The monthly meeting of the DPHOAC was held at the Orange County Sailing and Events Center this past Wednesday. It was a fitting venue as one of the primary agenda items was how the center could better serve the Orange County public and what resources it would take to make that happen. Supervisor Foley in her update to the committee reported that she and her team have requested a “Boaters Access” $3.4 million dollar grant from the California State Department of Harbors and Waterways to help fund the infrastructure needs of the Orange County side of the harbor revitalization of which the Sailing and Event Center is a key component. After some committee discussion, Diane Wenzel, Executive Director of Westwinds Sailing and DPHOAC member, was given the task of reaching out to the members of the Dana Point Aquatic Foundation (business and public users of the center) to develop the needs list for the Center’s future and report back to the committee and Supervisor Foley at the December meeting.
The other key presentation/discussion was how the county manages the harbor revitalization assuring that it is proceeding according to the approved plan and who is responsible for that oversight. Mat Miller, Orange County CEO of Real Estate explained the current oversight process and indicated that going forward, due to the complexity of the project, there would be a dedicated staff position within his department to consolidate the responsibility of overseeing the Dana Point Harbor Partners harbor revitalization implementation.
Next month’s meeting will include an update by the DPHP on the projected January start of the landside development and the report on the Sailing and Event Center future utilization and the resources required.
