Growing Gradually : Do-It-Yourself Laguna Lifeguard Facility Finally Takes Form

When Laguna Beach’s lifeguards needed more space in their headquarters, it just seemed natural for them to punch a hole in the floor and dig a basement in the sand.

If a few storms happened to wash away the makeshift room, that was no problem. They just dug it out again--and again. And if one of their three Jeeps broke down, well, they pulled out a shop manual, figured out what to do and got to work.

Such is life for the learn-as you go Laguna Beach lifeguards working on a threadbare budget.

So, when the lifeguards wanted a new headquarters but had little money, they picked up a few hammers and some nails and started building it themselves.

The work has been slow. So far they have built only a foundation and a frame for the building. But after all, it has been mainly done by three full-time lifeguards working for free on their days off with the volunteer help of local contractors, plumbers and electricians, said marine safety director Bruce Baird.

Aside from making sure everything meets building codes, the contractors and others have been invaluable for their technaical know-how, said Baird, who rolls his eyes when he discusses his own carpentry experience. Many former and current part-time lifeguards also have chipped in their time “pounding nails for a day,” Baird said.

The new 1,200-square-foot building is rising about 300 yards up the coast from the current tower-shaped headquarters and is scheduled for completion in June. It will have an office, public meeting room, restrooms, showers, lockers, first-aid room and rooftop viewing deck for the public, all new pleasures for the lifeguards.

Currently, “if I have to counsel one of my lifeguards,” Baird said in the cramped tower, “we’re sitting out there on a (Main Beach) bench and all of his friends are walking by.”

Life has not been easy for the lifeguards. For a time, they were tucked away in a Boys’ Club building on Main Beach. The structure was leveled when the new beach park was built. And for a while they shared space in the Police Department annex building.

Now they have to make do with a 180-square foot tube-like tower. Once the new building is complete, the old tower will be used for the rookie lifeguard program and as an observation point.

Originally, the city intended to build the new headquarters itself but abandoned the plans after passage of the property-tax-cutting Proposition 13 in l978. With nearly $10,00 invested in impact reports and design plans, though, the city had a stake in seeing the headquarters built

Under an agreement with the Laguna Beach Lifeguard Assn., the city will get the new headquarters. In return, the lifeguards will get to use the new building they always wanted and the city will pay utility and some maintenance costs, Baird said.

As always, though, the biggest obstacle between the lifeguards and their dream headquarters is money.

They set a goal of $62,000 and have raised $37,000 so far. Although they have surprised themselves with the amount of money they have raised, it is far from enough, Baird said.

It’s just a matter of getting enough money,” he said. “It’s always a matter of getting enough money . . . . We were hoping we’d get some people who needed big tax breaks (before Jan. 1) but I guess not.”