A planning document that’s going to guide the city’s Parks and Recreation Commission activities in the coming year ought to emphasize skateboarding, surfing and beach volleyball, Encinitas City Council said Wednesday.
Those sports are top draws for Encinitas, and thus they ought to be prime elements in the commission’s annual work plan, but they’re not mentioned in this document, Councilmember Jim O’Hara said.
Given that the 2028 Olympics, which is being held in Los Angeles, will feature a surfing competition at Trestles Beach in San Diego County, there’s even more of a reason to emphasize these sports right now, several council said.
Among other things, the parks commission ought to be looking into a Moonlight Beach skate bowl proposal that was put forward by a group last summer, said O’Hara, who was elected to the council in November. Don’t make this a primary focus, but do look into the idea at bit more, he said.
Russ Ridder, the chair of the parks commission, told the council that the seven-member, city-sponsored commission was quite willing to expand its proposed goals for the coming year to include the council’s new suggestions. He said the commission picks its annual goals based on community requests — that’s why an item about pickleball courts is included, he said.
He added that he personally thinks there’s a shortage of beach volleyball courts, but it isn’t something that people have asked the commission to look into. And, commissioners haven’t heard anything more about the skate bowl proposal in months, he said.
O’Hara told him that the commission shouldn’t be waiting for residents to ask for new programs or improvements to the parks, saying, “We don’t need someone to come to us to tell us something (about a need) we know is in our community.”
Encinitas has a number of citizen advisory committees that review various topics and draft recommendations to present to the City Council. The Parks and Recreation Commission offers advice to the council on public parks, recreational facilities and community services, including reviewing proposals to acquire park lands or build playgrounds. Last fiscal year, the commission participated in the city’s Holiday Parade, Movies in the Park, Cyclovia, Art Nights and Spring Egg Hunt events.
The goals in its work plan for the coming year include:
- ing the installation of adult fitness equipment at Orpheus and Glen parks, among other locations;
- Monitoring tennis and pickleball court use in the city and issuing recommendations on any proposed changes;
- Assisting with the updating of city trail maps;
- Advising the city on naming and possible uses for a recently purchased, coastal property on the northeast corner of Highway 101 and La Costa Avenue;
- Reviewing the feasibility of adding a pollinator garden at the Pacific View Arts Center.
Three skateboarders — all in their 60s — made a pitch for the skate bowl project at a city Parks and Recreation Commission meeting in August. Putting a skate bowl at Moonlight Beach would celebrate the city’s history as a skateboarding Mecca, they said, adding that the beach location would make a fabulous photographic background for skating events.
“This is going to be the most photographed spot in Southern California, I would guess,” project proponent Barry Blumenthal said at the time.
The chair of the parks commission told them that he could definitely see how the proposed bowl would be a “photographer’s dream,” but said the project would face many challenges, including drainage issues, beach parking shortages and permitting difficulties. Moonlight Beach is maintained by the city, but owned by the state, he noted.
