Politics & Government

Donate to Help Fire Pits Burn for One More Year

The San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau, The San Diego Foundation and the La Jolla Community Foundation all commit funding to saving the fire pits at local beaches and bays.

A trio of organizations announced contributions Thursday totaling $64,500 to maintain the 186 fire pits at San Diego bays and city beaches–including several in La Jolla Shores–for the next fiscal year, but more money is needed.

Another $55,500 or so still needs to be collected through “Save Our Fire Pits” to fund annual maintenance of the concrete pits in Ocean Beach, Mission Beach, Mission Bay and La Jolla.

Mayor Jerry Sanders cut fire pit maintenance, estimated at $120,000 per year, from next year’s budget, something he has done in previous budgets, but private donations have always kept the pits, popular with tourists and locals, in operation.

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The "Save Our Fire Pits" campaign is a collaboration between the San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau, the San Diego County Motel-Hotel Association, The San Diego Foundation and the city.

Already The San Diego Foundation donated $35,000, the San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau $25,000 and the La Jolla Community Foundation $4,500 to save the fire pits for fiscal year 2012, which starts July 1.

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Bob Kelly, president of The San Diego Foundation, said bonfires are a family tradition for many San Diegans.

“Year after year, we hear from many San Diegans about the tremendous significance the fire pits hold for them,” said Kelly in a statement issued to Patch. “The fire pits help many families create and celebrate memorable moments, some very traditional in nature. This is about the positive contributions the fire pits make to our quality of life in San Diego and we don’t want to lose that.”

Tourism industry officials fear the loss of the fire pits would take away a major attraction. Joe Terzi, the president of the San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau, said tourism advertising depicts families at beach bonfires, and a television commercial for California shows San Diego County-based singer- songwriter Jason Mraz at a fire pit.

The organizations are working on a permanent solution to pay for fire pit maintenance, Terzi said.

The San Diego Foundation is accepting donations to save the fire pits. Contributions can be made at sdfoundation.org

City News Service contributed to this report.


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