Greetings, fellow Avilones. Okay, I’ll go ahead and admit it. Now that summer is behind us, with the kids back in school and the number of visitors to our beach community subsiding, I am so delighted. It was such a pleasure to take my sister and niece to Front Street on that first Friday evening after the season end to Farmer’s Market. It was after dark and the setting was so quiet and serene. The waves were crashing, the seagulls were squawking, and there was hardly anyone around. I know it sounds selfish, but I kind of wish it was like this all year round.
You may recall that last month I announced my looming retirement from the Avila Beach Community Foundation, which becomes effective at the end of this year. Quite a few of you readers emailed me offering kind words and well wishes. Some mentioned how much they would miss my monthly newsletter columns. Others I have run into at the Avila Bay Club or Avila Golf Resort also extended their congratulations. I am deeply touched by the sentiment and most appreciative. With only three newsletter columns left, counting this one, it will surely feel odd to not sit down at my computer each month trying to write something worthy of your time to read. 177 times over a period of 15 years I have opened my column with “Greetings, fellow Avilones”, and signed off with “See you at the beach”. Lots of fond memories. I have great confidence in my successor, Rick Rowe, who will take the helm beginning January 1, 2024 after spending the next three months acclimating him to the job.
Moving right along, I want to encourage you to attend the upcoming Avila Beach Children’s Business Fair, scheduled for October 14th from 10:00a.m. – 1:00p.m. at the Avila Community Center. This the third year for this event, which was established and coordinated by Kristen McKiernan as a way for students to become young entrepreneurs and earn some money. Each year the number of youth vendors has increased, as has the volume and quality of the goods they have created and sold. If you are interested in doing some early holiday shopping, you will surely find some interesting items for sale. The “Foundation” is pleased to be one of the event sponsors for the third consecutive year.
On a personal note, I want to offer a “shout-out” to SLO County Public Works Project Manager John Waddell. Earlier this summer I noticed that there was an uneven and growing gap in the road connecting San Luis Bay Drive to the bridge that spans San Luis Creek near the Avila Beach Drive intersection. Driving over that spot was becoming a jarring experience needing some attention. So, I reached out to John who said he would add that to the long list of SLO County roads needing repair work following the rain and flooding that occurred earlier in the year. Likewise, I mentioned the many dangerous potholes present on Avila Beach Drive between Sycamore Mineral Springs and the freeway. I was pleased to see that County Public Works has indeed repaired the bridge connection and done some patching of the potholes. Thanks, John, for being so responsive.
For those of you who have, over the years, inquired about the rusted and cordoned off stairway at the south/west end of Avila Beach, there MAY be some good news. At the September 11th Avila Valley Advisory Council meeting, Port San Luis Harbor District Manager Suzy Watkins reported that an engineering study will be conducted as a first step toward replacing the old stairway. Suzy did caution, however, that there are presently no funds available to build the new stairway, but the engineering study is a beginning. It sure would be nice to see direct access to that end of the beach return – a sentiment shared by many.
The September 15th deadline to submit grant applications to be considered for funding in 2024 has passed. The “Foundation” is now proceeding with the process to select grantees, which will be finalized when our Trustees meet in November. I look forward to letting you know about the issuing of grants in the December news column.
That’s it for now, fellow Avilones. See you at the beach!
You may recall that last month I announced my looming retirement from the Avila Beach Community Foundation, which becomes effective at the end of this year. Quite a few of you readers emailed me offering kind words and well wishes. Some mentioned how much they would miss my monthly newsletter columns. Others I have run into at the Avila Bay Club or Avila Golf Resort also extended their congratulations. I am deeply touched by the sentiment and most appreciative. With only three newsletter columns left, counting this one, it will surely feel odd to not sit down at my computer each month trying to write something worthy of your time to read. 177 times over a period of 15 years I have opened my column with “Greetings, fellow Avilones”, and signed off with “See you at the beach”. Lots of fond memories. I have great confidence in my successor, Rick Rowe, who will take the helm beginning January 1, 2024 after spending the next three months acclimating him to the job.
Moving right along, I want to encourage you to attend the upcoming Avila Beach Children’s Business Fair, scheduled for October 14th from 10:00a.m. – 1:00p.m. at the Avila Community Center. This the third year for this event, which was established and coordinated by Kristen McKiernan as a way for students to become young entrepreneurs and earn some money. Each year the number of youth vendors has increased, as has the volume and quality of the goods they have created and sold. If you are interested in doing some early holiday shopping, you will surely find some interesting items for sale. The “Foundation” is pleased to be one of the event sponsors for the third consecutive year.
On a personal note, I want to offer a “shout-out” to SLO County Public Works Project Manager John Waddell. Earlier this summer I noticed that there was an uneven and growing gap in the road connecting San Luis Bay Drive to the bridge that spans San Luis Creek near the Avila Beach Drive intersection. Driving over that spot was becoming a jarring experience needing some attention. So, I reached out to John who said he would add that to the long list of SLO County roads needing repair work following the rain and flooding that occurred earlier in the year. Likewise, I mentioned the many dangerous potholes present on Avila Beach Drive between Sycamore Mineral Springs and the freeway. I was pleased to see that County Public Works has indeed repaired the bridge connection and done some patching of the potholes. Thanks, John, for being so responsive.
For those of you who have, over the years, inquired about the rusted and cordoned off stairway at the south/west end of Avila Beach, there MAY be some good news. At the September 11th Avila Valley Advisory Council meeting, Port San Luis Harbor District Manager Suzy Watkins reported that an engineering study will be conducted as a first step toward replacing the old stairway. Suzy did caution, however, that there are presently no funds available to build the new stairway, but the engineering study is a beginning. It sure would be nice to see direct access to that end of the beach return – a sentiment shared by many.
The September 15th deadline to submit grant applications to be considered for funding in 2024 has passed. The “Foundation” is now proceeding with the process to select grantees, which will be finalized when our Trustees meet in November. I look forward to letting you know about the issuing of grants in the December news column.
That’s it for now, fellow Avilones. See you at the beach!
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