Life Morro
February 2016
Bay
Everything Morro Bay
New CEO for Morro Bay Chamber of Commerce
Inside ... New Chamber chairperson 3 Saint Valentine
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Morro Bay general plan 4 Sweet Offerings
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Oysters 6 Community Calendar
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Summer Cottage
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An Evening with Heart set for Feb. 13 Photo by Allyson Oken
The Tyler family has owned The Morro Bay Aquarium, located at 595 Embarcadero, since the 1960s but the building may soon be refurbished as the nonprofit Central Coast.
City working with nonprofit to refurbish aquarium By RUTH ANN ANGUS
By ALLYSON OKEN
Rotary Club of Morro Bay holds its fifth annual “An Evening with Heart” dinner at the Morro Bay Community Center on Saturday, Feb. 13. This year’s theme is “Rat Pack Night Club Las Vegas Style” and attendees are encouraged to dress to the nines. You can keep in mind stars like Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe, and Sammy Davis Jr. This event is Morro Bay Rotary’s largest fundraiser and monies raised go to award scholarships to high school seniors and many donations to charitable organizations. This Rotary club has given prominent support to the community for more than 60 years. It works in conjunction with
Central Coast Aquarium, a nonprofit out of Avila Beach, took the first steps toward replacing the aging Morro Bay Aquarium at a City of Morro Bay Council meeting Jan. 12, with a deadline of Dec. 31 to submit a conceptual plan for the project. The project would require CCA to raise an estimated $7 to $10 million. The intent would be to create a new environment to house fish, invertebrates such as crab and sea stars and touch tanks. The facility would not house marine mammals, as the location does now. Current owners the Tyler family have owned and operated the aquarium since the 1960s. “With the lease up in 2018 we have hopes to be able to break ground in 2019,” CCA Executive Director Tara Malzone said. “Our Goal is not to just teach children but engage them. With a new facility like that we have in Avila, this will be a positive experience for visitors.” According to the meeting agenda, the aquarium could include large sea life tanks, a second-story multipurpose space, new docks, a visitor’s center and public restrooms. Research
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and ocean ecological tours could also be expanded. All City Council members were excited by the idea. John Heading said in open discussion at the meeting that “It (the aquarium) will put Morro Bay on the map.” The CCA is also partnered with Cal Poly’s Center for Coastal Marine Science and if the project is approved and they break ground, Cal Poly students and staff will be a big part of the work there. The only stipulation arose from public comment, after a local resident expressed concern about parking. The council discussed this and determined that the parking issues would be addressed in the conceptual plan. Buckingham reiterated that this was the only group at the table to partner with and suggested that the city not tax the nonprofit for parking. “The organization could walk away if they feel the cost of parking is too high,” Buckingham said. To learn more about this project, visit morrobay.ca.us. To make a donation or learn more about the Central Coast Aquarium nonprofit, visit centralcoastaquarium.com.
New bar under construction in Morro Bay
By ALLYSON OKEN
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The board of directors of the Morro Bay Chamber of Commerce has hired Erica Crawford as its new Chief Executive Officer/President. Crawford began her duties in January and is already striding forward to strengthen the work the Chamber does for its members. Crawford comes to the Chamber with an interesting background, most recently having worked at Linne Calodo, a boutique winery in Paso Robles, where she oversaw the direct-to-consumer sales of their wines and hospitality. Her functions included emphasis on representing their brand to the thousands of visitors to San Luis Obispo County from areas all over the world. Crawford was born in Virginia, but grew up in Boston. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Columbia University in New York. Crawford operated independently owned restaurants in Brooklyn for seven years. She was involved with labor relations, city and state business compliance, and marketing. Working in these urban environments gave her a broad and holistic understanding of the relationship between community development and economic vitality. She added to her skill set by studying with
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Artist Renter contributed by Paul and Kelly Boisclair.
The Boisclairs will have Dale Evers local artist create the sign for The Siren that is being vetted at the city for design and size.
What began as an infamous fisherman’s bar known as Happy Jacks in 1929 has gone through several incarnations including turns as the Fuel Dock and now The Siren. This is the dream come true for husband and wife duo Paul and Kelly Boisclair who plan to have The Siren open in late May if all goes as planned. The Boisclairs said that they both fell in love with Morro Bay and when previous owner Casey Kelso expressed interest in selling The Fuel Dock, they
jumped at the opportunity to buy it. “This is a collaboration of my wife Kelly and I and she and I had been coming into the bar for years,” Paul said. “We have lived in Morro Bay for nine years now and we have always loved this bar. When it came up for sale about a year ago we thought, ‘lets do it.’ We wanted to create a community center of sorts, a place that the locals can be proud of and visitors can have a great time. Our goal is to expand it, make it a much more welcoming friendly place and create a
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Monthly publication dedicated to covering everything in Morro Bay, CA.
Of Morro Bay Life
By RUTH ANN ANGUS