Corona del Mar Today: City to replace dolphin topiaries with slimmer versions

Corona del Mar’s dozen dolphin topiaries will be replaced with younger, svelte versions, probably in November, a city spokeswoman said.

The existing topiaries date to 1993, when early members of the Corona del Mar Business Improvement District added them to the medians at Marguerite Avenue and East Coast Highway. They were introduced during the annual Christmas Walk, along with a 15-foot Santa Claus topiary that was brought out for the holidays and stored offsite until it finally died. The group had considered adding dolphin statues, but officials said those could be dangerous if a driver hit one, so the topiaries were added instead.

Over the years, however, the dolphins grew and grew, becoming more difficult for city crews to trim. Since 2011, City Councilwoman Nancy Gardner and B.I.D. members have discussed replacements, saying the dolphins looked like manatees that needed a diet.

At a meeting in February, B.I.D. Chairman Bernie Svalstad announced that city staff agreed to replace the 7-foot-tall topiaries. The cost, city staff said, would be about $13,000 for the dolphins and median landscaping and improvements.

At that meeting, Svalstad said city staff would likely work with Roger’s Gardens to grow the new topiaries to be planted in the fall.

The group also discussed whether it could auction the old topiaries as a fundraiser, but that likely won’t happen.

“The current topiaries won’t survive transplanting,” city spokeswoman Tara Finnigan said in an email.

City works on fire ring application

The California Coastal Commission will hold its monthly meeting in Newport Beach next week, but the city’s permit application for charcoal-only fire rings won’t be on the agenda.

The Coastal Commission meeting will take place Oct. 8-10 in the Civic Center, with a few Newport Beach permits for private projects on the agenda for Oct. 9.

The agenda also includes a permit application for Crystal Cove State Park to restripe a parking lot and replace a modular building.

The city’s application for a program to limit fire rings’ fuel to charcoal-only remains incomplete, however.

“Community Development is working the response and expects to have the information ready for resubmittal by mid-October,” Tara Finnigan, a city spokeswoman, said in an email.

A Coastal Commission staff member confirmed that the city had not yet responded to a three-page letter sent in August that requested more information. The requested information included data on air quality and health impacts from charcoal smoke, whether data had been gathered about how fire ring users’ experience with charcoal compared to wood, charcoal availability and the dates of the proposed pilot program.

The city implemented the charcoal-only rule in March in order to comply with South Coast Air Quality Management District directives, but city staff agreed to work with the Coastal Commission staff on obtaining a permit for the program. The city submitted its 50-page application on July 17.

Big Corona parking stations to be installed

More than two years after the idea first surfaced, pay stations will be installed this week at Big Corona State Beach, according to a city news release.

“A contractor working for the city of Newport Beach will install 12 new pay stations at the Corona del Mar State Beach parking lot [began] Sept. 30,” the release stated. “Installation should be completed by Oct. 3, and the pay stations will ‘go live’ on Oct. 11.”

At that point, beach visitors can pay for hourly parking, as well as flat daily fees.

Hourly rates will be based on the season, day of the week and time of day, ranging from $1.50 per hour to $4 per hour, with day rates of $15 per day, except holiday rates of $20 per day on Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day.

“Customers will also have more payment options — in addition to taking cash, credit and debit cards, the machines will also accept pay-by-phone payments, using the ParkMobile phone app,” the release said. “Paying by phone with ParkMobile enables customers to add time without having to return to a parking lot pay station.”

SP Plus personnel will no longer routinely staff the parking lot to accept payments and oversee its operation.

“However, SP Plus will have at least one staff member on site during the first few weeks of the transition to the pay stations and during busy periods to assist drivers with the new system and answer any questions,” the release said.

The city began using pay kiosks at the Balboa Pier lot earlier this year. The California Coastal Commission approved permits for the pay kiosks at both beaches.

Beer bottle attack sends man to hospital

A man was assaulted with a beer bottle during a fight at the Island Hotel Sept. 27, according to police.

Officers responded to the hotel in the 600 block of Newport Center Drive at 1:02 a.m. after receiving a report about a man who had been hit over the head with a beer bottle during an altercation, said police spokeswoman Jennifer Manzella.

“Officers were unable to locate anyone in the area matching the original description of the male suspect,” she said. “The victim stated that he had engaged in a verbal altercation with the male suspect, which escalated to a physical fight.”

Police later determined that a woman interjected and broke a beer bottle over the victim’s head.

“The victim and witnesses at the scene were unable to provide a description of the female suspect, or a consistent description of the male suspect who was originally reported to police,” she said.

The victim sustained a forehead laceration and was transported to a local hospital for further medical attention, Manzella said.

Corona del Mar Today appears Sunday in the Daily Pilot. Read daily updates at coronadelmartoday.com.