The Midway Community Planning Group in July debated whether or not to continue to seek a private security company to increase surveillance in the largely commercial-industrial Midway District, before opting to continue to pursue that objective.
“We need to talk about the business improvement district funds and the (enhanced) security project,” said group chair Cathy Kenton, who had some bad news for the group on the effort.
“The City Attorney’s office came back and informed us there would have to be a limitation in the contract with the (private) security service,” Kenton said, adding, “We were also told that that security could only be provided in the public right-of-way with letters of intent.”
Kenton questioned whether that was an acceptable condition. She suggested the group ought to consider “pulling our authority (previously given) to move forward on this project.”
Midway has been looking into reconstituting a dues-paying business improvement district. One that existed several years ago in the North Bay has long since disbanded. Kenton estimated there is about $70,000 in previously collected fees from the defunct North Bay bid, which must be reused in prescribed ways for business improvement in the area.
Though she has serious reservations about spending that bid money on adding security now, when doing so could only be done in the public right-of-way, Kenton concluded, “I would prefer not to just drop [security], or table it, for the time being.”
MCPG voted in favor of continuing to consider adding private security.
The group also announced it will not meet in August. MCPG meets the third Wednesday of the month from 3 to 5 p.m. at San Diego Community College.
West City Campus, 3249 Fordham St., Room 208.