Seal Point Park - Public Meeting and other stuff

From: George Haye (geohaye@hotmail.com-DeleteThis)
Date: Tue Oct 05 1999 - 08:16:45 PDT

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Message-Id: <19991005151646.96812.qmail@hotmail.com-DeleteThis>
From: "George Haye" <geohaye@hotmail.com-DeleteThis>
To: wind_talk@opus.hpl.hp.com-DeleteThis
Subject: Seal Point Park - Public Meeting and other stuff
Date: Tue, 05 Oct 1999 08:16:45 PDT
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed

ORIGINAL MESSAGE:
From: schuh@apm-iris1.arc.nasa.gov-DeleteThis (Michael Schuh)

] City of San Mateo
] Draft: Shoreline Parks Preliminary Master Plan
]
] This meeting will be to review preliminary concepts for the City's
Shoreline
] Parks and what they might become over the next twenty years.

I hope a lot of windsurfers will be able to show up.

Thanks,
Michael

MY MESSAGE:
I have spoken with the Planner for Seal Point (Patrick Miller) many times
over the last few years. He has recently made it clear to me that since this
will be a City multi-use park, San Mateo City residents would be the best
ones to make comments -- people from outside the city could actually hurt
the interests of windsurfing at this park -- because the city wants a
balanced multi-use park. The planners, commissioners, and council members
will be influenced by City-resident windsurfers who want windsurfing to be
made a priority. But, if a large showing from non-residents occurs, it might
make them think twice about whether windsurfing would be a compatible use of
the Park.

No one can prevent anyone from sending letters and speaking, and the
Planners certainly are not discouraging that. But, from a tactical point of
view, if we can get enough City resident-windsurfers to write letters and
come to the meetings, that would probably be the best shot to make
windsurfing a priority. Right now, I've emailed or written letters to about
50 San Mateo city residents regarding (1) sending letters, and (2) attending
the meetings. This first meeting is preliminary. The next two meetings will
be increasingly more high-level. Let's see what the response is from the San
Mateo crew.

I say "make it a priority" because windsurfing is definitely already in the
plans, including: A 55 car lot, expanable to 100 if the 55 car lot fills up;
a ramp and stairs down the side of the mountain to the water; etc. At this
point, if City residents express interest in windsurfing, the facilities
will be built sooner.

The plain truth: this will not be as great of a place to windsurf as Third
Avenue or Coyote Point. it will not be ready until 2002, or perhaps 2003 or
2004. If it's not made a priority, it could take several years longer to get
the lot and ramp done. The closest parking that could possibly be
engineering at Seal Point (which is in the plans now) is roughly equivalent
to the furthest away parking at Third Avenue. Obviously, at Coyote you can
park seconds away from the water. The mud levels are slighly worse than at
Third Avenue, Coyote is of course always sailable regardless of the tide.
The channel is further away at Seal than at Third. The wind is somewhat
weaker on certain conditions at Seal than at Third.

But, with the parking at Third Avenue shrinking quickly, and with Coyote
Point facing threats that are not going away, we sure as heck need
windsurfing access at Seal Point Park. In fact, if Oyster Point, Genentech,
Flying Tigers, Embassy Suites, and Coyote Point are all lost to the SFO
expansion (which is clearly possible, although we must fight it!), we are
left with only Third Avenue.

So:
(1) San Mateo City folks - write a letter and attend the public meetings
regarding Seal Point. (E-mail me for more info.)
(2) Everyone - when Shawn Storm and Greg Harris post info on wind_talk about
how to help reclaim some of our recently lost parking at Third Avenue, let
your voice be heard!
(3) Everyone - see www.sfba.org for how to help regarding the SFO crisis.

-George

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