Hello fellow Avilones, and happy spring to one and all. A new season in Avila Beach has begun, starting with the March 29th opening day of Fish and Farmers' Market. Julie Andrews-Scott, her crew, vendors and entertainers are poised to once again make our Promenade the place to be on Friday nights. Just a reminder for those of you who prefer to avoid vehicular parking and traffic issues that the Free Avila Trolley is available for roundtrip ease. For route schedule details visit www.slorta.com.
Springtime also means that in the coming months we locals must prepare ourselves for the usual influx of beach enthusiasts, tourists, concert-goers, etc. As daily life in Avila surely becomes disrupted, we can make it easier on ourselves by staying informed of activities that will likely make it more challenging to enter or leave the beach town areas. I urge everyone to register for the Avila Beach Foundation's "Avila Alerts" email service, which is designed to notify residents of large, upcoming community events or public works that could impact our day so we can adjust our schedules accordingly. All you need to do is visit www.avilabeachfoundation.org and look for the "Avila Alerts" registration tab. You can also stay informed of these alerts by liking our Facebook page. And, for those of you concerned about Avila Beach entrance and exit during the Amgen Tour of California bike race, I am told that all details of May 16th road closures will be posted on the Amgen website by mid-April. To learn about said closures, as well as volunteer opportunities, visit www.amgentourofcalifornia.com.
Speaking of the Amgen event, I have some personal thoughts to share. I don't often use this column to provide commentary, but after having sat in on a few community meetings previously held to better inform Avila interests, I can't help but espouse. While a good many people in attendance were highly supportive of the rare opportunity Amgen brings, they rightfully expressed the importance of adequate planning and safety measures. I agree, both with the event and the essential precautions. Then there were the people in opposition of Amgen coming to Avila because of the certain disruptions and their fears that not every possible worst-case scenario could be avoided. To them I have to say that after hearing reports from County Supervisor Adam Hill and members of County staff, public safety officials, and Amgen organizers, I am satisfied that they have done their homework to help deliver the best possible outcome. Are there ever guarantees in life that nothing will go wrong? Of course not, but I am quite confident that Avila Beach will have more public safety and emergency personnel on hand than we have ever seen. And let's face it - unforeseen circumstances such as whale arrivals, busy beach weekends or even traffic accidents can have adverse effects on life in and around Avila Beach. The difference is that in those cases it takes time to rally emergency response. In the case of Amgen, everything is in place. What better place to be?? So, how about we Avilones either leave town for a day and a half, or we take advantage of this event that brings international exposure and excitement to our small slice of paradise. Relax and enjoy the moment, I say. In the spirit of disclaimer, my comments are not intended to represent the views of the Avila Beach Community Foundation or its Board of Trustees - they are simply my own.
Now, getting back to more informative matters, I thought you'd like to know that things are progressing with the Port San Luis Harbor District parking and traffic management study. A draft report by the contractor who conducted the study was shared at a special meeting on February 28th, will be presented at a meeting of the Harbor Commission on March 26th, public comments will be welcomed until April 26th, and a final draft will be presented on May 28th. With a copy of the draft report in my possession, I share with you a few "fun" facts. 1. In all of Avila Beach there is a grand total of 1,771 parking "stalls", which I take means "spaces". 1,096 of those are on-street and 675 are off-street. 2. Of the 1,771 parking spots, 85% are "no-limit", 14% are three-hour time limited, and 1% is two-hour time limited. 3. The study suggests that parking "saturation" occurs anytime 85% or more of the identified parking spots are taken. I think we all agree that parking issues are a concern every summer, particularly on weekends and during special events. Some "radical" suggestions/solutions to the issue appear in the report, such as installing metered parking, selling discounted parking passes to business owners and employees, selling seasonal/monthly parking passes, issuing one on-street parking pass per residence, offering satellite parking, transit service, etc. Let's face it, our town is growing up and experiencing the requisite growing pains. I encourage anyone with concerns and ideas to attend the May 28th meeting. Visit www.portsanluis.com for more information. That's it for now, fellow Avilones. See you at the beach!!! Oh, I almost forgot. If you have yet to do so, stop by for a look through the new, free public viewing telescope on the Avila Pier. I hear it's getting rave reviews on Facebook. Thanks again to Richard and Kathy Zacky for working with the Avila Beach Community Foundation and Port San Luis to bring this new feature to Avila. Checkout our website to view the pier telescope project photo gallery.
