The Ocean Beach Community Development Corporation (OBCDC) is getting a jump on the New Year by welcoming new members to its board and starting work on Phase II of the North OB Gateway Project, which the city currently has out to bid. “We are eager to complete Phase II and glad it’s happening,” said Tom Perrotti, newly-elected president of the OBCDC. “It will give a beautiful entryway into Robb Field, probably one of the most utilized parks in San Diego.” The OB Gateway Project, which has been in the making since at least 1997, is located at Sunset Cliffs and West Point Loma boulevards. Phase I of the gateway project was unveiled in January and features a new public plaza, shade trees, bike racks, a water fountain, and sidewalk and crosswalk improvements.?Phase II of the project is to include an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant pathway that connects with Robb Field, irrigation and lighting on the bottom half of the entryway, planting of native/drought-tolerant vegetation, removal of the fencing blocking the entryway to Robb Field and construction of retaining walls and art stands to house local artwork, according to Ann Kelsey, OBCDC board member. When complete, the project is ex-pected to cost $650,000 with funds coming from the city, county, Hervey Family Fund and private donations. The OBCDC also has a new executive board and two new members on its board of directors. The new executive board is made up of Perrotti as president, Craig Richardson as vice president, Brian Pottenger as treasurer and Jill Chorak as secretary. Perrotti and Pottenger have both been on the board for over seven years. Pottenger is past president and he and Perrotti and have been instrumental in seeing the North OB Gateway project to fruition, according to Kelsey. “Brian, Craig and Jill all bring landscape architecture/engineering backgrounds to the executive board and will be instrumental in the completion on the gateway, as well as on future projects that the OBCDC takes on,” Kelsey said. Two members new to the OBCDC board are Larry Wasserman and Steve Haynes. Wasserman has served on the Ocean Beach Town Council and has been a longtime OB resident. Haynes is a local attorney and will assist with the oversight of the organization’s low-income housing and other projects moving forward, Kelsey said. Other members on the board are Dave Martin, Shaina Gross, Khris Tabaknek and Kelsey. The OBCDC meets at 6:30 p.m. on the third Tuesday of every month at the Ocean Beach Recreation Center. The public is invited to attend or contact the OBCDC with any questions. For more information, visit www.obcdc.org.