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Thursday January 16, 2014
San Diego Community Newspaper Group
www.SDNEWS.com Volume 28, Number 2
North OB Gateway project boggs down because of contractor-search problem BY TONY DE GARATE | THE BEACON The North Ocean Beach Gateway project won’t be completed until this summer at the earliest because of difficulty locating a contractor to construct the second phase, city officials told members of the Ocean Beach Community Development Corporation during a regular OBCDC meeting Jan. 9. The news provoked exasperation and an extended tongue-lashing from some board members — and at least one wondered out loud if the rest of the project should be scrapped before its swelling budget threatens other projects in the community. The project’s first phase — a quarteracre, mini-park at the corner of Sunset Cliffs and West Point Loma boulevards — was completed two years ago this month at a cost of more than $845,000. A paved, wheelchair-accessible path was to sprout from the north side, meander along the property where Anthony’s Restaurant once stood and connect to
Visitors to the San Diego Sunroad Boat Show, which runs from Thursday, Jan. 23 through Sunday, Jan. 26 on Harbor Island, can explore the boats exhibited on the docks. Photos by Nicole Sours Larson I The Beacon
Annual SD Boat Show to return to Sunroad Marina for 4-day shindig BY NICOLE SOURS LARSON | THE BEACON San Diego’s recent balmy weather offers a promising outlook for this year’s larger-than-ever San Diego Sunroad Boat Show, which showcases the newly upgraded marina, its slips and yacht center with six brokerages, located at 955 Harbor Island Drive on the east — or downtown end — of Harbor Island. The show runs from Thursday, Jan. 23 through Sunday, Jan. 26, with hours from noon to 6 p.m. on Thursday and Friday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The winter boat show, now in its
25th year and fifth year at Sunroad, provides visitors the opportunity to experience more than 130 sail and powerboats in every price range and size from trailerable 20-foot boats to yachts over 100 feet, said show manager Jim Behun, who doubles as the marina’s general manager. “There are more in-the-water boats than ever before, with a good balance between sail and power,” said Behun. “All the major sailboat lines, including some big catamarans, plus numerous powerboat lines, local boatyards and boating-related vendors, will be at the SEE BOATS, Page 7
Now that 2013 is in the rear-view mirror, community activists in Point Loma and Ocean Beach are looking forward to the new year and anticipating what 2014 may bring in terms of wish lists and more solid goals. Here are a few thoughts by prominent coastal residents who offered up their visions of what they’d like to see happen in the new year.
…. Nicole Burgess, a cycling advocate and activist who serves as secretary of the Peninsula Community Planning Board (PCPB), not unsurprisingly had her favorite mode of travel in mind when presenting her 2014 wish list when she said, “Let’s talk bikes: Ciclosdias in PB — March 9; Bike share coming to downtown and the Peninsula soon; BikeSD endorses David Alvarez; myself and many students will be on
SEE GATEWAY, Page 5
Once-rebellious skateboarder, severely hurt in 2006 crash, discovers kinder, gentler life Artistic pursuit helped heal brain, made him ‘a nicer person’ BY MARSHA KAY SEFF | THE BEACON
This year’s San Diego Sunroad Boat Show show is larger than ever, featuring about 130 boats ranging from 20 to over 100 feet and over 100 vendors, most in a large tent adjacent to the in-the-water boat display.
Activists, community leaders espouse visions for 2014 BY DAVE SCHWAB | THE BEACON
Robb Field in the second phase. A year ago, the city put the second phase out to bid for an estimated cost of $150,000 and expected completion date of August 2013, documents show. Officials now seek a budget of $400,000, plus an additional $50,000 for contingencies, said Mark Nassar, deputy director of the city’s Public Works Department, Architectural Engineering and Parks Division. Board members also raised eyebrows when Nassar disclosed that, of the $200,000 budgeted for the project so far, $75,000 has been eaten up by “soft costs” to pay for staff time and a design firm consultant. “I’m extremely upset,” said board treasurer Dave Martin. “It makes no sense that we can’t get this done.” Nasser and Elif Cetin, the project’s senior civil engineer, tried to explain why the city has been spinning its wheels in frustration for the last year. They said that twice the city has failed
Nimitz (Boulevard) and Centraloma at 8 a.m. next week.” Burgess said she’d also like to see “opportunities to make our neighborhoods safer, more beautiful and more enjoyable. There’s an opportunity at OB Elementary to create an absolutely beautiful and more effective type of crosswalk rather than the current proposed one.” SEE VISIONS, Page 4
From self-described “skateboard punk” to accomplished artist, Kyle Bowen has steered through obstacles that could have brought his future to a screeching halt. He admits that, as a teenager, his life was all about skateboarding. “I wasn’t a great person — smoking, drinking and stealing,” Bowen said. Then, at 17, his skateboard collided with a parked car and the Point Loma native suffered severe head injuries. After the accident, he said he suffered from paranoid schizophrenia, easily influenced by “conspiracy theories,” with life becoming challenging, confusing and frightening. “It wasn’t a fun time,” he said. And his mother, a holistic practitioner, couldn’t account for Bowen’s drastic downward spiral until she finally heard about the accident from a friend of her son’s. Bowen admits he never
Kyle Bowen shows off some of his artistic work. Photo by Marsha Kay Seff I The Beacon
confided in his mother about the crash because he hadn’t been wearing the required helmet. Once she had the missing link to explain Bowen’s behavioral changes, thermal imaging of the brain revealed he has suffered extensive left-side brain SEE ARTIST, Page 5