Port of San Diego

Ask the Port: Cruise Ships, Free Public Tours, Travel to Mexico

gbatuyon@portofsandiego.org (Glenn Batuyong) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:48:55 +0000

Three Departing After Long Port Careers

melicone@portofsandiego.org (Marguerite Elicone, Photos: Dale Frost) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 17:26:50 +0000

Sailing On
The Port of San Diego says goodbye to three recently retired employees who together share 91 years of experience – Chuck Sefkow, Bill Briggs and Nancy Swihart.

Chuck Sefkow, Land Surveyor, Engineering & Construction

Bill Briggs, Senior Redevelopment Planner

Nancy Swihart, Administrative Assistant II, Real Estate

Chuck Sefkow, Land Surveyor, Engineering & Construction
Ask Chuck Sefkow what the Port tidelands looked like in the ‘70s and he’ll tell you, “There was a lot of dirt.”

Chuck, a land surveyor with the Port’s Engineering & Construction department, retired on June 25 after 37 years of service.

He remembers when Harbor Drive was located right up to the edge of San Diego Bay, when Seaport Village was just an empty lot, and when the area from Navy Pier to the new Hilton was undeveloped. There was no Embarcadero Marina Park, no Marriott and Hyatt and no Convention Center.

“That’s the whole reason why the Port was created, “Chuck said. “Before the Port built all of these beautiful parks and developed the hotels, there was no reason to come down to the waterfront.”

Chuck is proud to say that since he started in 1972, he has been involved in every single Port development. From figuring out where a light pole would be installed to surveying the location for the San Diego Bayside Hilton, all of these projects have Chuck’s mark on them.

His favorite projects were the parks. He liked to see the transformation of the waterfront from a place where no one dared to venture to, to a place where families and children could enjoy spending time.

“It’s like being an artist,” he said. “You are working on something and not sure what it’s going to look like. It takes patience and time before you see any kind of result.”

Chuck enjoys taking his children and grandchildren down to the Port parks and showing them things that he’s worked on.

Prior to the separation of the airport from the Port in 2002, Chuck performed survey work at Lindbergh Field. His survey crew was small, only four people, and they often worked 14 hour days. The crew did survey work on the runways, which could only be conducted at night. In the daytime, they did their jobs on development projects.

During that period, the Port was at its height of development, so Chuck was always busy. He was involved with the construction of both Terminal II and Terminal II West at the airport.

One of his biggest achievements while working at the Port was earning his Professional Land Surveyor License. It wasn’t a requirement when he was hired in 1972, but was a personal goal that he wanted to fulfill. The exam is extremely difficult and it’s rare for surveyors to pass it on the first try. Chuck is proud to say that he did and strongly encouraged his co-workers to study for it.

Chuck has been married to his wife, Peggy, for 41 years. They have three children and six grandchildren. He plans on remodeling his house to add room for his family, so that they can come and stay whenever they like.

He enjoys camping, and plans on making several trips to Yosemite. He might also take a trip to Ireland with Peggy, who was born there.

Congratulations, Chuck, and enjoy your retirement!

Bill Briggs, Senior Redevelopment Planner
Bill Briggs has learned a lot about land and water use around San Diego Bay while working for the Port for close to 33 years. During this time, he earned the reputation as a walking encyclopedia of the Port.

At his retirement party, John Helmer, director of land use planning, jokingly announced they were downloading all of Bill’s Port knowledge to a compact disc in a “brain dump” before he leaves.

Bill is retiring from the Port as a senior redevelopment planner, where he participated in drafting over 40 amendments to the Port’s Master Plan. Most recently, Bill was involved with the America’s Cup Harbor Plan, resulting in the redevelopment of Sun Harbor Marina and The Wharf at Point Loma Marina.

“All of the projects presented challenges, but the variety of challenges was part of the benefits of the job,” he said. “They offered many interesting opportunities to make enhancements to the bay while protecting its natural resources.”

One of Bill’s earliest projects at the Port involved the Small Craft Mooring and Anchorage Plan. In the early ‘80s, there were over 700 anchored vessels and “floating craft” scattered amongst 18 locations on San Diego Bay. The Board of Port Commissioners were concerned the bay was being used as a dumping ground for dilapidated vessels. There were no regulations for anchored vessels, so a resolution was passed to designate mooring and anchorage areas.

“It has taken a while to implement, but it was great to be part of a project involving a number of other Port departments that has significantly reduced the risk of pollution from abandoned boats,” he said.

