Anne Seifert: District 5: Leisure World
If ever there were the “little city that could” it is Seal Beach. What a wonderful place to live! Almost every recreational opportunity is available.
People move here because they are attracted to our downtown charm, sunshine, ocean air, and yes, the beach. We have a user-friendly and protected area for swimming and surfing.
I regularly walk the water’s edge, and like so many I enjoy peaceful tranquility. A tonic for the soul. Relief from our daily routines and sometimes hectic schedules is found in a simple walk to the beach.
Our City strikes a delicate balance between those desiring peace on the beach and those who want amusement or entertainment. Much credit goes to the Recreation/Community Services Department as well as the Chamber of Commerce for coordinating and sponsoring some truly spectacular fun events. Although not on the beach, who doesn’t like the Classic Car Show? But, when it comes to having events actually on the beach, on the sand, I believe more scrutiny is required. Some very successful charitable events, like the bi-annual “Trees for Seal Beach” tented dinner-dance, are for a good cause and well executed. Junior Lifeguards and and other safety programs bring the community together— these events are entirely appropriate and desirable.
Main Street and adjacent Electric Park seem ideal for most events since they also serve to bring business to our local shops. And so many wonderful parks with adequate facilities and parking are better suited for events than the beach. To keep our beaches clean and guard public access and safety I would limit the number and type of events that could take place on the sand. What we have now is an excellent balance. Let’s keep it that way.
Michael Levitt: District 5: Leisure World
‘We’re a beach city. Our beach and pier are high-profile assets and we should utilize them to attract more visitors, more customers for our merchants, and more revenue for the city’s operation.
Until the “Glue Gate” scandal, the sand castle contest was a huge draw. It is time we brought back an event like that. We have every reason to be proud of our beach, so let’s show it off. Some sand castle contests receive national TV coverage, and could result in vacationing visitors from across the nation. At a time when our merchants are experiencing a difficult economic environment, an event of this magnitude could be an economic boon, for them and for the city.
And how about a “Beach Run?” A 5-K, perhaps, held entirely on the sand? Runners could be grouped by age, giving everyone a fair chance. Winners could receive gift certificates to Seal Beach stores and eateries. Since the only way to train for a sand race is to run on the beach, potential entrants could be visiting Seal Beach frequently to get in shape for the run. An event like this would definitely be a win-win.
And here is my last thought: we’ve all watched folks walking the sand with metal detectors, looking for jewelry, coins and buried treasure. I’m proposing a metal-detecting contest. Organizers “salt the mine” and participants receive points for the marked objects they retrieve. Again, prizes would include local merchant gift certificates.
Do I want more beach events? Absolutely!
Scott Levitt: District 1: Old Town and Surfside Colony
Special events in Seal Beach are an integral part of what makes the town so great and unique.
These events help build tradition for our residents and highlight our city to all attendees.
The events that the city currently hosts are terrific events, including the Fish Fry, the Pancake Breakfast, the Car Show, the Winter Parade, the Spring Celebration on the Greenbelt, and the Concerts in the Park, to name a few.
These events are well attended and enjoyed by all.
I have such fond memories of attending the Winter Parade for the past 30 years. Seeing the number of entries in the parade grow over the years, along with new generations of attendees, has been rewarding.
I also believe we would be benefitted by returning the Seal Beach annual sand castle contest. This was a widely enjoyed, family focused, and long standing event for the c
ity. Seeing all of the families and friends committed to working as teams was a nice focus for our community and a great way to highlight its qualities (and placing first and second two years in a row, was fun too).
Our collective community events bring commerce to our businesses, often help raise funds for charitable and community organizations (especially the awesome SB 5k/10k run), and provide friends and neighbors some great venues to maximize all that is the best of Seal Beach.
Seal Beach has a great balance with the number of events it has, and with the addition of the Sand Castle Contest (and maybe the return of the pro volleyball tournament), Seal Beach will have a nearly perfect balance of events to keep the community exciting and active, while not being overburdened by crowds and an overscheduled calendar.
Questions and comments: scott@levittforseal.com www.levittforseal.com.
Ellery Deaton: District 1: Old Town and Surfside Colony
This summer has been a perfect example of successful Old Town special events. The Wednesday night concerts at Eisenhower Park overlooking the ocean were both popular with residents and successful for the business community.
The Save Our Beach cleanup days are another case of an outstanding event that draws people to our beaches and benefits not only our little beach, but also the community at large.
The Kite Festival is yet another noteworthy example. These all serve as good models for future events.
As we consider more events at or on our beach, there are some criteria that should guide us in selecting which are a good fit for our community. Our beach is a small beach in a small town that is surrounded by a residential neighborhood. Therefore the size of the event needs to be scaled to fit our town.
Residents not only need to be considered, but consulted and every activity looked at individually. Noise factors, the length of the activity, and ending times need to be considered. Events should be spaced to allow residents to enjoy the leisurely use of their homes.
