New Officers Take the Helm at First Board of Port Commissioners Meeting of 2007

The first Board of Port Commissioners meeting of 2007 was held on January 9 with a new slate of officers. I am honored to be serving as the Port of San Diego’s new Chairwoman and had the privilege of being sworn in by San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders in front of my family at a special swearing-in luncheon that same day. The Board’s new Vice-chair is Michael Bixler and the 2007 Secretary of the Board is Victor Vilaplana. On behalf of all of my fellow board members, we look forward to serving you.

We have an exciting year ahead of us as the Port continues with the good work set forth by my predecessor, Retired Admiral Robert “Rocky” Spane. As I stated in my swearing-in speech on January 9, I pledge to enhance partnerships with our working waterfront stakeholders, continue to maximize opportunities at the Port’s two cargo terminals and to work in concert with the Port’s member cities and communities.

The Port of San Diego has several high-profile projects underway and this year promises to be one of fulfillment. In addition to development projects, the Port will continue its work on the environmental front and will have the chance to witness nine environmental projects that were approved for funding last December come to fruition. I thank you all for the opportunity to serve as Chairwoman of the Board of Port Commissioners and if you have any concerns or comments, please feel free to contact me at srios@portofsandiego.org.

Also in this issue…

Port of San Diego Awarded Bronze-Level Prize through the California Awards for Performance Excellence Program

Permit Approved for San Diego Symphony and Viejas Concerts in Embarcadero Marina Park South

Port Sends out Call to Artists for Fourth Installment of Urban Trees Program

Port of San Diego Awarded Bronze-Level Prize through the California Awards for Performance Excellence Program

The Port of San Diego has been honored with a Bronze-level 2006 California Award for Performance Excellence (CAPE). The prestigious CAPE Award is awarded to companies and organizations that demonstrate performance excellence in key business areas.

The award is administered by the California Council for Excellence, a non-profit tax-exempt educational foundation whose mission is to help California’s private and public sector organizations achieve world-class results through the principles and criteria of the Malcolm Baldrige Award for Performance Excellence. Recipients included twenty-two California private and public organizations.

To apply for the award, the Port had to submit a 50-page Baldrige-based application. The application outlined the Port’s efforts in seven different categories – leadership; strategic planning; customer and market focus; measurement, analysis, and knowledge management; human resources focus; process management and results. CAPE examiners visited the Port in November to clarify and validate the information that was included in the application.

Permit Approved for San Diego Symphony and Viejas Concerts in Embarcadero Marina Park South

A permit was approved for the San Diego Symphony and its sub-tenant, Viejas Entertainment, to conduct concerts in Embarbarcadero Marina Park South. Several conditions were set in place. These include a reduction in the number of Viejas concerts from 23 to 11. The concerts will not include acts with a booming bass and the decibel level can only reach 95 for a period of 15 minutes. Rehearsals will be limited to two hours in the afternoon and the concerts will have a 10:00 p.m. curfew. Four concerts will be allowed to extend the curfew to 10:30. In addition to these conditions, the orchestra stage will be moved ten degrees slightly southwest. An independent hotline with an accurate reporting system will also be established. The Port will also impose fines to the Symphony if any of the conditions are violated. Fines will be $10,000 for the first occurrence, $15,000 for a second violation and $20,000 for the third. After a third violation, the Port will conduct a special Board meeting to determine whether or not to cancel the remaining concerts.

At the November 2006 Board of Port Commissioners meeting, Port staff was directed to locate and present sound-related technical and regulatory information that would assist in determining whether a permit should be granted. The action was a result of excessive sound complaints by Coronado residents regarding loud noise emanating from the Viejas concerts.

The Port retained a sound consultant to conduct sound testing and modeling in order to develop the recommendations for mitigating the impacts of concert sound levels.

Port Sends out Call to Artists for Fourth Installment of Urban Trees Program

The Port of San Diego is seeking artists to submit proposals for the fourth edition of its Urban Trees temporary sculpture program. In the project, artists are asked to create models of what their vision of a tree sculpture would be. The Port’s Public Art Committee will select 30 of the entries to be transformed into full-sized artworks. Artists will be given a $2,500 honorarium or design fee and will be supplied with a 12-foot pole set in a concrete planter to serve as the tree’s trunk. The artists can use their own creativity to hang, suspend, mount, weld, tie or otherwise modify the poles in any fashion, as long as safety requirements are met.

The sculptures will be installed along the North Embarcadero area of San Diego Bay. They will remain the property of the artist and can be sold or removed after the exhibition period has concluded. For more information on Urban Trees 4 or to download a brochure, visit www.portofsandiego.org/urbantrees or call (619) 686-7246.