Letters/Online Comments

Re: It’s all about the money: What’s the price of redevelopment? (March 23-April 5 issue)

Access rights, cultural and historic assets should not be lost

Great article on considerations as numerous cities look to redevelop waterfronts. Access rights, cultural and historic assets needn’t and shouldn’t be lost or disconnected from future generations.

Michael Toomey

What happened to the nostalgia?

It is a shame that our younger generation will not be able to experience the nostalgia. There is something special about old things and when they’re gone, that’s it. Too bad for the future. SoCal boating is becoming boring. Thanks big business!

Rega

Take action – preserve historic waterfront sites

Thank you, Captain Larson and The Log, for this excellent article. San Diego’s authentic waterfront and maritime history and character are indeed fading. I hope this well-argued and well-reasoned article will prompt more public comment and action for waterfront preservation, and more sensitive development. Save Our Heritage Organization in San Diego is one place to turn for effective advocacy and public outreach.

Ann Jarmusch

Re: Who’s in charge of the future of boating and fishing? (March 23-April 5 issue)

The contributing factors

While I wish the R3 and other groups success, it’s not as simple as promoting boating and fishing. You have to look at all the contributing factors in a perceived decline. The reduction in boat registrations in recent years started during the recession and has only recently begun to level off, aided somewhat by stable fuel prices in the last few years and some rain! During that time many boat manufacturers went out of business.

Several years of drought at the same time combined with the increase in paddlecraft sales and popularity aren’t captured in the data as easily because paddlecraft aren’t registered. Are more people choosing to fish from paddecraft than they might have from power boats before the recession?

You also have to look at gasoline prices which affect motorized boaters heavily. And generational habits change. The boating and fishing recreation of today doesn’t look like it did in the 1950s. Before the R3 group starts “approving recommendations” they need to do some detailed analysis of our changing demographics and the economic and weather influences that we might not be able to control.

PLN

Re: The Rise of San Pedro Public Market: Residents Bid Adieu to Ports O’ Call Village (Feb. 9-22  issue)

Pleasant memories of Ports O’ Call

I’m from Orange County, and my earliest recollection of visiting Ports O’ Call was with my late dad, mom and younger brother shortly after it opened in the early 1960s. We visited a few times in ensuing years, and I also visited with my own children and other relatives in the years since. Our last visit was a couple of years ago. Much has changed over the years, and I could see that several of the original buildings have deteriorated with exposure to the elements and needed maintenance.

I am sorry to see Ports O’ Call go, as it holds pleasant memories of better times, and I am sorry that the changes are impacting most of the businesses that have been there for years. I do hope that something can be done to enable the restaurant to continue.  Anyway, thank you Ports O’ Call for many happy times, and I am looking forward to the new waterfront development.

Joe