Fiscal year 2008-09 Budget Approved

The Board of Port Commissioners unanimously approved a $151.2 million budget at the July 1 Board meeting that will help the Port continue to be an economic engine for the region. This year's budget includes funds for major developments such as the North Embarcadero Visionary Plan, a project that will transform the San Diego Bay waterfront from Laurel Street to G Street with widened esplanades, public art, enhanced landscaping and improved roadways.

Other developments that were considered in the budget are the proposed hotel and convention center that is part of the Chula Vista Bayfront Master Plan, a project that will redevelop more than 550 acres of waterfront in Chula Vista with a mix of parkland, open space, ecological buffers, office/commercial, residential and cultural uses.

Projects that will improve the air quality around the Port's marine terminals also were accounted for in the new budget. This includes a project to replace older model trucks that do business at the Port's marine terminals with new trucks or helping to pay for retrofitting of older model trucks. It also includes a project that would provide shore-side power for ships that dock at the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal, eliminating the need to keep diesel ship engines running.

The Port's budgeted revenue is divided into two categories, operating and non-operating. Operating revenue for fiscal year 2008-09 is budgeted at $138.3 million. The bulk of that is from rent received from Port tenants. Rents in fiscal year 2008-09 are expected to be $88.6 million. The remaining operating revenue comes from fees and service charges, such as cruise ship passenger fees, dockage fees and wharfage revenue. In addition, other fees and service charges are expected to bring in $35.1 million. The Port also receives operating revenue from services it provides. About $13.8 comes from services, most of that is from a service agreement with the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority.

Non-operating revenues are budgeted to be $12.9 million. There are four sources of non-operating revenue for the Port. These include grant funding, terminal special facility fees, investment revenue and miscellaneous revenue.

Also in this issue…

Public Review Period for Revised Draft Environmental Impact Report for the Chula Vista Bayfront Master Plan Extended

Grand Opening of New Art Playground at Cesar Chavez Park in Chula Vista

Mega Yachts to Call on San Diego Harbor

Dedication of Urban Trees 5 on the Embarcadero

Spotlight on tenants: Restaurant news

Public Review Period for Revised Draft Environmental Impact Report for the Chula Vista Bayfront Master Plan Extended

The Port of San Diego has extended the public review period for the revised Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the Chula Vista Bayfront Master Plan. The Draft EIR was revised and recirculated for public review on May 23, 2008. The review period was due to expire on July 8, but because of an overwhelmingly large number of inquiries from citizens, organizations and wildlife agencies, and considering the size and complexity of the document, the Port of San Diego extended the review period. The new deadline is 5 p.m., Wednesday, August 7, 2008.

The revised Draft EIR addresses possible environmental effects from the proposed development within the Chula Vista Bayfront Master Plan. These include traffic, aesthetics, water and air quality, noise, land and water, biological resources and other factors.

The public may review the revised Draft EIR during normal business hours at the Office of the District Clerk, located in the Port's Administration Building at 3165 Pacific Highway, San Diego. The document can also be viewed on the Port's webpage. In addition, copies of the Draft EIR are available for review at the following public libraries:

• San Diego Public Library, Downtown/Central Branch, 820 E Street, San Diego
• San Diego County Library, South County Branch, 500 Third Avenue, Chula Vista
• Chula Vista City Library, Civic Center Branch, 365 F Street, Chula Vista
• Chula Vista City Library, South Chula Vista Branch, 389 Orange Avenue, Chula Vista
• Chula Vista City Library, Eastlake Branch, 1120 Eastlake Parkway, Chula Vista

Citizens partake in an open house event relating to the Chula Vista Bayfront Master Plan.

Grand Opening of New Art Playground at Cesar Chavez Park in Chula Vista

The Port of San Diego will be celebrating the grand opening of a new addition to Cesar Chavez Park in the Barrio Logan neighborhood of San Diego on Saturday, July 26. The new addition, called the "Ocean Circle" art play area, is located on the eastern portion of Cesar Chavez Park, a waterfront park that is located at Crosby Road and Cesar Chavez Parkway. The area previously contained a play structure, which had become weathered and was in disrepair. The Port removed the play structure and sent out a call for artists to design an art playground. InterPlay, Design, Inc., was selected by the Port's Public Art Committee to design the park. It includes a pelican boat sculpture with two slides on its stern, a climbing rock, a shark sculpture, a turtle sculpture and a sand sculpture that has a unique water feature that children can operate.

The park includes a rubber surface that is designed to reduce injuries from falls and is constructed of recycled tires. It is also compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements and is certified by the California Playground Safety Regulations.

The approximate cost of the art playground is $200,000, which was in the Port's Public Art Program budget. The Port of San Diego added a swingset, which cost about $65,000.

The new art playground in Cesar Chavez Park features this pelican boat play structure, swingset and other amenities. The rubber surface shown here was made from recycled tires.

Mega Yachts to Call on San Diego Harbor

The Port of San Diego is welcoming mega yachts to dock in the harbor of San Diego Bay. The luxurious vessels, which can reach lengths of up to 400 feet, are now able to tie up Mediterranean-style in an area of the bay between the Grape Street piers and the San Diego Maritime Museum.

