Council Names Sports Park, Starts Alley Rehab Plan

The San Clemente City Council voted Tuesday to begin improving the alleyways leading onto Del Mar, starting with a $40,000 trash enclosure at the Granada parking lot.

The council also named the city's new sports park, set to open Jan. 28, the Vista Hermosa Sports Park.

Construction on the trash enclosure will be underway in a few months once city staff--at the direction of the council--put together a cost-sharing plan for the six to eight property owners and businesses who will make use of the structure.

Many of the buildings on Del Mar have waivers exempting the structures from a city code that requires outdoor trash cans be hidden.

Councilman Jim Dahl said the Granada alleyway is often cluttered with spilled trash and needs to be addressed right away.

The council also voted to start assembling a master plan to rehab the alleys along Del Mar's main thoroughfare that could coincide with SDG&E's planned undergrounding of electrical lines.

Downtown Business Association head Michael Kaupp pointed out that synchronizing the projects would save time and money if the improvements were ready while the pavement was already torn up.

A timeline for the undergrounding of the lines was not clear, but Assistant City Engineer Tom Bonigut said the initial structure in the Granada alley would be finished within six months.

Also at the meeting, along with the christening of the Vista Hermosa Sports Park, the council named the park's pool facility the San Clemente Aquatic Center.

The council tweaked staff's recommended useage rules for the park, allowing drop-in play on the synthetic turf fields when not in use by organized teams as well as non-four-legged folding chairs on the fields, despite potential damage.

A grand opening celebration for the Sports Park is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. Jan. 28, said Sharon Heider, the city's beaches, parks and recreation director.