POND 20 "I DARE YOU TO CREATE SOMETHING GREAT"

To all of you who commented and responded to the letter I posted "POND 20 Simple Clarity/ Simple Direction". After reading the comments to my blog I can see that almost everybody wants something good to come of Pond 20. The current fences that restrict our access to San Diego Bay while other parts of the bay enjoy the freedom to walk up to the waterline and touch the water frustrate many of us. Others who have fought hard to protect our the bay want to make sure the water is clean and the wildlife is protected. Why can't we have BOTH access while protecting the environment. During the first public outreach meeting held in early 2013 by The Port of San Diego many local people spoke out with their concerns for neglected public safety issues, public access and a variety of other issues on Pond 20.  Dr. McCoy, a great advocate for environmental protection,  spoke out in support of bay access and of a Kayak entrance point at the foot of 13th street. Since that time no public dialog has taken place. If the Port of San Diego is unwilling to or cannot provide the venue for a public workshop then why don't we do it ourselves, it certainly would be more productive then debating on the Patch. I would be willing to host the event, provide large scale aerial photographs and moderate. At a minimum it would inform every one of the basic issues facing the use of this land and bay front.  For example many people do not know there is an open channel that runs from the bay to the foot of 13th Street which is still in existence and is still navigable by Kayak . Also there are many parts of Pond 20 that simply can't be used because of drainage and topography.   In our county there are many, many great examples of public use areas that are within or very near sensitive lands. Certainly, using these examples we can create a place that reflects our values. It may be easy to sit and write comments via email however I ask that we do the hard thing. Let’s meet as a community and use the grey matter between our ears.  Think of the opportunity we have to create something great.  Something that resonates long after we are dead and gone. Let us create a crown jewel for the South Bay Communities we are part of,  I DARE YOU.