Speak Up Newport Hosts Meeting on New Mooring Plan June 14 with Newport Harbor Foundation’s – William ‘Skip’ Kenny

By Christopher Trela – May 30, 2023

Source: Newport Beach Independent http://www.speakupnewport.com/mooring-plan-2023/


How will Newport Beach’s new Mooring Plan affect you?

On May 23, the City Council approved a pilot program to change the harbor mooring fields configuration and approved changes to the Harbor Code to accommodate the proposed pilot program and the long-term plan for all the moorings in the harbor.

Speak Up Newport is hosting a meeting on Wednesday, June 14 to discuss the mooring plan with guest speaker Bill Kenney, the former Harbor Commission Chair. He will describe the Harbor Commission’s Open Water Initiative and the reasons for the changes to the mooring fields.

According to Speak Up Newport, it will affect all users in the harbor:

  • Boaters who use and do not use the moorings.
  • Use of the water by stand up paddleboarders, kayakers and swimmers.
  • Views from bayfront private and public properties.

Kenney will also provide an update to the Newport Bay Trash Wheel Project to intercept trash before it enters the bay.

The meeting begins with a reception from 5:15 to 6 p.m. Program is 6 to 7 p.m. the meeting is held in the Civic Center Community Room, 100 Civic Center Dr.

The meeting will be held in person and online. To participate in the webinar please register at: http://www.speakupnewport.com/mooring-plan-2023.

If you have a question you would like to ask the speaker, please send it to: qu******@sp************.com

William 'Skip

About William ‘Skip’ Kenney

William J. Kenney, Jr., CLS has been involved in the shopping center industry for over 40 years, many of which were spent at Donahue Schriber, a well-known and respected Southern California based shopping center developer. While at Donahue Schriber,  Kenney was intimately involved in the phenomenal growth of the company.  He was responsible for the formation of the company’s leasing department, played an integral role in the company’s developments, and, prior to his departure, was Senior Vice President of Development with responsibility for all of the company’s development activities.

He is a past Chairman, President and Treasurer of California Business Properties Association, he is a past State Governmental Affairs Chairman for the International Council of Shopping Centers, (“ICSC”), a post that he held for 4 years, and he has served on that organization’s program committee. In addition, Kenney has earned the coveted CLS designation from the ICSC.

Kenney also has served on the Board of Directors of the Balboa Yacht Club and the Promontory Bay Community Association. He served for eight years on the City of Newport Beach Harbor Commission (three years as Chairman), and on the Program Committee of the Orangewood Children’s Foundation.  He is currently on the Board of Directors of the Newport Harbor Foundation and is Chief Financial Officer for Balboa Yacht Club.

A graduate with honors from California State University at Fullerton, Kenney resides in Newport Beach.


By Christopher Trela – May 30, 2023

Source: Newport Beach Independent http://www.speakupnewport.com/mooring-plan-2023/

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To Residents, Yachtsmen and Newport Harbor Users:

The City of Newport Beach has been working with the Army Corps of Engineers for several years on a significant dredging project that will bring Newport Harbor to its authorized design depth which will enhance water quality, allow the bay to properly flush thus eliminating the need to dredge again for many years, remove some unsuitable materials that are lying on the floor of the bay today, and provide for the long term navigability of our harbor.

The Newport Beach City Council certified the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) in May 2021 and directed staff to proceed with securing permits for the project. The EIR is posted on the City’s website here.

The Newport Harbor Foundation has learned that there are a few in the community that are spreading spurious misinformation about the project and the Newport Harbor Foundation believes that it is important that presenting those interested in the dredging project be provided with the facts.

Chairman Murray and Members of the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board:

My name is Dennis Durgan and I serve as Chairman of the Newport Harbor Foundation. The Foundation was founded in 2019 for the purpose of preserving, protecting and enhancing Newport Harbor for the benefit of the City of Newport Beach, the homeowners on or near the bay, the commercial operators in the bay, and the recreational users of the bay. The Foundation’s founders, contributors, and members are made up of individuals and business who have a long history of using and enjoying the harbor and a vested interest in its enhancement and preservation for use by current and future generations. On behalf the Foundation and its Board of Directors, I am reaching out to you to express our support for the currently pending project for dredging of Newport Harbor and construction of the confined aquatic disposal (CAD) site.

Hello friends of the Newport Harbor Foundation,

There is an urgent issue we need a little help with… something that impacts one of our favorite local playgrounds – the Newport Harbor.

After years of lobbying the federal government for help, the City of Newport Beach has obtained grants of almost $16 million to pay for dredging of the harbor which will significantly enhance the quality of water and create safer boat passage in the harbor. Along with the dredging process, there is a process called CAD (contained aquatic disposal) which places unsuitable material now existing in the harbor into a safe and secure location deep below the harbor bed. This process is totally safe and has been used for many years all over the country, including harbors in California.