San Diego Community Newspaper Group
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2009
www.SDNEWS.com Volume 24, Number 34
Councilman crafts alternative plan to gas-laden trucking BY ANTHONY GENTILE | THE BEACON
The city’s plan to truck excess methane gas through Peninsula neighborhoods as soon as next fall may be making a detour. At a neighborhood meeting Wednesday, Sept. 9 at the Hervey/Point Loma Branch Library, District 2 Councilmember Kevin Faulconer presented an alternative to trucking the potentially explosive gas from the Point Loma Wastewater Treatment Plant to a private energy firm. “I’ve been a proponent of this project because of its environmental benefits and I’ve always Opponents of the city’s plan to truck believed there was a better way to methane gas through Peninsula SEE GAS, Page 4
streets sought to pack a neighborhood meeting this week. DON BALCH | THE BEACON
YachtFest ready to drop anchor with window on luxury lifestyle BY NICOLE SOURS LARSON | THE BEACON
Now you see it ... now you don’t Passersby got an unusual view of the Old Point Loma Lighthouse and Assistant Keepers Quarters this week when National Park Service officials closed the complex for termite fumigation. Inspections confirmed the presence of termites in June, leading park officials to order a fumigation of the 154-year-old lighthouse with Vikane gas. The DON BALCH | THE BEACON tenting was removed Wednesday to allow the gases to dissipate.
If you’ve ever fantasized about life aboard a superyacht or megayacht, are considering purchasing or chartering a large yacht, seeking work aboard as crew or just looking for services or accessories for your own boat of any size, the 10th annual YachtFest event will soon be setting sail at the Shelter Island Marina.
The show runs from Thursday, Sept.17 through Saturday, Sept. 19 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Sunday, Sept. 20 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the marina adjacent to the Island Palms Hotel at 2051 Shelter Island Drive. Despite the economic downturn, the maritime event is expected to be larger than ever, with at least 35 SEE YACHTS, Page 4
Claimant: Airport fudging actual jet-noise levels BY SEBASTIAN RUIZ | THE BEACON
The San Diego County Regional Airport Authority (SDCRAA) forked over more than $45,000 in legal fees in August to a Point Loma resident for an apparent violation of the California Public Records Act. Roger Britt, 77, claims the Airport Authority withheld vital emails that would demonstrate how the Airport Authority “has violated the law by falsely reporting to the public and the state the
amount of noise generated by airport operations,” according to language in the lawsuit Britt brought against the Airport Authority in 2007. “It’s concealment,” Britt said. “[The Airport Authority] felt there was some disclosure that they didn’t want [the public] to see.” Although Airport Authority officials confirmed the court order to pay a portion of Britt’s legal fees, airport officials maintain the decision does not mean the Airport Authority violated the law.
“Nothing was pulled as exempt from this [information] request,” said Lee Kaminetz, counsel for the SDCRAA. But, according to Kaminetz, other requests Britt have made in the past for such information about noise-measurement algorithms and such is considered proprietary and would have been exempt from disclosure under the California Public Records Act (CPRA). SEE AIRPORT, Page 5
The 10th annual YachtFest, expected to be larger than ever, will attract thousands during its three-day engagement at the Shelter Island Marina. PAUL HANSEN | THE BEACON