Hello friends and neighbors. To quote Mungo Jerry, a British rock group from the 1970s, “It’s summertime, and the living is easy.” That song, still played on the oldies stations during each summer season always brings back fond memories of my teenage days on the beaches in Santa Monica, Venice and Malibu. Nothing quite matches the sound of the surf, the fragrance of tanning oil, Frisbees and footballs zooming by, music blaring and barbecues grilling. Time kind of stands still at the beach, as little has changed when you are on the sand and take a look around.
How wonderful it is for us Avila Beach area residents to have such a place of memories to be made so nearby. The really fortunate ones can simply look out their windows or take a short stroll to beach heaven. Others only need hop on a bike, put on their jogging shoes, or jump in the car for a quick, easy trip to the waterfront. Yep, the “living IS easy” - most of the time. But that doesn’t mean there is no room for improvement. Once again wearing my hat as “the dude who tries to keep you informed of some local current issues related to life in Avila Beach”, I report on a couple of things now in the loop. First, let me state that the Avila Beach Foundation, Avila Beach Business Association, County Supervisor Adam Hill’s office and SLO County Parks and Recreation are still collaborating on a small project to make it easier to reduce debris on the beach boardwalk areas on both sides of the Promenade. Most locals have noticed an absence of trash bins along those sections, which becomes an unfortunate collection area for litter. Before too long you will see a half dozen architecturally-compatible trash receptacles strategically placed to make it much easier for folks to toss their trash, or to pick up that seen on the ground without having to walk an extra 100 yards or so to do the right thing.
Another beach town hot topic is that of parking, particularly those areas under the management of the Port San Luis Harbor District. As you readers know, the more popular Avila Beach becomes, the more strain we see on parking resources. I am pleased to learn that Port Manager Steve McGrath is reaching out to some Avila associations to set up a meeting to discuss, in general, “parking at the Port, transit through the community, parking management in Avila, and how best to establish a scope of work for the funding approved by SLOCOG for parking and traffic management.” I’m not certain what all that means, but will surely learn more when the meeting takes place sometime in June. I will gladly furnish an update if new information is available prior to the article submittal deadline of the July Avila Community News.
Somewhat related to the abovementioned parking issue is another project that I have been personally working on with a number of San Luis Bay Estates residents – in particular those who own golf carts. Prior to the opening of the latest Bob Jones Trail extension along the golf course, it was a common practice for many SLBE golf cart owners to drive their carts down to an informal parking area next to the water treatment plant at the San Miguel Street intersection. After parking the carts they would walk across Avila Beach Drive and head to the beach. While the Bob Jones extension was a tremendous addition, it also resulted in the closing of that golf cart parking area and the San Miguel Street crossing. I am pleased to report that golf course owner Rob Rossi is now working on a way to once again accommodate golf cart parking on his property, though nothing specific is available as of this publication. I don’t presently own a golf cart, but am in favor of anything that helps bring fewer automobiles into town. In fact, I would really like to see Avila Beach become a designated “golf cart friendly” community, and make it possible for even non-street legal carts to enter the town. This could include designated golf cart parking spots as yet another inducement to reduce the number of automobiles at the beach. Stay tuned.
Now, back again to my role as Avila Beach Foundation Executive Director, I am more than pleased to announce the establishment of a new donor-directed community fund, thanks to the generosity of Avila residents Richard and Kathy Zacky. The Zackys maintain a primary home and business in the Fresno area, but fell in love with Avila years ago and have a second home here where they spend most weekends. Richard and Kathy are extremely community-minded and are excited about contributing to the ongoing evolution of our town. As of this publication we are still working out the details of exactly how this fund will be structured and accessible. Once finalized, this information will be available on the Foundation website. Thank you so much Richard and Kathy for sharing your ideas and your resources. I look forward to seeing just what type of projects emerge through this new initiative. I hope others in the community will follow in the footsteps of the Zackys. To learn more about establishing your own donor-designated fund, please call me at 595-4095. That’s about it for now everyone. I’ll see you at the beach!
How wonderful it is for us Avila Beach area residents to have such a place of memories to be made so nearby. The really fortunate ones can simply look out their windows or take a short stroll to beach heaven. Others only need hop on a bike, put on their jogging shoes, or jump in the car for a quick, easy trip to the waterfront. Yep, the “living IS easy” - most of the time. But that doesn’t mean there is no room for improvement. Once again wearing my hat as “the dude who tries to keep you informed of some local current issues related to life in Avila Beach”, I report on a couple of things now in the loop. First, let me state that the Avila Beach Foundation, Avila Beach Business Association, County Supervisor Adam Hill’s office and SLO County Parks and Recreation are still collaborating on a small project to make it easier to reduce debris on the beach boardwalk areas on both sides of the Promenade. Most locals have noticed an absence of trash bins along those sections, which becomes an unfortunate collection area for litter. Before too long you will see a half dozen architecturally-compatible trash receptacles strategically placed to make it much easier for folks to toss their trash, or to pick up that seen on the ground without having to walk an extra 100 yards or so to do the right thing.
Another beach town hot topic is that of parking, particularly those areas under the management of the Port San Luis Harbor District. As you readers know, the more popular Avila Beach becomes, the more strain we see on parking resources. I am pleased to learn that Port Manager Steve McGrath is reaching out to some Avila associations to set up a meeting to discuss, in general, “parking at the Port, transit through the community, parking management in Avila, and how best to establish a scope of work for the funding approved by SLOCOG for parking and traffic management.” I’m not certain what all that means, but will surely learn more when the meeting takes place sometime in June. I will gladly furnish an update if new information is available prior to the article submittal deadline of the July Avila Community News.
Somewhat related to the abovementioned parking issue is another project that I have been personally working on with a number of San Luis Bay Estates residents – in particular those who own golf carts. Prior to the opening of the latest Bob Jones Trail extension along the golf course, it was a common practice for many SLBE golf cart owners to drive their carts down to an informal parking area next to the water treatment plant at the San Miguel Street intersection. After parking the carts they would walk across Avila Beach Drive and head to the beach. While the Bob Jones extension was a tremendous addition, it also resulted in the closing of that golf cart parking area and the San Miguel Street crossing. I am pleased to report that golf course owner Rob Rossi is now working on a way to once again accommodate golf cart parking on his property, though nothing specific is available as of this publication. I don’t presently own a golf cart, but am in favor of anything that helps bring fewer automobiles into town. In fact, I would really like to see Avila Beach become a designated “golf cart friendly” community, and make it possible for even non-street legal carts to enter the town. This could include designated golf cart parking spots as yet another inducement to reduce the number of automobiles at the beach. Stay tuned.
Now, back again to my role as Avila Beach Foundation Executive Director, I am more than pleased to announce the establishment of a new donor-directed community fund, thanks to the generosity of Avila residents Richard and Kathy Zacky. The Zackys maintain a primary home and business in the Fresno area, but fell in love with Avila years ago and have a second home here where they spend most weekends. Richard and Kathy are extremely community-minded and are excited about contributing to the ongoing evolution of our town. As of this publication we are still working out the details of exactly how this fund will be structured and accessible. Once finalized, this information will be available on the Foundation website. Thank you so much Richard and Kathy for sharing your ideas and your resources. I look forward to seeing just what type of projects emerge through this new initiative. I hope others in the community will follow in the footsteps of the Zackys. To learn more about establishing your own donor-designated fund, please call me at 595-4095. That’s about it for now everyone. I’ll see you at the beach!
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