Nautical Museum is its own fun zone

Dayna Pettit

Having read the Forum letters in the Daily Pilot, I wanted to make

sure that some of the misconceptions stated by some of the writers

opposing the move of the Nautical Museum to the Balboa Fun Zone were

corrected.

The Nautical Museum, under the guidance of President Glenn

Zagoren, has some wonderful children’s-education programs:

Kindergarten through eighth-grade have art exhibits; the toddler

program, for 3- to 5-year-olds, is held every other week and has a

large number in attendance; fifth-graders are required to attend

classes to learn about the environment, history and information about

the sea; in fact, there are more children involved with the museum

than adults, but adults have great programs too.

The school buses that bring these children to and from the museum

do not take up parking spaces and Balboa Boulevard is never closed

except on the Fourth of July, from West Coast Highway to 30th Street.

Yes, we do have many beach visitors who come to Balboa, but there

is a large, beach-front parking lot that can accommodate 800

automobiles, and it is never full, except on warm summer weekends,

mostly in July and August. The Fun Zone actually has underground

parking for up to 60 cars. However, remember that the museum operates

12 months of the year, with the school programs taking place

off-peak, and that is important to the area.

As a Founding Director of the Balboa Business Association, we have

always been open to good changes that can affect the downtown

environment, and the business group unanimously agrees that the

museum would be a perfect fit for the Fun Zone.

The Ferris wheel would be retained, as well as other aspects of

the current site.

Over the last few years, the downtown has noticed an increase in

vandalism and gangs, both at the Fun Zone and around the area.

On Monday mornings, many merchants have to repair broken windows,

fix other problems and, worst of all, remove the graffiti that

plagues the area. We believe the Nautical Museum will bring more of

an arts community that will treasure the area as we all do here in

Balboa.

The city has made a major restoration of the area; the Balboa

Pavilion is restored and housing the new Harborside Restaurant, with

the Salisbury family handling that and the banquet program upstairs;

the new, beautiful David Day Spa is operating on Main Street; the

Balboa Inn is undergoing a major restoration; the Balboa Theater is

getting closer to opening.

Balboa’s future is looking up, and we welcome the Nautical Museum

as a great part of that future.

* DAYNA PETTIT is a Balboa Peninsula resident and community

activist.