La Jolla Village Merchants Association (LJVMA) has found a new home. Only they’re not telling where just yet. LJVMA president Phil Coller hinted Aug. 8 at the business improvement district’s (BID) monthly meeting that a prime location has been picked out and nearly secured in the Village to relocate to when the BID’s sublease expires at 7734 Herschel Ave. in the Crosby Center. But that information, Coller said, won’t be disclosed until contract negotiations are complete. “Hopefully, that will be by the end of the month,” he said after the meeting. “Our sublease is up at the end of December and probably we’ll move out in November, making sure we’re not in a rush and do it properly.” Coller said LJVMA will also take over management of the La Jolla Visitor Information Center at 7966 Herschel Ave. Suite A near the corner of Prospect and Herschel from the San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau, effective Jan. 1. The BID has been talking about assuming control of the La Jolla Visitor Center for some time, said Coller, adding the BID expects to “sign a memorandum of understanding by the end of August.” The BID president noted there are numerous advantages to having the visitor center under its roof, pointing out the center’s daily operations will remain largely unchanged. “It just means we direct and manage it like [former BID] Promote La Jolla used to do,” he said. “It’s La Jollans managing their own visitor center more directly, targeting what the local community wants to do.” Plans are to combine the visitor’s center and LJVMA’s administration together in the new office digs. Athina Singer of Davis Marketing gave a brief presentation to the LJVMA board, filling the BID in on the latest developments with the movement to save the La Jolla post office, located at 1140 Wall St. The U.S. Postal Service has slated the local outlet for a relocation as part of its efforts to save money. “They’re going to provide us with an online survey for businesses to complete to try and establish how the post office in its current location is important to business,” said Coller. Singer expressed the importance of having local merchants assist in the effort to keep the post office in its current location. “We really think your members can help us get some hard data,” she said. “We really feel a lot of you walk past the post office on a daily basis, that it’s important, and that the Village economy would be harmed because the post office leaves.” After the meeting, Singer said the Save Our La Jolla Post Office Task Force is hosting a “Handwritten Letter Day” event Friday, Aug. 17 from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. at the Wall Street post office. Local residents opposing the post office’s move can handwrite letters to Congressman Darrell Issa supporting the Community Post Office Relocation Act — which was introduced by Congresswoman Susan Davis on July 31 — seeking to keep local post offices local. “We’re sure that handwritten letters supporting The Community Post Office Relocation Act will be impactful,” Singer said. For more information, visit www.save-lajollapostoffice.org or www.facebook-.com/savethelajollapostoffice. At the meeting, Coller also discussed a plan to produce a La Jolla visitors map and sell advertising for it to promote the merchant organization. LJVMA board member Robert Lane cautioned that the project could be a bigger undertaking than expected, suggesting it might be best to consider partnering with an outside organization to sell ad space needed to make it work. The LJVMA board also approved about $4,700 in funding requested by Jim Alcorn of Alcorn & Benton Architects for a land survey to launch the Belvedere Promenade project reconfiguring the Prospect/Girard Dip creating a pedestrian walkway. “All of the work is within the public right-of-way, the horizontal and vertical topography showing the curbs, property lines, etc.,” said Alcorn. “We need this to go further and get a building permit. Having this survey, now we can do engineering drawings that will enable us to get a right-of-way permit, then get some estimates of cost. With the help of the Merchants Association, we can start fundraising.” Alcorn said LJVMA has requested to be the lead agency to facilitate the Belvedere project because “it is a major element of the 2004 community plan.” All community advisory groups, Alcorn said, have approved the Belvedere Promenade in concept. The LJVMA meets the second Wednesday of each month from 8:30 to 10 a.m. at The Cuvier Club, 7776 Eads Ave. For more information, visit www.laj-ollabythesea.com.