A plan to overhaul a treasured county facility in Dana Point Harbor that provides education and ocean recreation opportunities to tens of thousands of people each year will take public input Wednesday, Aug. 19, on what future, long-term improvements to modernize the facility could look like.
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The OC Sailing & Events Center, located near Baby Beach, has served the community since the mid-1980s, when it opened as part of a tidelands grant. For decades, several water-oriented groups, such as the Dana Point Outrigger Canoe Club, the Mariners 936 Sea Scouts, and Westwind Sailing, have used the center as a base from which they and others have taught the public and schoolchildren about life in and around the ocean.
But the building has grown tired, so now as the harbor undergoes a $700 million rehabilitation through a public-private partnership with the Dana Point Harbor Partners, county officials are seeing an opportunity to make their side of the harbor shine for public use.
County officials said the cost of replacing just the docks — expected by year’s end — is about $4.2 million, with a $3.2 million grant from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife helping offset the cost. An estimate to modernize the events center with a new two-story building, including classrooms, modern technology and storage areas, hasn’t been determined yet.
On Wednesday, as a step forward, county stakeholders will discuss the vision and gather input. Areas of discussion include plans for improved parking; a review of community needs, public spaces, and recreation opportunities; the restoration of the facility’s docks; and the future of the nearby basin, channel, and Baby Beach.
Among those excited to weigh in is Diane Wenzel, who operates Westwind Sailing, a group that sees about 15,000 users a year.
“I and my constituents are very excited about the potential,” she said. “The building is old, breaking down, and is not functional for needs nowadays. It doesn’t have audio or visual; it’s not wired for wi-fi. It’s got decent square footage, but it’s not usable because it’s just a big space. There are no usable classrooms and dorms for overnight programming.”
When the center first opened, Wenzel said it was a “hub for public access and educational programs” with recreational activities, classes, sandcastle-building, tidepool exploration and Coast Guard courses. The center was called the Dana Point Youth and Group Facility then.
But the center declined over the next 20 years, as did its use.
Then, once the county entered into a 66-year lease agreement with the Dana Point Harbor Partners, Wenzel said the energy changed again.
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She credits Fifth District Supervisor Katrina Foley for her efforts to clear clutter from the classrooms so that, in June, the groups could use some of the interior space.
“She has really wanted to see this become accessible for the public and bring it back to its glory,” Wenzel said. “What she has done so far has been huge to promote the public programs that are going on right now. We’re very excited about the potential for this.”
Among Wenzel’s greatest interests is that the center remain public in perpetuity for educational boating and recreation, as “it was intended.”
“When the county was given the rights to develop the land, that part where the events center sits was specifically earmarked for public boating, education and recreation with a tideland grant,” she said. “The remaining programs have been continuing what we do for public access, but there are so many more potential activities that can go on.”
Plans had been floated to “privatize” the events center, Baby Beach and the Dana Cove Park section of the harbor, Foley said. “The community was opposed, demanding we protect the remaining spaces at the harbor.”
She is eager to hear from the community at Wednesday’s town hall about what comes next for the county’s side of the harbor.
“We have the opportunity to enhance the community space, increase open space, engage in additional programming and fix long-term parking struggles in the area,” she said. “I look forward to gathering feedback from the community to shape the next chapter.”
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If you go
When: 6 to 8 p.m. tonight, Aug. 19
Where: OC Sailing and Events Center, Cove Room, 34451 Ensenada Place, Dana Point