Broadway Pier Cruise Ship Terminal Moves Forward with Public Art Approval and Additional Funding Requests

Wednesday, 03 September 2008

Port plans to seek funding assistance through naming rights

The Port of San Diego will be moving forward on a project to seek naming rights to assist with funding the new cruise ship terminal that will be built on Broadway Pier. At Tuesday's Board of Port Commissioners meeting, the Board gave approval for staff to move forward with a nationwide Request for Proposals (RFP) to solicit firms that may be interested. The RFP would offer a sponsorship opportunity with brand name recognition focused on the new terminal building.

The Board of Port Commissioners also approved Capital Development funds to be used for the project's construction. Originally the cost was estimated at $23.65 million, but the increasing costs of construction materials combined with the terminal's refined concept have pushed the estimate to nearly $28 million.

The public art element of the project was also approved. New York artist Leni Schwendinger of Leni Schwendinger Light Projects, Ltd. was selected to incorporate art into the project. She will also be working on the North Embarcadero Visionary Plan, a joint project between the Port, Centre City Development Corporation and the City of San Diego. The materials for the Broadway Pier Cruise Ship Terminal artwork include acrylic and glass panels in a seafoam green color. Artistic lighting will enhance the building's architecture by casting reflections of dancing water on the concrete.

Carnival Corporation has provided the Port with a $12 million loan to help with construction costs. The Port's Capital Development Program (CDP) budget will also help pay for construction. This will be accomplished by using about $10 million from the Carnival loan and allocated funds from the CDP budget.

The Port will also be implementing shore power for use at either the B Street or Broadway Pier. This type of power, termed "cold ironing", allows a cruise ship to turn off its diesel engines and plug into "clean" power on the shore. The Port was awarded $2.4 million in grant funding to assist with paying for the shore power equipment. To comply with the grant funding, it must be implemented by 2011.

Over the past 12 months, the Port worked with various city, state and federal agencies as well as the cruise lines and other stakeholders on refining the design concept. Multiple public outreach meetings were held to seek the public's input and to balance their needs with the needs of the cruise lines.

The terminal building keeps much of the same innovative shape as the design shown in previous meetings, but was streamlined to incorporate energy-conserving components and additional public access. The "sawtooth" roof design is still there, and it will be the foundation for the photo voltaic system (solar panels). The Port entered into a unique partnership with San Diego Gas & Electric for running the system which will deliver power to the terminal and to the area's power grid. Other features include the use of low emitting materials and finishes and recycling of the construction debris.

The Port intends to make this project a silver level LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) project and will be seeking grant funding through the Port's Environmental Grants Program.