A two-year agreement with San Diego Mooring Company, LLC, was approved at the July 1 Board of Port Commissioners meeting to manage the Mediterranean mooring operation. Mediterranean mooring is defined as a vessel docking perpendicular or stern side first as opposed to beside the pier. In addition to managing the moorings, San Diego Mooring Company will provide services to the vessels. These include assistance with anchoring, loading and unloading equipment and performing various miscellaneous services such as arranging for taxi service, rental cars and dinner reservations for the mega yacht clients.

The Port will be issuing a Request for Proposals during the two-year trial period to secure a long-term Mediterranean mooring operator.

A mega yacht docked at the North Embarcadero of San Diego Bay. The Port has begun a Mediterranean mooring operation where yachts like this will dock stern side first, as opposed to the way this yacht is shown. Mediterranean mooring will allow more room for additional mega yachts.

Dedication of Urban Trees 5 on the Embarcadero

If you've visited the North Embarcadero area of San Diego Bay lately, you may have noticed some activity associated with the Urban Trees sculptures. For the past few weeks, the Port has been working with the artists from Urban Trees 4 on removing their sculptures to make way for the installation of Urban Trees 5.

The idea for the Urban Trees exhibit was conceived in 2003 by the Port's Public Art Department and Public Art Committee. It began as a public art contest soliciting artists to design sculptural trees that would be located along the harbor for one year. Artists submitted models of what their sculptures would look like and the Public Art Committee selected 30 to be made into full sized sculptures.

The first exhibit was such a hit with the public that the Port decided to continue it annually. Since then, it has received international acclaim. It was written about in a Paris, France newspaper and featured in a documentary on local public network KPBS.

Many of the Urban Trees are for sale by the artists, and several are available to be loaned out for display in public or private settings.

The Port will officially dedicate Urban Trees 5 at 10 a.m. on Saturday, August 2, near the B Street Cruise Ship Terminal on Harbor Drive. The public is invited to participate in the festivities. Many of the artists will be on hand to answer questions and there will be refreshments and entertainment. The event will also feature the "Urban Trees Challenge" contest, where participants are given a list of clues and questions and must figure out the correct answer based on those clues. When the challenge is completely filled out, the participant can exchange it for a prize.

Some of the standouts in this year's exhibit include Stephen Fairfield's sculpture, "Tailwalking Suncatcher." This artwork of a 17-foot tall sail fish has blue plexiglass scales that catch the reflection of the sun, creating an ever-changing spectrum of color. Another unique sculpture is "Break-dancer" by artist Michael L. Barrows. His artwork personifies a dancer memorializing the 80s urban craze of break dancing. Frank Mando's sculpture, titled "Pele, the Goddess of Fire," is another unique Urban Tree. This 15-foot tall, cast aluminum and steel artwork is a breathtaking representation of the mythological fire goddess Pele.

Artist Kent Kraber's Urban Trees 5 sculpture "Imagine." The copper dragon sculpture is one of 31 Urban Trees that will be dedicated by the Port of San Diego on August 2.

Spotlight on tenants: Restaurant news

There are many excellent restaurants located on the tidelands. Most of them boast stunning views of San Diego Bay and provide a beautiful venue for special celebrations. Recently two new Port tenant restaurants opened and a third received a makeover.

Humphreys Restaurant on Shelter Island recently completed a remodel and has added a new menu to complement the restaurant's new décor. The new "global cuisine" is influenced by Asian, North African, American and other worldly fare that is enhanced by Executive Chef Paul Murphy's classical French training. Menu highlights include pan-roasted scallops, seared lemongrass-crusted swordfish and Sacramento sturgeon, in addition to a beef filet entrée. Chef Murphy has worked at several acclaimed restaurants including El Bizcocho at the Rancho Bernardo Inn and Delicias in Rancho Santa Fe. He was also the Sous Chef at Wolfgang Puck's restaurant, Postrio, in San Francisco and was the Chef de Cuisine at the five-diamond Ritz Carlton Hotel in San Francisco. Prior to joining Humphreys, he was the Executive Sous Chef at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Phoenix.

Check out Humphreys new menu or make reservations on their website.

The San Diego Marriott Hotel & Marina is excited about its new restaurant, Roy's. This location is the eighth of Chef Roy Yamaguchi's California restaurants. Roy's restaurants are known throughout the world for their innovative Hawaiian fusion cuisine characterized by fresh local ingredients, European sauces, bold Asian spices and fresh seafood.

Roy's San Diego menu features sushi, sashimi and signature dishes including hibachi grilled Atlantic salmon, Szechwan spiced barbecue baby back pork ribs and blackened island ahi.

The new 17,500 square foot location has seating for approximately 420 and is located at the San Diego Marriott Hotel & Marina. More information on the new San Diego location of Roy's is available online.

Diners enjoy the beautiful weather on the outdoor patio of Roy's at the San Diego Marriott Hotel & Marina.

Candela's on the Bay is now open in Coronado at the Ferry Landing Marketplace. This is the second location of the Mexico City-inspired eatery that has delighted diners in the Gaslamp district of downtown San Diego since 2004. Candela's on the Bay brings an international flair to the tidelands. The restaurant has incredible skyline views and an eclectic menu to complement the scenery. Candela's on the Bay offers plenty of seafood dishes such as a grouper filet, jumbo prawns, Chilean Sea Bass and pasta with lobster. There is also a wide selection for meat lovers, including a filet of beef and a ribeye steak.

Candela's on the Bay also offers catering service for weddings and other events. To find out more, or to view the menu and make reservations, visit the Candela home page.

The outside of Candela's on the Bay, now open in the Ferry Landing Marketplace in Coronado.