Bill is a landscape architect and was involved in the planning of several of the Port’s waterfront parks. He helped with the design of Coronado Tidelands Park, the Chula Vista Bayfront Park, and coordinated tidelands use studies of parks, shoreline promenades, fishing piers, and boat launch ramps.

When Bill began in the Planning Department, the office was located on the first floor of the Administration Building, where the board room is now located. Bill remembers the office had the appearance of an industrial warehouse, with high ceilings and fluorescent lights hung from long chains.

“The Port Administration building has been much improved by several major remodeling projects, “he said, “Although it could use a few more windows.”

Bill’s wife of 42 years, Bea, is retiring this month from San Diego State University. They have two daughters and twin granddaughters. Bill and Bea plan on spending more time with family and are planning a trip to Costa Rica early next year with friends they’ve known since college at Michigan State.

Bill said his time at the Port has been a great experience.

“I had the opportunity to work with a lot of bright and friendly people on some very interesting projects.”

The Port will miss Bill’s friendly smile and caring attitude. Not to mention the treasure trove of knowledge stored in his brain. If we could only get that on a compact disc.

Congratulations, Bill, and enjoy your retirement!

Nancy Swihart, Administrative Assistant II, Real Estate
Nancy Swihart remembers when every office door at the Port’s Administration building was left open. “I miss those days,” she said. “You could walk into any department and say hello to anyone.” Nancy, who has been at the Port since July 1988, is retiring today after 21 years of service.

Strict fire codes now mandate that all offices keep their front doors shut. But that didn’t stop Nancy from making her rounds. Ask anyone around the Port and they have good things to say about her. Nancy is a motivator, an inspiration, the embodiment of the power of positive thinking.

Those attributes became abundantly clear following a February 14, 2008 accident that left her with severe burns on over 65 percent of her body. Port employees were touched to hear the personal story of Nancy’s tragic accident at the 2008 safety breakfast. She stood before a crowded ballroom to tell the story of how her life was almost destroyed by fire. Her moving account brought many to tears and brought everyone to their feet.

As Nancy recovered from life-threatening burns, her counselors at the UCSD Burn Institute told her that there would come a point when she would stop thinking of herself as a victim and start thinking of herself as a survivor. She believes that she reached this moment sooner than most burn victims and she attributes it all to her mother and the way she was raised.

“My mom grew up on a farm, and her strength was passed along to me. We weren’t raised to be babies,” she said.

Tragically, she lost her beloved mother during her recovery.

Nancy plans on spending a lot of her time volunteering for the San Diego Burn Institute. She wants to help other burn victims reach that stage where they begin to feel like survivors.

Since Nancy started in the Real Estate Department, she has seen the department go through three name changes. In the late 80s it was called Property Engineering, then Development Services and now Real Estate. She worked with the architects and mapping techs, some of them for her entire Port career, and has been a part of almost every major real estate development.

“I’ve had to stamp every page of the plans for most of the projects,” she said. She said it has been wonderful to see projects advance through the “twinkle of the eye” stage to completion. Examples of these are the Manchester Grand Hyatt, which she had the opportunity to go to the very top while it was being built, with all the “cute steelworkers,” and the Midway Aircraft Carrier Museum, which holds a special place in her heart.

Nancy came to San Diego via an aircraft carrier. Her father served in the Navy and worked on several carriers and she gave up sixth grade camp so that she could go on a dependant’s cruise with him before he started his nine-month tour of duty at sea. She remembers when the talk of bringing the Midway to San Diego first started. She was elated, but secretly doubted that the plans would ever make it to fruition.

After plans for the Aircraft Carrier Memorial project were submitted, she had the opportunity to meet several of the World War II veterans who were involved with the project. Talking to them brought back fond memories of her father and she ended up being a contributing donor to the memorial.

In addition to volunteering at the San Diego Burn Institute, Nancy is looking forward to spending more time with her “cowboy” (husband) Pat, and her family, especially her three grandsons. She plans on traveling to Luxembourg to visit one of the grandsons, along with her stepdaughter’s family. She looks forward to reading, taking photography classes, scrapbooking, getting her life and closets organized, and enjoying being a member of the Red Hat Society.

Her words of wisdom for the co-workers she is leaving behind are to make your personal space reflect your own personality. Her own workspace in the Real Estate Department contains binders that are covered with photos of pets and babies. She is responsible for decorating a department supply cabinet with dozens of photos of co-workers’ children and pets.

