Gru a Ponte Vista?

Perhaps the name "Ponte Vista" will not fit for whatever is built on the site.

"Ponte vista" in Italian has, as their primary meanings in English, "bridge view"

Here are probably some more appropriate names that should be considered once you read down further:

Gru a Ponte Vista------------------Gantry Crane View
Carroponte Vista-------------------Overhead Traveling Crane View
Container Vista--------------------Container View
Nave Porta-Container Vista--------Container Ship View
Cassone Vista----------------------Containers View
Cassoni (grossi contenitori) Vista---Containers View

Why write about changing a name? If the berth 97-109 project is developed according to the plans being reviewed at this time, there won't be much of a view of the bridge...from anywhere west and north of the span.

Berths 97-109 right now looks like a long concrete wharf, four container cranes, a small amount of containers, and a really big mound of weed infested dirt. If the developers get their way, those four existing cranes will be in close proximity to ten more cranes added to the site. You will also get to view the additional very large number of containers stored and moved by those ten new cranes, along with the bright lighting necessary to shed illumination on the berths and storage facility.

I feel the berthing project has a direct impact on whatever is built with the Ponte Vista site because of the dramatic increase in allowable air pollution, traffic, light pollution, noise, and congestion that residents or students would have to deal with.

One report indicates that air pollution within the two ports would be allowed to have 9.9 persons per year die of pollution-related cancer or other health issues. Proponents of the Berth 97-109 project claim that the number of "allowable deaths" is less than 10 per year.

Mr. Bisno, in his desire to build 2,300 homes, with an estimated residential population of 7,343 permanent residents, will hopefully take into account the additional health concerns of the potential buyers of any home in Ponte Vista.

I have not yet spoken to anyone in the Bisno Development Corporation about what position, if any Mr. Bisno has taken regarding the Berth 97-109 project. I would hope and expect that he would be as concerned about the potential health dangers the berth project might have on his residents, that we have in northwest San Pedro and eastern Rancho Palos Verdes.

And now, another personal recollection.

My dad worked on Berths 97-102 for 25 years when they were the Standard Oil Marine Terminal. The other berths, up to berth 109 were part of Todd Shipyard. I spent many days walking along the old wooden wharfs, looking at harbor traffic. We got a spectacular view of ship launches at Todd because berth 102 was right next to the end of the ship-ways. The Ralph Scott would tie up at Berth 102 to stand-by, if there weren't any tankers docked. Whenever a ship was launched, the old wooden wharf would sway with the wake of the new ship entering the water for the first time. When just sections of ships were launched, like the mid section added to the "David E. Day", the flatness of the hull entering the water caused the big wakes that really shook the old wharf.

Some oldtimers might remember that there was a railway bridge between the old A.P.L. clocktower and the space where berth 100 would have been. Early in the 1950's a barge hit the support structure for the bridge and the damage was so much, that the bridge was removed. If you ever see the first season or two of "Sea Hunt" the bridge is visible in the opening.

Trivia: Originally berths 97-99 were made of wood. They were the oldest wharfs designed for tanker traffic in the harbor.