Hermosa Beach’s Bard Street to be gated, closed to pedestrians

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A view of Bard Street looking north, with the Friends of the Library facility on the left and the rear entrance to the police department on the right. The street will be closed to pedestrian access. Photo

The Hermosa Beach City Council unanimously voted Tuesday night to fully close off Bard Street, citing safety concerns associated with leaving public safety equipment and personnel exposed on an open roadway.

City staff will erect gates at two intersections to the west and south of City Hall and the Police Department: at Bard and Pier Avenue, and at Bard and 11th Place. The general public will no longer be allowed entrance. And the Friends of the Library, a nonprofit based on Bard, will be relocated to a trailer in front of the city-owned storage facility on the south side of 11th Place, near the intersection with Valley Drive. (Stars Antiques, which has a side entrance on Bard, will be allowed periodic access for large deliveries.)

Public safety officials said risks about their exposure heightened after closure of the city’s aging fire station forced trucks to relocate to temporary enclosures on Bard, and the street was closed to vehicle traffic last year. Federal law requires that fire departments secure paramedic vehicles containing narcotics, and the need for quick deployment during emergencies threatened passing pedestrians.

But perceived worries about the safety of police officers loomed largest in Tuesday’s decision. In recent years, police shootings of unarmed citizens, including several in Los Angeles, have prompted growing concern across the country about unjustified violence at the hands of law enforcement. But this change has been accompanied by what police officers describe as increased threats to their personal safety.

Bard Street south. The city closed the street to vehicle traffic last year. Photo

These worries came to a head in July of last year following the killing of five police officers in Dallas. The day after that incident, the Hermosa Beach Peace Officers Association sent an email to then-City Manager Tom Bakaly, requesting the closure of Bard, and their concerns strongly influenced the council Tuesday night.

“As nice as Hermosa Beach is, you just never know when someone is going to do something crazy like this,” said Councilmember Hany Fangary.

HBPD Capt. Milton McKinnon oversaw the run-up to closure process, finding an alternative home for friends of the library, and investigating how other cities in the area secured public safety vehicles. According to McKinnon, Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, Torrance and El Segundo all fence off public safety vehicle storage.

Only a small number of residents spoke on the issue, but all of them were opposed to closing the street to pedestrians, arguing that it was unnecessary and would limit access to the Friends of the Library. Although the replacement trailer is the same size as the existing Friends of the Library facility, they said that the temporary feel would discourage people from patronizing it.

Howard Seeb, president of the organization, complimented McKinnon on his outreach. He playfully referred to the organization’s future home as “the shed,” and said that while their preference was not to move, the location at the storage space was acceptable.

“We want to be part of the process to make sure ‘the shed’ will meet our needs in the future,” Seeb said.

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