Senior resident Evelyn Frey can still make the 500 foot trek from The Strand to the ocean.
But she worries that she might not be able to in coming years, like some of her friends who are confined to wheelchairs.
Since 2008, Frey has pushed for the installation of a walkway extending from the bike path to the shoreline that would allow beach access to people with disabilities ranging from being confined to a wheelchair to having a broken leg.
After reviewing options that included both portable and pemanent walkways, the City Council on Tuesday directed staff to explore the costs and feasibility of installing a permanent walkway on the beach, which would require a Coastal Development permit from the county.
“It really is time,” said longtime resident Esther Besbris. “These people can’t enjoy what is lauded in our city…they’re being denied that pleasure.”
Proposed locations for the walkway include just north of the pier, the El Porto area and just south of Sixth Street. The city will look into several alternatives, including walkways made of concrete and plastic or wood composite materials, both of which are used in Santa Monica.
“This is an important priority for us,” said Mayor Pro Tem Nick Tell. “I think the first step is to figure out the cost and engineering issues and conduct a feasibility study.”
Councilmembers remained wary of potential costs, liabilities and the permanent alteration of the sand. Initial estimates range from $130,000 to $180,000 for the installation of a permanent walkway, not including annual maintenance and repair costs.
“I could never support a permanent structure on the beach,” said Mayor Richard Montgomery. “And we’re cutting back on everything else and we’re talking about putting a walkway to the beach?”
The county, which owns and maintains Manhattan’s beaches, agreed to pay for an engineering feasibility study. The city and county will later discuss how the walkway itself would be paid for.
“After knowing the cost, we’ll sit down and figure out the split,” said Santos Kreiman, director of Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors.
Kreiman also said that he wants the city to incur full liability for any walkway or structure that is installed.
Neither council members nor county officials were supportive of Frey’s suggestion to use a Mobi-Mat — a flexible, portable mat used on San Diego’s beaches at an estimated to cost the city between $24,000 and $32,000 to install, with annual maintenance costs ranging from $111,000 to $164,000. They expressed concern over the county’s requirement that the mat would need to be rolled out and rolled up daily, possible hazards, and whether the soft sand on Manhattan’s beaches – unlike the hard, packed sand in San Diego – would change the slope of the mat such that it would not be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Kreiman noted that the county provides the city with two wheelchairs with balloon wheels that are able to travel over sand. The wheelchairs are available to beachgoers upon request from county lifeguards, though Frey said when she inquired about them, she was met with a response of, “What wheelchairs?” ER
