“Geisha” filming to start Monday, but long-term impacts are unresolved

The filming of "Memoirs of a Geisha" at Fitzgerald Marine Preserve will begin tomorrow, Monday morning—about a week sooner than reported in the San Mateo County Times or the HMB Review.  As of Friday afternoon, the escrow account for restoration was still a work in progress.

I found this out from the location manager while touring the site with neighbor Alan Harris today. Harris has brought a geologist and a biologist on the site to get their impression of the damage that could happen as a result and how long it could take to repair.

According to Harris, the impacts on the site could be greater than anyone expects and could last a lot longer.  Some areas of the park may have to be roped off for two to four years so that they are undisturbed while native vegetation is reestablishing itself. The area planned for cameras contains some of the most-native vegetation on the bluff.

Harris’s principal criticism is of the process. "I shouldn’t have had to find a geologist and and biologist," said Harris. "The County should have hired them and presented their findings at a public meeting."

The impact on the neighbors is large as well. There are four large trucks parked on a lot next door to the park, and more will probably arrive as the filming starts. A generator is chugging away in the lot and carpenters are hard at work with power tools.  ATV’s are moving up and down the trails to the film location.

In the park, activity has picked up over the weekend. Paths have been widened from three feet to eight feet. Where the paths have been widened into roads, there are areas where ATV’s have passed one another and widened the road further. There are signs of recent erosion, and the straw meant to protect the new roads has been matted into the mud.  It’s a big operation.

The pictures at right show some of the impact of the filming. Click on any image to see Coastsider’s album of the filming.