Bird Rock has a beautiful, tranquil coastline, but it’s difficult to access and arduous to traverse the smooth, round rocks and boulders that form the beach. Bird Rock resident Claudia Anderson is a surfer who would like to see more access points to the coastline. She proposes building a staircase at Calumet Park to enable more people to visit the tide pools in Bird Rock. A well-worn dirt path currently leads from the park down to the beach. Anderson aired her suggestion at the Bird Rock Community Council (BRCC) meeting on March 2. “The question is, ‘What is Bird Rock?’” Anderson said. “We’re not just restaurants and shops. People are missing the fact that we have a great natural resource in our backyard — tide pools. Access to the beach will help bring people to visit Bird Rock. [The tide pools] will bring the right type of person who is an educated person interested in tide pools. They’ll shop in our stores.” BRCC member Felicia Parker said she is hesitant about the idea because she worries about the impact more people would have on the ecosystem of the tide pools. Anderson argued that the tide pools are a great resource for children to learn about marine life and oceanography. Other attendees at the meeting questioned whether the neighbors would want more visitors in their neighborhood. No city funding is currently available for the staircase. “If the proposal receives the support of the community groups, private funding would likely need to be identified before the project could proceed,” said Erin Demorest, spokeswoman for District 1 City Councilwoman Sherri Lightner. Meanwhile, the city is working to redesign the vista point at the end of Midway Street in La Jolla that is currently closed off. The city plans to install an iron fence, new benches and to landscape the area. The city has identified $65,000 of the estimated $125,000 needed, according to BRCC past-president Joe LaCava. The city needs to secure all the funding for the project before it can begin construction, which is estimated to start in late 2011. To voice your opinion about building a staircase at Calumet Park e-mail [email protected].
