Newport: In need of real planning

DOLORES OTTING

Happy birthday to us. Happy birthday to us. Happy birthday, city of

Newport Beach. Happy birthday to us.

The city of Newport Beach is turning 100, and when you turn 100,

it’s never too early to start celebrating.

Aren’t we all lucky to be living here during the centennial

celebration? And what a party it’s going to be!

The opening event -- Let’s Do Launch -- will be chaired by Sharon

Esterley and is scheduled at the Newport Dunes for Oct. 2, 2005, and

will kick off the year-long celebration. That’s right, we’ll be

partying for a year.

The closing event will be held at Balboa and Newport piers on Oct.

6, 2006, and we need volunteers and your donations to make sure that

this is the party of parties. Ask for Dayna Pettit or Sandie Haskell,

co-chairs of the fundraising and sponsorship committee, at (949)

644-3158 and let the city know how you want to help.

We have been so blessed and fortunate that the first 100 years of

Newport Beach have been mostly debt free, regrettably that does not

appear to be the case for the next 100 years.

Why? Well, let’s start with the last City Council meeting, and let

us not forget that our council members are elected thanks to the help

and endorsements of our fire and police unions. Our fire union is

actually going door to door telling voters that certain candidates

will make our city safe and others will not.

If and when the day comes to Newport Beach that we can get this

out of the mix of our elections, then we can really begin to talk

about our representative government.

Back to our debt. At approximately 1:10 a.m. Wednesday, the

council voted, 5-2, to approve the schematic drawings for the third

plan, the $41.5-million structure. The debt for this obligation will

be funded by what is called a certificate of participation, and in 30

years, it will cost us about $100 million.

This is only the beginning, and we need to start to think outside

the box or we’ll have over $200 million of debt before we blow out

the last candle on our birthday cake.

Where is the other $100 million? Well, let’s start with the police

station at Fashion Island. The talk is that the building is over 25

years old, inefficient, and nonfunctioning, so it looks like we’ll

need a new police station. Does this also mean that the fire station

next door is nearing extinction?

There is an apparent need for a new fire station in Corona del

Mar, and the Fire Department said it will need another fire station

in Newport Coast. I don’t remember what the condition of the

Peninsula Fire Station is, but I am sure it, too, could use dollars.

Further on the horizon, you can look ahead to a new or remodeled

Oasis Senior Center. And the list goes on.

We will be leasing, from the state, Sunset Ridge Park in West

Newport for the next 15 years at $1 million per year, and that

doesn’t include the improvements. We haven’t addressed the overruns

at Mariner’s Library, nor the status of funding for the new fire

station and community center in Santa Ana Heights, nor what the

furniture, fixtures, and equipment will cost for the community center

in Newport Coast.

In closing, I would like to say that since we live in a

world-class city, it’s about time we do something about our

world-class harbor. Our harbor isn’t working, and boats are actually

getting stuck.

Added to that is the cost of cleaning the Rhine Channel --

anywhere between $12 million and $22 million, and that is without

dredging the bay. Although I’m sure Congressman Chris Cox will get us

some money out of Washington, it will be pennies to what we will

need.

Let’s put together a real plan for a real future and make the next

100 years even better.

Keep our soldiers safe!

* DOLORES OTTING is a regular contributor to Sunday Forum and is a

community activist.