The most recent “meeting of the minds” between Point Loma and Ocean Beach community leaders, which took place recently at Shades Oceanfront Bistro, bodes well of things to come.
“We brought both sides of the hill together,” said Dave Martin, Shades owner, OB MainStreet Association board member and past president of Ocean Beach Town Council (OBTC).
“This really was a great first step,” noted Robert T. Jackson, chair of the Point Loma Association (PLA), an organization of residents and businesses committed since 1961 to improving the quality of life of Point Loma through beautification, education, charitable activities and civic collaboration.
“It was the first (such) get-together we’ve had in many years, at least since the ‘80s,” said Jackson pointing out it was a great opportunity to bring community representatives together to compare notes and talk about mutual undertakings that can benefit both sides of the hill on the Peninsula.
Other groups represented at the parley included the Ocean Beach Community Development Corporation (OBCDC), a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the vibrancy of Ocean Beach; the OB Community Foundation, which supports community initiatives involving education, youth sports and public safety; and the Ocean Beach Planning Board, the group recognized by the city of San Diego to speak on land use and development issues.
One such joint, cooperative project between the two communities which was discussed collaboratively at the Feb. 25 meeting is ongoing beautification and maintenance of freeway medians off Interstate 5 heading into Ocean Beach and Point Loma.
Nonprofits PLA and OBCDC have teamed for years to create attractive freeway medians heading into the peninsula. Both groups are now working to build on that solid foundation and want to see that effort expanded to eventually embrace the entire area freeway median system.
“The $5,000 annual cost of maintaining landscaping on those medians is becoming quite a burden,” said Martin. “The PLA is offering to help us get landscapers, as well as carrying a little bit of the cost.”
“We’re going to continue the dialogue on getting those medians restored,” said Jackson. “They’re dying out, don’t have irrigation. We’re going to try and partner on that project with OBCDC.”
Asked why there hasn’t been more networking done between the Peninsula’s two communities, Jackson said he wasn’t sure.
“Maybe it’s because people’s goals and missions may be different,” he said. “We’d like to change that because we’re all the same peninsula. We do share common ground. We need to all work together to accomplish a common goal, which is to just make our communities a great place to live.”
Though the details have yet to be worked out, Martin said leaders of the five community groups are talking about hosting regular meetings once again.
“We talked about doing them quarterly,” Martin said. “The next one is going to be in Point Loma on the other side of the hill.”
For more information, visit www.plaweb.org, www.oceanbeach-planning.org, www.obcdc.org, www.obtowncob.com/.