Surfing Madonna donates $30,000 to Pacific View project

The Surfing Madonna Oceans Project, a local nonprofit group aimed at protecting the coastline, donated $30,000 to the Encinitas Arts Culture and Ecology Alliance (EACEA) on Jan. 19.

Bob Nichols, president of the Surfing Madonna Oceans Project and board member of the EACEA, said the donation is the first in a series of future donations aimed at helping the EACEA pursue its mission to create a new visual, cultural and intellectual arts and ecology center at the Pacific View Academy of Arts at the former Pacific View School site.

The city purchased the Pacific View School site downtown from the Encinitas Union School District for $10 million in 2014.

“EACEA and their team should be commended for their courageous actions and hard work in building what will soon become the Pacific View Academy of the Arts” said, Megan McCarthy, treasurer for the Surfing Madonna Oceans Project.

Garth Murphy, president of the EACEA, said the donation fulfills the group’s pledge to match and exceed the $25,000 grant it received in 2016 from the San Diego County Board of Supervisors.

The full rehabilitation of Pacific View will cost about $2.5 million, he said.

Murphy said all donations in the next two years will go toward that effort.

He said the group’s current funding goal is to match the $150,000 grant it received from San Diego County earlier this month. It plans to put $350,000 toward immediate work on Pacific View’s exterior, including a new roof cap, guttering and rain water collection systems, repairs to the walls, and a coat of paint.

“Pacific View’s building and grounds rehabilitation is a large scale work of art that will be a showcase of ecological principles, connectivity and sustainability,” he said. “Our partnership with the Surfing Madonna Oceans Project gives a huge boost toward those goals and fulfilling our obligations to the city, county and community.”

Nichols said Surfing Madonna also made additional donations of $16,600 total to other local causes. About $6,600 was donated to the local lifeguards for a new type of cliff rescue equipment, $2,500 was donated toward an additional floating beach wheelchair at Moonlight Beach, and $7,500 was donated toward a new earnings-per-share to paper program/partnership with the City of Encinitas to incentivize local restaurants to do away with foam.