Point Loma-Ocean Beach Briefs

Arts & Culture Commission invests in nonprofits

The City of San Diego Commission for Arts & Culture will award 159 nonprofit organizations a total of $11.4 million for fiscal year 2020. Local awardees include Malashock Dance & Company ($46,973) and San Diego Museum Council, Inc. ($25,219). With approval of the Mayor and City Council, the Commission supports the cultural sector in exchange for arts and culture services.

Both Ocean Beach Merchants Association, Inc. and Cabrillo Festival, Inc. won funding through Creative Communities San Diego, which provides funding for festivals and parades. There is also an Organizational Support Program, which provides general operating cash to nonprofits whose mission is primarily arts- and culture-related. Funding for both programs comes from the allocation of the Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT), which is collected from visitors who stay overnight in hotels, motels and other accommodations. sandiego.gov/arts-culture

OB Town Council presents 2019 Community Grants

The Ocean Beach Town Council closed its July 24 meeting at the Masonic Center, by handing out grants to non-profits that make a positive difference in the community:

• OB Planning Board: $500 for general support.

• New Alternatives Visitation Center: $200 for fabric to make pillowcases for foster children.

• Sunset Cliffs Surfing Association 15th annual Gromfest: $500 to help sponsor the competition.

• San Diego River Park Foundation: $400 for Native Plant Garden beautification.

• Cleaner Streets Initiative-OB: $500 for community cleanup efforts.

• OB Woman’s Club: $1,000 for clubhouse exterior upgrades.

• Peninsula Shepherd Center: $1,200 for Out and About senior transportation program.

• Groundswell Community Project: $500 to sponsor one Obecian in the program, which helps women heal trauma through surfing.

• OB Fire Station 15: $1,350 for landscape improvements.

• OB Emergency Food: $300 toward Loaves & Fishes program.

• Peninsula Family YMCA: $600 for St. Peter’s Senior Outreach.

• Botany for Kids: $300 for Point Loma Native Garden restoration.

• Friends of the OB Library: $900 for new children’s books.

• OB Green Center: $250 for new books and DVDs.

• OB Historical Society: $500 for light-canceling blinds in Archives Room.

OB Hardware earns Good Neighbor Award

Miles Himmel of the Himmel Foundation awarded OB Hardware at 4871 Newport Ave. its Good Neighbor Award on July 13 before an audience of friends and family of the store’s new owners, Mike DeEmedio and Michael Grimes. The Foundation asked OB Town Council for suggestions for this year’s recipient and, due to the numerous changes and upgrades Mike and Michael have made — not to mention the way they saved the 100-year-old store from going out of business — the Town Council recommended OB Hardware.

Phil’s BBQ raises $112K for Operation Bigs

Phil’s BBQ and Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Diego County raised more than $112,200 with nearly 3,000 attendees at the 11th annual Phil’s Big BBQ at the Ballpark, July 14. Phil’s BBQ donated all the event proceeds to Operation Bigs, a one-to-one mentoring program that provides extra support to children and families with an active duty, veteran or gold star military parent.

Big Brothers Big Sisters “Bigs of the Year,” “Volunteers of the Year,” and “Liaison of the Year,” were recognized at the event for their outstanding contributions to the organization, and 600 children from the program were in attendance. sdbigs.org

Peninsula Singers seek voices for the fall season

The Peninsula Singers community choir welcomes singers with all levels of experience to join the fall season. No audition is needed.

The season begins Monday, Sept. 9 and rehearsals are 5:30-7:30 p.m. Monday nights in the community room at Point Loma Hervey Library, 3701 Voltaire St.

The choir is directed by Sarah Suhonen and accompanied by Stewart Simon on piano.

The choir has performed at many venues throughout San Diego and is a 501(c)3 nonprofit. Interested singers may visit peninsulasingerssandiego.org for more details.

Port to test bio-enhancing concrete tide pools at Harbor Island

The Port of San Diego has approved a Blue Economy Incubator three-year pilot project to test a new design of concrete tide pools by ECOncrete Inc., a company that aims to bring coastal and marine concrete infrastructure to life while reducing the ecological footprint of such infrastructure as seawalls, breakwaters, piers, etc. ECOncrete’s new Coastal Star tide pool has a star-like appearance and is designed to interlock with other Coastal Star tide pools, to serve as a replacement for traditional riprap to provide ecological armoring and shoreline stabilization, while creating ecosystems that mimic natural rock pools.

The 72 Coastal Star tide pools across three sites along Harbor Island’s shore are made with an environmentally sensitive, low carbon concrete mixture tailored to the environment in which they’re installed. Additionally, the concrete’s chemical composition along with the complex textures and features in the design provide for a favorable environment in which to grow a rich diversity of sea plants, animals and organisms. Every six months, ECOncrete will evaluate the viability of the units as an ecological armoring replacement. portofsandiego.org

Hausmann Quartet returns for Maritime Museum concerts

The Maritime Museum of San Diego along the Embacadero announced the continuation of the concert series featuring The Hausmann Quartet performing “Haydn Voyages: Music at the Maritime,” a quarterly program aboard the 1898 Victorian-era steam ferryboat Berkeley that operated for 60 years on San Francisco Bay. Upcoming concert dates are 4 p.m. Sundays Sept. 15 and Nov. 10. Tickets from $20 at sdmaritime.org