By CAMILLA COHEE NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
Surprise, Ty!
Residents along Miramar Beach are sending Ty Warner a massive thank you for having their beach cleaned of heavy debris following his recent purchase of the Miramar Hotel.
With a giddy Nina Terzian leading the effort, the group hired an aerial photographer to snap a shot of them gathered on the sand around a large banner that reads "Life's a beach! Thank you Ty."
Ms. Terzian plans to have the picture enlarged and framed to give as a gift, but she was thrilled to learn that the Beanie Babies billionaire would be in town today.
Ms. Terzian, who owns two homes along Miramar, is an old friend of Mr. Warner's. She was stumped on what kind of thank-you gift to buy for the man who has everything.
A creative, personal gesture seemed to be the solution.
"We're just so grateful," she said. "This beach was so bad, so stinky. Now it's pristine. It looks like the Caribbean down here."
Mr. Warner, who paid hotelier Ian Schrager $43Êmillion for the dilapidated oceanfront resort, had a cleanup crew at Miramar Beach within 30 minutes of closing escrow on April 29.
Over several days, workers filled eight 40-cubic-yard bins with trash and driftwood left by recent storms.
The photographer, Fritz Pinney, and her husband, pilot Tom Pinney, donated their time and effort for the gift.
"I just love flying over Santa Barbara," Ms. Pinney said after the trip. She said she has a collection of shots of many Santa Barbara buildings, including those owned by Mr. Warner such as the Montecito Country Club and the Coral Casino.
Posted by gandlwoods at May 19, 2005 07:11 AM