Her parting words are that she appreciates all of the kindness and consideration that was shown to her after her accident. She especially wants to thank everyone who assisted her with the donated leave program. She said she has no idea who contributed to the program because the policy doesn’t identify donors, but she wants to make sure everyone realizes how much she truly appreciates their generosity.

Congratulations, Nancy, from all your friends at the Port!

Meet Miguel Reyes, Sr. Maritime Trade Account Manager

melicone@portofsandiego.org ( Marguerite Elicone) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 17:02:15 +0000

Voices of the Port
In between a sea of camouflage-painted Hummers and 150-foot long windmill towers on the Port’s Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal sits the nondescript warehouse office of the Port of San Diego Trade Development department. Deals are made in this office that bring international contracts to the Port and millions of dollars in economic input to the region.

Miguel Reyes is a Senior Maritime Trade Account Manager who works in this four-person office, sealing overseas deals and marketing maritime tenants. He started in 2002, and since then has helped the Port secure business with big name auto, shipping and cargo companies.

The Port’s Maritime Trade Development department is the sales force for the Port. It is constantly seeking new business for the Port’s two marine cargo terminals – one each in San Diego and National City. In addition, the department seeks new business for maritime tenants such as the cold storage facility at Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal, and the stevedoring companies that are responsible for loading and unloading cargo.

As Senior Maritime Trade Account Manager, Reyes attends industry meetings and trade shows and helps organize trade missions for the Port.

“One of the main challenges of this position is to educate potential customers about the Port of San Diego,” he said. “Customers always hear about Los Angeles and Long Beach, and don’t realize that shipping to the Port of San Diego can save them money in fuel and transportation costs.”

Reyes’ job is to make sure potential customers throughout the United States, Latin America, Asia and Europe are aware of the Port’s facilities, capabilities and experience.

Some of the Port’s success stories include convincing Eastern Car Liner (ECL), Ltd., a Japanese car carrier, to call on San Diego. Due to a lot of persistence, the Trade team was able to convince ECL to add San Diego to their port rotation. They have been coming here since 2004. Another big name was Dole Fresh Fruit. The company that currently ships 185 million bananas a month to the Port’s Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal previously shipped to Los Angeles. In 2006, Mazda switched from importing cars to Port Hueneme to the Port of San Diego, bringing 100,000 additional vehicles a year to the National City Marine Terminal.

Last year, Reyes traveled with former commissioner Sylvia Rios, Ron Popham, the Port’s Assistant Vice President for Maritime; Ed Plant, president of San Diego Refrigerated Services and representatives from the San Diego Hispanic Chamber of Commerce to Mexico. The purpose of the trip was to seek new avocado cargo for the Port of San Diego, Reyes said.

“This is a good time to partner with Mexico because they are currently looking for other options for transporting avocados to the United States.”

The trade mission laid the groundwork for future avocado imports for the Port of San Diego. Currently the growers are trucking the shipments to U.S. border towns like Nogales and Laredo in Texas. Shipping the avocados provides a safer and less expensive method of transport.

While there, the group visited Uruapan, Michoacan, considered to be the avocado capital of the world. The area is home to 28 USDA-certified avocado packing houses and 4,000 avocado growers.

Other trade missions that Reyes has participated in included trips to Brazil and Chile. Those visits resulted in additional shipments of steel and other project cargo.

Next month, Chairman Stephen Cushman, Commissioner Robert “Dukie” Valderrama, Ron Popham and Reyes will travel to Brazil, Chile and Ecuador to conduct meetings with current and potential customers. Trade missions are essential to reinforce relationships with cargo stakeholders and the participation of port commissioners is really appreciated by overseas companies. As part of a Fee-for-Service agreement that the Port has with the World Trade Center (WTC) in San Diego, the WTC will be assisting in the coordination, planning of customer events and logistics of this trip.

Reyes’ favorite part of his job is dealing with the customers, which contributes to the Port’s reputation of excellent service.

“It’s exciting to secure accounts after working for months on them,” he said. “A big part of this job is based on relationships with our customers. These relationships create opportunities.”

Securing new accounts in today’s economic climate is often difficult for many ports throughout the world.

“The Port of San Diego isn’t alone in this,” Reyes said. “However, one positive aspect is that the slowdown has caused many customers to take a second look at how they do business. This slowdown has created new possibilities for us because customers are realizing they don’t need the giant container ports. We’ve got the lay-down area, we’ve got the expertise and we can save the customer money.”

