2011 in Review: North Beach, Nuke Plants, Bomb Threats, Football

San Clemente city news over the course of 2011 was dominated by two major issues: The planned controversial Playa Del Norte retail/restaurant development at North Beach and concern about safety at San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station in the wake of the Fukushima, Japan, nuclear disaster.

But many of developments in crime, sports, government and business also took center stage over the course of San Clemente's busy 2011 -- not the least of which, San Clemente Patch celebrated its first birthday Dec. 14.

The issue of North Beach is far from resolved, though . City officials, advisory committees and residents , while the failed project’s erstwhile developer is involved in two lawsuits against the city --  he is still and is .

Thewaned after the spring when news about Japan's horrible earthquake, tsunami and subsequent nuclear disaster faded from the front pages. .

That to remove the radioactive waste from the San Onofre site, and it calls for the council to aggressively pursue money to , providing another way out of town in case of a disaster.

Development

But these were far from the only important news developments in the bustling coastal town. Big building projects came to fruition all over town, the new Target, perhaps, being the largest. The across from what will be the new La Pata/Vista Hermosa Sports Park.

This park, too, is another major development. Slated for a Jan. 28 opening, the park boasts athletic fields -- including an artificial turf field -- , an Olympic-sized aquatic center and .

Other developments include the completion of the city’s

Also, just this December, the city completed its , meaning the Amtrak and Metrolink trains that rumble down the coast no longer have to blast their horns. This is a welcome development for those who live near the tracks.

And though the fate of the remains unclear, the portion next to the freeway seems to be moving ahead; the Newport Beach developer announced this month the names of 21 retailers who have signed leases for the proposed Plaza San Clemente.

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Other developments have not been so positive, however. Some residents east of the I-5 freeway . The City Council has written a formal letter .

Crime and Mayhem

Probably the splashiest crime headline in San Clemente this year was . A Navy corpsman didn’t show up for duty one morning, prompting Camp Pendleton authorities to search his barracks. There, they said they found “writings” that indicated he planned to plant bombs at the SCHS campus.

Bomb squads were called out and students were evacuated to the football field as the helmeted officers and bomb-sniffing dogs combed the campus.

It was a big show, but fortunately there were no explosive devices on campus. .

Other major crime news included two San Clemente youth pastors who were accused and/or convicted in connection with unrelated cases involving child molestation. Also, a San Clemente ; his case is still in the court system.

And, late this year, . His sentencing is early in 2012, as will be the trial of the other Marine accused in the crime, which happend within city limits.

The weather and infrastructure problems also caused mayhem in San Clemente in 2012; a J and required emergency installation of drainage pipes to keep the homes from sliding off the bluff. The homeowners have been involved in litigation with the city.

Also, the day after the SCHS bomb scare, . 

San Clemente Sports

San Clemente’s big sports story this year involved the San Clemente High School football team’s meteoric rise, gameat Angel Stadium by Rancho Santa Margarita in December.

The Tritons, boasting some of the top prospects in prep football, barreled through their season under the direction of the athletic director/coach Jon Hamro. The AD had to take over because of

The San Clemente boys’ soccer in March , while the lost in the final match to Flintridge.

In San Onofre State Beach’s , San Clemente’s own

In the, surf vet

Going Forward

Some projects on the docket going forward include a resolution to the problem of contaminated water at Poche Beach. into the ocean.

The runoff purifiers weren’t working because the water sits stagnant in a pool in the sun before it runs into the ocean. Once the measure is approved by the web of bureaucracies involved, city officials say piping the purified runoff directly into the surf will solve the problem.

Also in 2012, San Clemente will continue to the two-mile extension that will hook up Avenida La Pata with the rest of Orange County’s arterials.

The city will also continue along its beaches, . That project is still a couple years away, especially with the climate of economy in Washington, D.C.

Also in 2012, the city is set to perform . Officials said they won’t shut down the club until the new aquatic center at La Pata/Vista Hermosa is open, though, so swimmers will have a place to go during construction.

Also on the construction schedule is a ; the largely Hispanic community there banded together with the help of outside agencies to lobby the City Council for the improvements, .

Also in 2012, San Clemente's Swift Engineering, a race car and military aerospace design and manufacturing firm,