea of how closing the restrooms would affect holiday and summer users, said Faulconer staffers. Public restrooms at the Ocean Beach shore have traditionally had 24-hour availability. That’s been the case since the opening of the Brighton Avenue comfort station nearly a year ago. The restrooms they replaced, as well as the restrooms to the south at the Ocean Beach Lifeguard Station, have been open 24 hours a day.
www.SDNEWS.com Volume 27, Number 13
No pier fears here
Some community leaders and business owners — notably members of the Ocean Beach Town Council and Ocean Beach MainStreet Association — favor closing the Brighton Street restrooms at night to discourage homeless activity and vandalism. On the other hand, Park and Recreation Department officials favor 24-hour availability, said staff members for Faulconer. During the first 30-day trial period, evidence indicated people were relieving themselves outside the building when it was closed, but there was no vandalism, said Faulconer’s representatives. The city contracts with a private security firm to close the restrooms, according to staffers. Clay Bingham, deputy director of the Park and Recreation Department whose jurisdiction includes Ocean Beach, did not respond to emails or return phone calls for this story.
A homeless resident sits outside the locked restrooms at the foot of Brighton Avenue. The restrooms have been closed at night on a trial basis since mid-April. Photo by Tony de Garate I The Beacon
OB planners scouring document outlining vision for OB’s future BY TONY DE GARATE | THE BEACON
the next few weeks, board members will study the plan and put together their impressions in How’s this for an essay question: 20 years time for the next meeting on Wednesday, from now, what should Ocean Beach look like? July 3 at 6 p.m. at the Ocean Beach Recreation Where should parks go? How should traffic Center, 4726 Santa Monica St. flow be planned to relieve bottlenecks? What It’s a weighty — and important — homestandards should be enforced for designing work assignment, said Tom Gawronski, who houses and commercial buildings to preserve chairs the planning board. a beach-friendly, community feel? “We’ll look at the plan and see if there are A document that seeks to answer those things we want to amend,” he said. “It’ll be a questions has been issued in draft form to the large, open discussion.” Ocean Beach Planning Board. Preparation for the document, the Ocean The board is composed of elected officials Beach Community Plan Update, has been who make recommendations to the City CounSEE FUTURE, Page 8 cil on land use and quality of life issues. Over
READERS CHOICE AWARDS
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JUNIOR LIFEGUARDS, MENTORS ENGAGE IN RITUAL LEAP OF FAITH Miramar College’s Lifeguard Academy students, top, step off the end of the Ocean Beach Pier during the 48th Regional Lifeguard Academy rescue demonstration recently. Right, San Diego Fire-Rescue Copter 1 drops a lifeguard into the water during a simulated “victim in distress” rescue demonstration. Left, after taking their turns jumping from the OB Pier, San Diego Lifeguard Academy students watch fellow participants follow their leads.
92107
VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE RESTAURANT! IN OCEAN BEACH
Photos by Don Balch I The Beacon
Vote online at peninsulabeacon.com
ENTRY RULES: You choose your favorite! Tell us who the best of the best is and you’ll be entered into our free drawing for dinner for 2. Mail or hand deliver your ballot to: Peninsula Beacon, 1621 Grand Ave. Suite C, San Diego CA 92109. You may also submit your vote online at: www.peninsulabeacon.com. (look for the banner ad advertising the readers choice awards) • 50% of the ballot must be complete to be counted in the drawing. • One ballot per person. • Limited to Restaurants in 92107 zip codes • Ballots must be postmarked, submitted online, or hand-delivered, by Wednesday, June 26, 2013