The Port has seen a decrease in automobiles and construction cargo such as lumber and sand. Despite those decreases, it has been able to make up the losses with other cargo. Wind energy components continue to do well as do shipments of steel, bananas and industrial cargo that is often used for power plants. Frequent military offloads also help boost revenue.

Reyes is optimistic that the construction-related cargo will pick up soon. “The industry is cyclical. We’ve seen it before and we’ll see it again,” he said.

In the meantime, Reyes and the rest of the Trade Development department will continue to do what they do best – marketing the Port and its maritime tenants and promising first-class service.

Ancient History Comes to the Waterfront as the Port Installs the Public Artwork “Penelope”

melicone@portofsandiego.org (Marguerite Elicone (619) 686-6222) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 23:03:52 +0000

A new artwork depicting one of the most revered women in Greek mythology will be installed on the waterfront at the former Harbor Seafood Mart, just north of Seaport Village. “Penelope,” a six-foot tall woven bronze sculpture by Fallbrook artist Michael Stutz, will be installed on the public promenade, adjacent to the Port’s Embarcadero Planning Center at 585 Harbor Lane in San Diego (map). The installation will begin at approximately 7 a.m. on Tuesday, June 30, 2009.

The six-foot tall sculpture depicts Penelope’s face and flowing hair. Stutz created the artwork using welded bronze strips, with a woven pattern that he associates with muscles and nerves and their potential for movement and feeling.

The woven pattern also recalls the story of Penelope. She was the wife of Odysseus, King of Ithaca, in the ancient epic Greek poem, “The Odyssey.” Odysseus is also referred to as Ulysses in Roman history. According to the story, while Odysseus was off fighting the 10-year Trojan War, Penelope remained at home, fighting off suitors. Everyone assumed her husband had been killed in the war.

One of the tricks that Penelope devised to keep the men away was to pretend to be weaving a burial shroud for Odysseus’s elderly father. She claimed that once she completed the shroud, she would choose a suitor. Every night she undid the weaving so that it would be impossible to finish.

“Penelope” will be bolted to a steel-reinforced concrete plinth with a cast wood-grain texture. The plinth features an inscription that explains the meaning of the sculpture. It reads: “Weaving by day, Penelope would be forced to choose a new husband when her tapestry was complete. But all the while she waited, unraveling her work by night, steadfastly sure of Ulysses’ return.”

Approved by the Port’s public art committee in May, 2007, “Penelope” was approved by the Board of Port Commissioners in January 2008. The overall cost of the artwork was approximately $69,000.

The Port has plans to develop a new park, Ruocco Park, at the site where “Penelope” will be installed. The anticipated construction date will be in late 2010. At that time, the artwork will be sited at another, to be determined location.

Wind Energy Parts Offloaded at Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal

dfrost@portofsandiego.org (Dale Frost) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 22:15:04 +0000

The first of six scheduled shipments of tower components used for alternative energy products arrived this week at the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal, creating more business for the Port of San Diego.

After the General Electric towers are offloaded by longshore workers, they will be trucked to a wind farm in Palm Springs. In total, the Port will receive 300 tower sections. The next shipment is scheduled to arrive on July 6th.

At the wind farm, three of these 85-foot-long sections will be connected to create a 256-foot-high windmill tower. The tower components are imported from China.

The Port of San Diego regularly handles a variety of alternative energy components. Wind blades, rotors and other parts are imported from Japan. From the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal, they are trucked to wind farms in Texas, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah. Port of San Diego tenant Knight and Carver Wind Group, located in National City, is also involved in research and development of wind blade technology.

“The Port of San Diego is in a key position to handle more alternative energy shipments due to our proximity to the Far East,” said Miguel Reyes, senior maritime trade account manager.

The goal of the Dept. of Energy is to have 20 percent wind energy by the year 2030. 2008 saw a record-breaking year of wind power installation.

Over the last few years, alternative energy products have become a primary import cargo at the 96-acre terminal. An increase in alternative energy imports is anticipated as windmill farms grow in national popularity due to the demand for energy that has less impact on the environment.

Big Bay Boom Fireworks to Light Up San Diego

bmoreno@portofsandiego.org (Barbara Moreno (619) 686-6216) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 21:21:56 +0000

The countdown is on! The party of the year is coming to San Diego's Big Bay. The Port of San Diego’s 9th Annual Big Bay Boom will light up the sky July 4. The event is ranked No. 1 this year, west of the Mississippi, by the travel industry. The fireworks show is a great way to spend the entire day along the Big Bay.

