Ahoy!
The yellow ribbon was cut so the multimillion dollar project is finally finished, finis, finito after five years of work that was authorized back in 1995. This project is a perfect example of public–private partnership among the feds, state, county, city, Water Quality Control Board, Irvine Co., and local organizations such as the Orange County Coastkeepers.
What am I talking about?
The who’s who of Newport Harbor that was there last Saturday at the Peter and Mary Muth Interpretive Center for the ribbon cutting signaling the completion of the Upper Bay dredging project. Overlooking the Back Bay, the center was the perfect setting, with summer-like weather for the festivities with Orange County Supervisor John Moorlach as the master of ceremonies.
Those who spoke at the podium included Rep. Ed Royce, U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Army Corps of Engineers Col. Mark Toy, Newport Beach Mayor Keith Curry, and a few others. Also in attendance was a quorum of past and present City Council members along with Harbor Resources Manager Chris Miller, Jack and Nancy Skinner, Boathouse Radio Show Manager Chandler Bell, fellow Newport Indy columnist Jim Fitzpatrick, and many others who I always enjoy seeing at these events.
“Welcome to Newport Beach on a very glorious summer day,” joked Moorlach as opened the ceremony. He continued, “we are saving a national resource, a wonderful place for all to visit.”
If you have never seen John preside over an event then you area missing his humorous style. The speeches lasted for just under an hour and Sen. Feinstein mentioned, “It is a great thing for me to be here and let me tell you why. As a former mayor you usually start a project but may not see it finish. For this project, I was here at the start!” She also mentioned that “Upper Newport Bay is one of the last marine habitats and clearly this is a rich resource.”
Many locals were wondering why the Upper Bay was being dredged while the Lower Bay, the economic engine of the region, remains in dire need of dredging. Well, the Upper bBay dredging not only carved the water depths lower and created an island for the birds, but it also created two huge catch basins.
Prior to this project, the catch basins would fill up and then maintenance crews would have to manually clean them out. The basins are designed to catch the sediment flowing toward the harbor before it gets there. Thanks to an Irvine Co. donation of additional land, the two new basins will not have to maintained for more than 20 years. This is allows the dredging in the Lower Bay to begin next summer.
“Funding has been secured to start the dredging in the Lower Bay,” Curry told the audience. Additionally, Keith told me, “the city lead the project, and the Upper Bay is the crown jewel of the City.”
It was a pleasure meeting Col. Toy, who grew up in Huntington Beach and was married in Newport Beach, and so has a personal connection to the harbor.
“Being from Southern California, I know how important this program is and how important for the beautiful restoration – plus this is my home.” The colonel has been stationed here for only four months, but he will be playing a major role in the Lower Bay dredging and we will remain in touch for future updates from the Army Corps of Engineers.
However, the mayor said it all: “We should go back decades and thank Fran and Frank Robertson who fought a good fight for what we have today.”
Now, I cannot wait for summer and the dredging to resume.
Tip of the week is my last week’s column I wrote about decorating your boat for the Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade. Well, good news from Harbor Commission Chairman Donald Lawrenz: “While the Christmas Boat Parade is a Newport Beach tradition, sometimes boaters anchor or refuse to adequately clear the fairways and channels. The City of Newport Beach does have the power to keep these local inland channels clear through its municipal ordinances. The Orange County Sheriff’s Department enforces these rules on the water on behalf of the city. While, we are all there to have fun, we have to keep the channels and turning areas clear for larger vessels to maneuver safely and let everyone enjoy the visual excitement of watching the parade.”
In other words, City Manager Dave Kiff has conveyed to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, the authority to enforce Newport Beach Municipal Code section 17.20.020(c), which allows the Harbor Patrol to legally remove any vessels impeding the parade. Good move, Dave.
And don’t forget: Tune in to the No. 1 boating radio talk show in the nation, Capt. Mike Whitehead’s Boathouse Radio Show, broadcasting coast-to-coast on the CRN Digital Talk Radio syndicated network every Saturday at noon, Pacific Time. Join Chandler Bell and me as we talk about “all things boating.” You can find the station listings, cable TV channels, live streaming on the Internet, and now available are apps to listen to the show for your iPhone, Blackberry, iTouch, Android, Palm, and Windows Mobile at www.BoathouseTV.com or www.BoathouseRadio.com.
Until next week, Safe Voyages!
