{"id":236081,"date":"2013-03-06T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2013-03-06T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sdnews.com\/community-celebrates-lily-pond-reopening\/"},"modified":"2013-03-06T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2013-03-06T08:00:00","slug":"community-celebrates-lily-pond-reopening","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/community-celebrates-lily-pond-reopening\/","title":{"rendered":"Community celebrates lily pond reopening"},"content":{"rendered":"

Restoration leaves Balboa Park jewel \u2018better than before\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

Anthony King | Downtown News Assistant Editor<\/strong><\/p>\n

Elected officials and civic leaders joined the public in celebrating the completion of repairs, restoration and renovation to Balboa Park\u2019s lily pond on Monday, Feb. 25, highlighting the city\u2019s ability to collaborate and unite over a common cause.<\/p>\n

\"Community<\/a>
The fully restored Balboa Park lily pond just before the rededication on Feb. 25. (Photo by Anthony King)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThe 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,\u201d Council President Todd Gloria said at the 9:30 a.m. event. Balboa Park is in the City\u2019s third district, which Gloria represents.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s 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,\u201d Gloria said. \u201cThe lily pond is restored because of the collective improvement of the greater community.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Plants inside the pond\u2019s lily boxes were damaged, as was the structure\u2019s draining system, causing significant water loss. A second structure \u2013 the main fountain in the center of the Plaza de Panama \u2013 was also broken. Initial estimates reported approximately $10,000 worth of damages to park facilities.<\/p>\n

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 \u201cget them to actually do some work for the community, and not just destroy it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Community<\/a>
A partial list of donors who contributed to the lily pond’s renewal after vandals caused $10,000 worth of damage in August of 2012. Friends of Balboa Park organized the gathering of funds which paid for repairs. (Photo by Anthony King)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Saying he was thankful for the community effort, Filner acknowledged Friends of Balboa Park founder Betty Peabody for her organization\u2019s part in helping with the repairs. The Friends of Balboa Park became stewards of the donations raised following the damage.<\/p>\n

Peabody said the pond offers visitors a place of \u201cpeaceful tranquility\u201d and \u201cquiet reflection.\u201d She also said the Aug. 12 damage was \u201cprobably not deliberate.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPublic reaction was swift and intense,\u201d she said, adding that after the Park and Recreation Department\u2019s initial assessment, \u201cdeeper damage\u201d was discovered in the pond.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m 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,\u201d Gloria said. \u201cThe lily pond is in better shape than it was before the damage occurred.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can all be proud that we worked together to repair this landmark,\u201d Urtasun said. \u201cWe can also be thankful that we live in a community that unites to promote the common good through civic cooperation and shared responsibility.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Community<\/a>
A new sign warning passersby to respect the lily pond. (Photo by Anthony King)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are preparing the way for an even greater event, and that is the 2015 centennial,\u201d Filner said. \u201cIt is going to be an incredible celebration.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u2019s \u201ccrown jewel.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cComing together is what this is all about,\u201d Filner said. \u201cThat\u2019s what Balboa Park represents to our city. It\u2019s where everybody comes together.\u201d<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Restoration leaves Balboa Park jewel \u2018better than before\u2019 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\u2019s lily pond on Monday, Feb. 25, highlighting the city\u2019s ability to collaborate and unite over a common cause. \u201cThe real […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":726,"featured_media":236082,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"Community celebrates lily pond reopening","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[11547,11551,11600],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-236081","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","category-news","category-sdnews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/236081","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/726"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=236081"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/236081\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/236082"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=236081"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=236081"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=236081"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}