READ MORE: Big Bay Boom event details and parking/shuttle information

Appeals Court Upholds Port of San Diego’s Removal, Destruction of ‘Party Boats’ From South Bay

bmoreno@portofsandiego.org (Barbara Moreno (619) 686-6216) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 23:34:31 +0000

The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals recently issued two rulings in favor of the Port of San Diego's litigation involving two infamous boats from the South Bay. The court dismissed appeals by Pastor James Ward, Kathleen Pierce and Matthew Morgan over The Castle on April 22, and Neptune's Palace on June 5, 2009, respectively.

In its rulings, the Court of Appeals agreed with the trial court finding no merit to the plaintiffs' lawsuit involving the vessels, the Castle and Neptune's Palace. Ward, who owned Neptune's Palace, claimed that Unified Port District A-8 Anchorage ordinance discriminated against him because of his race, which is African American. Ward also claimed ownership in The Castle, joining his claim with that of Pierce and Morgan. All three sued the Port over the seizure and destruction of that vessel.

Morgan, the original owner of both vessels, was a party-boat entrepreneur who had a stake in a Midway strip club. He donated Neptune's Palace to Ward's Mindbridge Church of the Open Mind after the Port District passed the A-8 Anchorage ordinance. Ward claimed he used Neptune's Palace for youth events, church services, parties, and weddings.

In 2003, Neptune's Palace ran aground in shallow water off the Chula Vista bay front following a storm. The 120-foot-vessel, which had no engine, was considered an environmental hazard because it was located in a protected habitat and killing eelgrass.

The court, in its opinion, said the Port was attempting to clean up the bay and in the process remove numerous vessels. It also said the race of the vessel's owner was not a factor in the Port's deciding which boats to remove.

The Castle was known for hosting raucous parties in a spot anchored off Chula Vista's J Street Pier. The plaintiffs claimed the Port failed to provide due process and did not give them proper notice prior to removing The Castle.

In its opinion in that case, the Court held that "the Port had the authority to seize and destroy the Castle because it had attempted to locate the registered owner, Kathleen Pierce, but was unable to do so due to her own negligence in failing to update her address, and the watchman, James Morgan, was aware of the seizure and was informed via letter that the owner could claim the Castle."

Further, because the impoundment and destruction were lawful, the District Court awarded those costs to the Port.

"The District is now in the process of taking legal action to recover our impound and destruction costs, in the sum of approximately $25,000," said Deputy Port Attorney Ellen Gross Miles.

"We think the matter is over. The chances that the U.S. Supreme Court would hear these matters given the ease of which it was disposed of by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals would be negligible," Miles said.

Workers from Marine Group Boat Works removed Neptune's Palace on June 3, 2008, at a cost of $313,000 and towed it to the company's boat yard during an early morning high tide on Tuesday, June 3, 2008, where it was dismantled and destroyed.

The Port District has been removing abandoned and derelict boats posing navigational and environmental hazards from San Diego Bay for many years. The Port currently budgets $180,000 per year to pay Marine Boat Group Works to tow and pull abandoned and derelict boats out of the water. After all legal procedures are exhausted, vessels with little or no value are then destroyed.

San Diego City Council Appoints Lee Burdick as New San Diego Port Commissioner

melicone@portofsandiego.org (Marguerite Elicone (619) 686-6222) — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 15:14:36 +0000

Lee Burdick, a partner with the San Diego law firm Higgs, Fletcher & Mack, was appointed by the City Council of San Diego as a commissioner for the Port of San Diego. She joins Chair Stephen P. Cushman and Commissioner Scott Peters as one of three representatives for the City of San Diego on the Port's governing board. She was appointed June 8 by the San Diego City Council to fill the Port seat vacated by Laurie Black, who resigned in April. Ms. Burdick will be ceremoniously sworn in at the July 7 Board of Port Commissioners meeting.

With extensive experience in government affairs, regulatory compliance and land use planning, she has represented businesses in a variety of regulated industries. At Higgs, Fletcher & Mack, she specializes in regulated industries, including those in high-tech, telecommunications, aviation, clean and green technologies and the wine industry. She has provided general counsel on land use and real estate issues, the California Environmental Quality Act, contracts and human resources.

Prior to joining Higgs, Fletcher & Mack, Ms. Burdick served as director of government affairs and general counsel for Jimsair Aviation Services. She was also a principal in the law firm of Ferris & Britton, A.P.C. in San Diego and was the owner of Prima Legal Services in Redwood City, California.

