city council district 6    v corona del mar & newport coast

Nancy Gardner 

council member   v  newport beach, california

newsletter:  MARCH 2014

COMING UP THIS YEAR
There's always a lot going on in our city.  In addition to what I highlighted last month:

SUNSET RIDGE AND MARINA PARK— high visibility projects that are finally underway.  Speaking of Marina Park, it's surprising how big the area is without the trailers.  You don't really get a sense of it driving by.  This will have a heavy marine orientation in terms of activities.

WEST NEWPORT COMMUNITY CENTER—Although there will be no groundbreaking this year, we should decide on a location for a community center in West Newport.  This would replace the one on          15th Street and include a basketball court as well as many of the amenities of the Oasis fitness center.

NEWPORT PIER—After some discussion, it was decided to continue with a restaurant, so we should see the selection of a tenant and possibly construction.

LOWER CASTAWAYS—Access to the bay is always welcome, and Lower Castaways should be open to the public soon for kayak and paddleboard launches as well as a hub for cyclists. Meanwhile, the Harbor Commission is working on the larger concept.

TREES—The Parks, Beaches and Recreation Commission will be working on a review of our tree policies, and we have increased our tree budget so that we can plant more.

Mayor Hill has resurrected the idea of a water taxi which will be studied by the Harbor Commission.  We have reviewed it before, and at that time, the conclusion was that it couldn't be done without city subsidies.  If it's the same conclusion this time,  then we will need to decide 1) if the city wants to subsidize transportation and 2) if we do, is a water taxi the best place for our money, or would there be greater parking and traffic benefits with some sort of ground transport like trams.  The problem with both is our layout.  For a tram system, you almost have to have two systems, one for each side of the bay, and for a water taxi, you've got to have a good number of boats because of the length of the harbor.   We'll see what the Harbor Commission advises.

FLOATING DOCKS
Another Mayor Hill initiative is floating docks, small docks that can cluster a larger number of boats in a smaller space.   The idea is to consolidate part of the mooring fields to provide more open water for harbor activities and to provide better facilities for mooring holders.  Concerns expressed so far include water quality, view blockage and noise.  Again, we'll see what the Harbor Commission advises.

LIFE GUARDS
Since there are still yard signs I'm assuming not everyone knows that we will not be outsourcing the CdM guards.  After reviewing the proposals, there were no savings.  I realize the process is uncomfortable since no one likes to be the subject of possible outsourcing, but the exercise is helpful in determining areas where the private sector is not the better option.  

FUTURE TOPIC SUGGESTIONS

This is a two-way process, so please don’t hesitate to contact me with your ideas and opinions.  My email address for city business is: NGardner@newportbeachca.gov. Don’t worry if you forget it. I’ll still be using the AOL one, too.

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Council Member Nancy Gardner