Bird Rock was a little lighter and brighter the evening of April 10, when about 40 residents turned out for a tree lighting demonstration organized by the Bird Rock Merchants Association and Bird Rock Community Council.
The demonstration took place on the west side of La Jolla Boulevard between Forward Street and Beaumont’s restaurant. Allen Burt, a spokesman for landscaping firm Urban Landcare, presented three lighting options on three trees along the sidewalk.
“People wanted more lighting on the boulevard, but we had a lot of issues with whether we could put them in the trees,” said Ron Fineman, co-chairman of the Bird Rock Merchants Association. “So today it’s a test to see if we like these different options, get , work with the vendor with that and go from there.”
The lights would be installed on both sides of La Jolla Boulevard in a three-block stretch between Camino de la Costa and Midway Street.
One tree in the demonstration had uplighting that would be installed under grids or dirt areas and projected into the tree. Another had lights that hung from wires on branches and illuminated a large swath of the sidewalk below. The third option displayed wraparound lights placed around the trunk of the tree that could extend two feet into branches.
Burt said none of the options would harm the trees in any way but would require standard maintenance every five to seven years.
The electricity to run the lights would be supplied by the same power source that street lamps use, or by merchants along the block.
One or two merchants could easily cover the electricity needed for the entire block, Burt said. “The draw on that merchant would be about as much as running a coffee pot every morning. … It’s very minimal,” he said.
Wiring would have to be installed under sidewalks through small cuts in the concrete that would be patched. The installation would require a permit from the city of San Diego, he said.
Most of the people who attended the demonstration said they preferred the hanging lights, both for their subtle aesthetic quality and for their practical side, since they illuminated the greatest portion of the sidewalk.
“I like it because I think it’s safe,” said Bird Rock resident Ann Zahner. “I think it’s artistic and practical.”
Resident Janet Gentile said she liked the looks of the uplighting, “but I like the safety of the hanging lights. Safety is No. 1. And definitely no wrapping [lights].”
Ken Chalmers, owner of Bird Rock Fine Wine, said: “I like the hanging lights and I’d like to see an uplight as well. I like the safety aspect of the hanging lights. … I think lights are good for security and for aesthetics, so I think it could work for both.”
The wraparound option, Chalmers said, is “not going to be visible when there are cars parked [by the trees], and I think it’s too bright.”
Burt said the lighting could be put on timers to have multiple starts and stops and that twinkling or tricolored lighting is available for holidays and special events.
Business owner Terry Martindale of Cheer Home Care thought hanging lights would work best for safety reasons.
“Coming out of our office at night, it’s quite dark,” Martindale said. “My wife and I both recognize for our staff that we want to make sure it feels as safe as possible, and we know there’s been a break-in or two just recently. [And] the hanging lights are pretty tasteful.”
La Jolla resident Amro Hamdoun said “it would really put us on the map. I also heard that the hanging lights are the ones Beverly Hills has, and this being La Jolla, I think ‘Nothing but the best.’”
Joe Terry, president of the Bird Rock Community Council, said he hopes to send the preferred options to the city within the next two months after getting bids from potential contractors.
“If it ends up being more expensive than we can afford right now, we’ll phase it in and do a block at a time,” Terry said.
The Community Council has been looking for ways to improve lighting in the business district for more than a year. Earlier this year, the council secured a $25,000 grant from San Diego County that could be applied to the lighting project and others.
Money raised from the new Bird Rock Perks app also will help pay for local projects. ◆
