The fire pits at San Diego's beaches have been spared by an anonymous donor, Mayor Jerry Sanders announced Monday.
City workers began removing 186 concrete fire pits -- located in Mission Bay Park, Mission Beach, Pacific Beach, Ocean Beach and La Jolla -- last week to save the $173,000 a year it costs to maintain them.
A single donor, who asked that his identify not be revealed to the public, pledged $259,500 to fund the fire pits for the next 18 months.
According to the mayor's office, the donor said he is not a frequent user of the fire pits himself, but wanted children to be able to experience the joys of a bonfire on the beach.
A fund has been set up to help keep the fire pit program going beyond the life of the donation. If enough money is
raised, Sanders will recommend another year of funding for the fire pit program when he proposes the city's 2011 budget.
Sanders recommended removing the fire pits as part of a package of mid-year spending cuts recently approved by the City Council to help close a $43 million budget shortfall.
