Executive Director's Column
Summer 2005

Progress in the River Park

By Dick Bobertz, Executive Director                   
San Dieguito River Park Joint Powers Authority

Over the past several months the River Park JPA has been advancing ongoing projects and preparing new projects scheduled to begin during the next year.   Ongoing projects include the Sikes Adobe site that has just benefited through the efforts of the Sunrise Rotary Clubs of Escondido and Rancho Bernardo.   The Clubs celebrated the 100 th anniversary of Rotary by donating and installing a 30-foot-tall operating windmill.   The water produced will be used to irrigate period gardens around the Sikes Adobe that are planned for the next phase of site development.

Another ongoing project, The Strawberry Stand Wetland Learning Center, was recently awarded a grant from the American Institute of Architects to develop an interpretive sign to show the reuse of an original farm produce stand to the Strawberry Stand Wetland Learning Center.   It also received Energy Efficiency Integration and Design Merit awards from the San Diego Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. Additionally, starting in October docents will be opening the facility to the public for several hours each weekend to provide information on progress of the San Dieguito Lagoon Wetland Restoration Project.   The California Coastal Commission is now scheduled to consider the final permit in October and, if approved, will allow the project construction to begin before the end of the year.

Another project moving toward the start date is a 1.5-mile extension of the Coast to Crest Trail from the Lake Hodges Dam west to link with the under-construction Crosby Estates trail segment.   Sometime after the New Year we also expect to initiate construction of the Lake Hodges Pedestrian and Bicycle Bridge.

As we fill our schedules with the details of these ongoing and new projects and all that remains to be done to make the San Dieguito River Park a reality, it is important to keep in mind what has been accomplished. Toward that end, staff has done some records searching and compiled a yearly list of accomplishments for each year beginning with 1989 when the JPA was established. The combined forces of all River Park supporters have produced an impressive track record of accomplishments through the years.   It helps to review the past occasionally to inspire confidence in the future.

Click here to see a list of River Park accomplishments by year.

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