Ms. Burdick earned a Juris Doctorate from the Columbus School of Law at the Catholic University of America and a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from the University of Missouri at Kansas City. She holds a certificate from the Institute for Communications Law Studies and has received American jurisprudence awards for family law, federal income taxation and international law.

She is a member of the California Bar, and has also been admitted to the Maryland Bar and the Bar of the District of Columbia. Her civic responsibilities have included serving on the board of directors for the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, chair of the Chamber of Commerce Working Group on the City of San Diego General Plan Update, chair of the Chamber of Commerce Legal Committee and chair of the Chamber of Commerce Legislative Committee. She is a past member of the National Aviation Transportation Association Airports Committee, the board of directors and chair of Program Committee for the Forum for Women Entrepreneurs and is a current member of the working group on the County of San Diego's General Plan Update.

Port-Funded Project Leads to Release of Endangered Birds

bmoreno@portofsandiego.org (Barbara Moreno (619) 686-6216) — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 16:23:16 +0000

Sixteen endangered light-footed clapper rails were released at San Elijo Lagoon in Encinitas on June 16 as part of a captive breeding program partially funded by the Port of San Diego. The critically endangered birds were set free through a special conservation effort by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in San Diego, the Chula Vista Nature Center, Sea World and the Wild Animal Park.

The light-footed clapper rail once thrived in the coastal marshes of Southern California, although the development of 90 percent of the clapper rail's natural habitat along with the threat from introduced predators like the red fox and feral cats caused the population to dwindle. Habitat destruction has also resulted in ‘genetic bottlenecking' within the isolated subpopulations. This lack of genetic diversity results in the birds inbreeding which causes a decline in the breeding rates.

Additionally, because of the inbreeding, the birds and their offspring become very unhealthy. The clapper rails were tagged in order to keep track of the population in the wild. In 1998, only 222 pairs of clapper rails were counted in their range in California and a program was started to increase their numbers. In the 10-year period since then, the number of breeding pairs in the wild has doubled with the program releasing more than 200 captive-bred birds.

There are many species of wildlife that call San Diego Bay home. The Port invites the public to learn more about the plants and animals using our customized Google Earth download.

Port Awards Contract for New Cruise Terminal Construction

melicone@portofsandiego.org (Marguerite Elicone (619) 686-6222) — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 00:27:06 +0000

In less than two years, Broadway Pier on San Diego Bay will be home to a new, modern cruise ship terminal. A construction contract was awarded last week to Jaynes Corporation, a construction company with offices throughout the southwest.

Jaynes Corporation, which received the go-ahead by the Board of Port Commissioners, will begin construction on the 52,000-square foot cruise ship building early next month. The construction contract also includes a mobile passenger gangway and seismic improvements to the pier.

Designed by Bermello Ajamil and Partners, Inc., the new cruise ship terminal will be a Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) - certified building. The certification is a national recognition, which means it will be designed to use less water, less energy and produce fewer pollutants. The design features a unique "sawtooth" roofline and glass roll-up doors. The façade of the building will be all glass, giving the structure an airy, open feel. The estimated construction cost for the project is $21.1 million.

The terminal building will be set back from Harbor Drive approximately 400 feet. On days when there are no cruise ships in port, the public can access the pier and the terminal. A public space will be open in the back of the building, with an open pavilion providing views of the bay. On the second floor of the building, another area will be available for special events.

Construction bids for the project were opened on May 19, 2009. There were 14 bidders, with bids ranging from $17.4 million to $21.5 million. Jaynes Corporation's bid came in at $17,444,003.

Jaynes Corporation has significant experience in both the public and private sector commercial construction markets. Regional projects include the Encina Water Pollution Control Facility in Carlsbad, the Padre Dam Customer Service Center in Santee, the National City Public Library, Grossmont Hospital's Critical Care Center and the San Diego City College indoor physical education facility.

The new cruise ship terminal will assist the Port of San Diego with its growing cruise business. In fiscal year 2008, 297 ships called on the Port. The Port's main cruise ship terminal, located at the B Street Pier, can accommodate two cruise ships at a time. On days where three or four ships are in port, Broadway Pier was utilized as a temporary terminal. Passengers were processed in a tent structure set up on the back of the pier. The additional terminal will allow the Port to accommodate more cruise customers and remain competitive with other cruise ports.