Several beach community organizations are benefiting from county money that will help pay for some traditional local events and much-needed resources for the year.
San Diego County First District Supervisor Greg Cox said a combined $26,000 has been allocated to the Discover Pacific Beach, Ocean Beach MainStreet Association (OBMA), the Ocean Beach Town Council (OBTC) and the Ocean Beach Community Foundation. Cox said the money is part of the Community Enhancement Program, which provides $3.2 million in county Transient Occupancy Tax collected from hotels for reinvestment into community organizations.
“This is an opportunity to support community organizations that are doing good things in the community,” Cox said. “How often does a family get to go hear a concert as a family?”
Cox said he and four other San Diego County supervisors received about 275 applications and heard several presentations from various community organizations that applied for the funding. The organizations, however, must outline exactly what the money would be used for and the funds cannot be used for operating costs or staffing, he said.
In the First District, the OBMA received $6,000 to help pay for $22,000 worth of Fourth of July fireworks, said OBMA Executive Director Denny Knox.
The county board of supervisors also awarded the Ocean Beach Town Council $5,000 for website improvements and marketing materials, according to Cox.
Discover Pacific Beach, a business community organization, received funds for its upcoming signature event, Pacific BeachFest 2007. The one-day, family-friendly community event relies on the county funds, according to Discover Pacific Beach’s Executive Director Benjamin Nicholls.
Discover Pacific Beach received about $20,000 total in county funds this year. The festival cost about $100,000 to fund, Nicholls said.
“We wouldn’t be able to put the festival on were the county not supporting it. So it’s critical, it really is,” he said.
Although alcoholic beverages are still permitted on the beach, Nicholls said the Pacific Beach Fest is the one day where drinking isn’t allowed. Unlike many fairs and festivals in San Diego, the BeachFest doesn’t rely on alcohol and tobacco sales to boost revenue.
The Ocean Beach Community Foundation also received $5,000 in county funds to keep a community together through music.
The foundation asked for about $3,000 in county funds to support the Peninsula Singers, a nonprofit community chorus who sing at libraries, the USS Midway and other venues in the area, said Mike Akey, the Ocean Beach Community Foundation’s vice president. He said the other $2,000, in collaboration with OBMA, would help revitalize and repair the Ocean Beach Veterans Memorial Plaza at the foot of Newport Avenue.
“The medallions are wearing away. Many of them [veterans] have purchased these medallions and we need to maintain them,” Akey said.
Akey said the foundation has a year to spend the money or it goes back to the county.
Cox said the county keeps track of the funds it dispenses with an auditing process that monitors receipts for purchases made by the organizations. Organizations that apply for the grants must qualify by being a nonprofit organization as well as demonstrate a benefit to the community, he said.
During the year, the individual county supervisors recommend funds for community groups based on need and availability. For more information, visit ww.sdcounty.ca.gov/bos1.