Preservationists speak up at La Mesa town hall meeting

At a La Mesa town hall meeting last week (January 17), two residents urged the council to preserve the Spring House in Collier Park.

The park on Palm Avenue was named for David Charles Collier, a developer who bought the land in 1905, according to the City of La Mesa website. There are natural springs on the land, and Collier built a bottling facility there in 1907 — the structure now known as the Spring House.

In 1910, Collier designated some of his land for public use. La Mesa, which incorporated in 1912, developed the land as a city park in 1920.

At the meeting, Jim Newland called the building "really significant" and said it should be preserved, not demolished. Rod Whitlow said, "If not for Spring House, La Mesa wouldn't be where it is. We need to save it."

Community development director Bill Chopyk said the draft environmental impact report for Collier Park improvements would be available for public comment starting tomorrow, January 24. After the 45-day comment period ends on March 11, the report and comments will be given to the city's Historic Preservation Commission.

In a related matter, resident Carol Lockwood asked about the formation of a historic district to preserve the façades of downtown buildings. City manager Dave Witt said that the city's historic preservation ordinance is used to establish historic districts. He said the city was embarking on the update of the downtown specific plan and it's "a good time to get involved."