On a sunny Sunday, La Jolla community volunteers Dec. 9 celebrated the opening of the Children’s Pool Plaza project after eight years of effort with speeches, proclamations and ice cream.
Introduced by MC Ron Jones, the voice of La Jolla, master of ceremonies Ann Dynes, chair of La Jolla Parks and Beaches, Inc., introduced VIPs and guests.
Topping the list was Phyllis Minick, who held a bouquet of flowers in hand alongside her husband Stan during the ceremony. Phyllis spearheaded the public effort to beautify Children’s Pool walkway improvements.
“This is not a children versus seals event,” said Dynes. “This is a celebration of an improvement to a piece of property. This has been a precious space in La Jolla since 1931. It’s also become a precious space to a lot of our visitors. Now it has been revamped to accommodate all of the visitors.”  
“On Feb. 17, 2012, Minick and (landscape architect) Jim Neri presented a design to La Jolla Parks and Beaches for reconfiguring the sidewalk area above the Pool to improve its appearance and utility,” continued Dynes. “Over the years, Phyllis raised a lot of money, and went through a lot of process.”
Dynes also recognized pool plaza donors in the audience during her presentation. Major donor’s names now grace a bronze plaque embedded in a boulder alongside a seating wall toward the north end of the plaza. Additionally, a large sign now names all contributors of both funding and services toward the project. 
First District Councilmember Barbara Bry also spoke at the celebration honoring volunteers and their commitment to community beautification.