DANGER ZONE: The city of Hermosa Beach begins the reconstruction of the pillars on the Hermosa Pier to prevent the need for larger repairs in the future. The project is scheduled for completion by May 25.
By Tommy Kelleher
Staff Writer
The city of Hermosa Beach closed the Hermosa Beach Municipal Pier for repairs on March 9 and has scheduled it to reopen on May 25 as part of a construction project aimed to fix and strengthen 13 damaged pillars.
The current project is a continuation of construction started in 2012. After this construction is completed, the city may create routine preventative maintenance for the pier.
“We will have to reseal the deck structure of the pier,” Hermosa Beach Mayor Peter Tucker said. “We did this about 10 years ago, but it will probably have to be upgraded again to prevent the steel from spalding underneath so we don’t have to do these massive repairs all the time.”
There is no immediate danger posed by the current spalding piles, so the current repairs are still largely preventative, although they are more intense than routine maintenance. According to Tucker, these repairs will prevent the need for larger and more expensive repairs in the future.
“This shows that the city is being more proactive and getting things repaired before we have to lose a structure down where people really enjoy the beach,” Tucker said. “This has been our goal for a while as a city: being more proactive and making sure we fix things before we have to close things down.”
Tidal Marine Construction, along with City Public Works manager Eric Charlonne, are carrying out the project.
“Tidal Marine Construction is responsible and responsive, so we awarded the project to them,” Charlonne said.
The construction will cost the city $166,500, which will come out of the Tyco fund, money made for allowing a cable to run under the sea floor in Hermosa Beach.
“In a few years, the pier will probably become unsafe because high surf accelerates its deterioration,” Tucker said. “It is never a good time to make repairs, but we are catching it before it could get very expensive to redo.”
The California Coastal Commission, the company in charge of ensuring that the coast is well-kept and that citizens are able to access public beaches, has set a May 25 deadline for construction on this project.
“We have to be done by Memorial Day Weekend because that’s a really busy time of year,” Tucker said.
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