Projects at La Jolla Shores Hotel and Pottery Canyon get support from La Jolla Shores Association

A lawn extension completed this year at the La Jolla Shores Hotel got a unanimous thumbs-up from the La Jolla Shores Association during the board’s Nov. 10 virtual meeting.

Chuck Merriman, guest relations manager for the 51-year-old hotel at 8110 Camino del Oro, said the lawn extension outside the hotel’s restaurant on the beach-facing property has already taken place, with much of the work completed by July 1.

He said more work will be done in the future on the south lawn.

Merriman said the previous landscaping “was there for a long time but probably wasn’t the nicest or the most friendly and welcoming.”

The 14-foot-6-inch extension, covering “an easement from our property line out to the sidewalk at the beach,” required a temporary outdoor business permit that was obtained earlier this year, Merriman said.

“We all agree it looks a lot more beautiful,” he said. “The landscaping I think gives it a much more aesthetic appeal and a much better attraction for the La Jolla Shores region as a whole.”

LJSA board member Phil Wise said “it looks fantastic. It’s very enjoyable to eat outside. It doesn’t detract at all and it’s great for the community. It’s great for visitors. It just expands the dining opportunity.”

Other LJSA news

The La Jolla Shores Association gave support to a subcommittee’s efforts to raise funds for Pottery Canyon cleanup.

(File)

Pottery Canyon: A motion to support the efforts of a fundraising committee to raise $100,000 for a Pottery Canyon cleanup and rehabilitation by the nonprofit San Diego Canyonlands passed unanimously.

Following a presentation last month on the need to eliminate dead trees and brush that pose a fire hazard in Pottery Canyon, an LJSA subcommittee headed by board member Dede Donovan determined that a two-phase cleanup is needed to improve the natural park, which falls within the boundaries of La Jolla Shores.

The first phase, which would take place now through March 1, would involve lacing, or pruning and shaping, standing trees, clearing fallen trees and removing dead shrubbery, Donovan said.

The second phase, planned for March 1 through the end of 2022, would focus on the removal of invasive species and restoration of native species of brush.

The two phases are expected to cost a total of $100,000, Donovan said. The money would go to Canyonlands, which is approved by the city of San Diego for a right-of-entry permit to take on the work and volunteer training.

Shores resident Alina Mullen, who lives on the rim of Pottery Canyon and has volunteered to head the fundraising campaign, said she and other committee members will “do some canvassing of our neighbors to help that fundraising effort, as well as look into corporate matching and donations.”

Mullen said she hopes to achieve the project’s fundraising goal within a month. “There’s only a certain amount of time where we can go in and do this [cleanup, as Pottery Canyon is] a nature preserve, so there are breeding seasons for the hawks, owls and other … protected species,” she said.

The longer-term fundraising goal is a $500,000 endowment for the maintenance of Pottery Canyon, to go to a nonprofit such as Enhance La Jolla or Friends of La Jolla Shores that is capable of administering large sums of money, Mullen said.

New trees in Kellogg Park: A project to plant new trees in Kellogg Park received a funding boost as Shores resident Bill Allen said he would donate $500 after learning the project was short by that amount.

The effort to replace trees lost to infestation and other reasons began in 2019 and received LJSA approval in April this year after delays related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The Sunrise Rotary gave us a wonderful $3,000 donation to plant and replace trees in Kellogg Park,” said LJSA board member Terry Kraszewski. She and board member Mary Coakley Munk purchased the trees in April and worked with the San Diego Parks & Recreation Department to determine where to plant them.

“We were told at that time that Parks & Rec were going to pay for the irrigation system, which was fantastic,” Kraszewski said. She added that she was told a few weeks ago that the trees would be planted this month.

But she said she more recently received an email saying “that Parks & Rec no longer has funds available for the irrigation system. They’re telling us we need to come up with $1,492 for the irrigation system in order to plant our trees.”

Kraszewski said leftover tree money from Sunrise Rotary covers about $1,000 of the cost and that the club approved its use for the irrigation system. However, that left the project almost $500 short, she said.

Allen said he would make up the difference with his $500 donation.

The La Jolla Shores Association heard an update on safety during its Nov. 10 meeting.

(Elisabeth Frausto)

Shores safety update: San Diego police Lt. Rick Aguilar said having a second daytime beach team was “one of the things that worked” to increase local safety during the summer, along with having 10 additional officers from other police divisions assist the Northern Division’s efforts.

Aguilar said beach team staffing has now returned to normal, with officers on duty from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. He said he’s trying to shift the hours to noon to 10 p.m. to provide coverage later at night.

He said police have been getting complaints about drag racers in La Jolla and that he is trying to obtain enforcement coverage for the areas where there are complaints.

Aguilar urged residents who see or hear drag racers to call the police non-emergency line at (619) 531-2000.

He said speeding is the No. 1 complaint in The Shores and that “we are going to start enforcing very heavily regarding the La Jolla Shores area,” using radar-trained officers who will be working overtime.

“We want to make sure that ... the community is safe for everyone out there,” Aguilar said.

Steve Hadley, representing San Diego City Councilman Joe LaCava, whose District 1 includes La Jolla, said LaCava’s office has asked city traffic engineers to check the signal timing at Torrey Pines Road and Torrey Pines Lane. During rush hour, parents of students at the nearby Children’s School have “barely enough time to turn left in and out of that area, and I know that affects other traffic as well,” Hadley said.

He said traffic engineers wanted to communicate with “the provider who actually helps the city with that automated signal timing that adjusts in real time for traffic coming through at each hour of the day.”

Board election: Five seats will be available in LJSA’s March board election with five members’ terms expiring, secretary Charlie Brown said. The current members are permitted to run, along with anyone else interested, he said.

Candidates must return the proper forms by Saturday, Jan. 8, Brown said. For more information, visit bit.ly/3FaIK2U.

Next meeting: The La Jolla Shores Association will not meet in December. The next meeting is at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 12, online. To learn more, visit lajollashoresassociation.org. ◆