Residents and La Jolla Community Planning Association trustees weren’t thrilled with the design for a new lifeguard station at Children’s Pool Beach as presented by city officials Thursday, June 7.
The current structure, which is more than 40 years old, is deteriorating amid age and weather constraints, according to lifeguard Lt. John Green-halgh of San Diego Fire and Rescue and project manager Jihad Sleiman. But many deemed the new building ideas presented by the men at last week’s LCPA meeting as too modern and bulky.
“This property is one of the two most valuable pieces of property in San Diego,” trustee Phil Merten said. “This is a prime piece of real estate, and it’s too valuable to screw it up with a big, boxy building.”
The proposed building, which was only an initial outline drawn up by project architects to fit the operational needs of the lifeguards, would be 25 feet in height from the existing upper deck and fit within a 40-by-40-foot foundation, according to Sleiman.
Meant as only an informational session to gather additional feedback from residents and board members, the presentation kicked off a series of such forums, according to Sleiman, who said the group would also discuss the project with the Parks and Beaches Committee and a La Jolla Town Council subcommittee, both assigned to designing a new lifeguard station.
The project expands the station by rebuilding it and adding a smaller building over the lower one that would be used as an all-glass window observation tower, allowing the lifeguards a 270-degree view of the coast. The design process is scheduled to be complete by September, Greenhalgh said.
The style of the building ” a proposed sandstone-colored concrete siding with abalone shells to match the walkway recently installed along Coast Boulevard ” was also criticized by LJCPA trustees Alice Perricone, Marty McGee and Ray Weiss, as well as residents.
Some suggestions given to the team included making the top deck station less bulky and housing the majority of the station’s headquarters beneath it, in the lower deck where public bathrooms exist today.
“I think you should pull back the building away from the beach and the seals so the public can walk and stand along there and overlook the beach,” resident Mary Coakley said. “This is a chance to improve the station for the lifeguards, but there is no reason why it shouldn’t be used as a way to improve the area for public use as well.”
Merten put forward an idea to prop the observation tower on pole supports to get it at the lifeguards’ desired height and house the rest of the station on the lower deck, leaving more open space for the public.
McGee suggested that the team combine the bathroom facility proposed in the new project with the public bathrooms on the lower deck, but Greenhalgh, who oversees the lifeguards at the La Jolla station, said he would be opposed to that idea.
“That’s like me asking you if you would be willing to share the bathroom at your place of employment with the public,” Greenhalgh said. “I’ve seen what gets done to public restrooms, and I think that’s unfair.”
As a lifeguard in San Diego for the past 28 years, Greenhalgh has witnessed the remodeling and construction of several stations and said he agreed with trustees that anything built at the Children’s Pool should reflect the unique decor that exists within the community.
“I really care about this community, and I understand how beautiful this point is because I’ve had the pleasure to work there every day,” he said. “The key is we have to have our operational need to save lives met, but we also still have the responsibility to listen to what the public wants. We’re real open about what it [the station] looks like.”
The estimated cost for the project is several million dollars, and the city is still waiting to secure bonds to cover such expenses, according to Keely Sweeney, spokeswoman for District 1 representative and City Council President Scott Peters.
“The city can’t bond right now ” it can’t enter the bond market ” but the financial situation is improving, and we want these projects lined up and ready to go when that happens,” Sweeny said. “They’ve been working on this for a couple years, and now it’s crunch time. The main thing is to get the word out that if you care, please go to these meetings because September is coming up and the CPA will have to vote on it.”
Sweeney encouraged the community to avoid a conflict by attending the Parks and Beaches meetings leading up to September so residents can have input in the design process before a vote.
In other business, LJCPA passed a motion to clarify its membership calendar year within the bylaws.
The calendar year for members will run from March 1 to Feb. 28, allowing members who join late in that year and attend February’s monthly meeting to still be eligible to participate in the March elections, according to Joe LaCava, chair of the membership subcommittee. The time frame also provides uniformity, he said.
The group also voted 10-2 in favor of continuing to monitor the status of a residence in the 2000 block of Prospect Street. The owners of the property have been remodeling the home under a ministerial permit with six separate variances.
The project has been a source of contention with several neighboring residents, who allege it has exceeded the remodeling threshold. The CPA asked the city’s Planning Department to investigate the project, but a senior planner reported that the only minor deviation to the permit was a carport, according to Tim Golba, LJCPA chairman.
One resident recently decided to obtain legal counsel in the matter, Golba said. The CPA should urge the city to have the property owner obtain a discretionary permit, which would require the project to be heard by the group, he added.
“I for one believe that the city really goofed big-time on this one,” Merten said. “I think we have a lot of expertise on this board, and I think we should let them know we are aware they goofed, are looking over their shoulder and are trying to prevent this from happening.”
The La Jolla Community Planning Association meets at 6 p.m. the first Thursday of every month at the La Jolla Community Recreation Center, 615 Prospect St. For more information, visit www.lajollacpa.org or send e-mail to [email protected].