Springtime also means that in the coming months we locals must prepare ourselves for the usual influx of beach enthusiasts, tourists, concert-goers, etc. As daily life in Avila surely becomes disrupted, we can make it easier on ourselves by staying informed of activities that will likely make it more challenging to enter or leave the beach town areas. I urge everyone to register for the Avila Beach Foundation's "Avila Alerts" email service, which is designed to notify residents of large, upcoming community events or public works that could impact our day so we can adjust our schedules accordingly. All you need to do is visit www.avilabeachfoundation.org and look for the "Avila Alerts" registration tab. You can also stay informed of these alerts by liking our Facebook page. And, for those of you concerned about Avila Beach entrance and exit during the Amgen Tour of California bike race, I am told that all details of May 16th road closures will be posted on the Amgen website by mid-April. To learn about said closures, as well as volunteer opportunities, visit www.amgentourofcalifornia.com.
Speaking of the Amgen event, I have some personal thoughts to share. I don't often use this column to provide commentary, but after having sat in on a few community meetings previously held to better inform Avila interests, I can't help but espouse. While a good many people in attendance were highly supportive of the rare opportunity Amgen brings, they rightfully expressed the importance of adequate planning and safety measures. I agree, both with the event and the essential precautions. Then there were the people in opposition of Amgen coming to Avila because of the certain disruptions and their fears that not every possible worst-case scenario could be avoided. To them I have to say that after hearing reports from County Supervisor Adam Hill and members of County staff, public safety officials, and Amgen organizers, I am satisfied that they have done their homework to help deliver the best possible outcome. Are there ever guarantees in life that nothing will go wrong? Of course not, but I am quite confident that Avila Beach will have more public safety and emergency personnel on hand than we have ever seen. And let's face it - unforeseen circumstances such as whale arrivals, busy beach weekends or even traffic accidents can have adverse effects on life in and around Avila Beach. The difference is that in those cases it takes time to rally emergency response. In the case of Amgen, everything is in place. What better place to be?? So, how about we Avilones either leave town for a day and a half, or we take advantage of this event that brings international exposure and excitement to our small slice of paradise. Relax and enjoy the moment, I say. In the spirit of disclaimer, my comments are not intended to represent the views of the Avila Beach Community Foundation or its Board of Trustees - they are simply my own.
Now, getting back to more informative matters, I thought you'd like to know that things are progressing with the Port San Luis Harbor District parking and traffic management study. A draft report by the contractor who conducted the study was shared at a special meeting on February 28th, will be presented at a meeting of the Harbor Commission on March 26th, public comments will be welcomed until April 26th, and a final draft will be presented on May 28th. With a copy of the draft report in my possession, I share with you a few "fun" facts. 1. In all of Avila Beach there is a grand total of 1,771 parking "stalls", which I take means "spaces". 1,096 of those are on-street and 675 are off-street. 2. Of the 1,771 parking spots, 85% are "no-limit", 14% are three-hour time limited, and 1% is two-hour time limited. 3. The study suggests that parking "saturation" occurs anytime 85% or more of the identified parking spots are taken. I think we all agree that parking issues are a concern every summer, particularly on weekends and during special events. Some "radical" suggestions/solutions to the issue appear in the report, such as installing metered parking, selling discounted parking passes to business owners and employees, selling seasonal/monthly parking passes, issuing one on-street parking pass per residence, offering satellite parking, transit service, etc. Let's face it, our town is growing up and experiencing the requisite growing pains. I encourage anyone with concerns and ideas to attend the May 28th meeting. Visit www.portsanluis.com for more information. That's it for now, fellow Avilones. See you at the beach!!! Oh, I almost forgot. If you have yet to do so, stop by for a look through the new, free public viewing telescope on the Avila Pier. I hear it's getting rave reviews on Facebook. Thanks again to Richard and Kathy Zacky for working with the Avila Beach Community Foundation and Port San Luis to bring this new feature to Avila. Checkout our website to view the pier telescope project photo gallery.
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