Item 3 on the City Council agenda Tuesday night, June 1, 2010, involves a grant application from the city of RPV for funds to construct a 10,000 square foot Nature Education Facility at Abalone Cove, along with other improvements to the site.
According to the grant application, the building would contain educational exhibits about:
- tide pools
- marine life
- trails
- conservation
- protection of the habitat of RPV
- sustainable living
Also included in the plans are renovation of the guard shack to match the new Nature Education Center, improved bathroom and storage facilities, as well as improvement of the parking lot, trail system, landscaping and outdoor picnic areas at Abalone Cove. The complete grant application is available here. It's worth reading.
At first glance, this appears to be a welcome addition to the community, but there are some residents who are raising questions about the plan. Among these are:
- Is Abalone Cove the best location for a Nature Education Center? Abalone Cove has always been a natural open space. A 10,000 square foot building would be a major change and is not a part of the Coastal Vision Plan.
- Could the educational goals be achieved without construction of such a large building, perhaps by using a variety of kiosks and other methods of information presentation?
- The Coastal Vision Plan specifically singles out Gateway Park as a location for a Nature Education Center. Would this be a better location for the proposed project?
- Alternately, might the PV Interpretive Center, along with the planned Annenberg project, offer a better location for this project?
- Should educational exhibits be located where visitors have to pay a $5 parking fee to view them?
- The city claims it has notified the public about this proposal, but there has been no public discussion of this plan. Should there be?
This item is on the consent calendar, which usually is approved without discussion, unless a council member pulls it from the consent calendar.
If you would like to hear more public discussion of this plan, please contact members of the city council. They are:
Mayor Stefan Wolowicz: stevew@rpv.com
Mayor Pro Tem: Tom Long: tom.long@rpv.com
Councilman Douglas Stern: Douglas.Stern@rpv.com
Councilman Anthony Misetich: Anthony.Misetich@rpv.com
Councilman Brian Campbell: Brian.Campbell@rpv.com
The council meeting is Tuesday, June 1, 2010, at 7 p.m. at Fred Hesse Community Park, 29301 Hawthorne Boulevard, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA. You may also fill out a request to speak on the issue before the meeting. Or, just go and hear what area residents may have to say on the topic.
You may view the complete agenda for the meeting here.
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