Artist Alley

A CALL FOR ARTISTS, ARCHITECTS

AND LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS

“Concerning the Fake Grass Solution”

This morning in the Union Tribune on the front page of the Local Section there was an article about the City of Oceanside and the Civic Plaza Fountain water problem. The City has spent over 350,000. Dollars to refurbish the fountains using recycled water. Now the water is deemed to be not safe for public contact. In the summer children and adults alike wade in the pools.

Our City Staff has put forth a solution: build a wooden platform over the space which is two to three feet deep and then install fake grass over that. This means that the entire project would be constructed over concrete and inside this structure there would form a mini climate of humidity and dampness. Many foreseeable maintenance problems would exist. Most of them related to animals and their functions which would be expensive to mitigate. The Staff is presenting this as a temporary solution until the drought is over. The Drought will not be over in the foreseeable future. As our City is promoting a downtown Arts District, this solution certainly will not make our City seem Art appreciative, or informed.

I have presented my vision to the Public in an exhibition at the Oceanside Museum of Art. Mine is but one which could make a public space into something wonderful. This is the heart of our City, and to have even a temporary solution of fake grass is one which will bring derision and dismay to not only our Community Citizens, but to tourists and visitors it would be a true negative.

I believe that in our immediate region there are many who could bring their own visions of what our City Plaza theme should be. It should be worthy of the magnificent setting already in place and the stunning views of the Blue Pacific to the west. It should be one where people can walk, rest, read, and just be one with the people energy which is the most vital element of our City of Oceanside. It should be one where visitors can take away a memory of beauty, history, and most of all the enchantment of being in the Ocean air which is one of life, and our inner selves. We should put forth our true selves and never, never offer a fake sense of what we as a City are all about.

There are the Robert Irwins, the James Hubbells and Patrick W. Caugheys of our Region. There are many more talented professional voices who could share a vision for our City’s Plaza. Our City should send out a Call for Professional expertise and established project contractors who could give our City Plaza a vision worthy of our present beautiful Buildings. The Gill legacy should be our guiding light, and we should honor this history of excellence. 

The City of Oceanside will hear this solution April 22 at the Council Meeting. Please come and make your voice heard and let the Council know that a bad temporary solution is not a good choice for the Heart of our City.

contact: kruger1988@yahoo.com