Another consideration is parking in our town. It is very limited even with no special activities scheduled. So special event planning needs to include how to park the number of visitors expected to attend.
Together we can find the balance that works for Old Town.
Robert Aguilar: District 1: Old Town and Surfside Colony
Thank you to everyone who sent me emails after my posting in the SUN last week. Over 100 emails in less than 4 days!! I appreciate the support and the feedback. If I have not replied to your email yet please be patient. I will try to answer them all.
This week’s question is one that I have been talking to a few people about already these past few months. There are so many great events that take place in Seal Beach already that I can usually look forward to doing something fun all year round. The Car Show, Concerts in the Park, and the Christmas Parade are favorites of my entire family.
And we are looking forward to the month of October as we celebrate our 95th year as a city. Carla Watson and her dedicated Founder’s Day crew have lined up several great events, and we are excited about all of them. http://www.SealBeachFoundersDay.com
In the past we have had other events that for one reason or another have not been a good fit for our community. Events like the AVP Volleyball tournament have made brief appearances on our shore. We are a great town with a lot of quality things to offer, but the capacity for events that large is not one of them.
I would like to see more family oriented events such as the Beach Cleanup we had this past weekend that featured fun things to do for our kids and adults, and the potential return of the sand castle contest as long as it doesn’t set our beach cleanup crew and city workers up for a big mess.
Organized events are an important element to our local economy. They bring business to our local merchants and they provide fun for all residents and visitors. http://RobertAguilarJr.com.
Joe Kalmick: District 1: Old Town and Surfside Colony
Over the years we have had many special events on our beach. Surfing contests, volleyball tournaments, sand castle contests, kite festivals, The X Games, and the Trees for Seal Beach fundraiser to name a few. Most residents I’ve spoken with seem to enjoy having these types of activities.
During the summer, the Jr. Lifeguard program utilizes a good portion of the beach with classes and tryouts. We certainly enjoy and support these activities.
While there are certainly impacts on our city services, parking and neighborhoods adjacent to the beach, it really is only a few days out of the year, and the events do bring positive attention to our city and benefits to the local businesses.
We must also remember that our beach and related activities are for the enjoyment of all Seal Beach residents. We are experiencing an increase in the number of families with young children moving into town. In addition, during these more difficult economic times, families are looking for things to do closer to home.
I believe that with proper planning between event organizers and city staff that we can stage events on the beach that will have minimum negative impact while bringing enjoyment to so many, while showcasing our greatest community asset.
Amalia Almasy: District 3: Hill, Bridgeport, Herron Pointea
I think it is important to consider granting permission for Special Events such as Professional and Semi Professional/Private Volleyball Tournaments, Surfing Contests, and Sandcastle events onto our Beach. Granting permission to host these types of events here in Seal Beach will bring revenue to large and small business and in turn bring revenue into our city.
This may also help bring recognization and notoriety to Seal Beach and help retain high and increase future property values.
Remember, many of us visited Seal Beach before deciding to make it our hometown; others may have read about the Kite Festival, past Sandcastle events and felt welcomed into Seal Beach through these events.
It is important to remember that we have a large number of local events throughout the year, and it would be good for our city to be able to contract with large promoters once or twice a year for a large event(s).
For those that may oppose my position on this matter, thinking that it may “take away” from our small beach town. Implementing procedures such as restricted start and end times, and additional Fees for Maintanance, Policing, and Lifeguards could be part of the application process.
I look forward to hearing from you regarding your position on this matter; do you welcome special events on our Beach?
Gordon Shanks: District 3: Hill, Bridgeport, Herron Pointe
Our wonderful beach is, of course what makes Seal Beach so special. Citizens in this town treasure the shoreline and many people walk the shore daily.
Fortunately, with the help of the City Community Services/Recreation department and the other city groups we have been able to create very popular, well attended events that have provided recreation, beach clean-up, and some revenue for our city.
These events have included the beautiful, Kite festival, the Trees-for-Seal Beach Party, the Junior Life guard competitions, the Rough Water Swim, the Youth-Sand Soccer matches, the Polar Bear Swim. And very importantly, the monthly Save Our Beach cleanup rallies. Some folks would like to revisit a Sand Sculpture contest and a low key Chamber/City sponsored volleyball contest.
While limited athletic events could be planned, these events should meet several conditions: There should not be loud amplification, and they should be events that attract folks, but do not create problems for local residents. These events should also attract participants and supporters who will shop and dine in local businesses. Just as the City supports the Chamber’s Concerts at the Pier, the Car Show and the Holiday Parade, businesses, residents and recreational leaders can find common ground for healthy community activity.
It is very important that the city continues to make our beaches as popular as possible. A clean beach with clean restrooms is imperative.
Therefore, this fall improvements to the pier restrooms will be made with the First Street restroom remodel in the design stage. Keeping our beaches, pier and restrooms clean and safe is a top priority for residents and visitors.
