Restoration leaves Balboa Park jewel ‘better than before’

Anthony King | Downtown News Assistant Editor

Elected officials and civic leaders joined the public in celebrating the completion of repairs, restoration and renovation to Balboa Park’s lily pond on Monday, Feb. 25, highlighting the city’s ability to collaborate and unite over a common cause.

“The real story here is not necessarily the upgrade of the lily pond, but how San Diegans came together to pitch in for a beloved community asset that was threatened,” Council President Todd Gloria said at the 9:30 a.m. event. Balboa Park is in the City’s third district, which Gloria represents.

“It’s a reflection of how passionate San Diegans are about their park and what can be accomplished when that passion is translated into the act of giving,” Gloria said. “The lily pond is restored because of the collective improvement of the greater community.”

The pond was damaged Aug. 12, 2012 after a group estimated to be between 1,000 and 2,000 people met in the park at night for a water-gun fight. What was scheduled as a fun event turned into one that caused extensive damage to the lily pond, after several people got into the pond and surrounding flowerbeds.

Plants inside the pond’s lily boxes were damaged, as was the structure’s draining system, causing significant water loss. A second structure – the main fountain in the center of the Plaza de Panama – was also broken. Initial estimates reported approximately $10,000 worth of damages to park facilities.

While there are currently no arrests or charges filed from the vandalism that took place on Aug. 12, Mayor Bob Filner told attendees at the Feb. 25 celebration he hopes those at fault can still be brought to justice, adding he would like to “get them to actually do some work for the community, and not just destroy it.”

Saying he was thankful for the community effort, Filner acknowledged Friends of Balboa Park founder Betty Peabody for her organization’s part in helping with the repairs. The Friends of Balboa Park became stewards of the donations raised following the damage.

Peabody said the pond offers visitors a place of “peaceful tranquility” and “quiet reflection.” She also said the Aug. 12 damage was “probably not deliberate.”

“Public reaction was swift and intense,” she said, adding that after the Park and Recreation Department’s initial assessment, “deeper damage” was discovered in the pond.

The majority of repairs occurred throughout the winter, with the living plants relocated to temporary homes in order to complete the work. The pond was drained, and repairs continued.

Twenty-seven new plant boxes were then placed in the empty pond, which now house both existing and new varieties of lily and lotus plants. The repairs, which lasted three weeks, cost approximately $50,000.

“I’m so happy to see all the work that has been done, not only to repair the damage from that incident but to maintain and upgrade the elements of the lily pond,” Gloria said. “The lily pond is in better shape than it was before the damage occurred.”

A major donor to the lily pond repairs and restoration, San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) was also represented at the re-opening celebration. Frank Urtasun, SDG&E regional vice president of external affairs, complimented the groups who came together to raise the needed funds.

“We can all be proud that we worked together to repair this landmark,” Urtasun said. “We can also be thankful that we live in a community that unites to promote the common good through civic cooperation and shared responsibility.”

Much of the talk at the celebration was focused on the future, where Filner said the repairs and restoration are indicative of what the city has planned for the upcoming Balboa Park centennial celebration.

“We are preparing the way for an even greater event, and that is the 2015 centennial,” Filner said. “It is going to be an incredible celebration.”

A commemoration of the 100-year anniversary of the Balboa Park expedition of 1915, the centennial celebration is being touted as a year long, anniversary event that will focus on what many call the City’s “crown jewel.”

“Coming together is what this is all about,” Filner said. “That’s what Balboa Park represents to our city. It’s where everybody comes together.”