The Mission Bay Park Committee (MBPC) discussed the future of three park fixtures at its regularly scheduled meeting, Tuesday, Feb. 7, at the Paradise Point Resort, 1404 Vacation Road.
Councilman Kevin Faulconer began the meeting by announcing his resignation from the committee. Vice chairperson and member-at-large Bob Ottilie will head the group until Mayor Jerry Sanders appoints a new chairperson.
“There are a lot of things we’ve worked on the past five-and-a-half years,” Faulconer said. “I’m looking forward to driving some of those things home.”
One of Faulconer’s primary goals, he said, will be ensuring that “money generated in Mission Bay Park stays in Mission Bay Park.”
A key part of that money ” lease revenue ” was once again under scrutiny as the committee considered whether the leases of the Mission Bay Sportscenter and Mission Bay Aquatic Center should be granted exclusive negotiation rights or if the sites enter the city’s Request for Proposal (RFP) process.
The future of the popular centers drew a crowd of almost 200, overwhelmingly in support of the facilities’ requests.
Mission Bay Sportscenter (BBSC) lease owner Richard Gleason has requested that the city grant him a 15-year lease with a 10-year lease renewal option, said Craig Gibson with the city’s Real Estate Assets Division.
The extra time would allow Gleason time to pay for a new 1,000-square-foot building on the property and make more than $1 million in capital improvements, said Mitch Berner of Public Solutions.
The original 15-year lease expired in 1994, when City Council authorized negotiations approving a new 10-year lease. When that lease expired in December 2004, Gleason again requested exclusive negotiation rights and met with City Council in February 2005. At that time, Gleason said, he agreed to provide a proposal within 30 days. The deadline was further extended to July. When no proposal was received, the lease went into the default RFP process and expired in November 2005.
“The Sportscenter is an excellent amenity but I support the idea of an RFP to get the most we can get,” said District 2 representative Judy Swink.
In the wake of the controversial Hyatt Islandia lease negotiation, which the MBPC opposed and City Council approved, reexamining lease revenue is at the forefront of the committee’s plan to maximize park revenue.
Swink added that the Sportscenter lease is not just a question of money but what will provide the greatest public benefit.
The center, which has nonprofit 501(c) 3 status, returns more than $1 million in revenue to the city, Berner said, and serves more than 100,000 students annually.
One of those students, 9-year-old Robbie Culkin, told the committee, “What I look forward to in the school year is going to camp (at the MBSC).”
Tim Reeves, a father of two, was one of several parents who praised the center’s programs, saying his children “had really learned and grown” as a result of their experiences there.
Mission Beach Planning Board representative Pam Glover questioned whether the center would be in violation of Council policy if it did not enter the RFP process.
Gibson said the center would not be in violation of Council policy and would continue on a month-to-month basis.
“Why is this lease getting so much attention?” asked member-at-large Mike Pallamary, who noted that many leases expire without notice while others undergo intense scrutiny. “I’m not under the impression that this is a fair approach,” he said.
Ottilie reiterated the need for a uniform, consistent RFP process. “The purpose of having a policy is to make sure everyone is treated equally,” he said.
Ryan Levinson, representing District 6, agreed: “The RFP process is to ensure public good. Apply this equally to everyone and it starts right now.”
The committee voted 9-2 to apply the RFP process to the Sportscenter’s site.
As the committee turned its attention toward the Mission Bay Aquatic Center’s (MBAC) lease, Mike McDade, consultant for the MBAC, urged members “Clean your slate. We’re talking about something totally different in every respect.”
The MBAC is also proposing a 15-year lease with a 10-year option to extend.
The facility’s location is too small to support a hotel or similar property and doesn’t offer potential for greater revenue, McDade said.
“This center touches our youth and everyone throughout the city,” he said.
About 30 community members, including alumni of area colleges and universities, current users, parents, teachers and student athletes stayed more than four hours to voice their support for the center.
Jennifer Zebrowski, head coach of the Division I women’s rowing team at San Diego State University (SDSU), said, “Without the Mission Bay Aquatic Center, we wouldn’t have a home.”
Jake Wittler, head coach of the SDSU men’s rowing team, agreed that without the center his team wouldn’t exist.
The MBAC’s requirement that users have a current or previous affiliation with a local college or university raised questions from some committee members.
Calling the center an “elitist club on public parkland,” Mindy Pellissier of the Ocean Beach Planning Board said she would prefer that alumni programming be eliminated in favor of children’s activities.
“It’s open to some of the public but not others,” Ottilie said.
The Coastal Commission insisted that the general public be allowed access to a limited degree, McDade said. Residents who take extension courses at SDSU or the University of California-San Diego are admitted, he explained.
Pallamary again raised the issue of fairness, questioning why the lease had been in negotiation for six years.
While committee members agreed that the delay was not the center’s fault, they felt the lengthy process emphasized the need for a clearly defined RFP process.
Acknowledging the need for “a hard, fast rule for RFPs,” Don Peterson of the Old Mission Bay Athletic Club (OMBAC) said that “hard and fast rules don’t always apply” and that an RFP in the case of the Aquatic Center would be a waste of time and money.
Ted Jardine, representing lessees other than hotel, agreed, adding, “I don’t know who else would touch it [the property] with a 10-foot pole.”
“We ought to be consistent. We want to send a clear message on these issues,” Ottilie said.
The motion to recommend to City Council that the MBAC’s site be subject to the RFP process carried 6-4.
An additional motion to continue discussing what should be included in the RFP process carried 8-1.
As disappointed supporters looked on, McDade said the center would continue to move forward and would not “be held hostage” by the committee’s decision.
A one-year project to implement capital improvements at Fiesta Island will be funded through Sludge Mitigation Funds, according to project manager and City Park Planner Samir Mahmalji.
The project’s biggest challenge, said KTU&A consultant Mike Singleton is traffic. About 2,000 vehicles per day currently travel through the park, he said. Long route distances are also problematic.
Asked if a bridge is necessary, Singleton said the island is not wide enough, but a similar structure on the causeway could be a possibility.
In addition to transportation difficulties, meeting restroom needs and other user requirements, poor drainage and habitat protection and enhancement also pose challenges, Singleton said.
Swink expressed concern about water going through the park affecting the area’s wetlands.
The public will have the opportunity to provide input on the project at a workshop. Time, date and location information will be announced.
In other park news, Mission Bay Park Manager Div Brasted announced that the central irrigation system at Rose Creek Canyon is two-thirds complete.
Mission Bay Park will also be receiving four additional parking enforcement officers no later than summer, pending successful union negotiations.