Surely you didn't miss all the hoopla when County officials recently cracked open the Dana Point Harbor 50-year time capsule and presented its contents to the large crowd who came to celebrate the milestone.  But imagine the confusion of those bits and pieces that spilled from the capsule, after 50 years in hibernation, to see our harbor as it is today.  The same docks, the same buildings!?  This is 50 years of progress?  This must be a joke.  Put us back in and wake us when the harbor looks like we imagined it after 50 years!  Surely there would have been some transformation, some revolution, right?  Nope, not yet.

 

No doubt the original builders would be pleased by the durability of their work, but even they would never have predicted that in 2016 we'd still be living with the same docks and infrastructure they built nearly 50 years ago.  It wasn't made to last this long, and it's held together - just barely - by the fine work of our marina operators and their craftsmen.  But stop them on the docks and they'll tell you it's all falling apart.  You know this as you kick bits of concrete into the water and replace those cleats that pulled from the rotting wood.  It's time for renovation.  Past time.

 

Opening the time capsule was not only the celebration of an anniversary, it closes a major chapter in our harbor's story just as we prepare to start a new one.  It's perfect timing: as we reminisce on the first 50 years, plans are underway to hand our harbor over to a private developer to renovate and operate for the next 50 years.  Soon we'll bury another time capsule to open when their lease expires in 2067.  What will we put in it?  And what will our harbor look like then?  Probably an aging version of the harbor envisioned by construction plans that are being finalized today.  What we build now will surely be expected to carry us for the next 50 years, which makes this moment so critical to our harbor's story.  And we're all part of it.

 

 

So, where are we today?  When we updated you last, the County of Orange had issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to identify worthy developers to participate in the bidding process to redevelop and operate our harbor.  Three developers, or rather three teams of developers, responded to the RFQ.  And if the buzz is to be believed, at least two are likely to advance to the next round.  And based on what we know so far, these teams are more than qualified to build us a fantastic harbor, with state of the art marinas, surrounded by shops and restaurants and amenities to rival the finest harbors in the country.  We'll be the new center of entertainment and dining in South Orange County.  And on our boats, we'll have our own little piece of it all.  How does that sound to you?  Exciting, but a bit scary too?  As we've said so many times before, it's past time for renovation, and we're excited about revitalizing our harbor, so long as it truly remains a boat harbor first, with all the boater protections and services and amenities we expect - we deserve - in our new harbor.  Which again makes this such a crucial moment in time for our Dana Point boating community.  Who will the County select to rebuild and operate our harbor for the next 50 years?  What will their agreement look like?  What boater provisions and protections will the operator be contractually obligated to?  By this time next year, we'll know.  The County is expected to issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) to the RFQ finalists before the end of this year, with bids due by early 2017, and a final selection next summer.  Participating in this process has been, and continues to be the Dana Point Boaters Association's top priority.

 

Your DPBA leadership values and appreciates our seat at the table, where we collaborate routinely with other stakeholders in the guidance of our harbor, including the complex task of qualifying, identifying and selecting a private developer to rebuild and maintain our harbor for the next 50 years.  We are grateful to 5th District Supervisor Lisa Bartlett and her staff, OC Parks Director Stacy Blackwood and her team, County COO Mark Denny and so many others in County and harbor governance for meeting with us, seeking our input and considering our ideas for the present and future of our harbor.  We are excited to share with you soon proposals we have presented to County officials to ensure our boaters' continued voice in harbor policy and direction, and we are encouraged so far by their negotiations to adopt these proposals into harbor operations.  While we can't share details yet on these ideas, we believe you will be pleased with our innovation and the evolution of how all harbor users (including boaters!) will guide Dana Point Harbor into the next 50 years.