Point Loma Association’s (PLA) year-end dinner fundraiser offering ample community spirit, spectacular silent auction items, Dick Lareau’s “famous” video and political notables like Mayor Kevin Faulconer and state Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins will be Friday, Oct. 17 from 5:30 to 9 p.m. at Liberty Station Conference Center, 2600 Laning Road.
“It’s our annual dinner and our primary fundraiser to raise money to invest back into our community,” said PLA president Robert T. Jackson, noting the agenda begins with 1 ½ hours of cocktails and schmoozing, followed by a formal program and concluding with award presentations to various recipients for community beautification and the program-ending Lighthouse Award.
“The Lighthouse Award, given out since the ’90s, goes to the most exemplary leader of the year who has been the most productive and who has made a difference for the PLA along with the Point Loma community,” said Jackson.
Past Lighthouse Award recipients have included Faulconer, as well as Dorothea Laub and Celeste Trepte, PLA’s founder and a 50-year member of the organization.
Numerous beautification awards, including the top prize, the grand beautification award, are also presented.
“Beautification awards go to businesses within the community that have made an effort to better the exteriors, landscaping, decors and signage of their businesses and made them more attractive for the Village,” said Jackson.
The PLA Award Committee, led by Dick Lareau, is recognizing the following for their contributions toward beautifying and enhancing Point Loma: • Silvergate Yacht Club for its elegant new building; • Sweetaly Bakery and Bistro for its quaint outdoor patio area; • DeAnn Reynolds and Jerelyn Biehl, Canon St. Properties, for a remodel at 1101 and 1111 Scott Street, where Elegant Truffle and Pummaro are located (architects: Jim Wheeler and Gerry Wheeler); • Driscoll, Inc. for its work on Intrepid Landing, which affords a scenic pathway between Shelter Island and North Harbor; and
• Point Loma High School for its new art gallery for student work, an outdoor art gallery featuring murals and painted doorways, and the landscaping at the new entrance on Voltaire Street.
Other political notables at the affair will include county supervisors Greg Cox and Ron Roberts, City Councilmembers Ed Harris and Lorie Zapf, Naval Base Point Loma captain Howard Warner and Point Loma Submarine Base captain Gene Doyle.
Recapping 2014 and looking ahead to 2015, Jackson said it’s been a busy year and is expected to continue into the future.
“We accomplished a lot with the (recent) Nimitz Boulevard meeting,” he said, adding, “We’re putting together a long-range plan to improve the median on Nimitz Boulevard between Centraloma and Bernice Drive. We have a landscaper drawing up plans so we can get started on that.”
Jackson added PLA’s membership now stands at almost 1,800 families, figuring two group members per household.
The PLA formed in 1961 is an organization of residents and businesses committed to improving the quality of life of Point Loma through beautification, education, charitable activities and civic collaboration.
Originally called Point Loma Village Beautiful, the group was primarily concerned with the aesthetics of the Village.
Today, in addition to beautifying the Peninsula, PLA represents the community through direct involvement with federal, state and local governments, the Port District, the San Diego Unified School District, the Peninsula Community Planning Board and others who directly affect local quality of life.
Annual PLA membership cost is $30. The PLA dinner cost is $75 per person and $1,000 for a table of 10.
For more information, or for reservations, visit www.pointlomaassociation.com.