Construction Back in La Jolla Shores: Crews to take over the streets until next summer
San Diego City field engineer Steve Lindsay provided the La Jolla Shores Association board (LJSA) with a schedule of construction work in the area’s public right-of-ways through next summer. Summarizing the situation, board chair Nick LeBeouf said, “The next five or six years in La Jolla Shores are going to be what we’ve experienced since 2013, and that’s the reality.”
Once the current water and sewer line replacements on Vallecitos Street next to Kellogg Park are completed, construction will resume once more on the western most block of Avenida de la Playa, space used by kayak companies to put their crafts to sea. While construction is underway in Avenida de la Playa, Vallecitos Street will be the improvised boat launch.
Work crews along Avenida de la Playa will replace a 108-inch recently-installed filter box damaged during a storm last winter and a 90-foot-long, 72-inch-wide water pipe. “It’s going to require significant work, although it’s expected to go quickly,” Lindsay said. To prevent the system from collapsing again, the city will install filters along the way to prevent large pieces of debris from traveling all the way to the filter box.
Once that’s done, constructions crews will move to La Jolla Shores Drive where another filter box will be installed. “We needed to figure out something that would allow the water to flow through during a larger storm. There’s just not enough room in Avenida de la Playa to put this type of thing off line, so the place that makes sense for it to be most effective is further down. It will collect all the pollutants and send the water on its way,” Lindsay explained.
Trustees calculated that once work is finished on Avenida de la Playa, San Diego Gas & Electric will underground utilities, and so the streets of the business district will be filled with construction work all the way until next summer’s construction moratorium, when streets are cleared for tourists and beach-goers.
Lindsey pointed out the inconvenience of doing this work during weather-event season. “I’d rather do it during the dry season, but it’s not an option because in the summer everyone comes to the Shores, so we have to deal with the weather events as they occur,” he said.
During the discussion, board member Izzy Tihanyi suggested the city install a smooth transition from the road to the sand at end of Avenida de la Playa. “We see vehicles getting stuck there all the time,” she explained. Lindsay welcomed her suggestion and replied that construction plans include a solution to the problem, “We have to be careful not to make it look like a ramp, because it’s not an American with Disabilities Act (ADA) ramp, but at the same time, will have to make sure it goes down smoothly.”
Lindsay told board members the city will work around the community events scheduled in the area in October.
La Jolla Shores construction to resume after summer »
In other LJSA news:
Ranger report: For the first time since the shoreline park ranger service (with four officers stationed for 13 miles of coastline parks from Sunset Cliffs to Torrey Pines) was created in January, Senior Park Ranger Mike Ruiz was in attendance to file a report. He said from Memorial Day to Labor Day, shoreline rangers issued eight parking citations and reported six infractions and two misdemeanors (one for alcohol consumption and one for illegal camping). The rangers made 195 dog violation, 38 alcohol, 43 smoking, 15 soliciting, and 32 tent-related contacts, and a total of 126 parking enforcements.
“In La Jolla Shores alone we could sit there spending out whole day doing parking citations, but we want to be more efficient with our time, particularly when we have 13 miles of shoreline to patrol,” Ruiz said. He added that the park rangers role fits perfectly between the lifeguards “who are busy saving lives,” and the police “who take care of major crimes. We don’t carry weapons, we are public service officers, not law enforcement officers. We can issue citations, and we do, but since it’s a new program, there’s a big focus on education, because since there hasn’t been a big enforcement component in the parks for quite a long time, we are spending a lot of our time teaching people the rules.”
Fall events: Art at La Jolla Shores will take place 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 25 at 2223 Avenida de la Playa. Artists will set up booths, and there will be entertainment and a raffle. The ninth annual Fall Fest is set for 3-6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 17 at Avenida de la Playa, with music, food, a jump house and a train ride for families. Kids and adults are encouraged to wear Halloween costumes. Tickets, $5 online or $10 onsite, include a ticket for the raffle.
Congratulations: LJSA board member Angie Preisendorfer was recently elected President of the La Jolla Shores Business Association.
New Facebook page: Those who wish to closely follow Shores activities can visit facebook.com/lajollashoresassociation
Next meeting agenda: At 6:30 Wednesday, Oct. 12 at 8840 Biological Grade, T29 Martin Johnson House, LJSA will host a discussion on the sea lion crisis at La Jolla Cove, the creation of a area Neighborhood Watch program and a subcommittee to monitor Scripps expansion plans. ljsa.org or ljsa.org@gmail.com
Back to Work! Community leaders begin tackling unfinished projects »
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