For local residents, the wait for the Ocean Beach Gateway Project — the key entryway to OB — is nearly over. Construction will begin in October on the park at the northwest corner of Sunset Cliffs and West Point Loma boulevards, nearly a decade after the first funds for the project were secured. “Obecians have donated money over the years for this. They’ve bought bricks and tiles [to bear their names as donors] and they’ve watched us put up signs,” said Ocean Beach Community Development Corporation (OBCDC) member Ann Kelsey. “[Now] people are going to see action there.” On June 21, the nonprofit OBCDC learned the City Council had allocated $241,000 for the project from Proposition 40, a state measure passed in 2002. That gave OBCDC a total of $722,188 — enough to begin phase-one design and building tasks for the project. “It’s really going to brighten up the entryway for Ocean Beach,” Kelsey said. “It really does lift people’s spirits when they’re driving home and into their own community and they can see that it’s beautiful.” Since receiving its first grant in 2002, OBCDC has garnered numerous donations from community members and local government funds alike to support the project. Of the current total, $20,000 came from county Supervisor Greg Cox’s Neighborhood Reinvestment Program and $100,000 came from District 2 City Councilman Kevin Faulconer and the city’s Community Development Block Grants program. “I support the Gateway Project because it will help revitalize the Ocean Beach community and will turn an existing empty lot into an attractive and welcoming gateway with an oasis of raised gardens, walkways and benches,” Faulconer said. “The gateway will also facilitate the safe transit of pedestrians, cyclists and handicapped between the adjacent recreational fields and sidewalks leading into Ocean Beach.” Now sitting on a vacant concrete and dirt lot, the Gateway Project will be a community park upon completion. The park will include open space, indigenous vegetation, benches, a public art plaza and connections between local bike paths. “This park is going to be what OB is really all about,” Kelsey said. “It’s not a big, bright sign. It’s not going to be a big industrial park. It really is going to reflect the people of Ocean Beach.” Phase one of the Gateway Project, which Kelsey said is close to 75 percent of the total work, is slated to be completed early next year. During that time, the OBCDC will need to raise $219,000 in additional funds to launch phase two of the project. This work would begin after phase one is finished, so long as the additionalº money is raised. “We’re an all-volunteer board and we need all the help we can get,” Kelsey said. “It’s not just a call for donations. It’s a call for action, and we’re always looking for volunteers.” One way locals can help support the Gateway Project — while grabbing a physical piece of OB in the process — is by purchasing a personalized brick on the park’s retaining wall. A brick can be purchased for a tax-deductible donation of $200 or $1,000. “You can buy a normal-size brick or a larger 12-inch tile and you can personalize it to own a part of Ocean Beach yourself,” Kelsey said. “You can put your family name or your business name.” For more information about the Gateway Project or the OBCDC, visit www.obcdc.org.