Hilton Bayfront topped off amid city convention growth
The 30th and highest story of downtown’s Hilton San Diego Bayfront Hotel has been topped off following an enormous environmental clean-up that had delayed original construction plans.
The facility, at One Park Blvd. next to the San Diego Convention Center, will feature 1,200 rooms, a 4.3-acre park and a public promenade that will eventually link the area to Seaport Village. The project will also include about $2 million in public art. Initial room reservations are anticipated for December of this year.
The site, the former location of Campbell Shipyards, was once a gas plant waste and bulk petroleum facility. A $13.2 million cleanup removed 42,000 cubic yards of soil and additional sediment in San Diego Bay.
The Port of San Diego anticipates an additional $3.1 million in revenues amid the convention trade tied to the hotel. The City of San Diego will be receiving about $10 million in transit occupancy tax revenue.
Port officials say the hotel is expected to gross $96.5 million annually after its fourth year of operation, the year the hospitality industry regards as the period of a project’s stabilization.

Mattel to use San Diego city logo on toy ‘copters
The San Diego City Council approved a licensing agreement April 22 with the toy company Mattel Inc. in which the city’s logo will be used on toy helicopters, fire trucks and other fire apparati.
The city won’t receive any money from Mattel in this agreement. City staff members told the City Council the longtime toy company has similar agreements with other cities in its line of Matchbox toys, which have been manufactured for 55 years.
District 6 Councilwoman Donna Frye asked what the city would receive in return for the agreement.
“Bragging rights,” publicity for the fire department and possible recruitment efforts, said a staffer. If the city demanded any money for the agreement, Mattel would move on to another city, said a staffer.
Wouldn’t Mattel want to throw in any free toys for poor children? Frye asked. City staff said the city would receive 12 free Mattel toys with the city’s logo and permission to distribute the dozen toys to whomever they wanted.
District 7 Councilman Jim Madaffer made the motion to authorize Mayor Jerry Sanders to enter into a licensing agreement with Mattel for three years. The fire department will have complete review and approval authority of the toys’ designs and finished models with the city’s logo.
The agreement is considered as a non-monetary product endorsement.

Airport lauded with Eureka Silver Award
The San Diego Regional Airport Authority received high marks for its operations from the California Award for Performance Excellence, or CAPE. The award council recognized the Airport Authority with the 2007 Eureka Silver Level Award, said Steven Shultz, Airport Authority spokesman.
CAPE also recognized the Airport Authority in 2004, 2005 and 2006 with bronze level awards. This is the first year the Airport Authority has received a silver award.
“Our goal is to get the highest and get the gold, and that’s something,” Shultz said. “And we’re working toward getting the highest level.”
CAPE awards organizations in several different categories, including leadership, strategic planning, human resources, process management and measurement and knowledge management, he said.
To be considered for the award, the airport undergoes a five-day examination following the submission of a 50-page application.
Even among local critics, the Airport Authority receives high marks for its operations and efficiency, Shultz said. The Airport Authority routinely solicits customer opinions through exit surveys of passengers arriving at Lindbergh Field and uses that information to improve airport operations.

Fort Rosecrans makes room for interment
The Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery is working to add about 3,800 interment spaces to keep a place close to home available for the families of deceased veterans.
With the cemetery already full and space available only for those who have previously reserved lots, the addition of a new columbarium will buy some time for the interment site in lieu of the completion of the Miramar Annex to Fort Rosecrans, slated for completion in early 2009, said Kirk Leopard, Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery director.
“Our goal is to make every effort to ensure that there is no gap in service between now and when Miramar opens,” Leopard said. “We want to make sure the veterans have a burial option here in San Diego County.”
About 800 niches remained in the current columbarium wall as of December 2007. The cost of the additions has not been determined. However, Navy and Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery officials met Jan. 9 to discuss the cost and construction schedule of the added columbarium at Fort Rosecrans, he said.
Interment spaces will fill even more quickly as families try to get a space for the remains of their loved ones before hitting full capacity, he added.
However, once completed, the Miramar Annex to Fort Rosecrans would return the casket and burial option to veterans for another 20 years, Leopard said.
Leopard said Navy officials are expected to issue an environmental impact report for the Miramar Annex. The document would outline efforts to mitigate impacts of the annex on the local environment. Progress on the annex has been slowed because of issues related to the impact of construction on habitats of the San Diego fairy shrimp and the California gnatcatcher, Leopard said.

Downtown is new focus of a worldwide market
San DieGO Downtown, a local public-private partnership created to promote all things downtown, has announced the launch of a Web site offering resources on just about everything you can use (and maybe some things you can’t) in your exploration of the city center.
The site, www.sdGOdowntown .com, includes downtown profiles, pictures and events listings and maps of the city core’s parking structures and neighborhoods. Visitors can also book hotel and airline reservations, rent transportation and arrange trips to downtown attractions.
Jack Berkman, president of downtown marketing firm Berkman, said he’s confident that the site will “significantly improve visibility for our downtown neighborhoods, making them choice destinations for San Diego residents and tourists alike.”
San DieGO Downtown, launched in 2005, was created to garner national awareness of San Diego’s core and Gaslamp Quarter. It’s funded through a variety of financial and in-kind contributions totaling $300,000 annually.