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City council stays course with pier head renovation
by Robb Fulcher
The city council on Tuesday fine-tuned portions of its plan for a sweeping renovation of the base of the municipal pier, and rejected suggestions from some members of the public to place a large building spanning the pier entrance, mirroring a look from the 1920s.
Councilwoman Kathy Dunbabin said some residents had approached her with the notion of a large building spanning the pier entrance, similar to a mission-style structure that used to house a library and the local chamber of commerce.
Council members rejected the idea, some saying that a large, boxy building would loom too close to the tall structures lining the Pier Plaza, blocking views to the beach and creating a too-crowded look.
The council made some small additions to its renovation plans, and decided to study the possibility of extending the dark pavement that covers the Pier Plaza out to the Strand, perhaps as far as 10th Street to the south and 14th Street to the north.
The renovation plans call for a raised observation platform to the south of the pier, amphitheater seating to the north and, as a centerpiece, twin 25-foot towers flanking the entrance to the pier itself.
The plans call for an expansion of the lifeguard station just south of the pier to include a women’s locker room and a garage for vehicles and boats just east of the station, and a new public bathroom building with about a half-dozen outdoor beach showers nearby.
At Tuesday’s workshop the council also considered a plan to adorn benches in the area with plaques honoring surfers past and present. The plaques would be mounted on decorative, armrest-like cantilevers on the benches, which also would prevent skateboarders from "grinding" their boards along the front edge of the benches.
Renderings and computer graphics showing the current plan are available for public view at City Hall, and at the Los Angeles County Library branch on Pier Avenue next to City Hall.
The renovation is being funded by a $1 million gift to the city by David T. Schumacher, a longtime Hermosa resident and successful real estate appraiser, as well as some money from the federal and state governments. ER