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State of Balboa Park 2024: ‘Stronger and better every single day’

Writer's picture: Rachel CobbRachel Cobb

By Roger Showley


Mayor Todd Gloria praised the Balboa Park Committee of 100 and other park stakeholders at his second annual “State of Balboa Park” address in August and highlighted recent improvements and those to come.


Mayor Gloria presents the “Key to Balboa Park” to state Sen. Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, for her many years of championing the park. Photo: C100


“This progress isn’t by chance,” he said at the Natural History Museum. “It is by choice. It is by the dedication and passion and hard work of countless San Diegans who are committed to preserving and enhancing this most magical of places.”


He cited C100’s Municipal Gym exterior restoration as one example of many projects in the works:

“The Municipal Gym is a vibrant hub for a variety of sports programs, including youth and adult basketball leagues, open play, fitness classes, disabled tournaments and special events,” he said. “Thanks to our friends at the Committee of 100, we will begin installing recreated ornamentation to the Municipal Gym in the Palisades. This $500,000 project will restore original 1935 Art Deco designs, beautifully complementing last year’s efforts that revived historic details of the Auto Museum just across the Palisades.”


Gloria also announced the issuance of a 60-day request for proposals to rehabilitate and operate the Starlight Bowl, immediately south of the Muni Gym and closed since 2010.

Other projects on tap include refurbishment of the Spreckels organ and pavilion; a new pergola in the Inez Grant Parker Memorial Rose Garden on the east side of the pedestrian bridge over Park Boulevard; roof, heating and air conditioning replacements and other infrastructure fixes at  the Casa del Prado, Marston House, World Beat Center and restrooms.


Also on Gloria’s park priority list: an update to the 1989 Balboa Park master plan and its precise plans; a dedicated fund for park improvement from lease payments and other direct park revenues; a renewed drive to reopen the Village Grill just west of Spanish Village ;and design work for a plaza between World Beat Center and Centro Cultural de la Raza.


In other planning efforts, Gloria welcomed the C100-led Balboa Park-San Diego High School Connections report due for review this fall by the Balboa Park Committee; the Burnham Center for Community Advancement ‘s outreach plans for reforms to park management and funding; the Balboa Park Cultural Partnership Experience Plan to help visitors find their way in the park; the city’s project prioritization framework study; the appointment of Jon Richards as deputy director solely focused on the park; and a full-time real estate assets manager to expedite the renewal of long-expired park leases.


The mayor also put in a plug for voters to approve a 1-cent increase in the local sales tax to generate a projected $400 million annually for improvements in Balboa Park and citywide.

“There’s no denying the fact that there is a long list of unfunded projects, unmet needs and deferred maintenance that we cannot paper over any longer,” he said. “More revenue will be needed if we’re to achieve Balboa Park’s full potential.”



The Botanical Building’s $28 million restoration nears completion. State Sen. Toni Atkins secured a $9 million grant to get the project under way. Photo: C100

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The Balboa Park Committee of 100
1649 El Prado, Suite 2
San Diego, CA 92101
e-mail: info@c100.org

The Balboa Park Committee of 100 is a

501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

 

Our charitable tax identification number is

95-8187105

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