County to Pay for Part of Huntington Beach Projects

The Orange County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved spending $1.4 million that had been earmarked for parks to help Huntington Beach pay for improvements to a 1.6-mile stretch of oceanfront bluffs.

The money would not have been spent this year on parks, and the cash will be replenished for park projects next year, according to an aide to Supervisor Harriett Wieder, whose district includes Huntington Beach.

Under the plan approved Tuesday, the county funds will be used to add parking lots, bicycle and pedestrian trails, safety railing, stairways, security lighting and landscaping along the bluffs on Pacific Coast Highway from Golden West Street to Bolsa Chica State Beach.

In a letter requesting the county’s help, Huntington Beach Mayor John Erskine said the city had already made similar improvements to create a “scenic corridor” along Pacific Coast Highway. The city has only raised $778,000 for the improvement project, which is estimated to cost a total $2.8 million, Erskine said. However, Wieder claimed the city recently located an additional $700,000.

“As you know,” Erskine wrote, “our beach attendance last year was over 5.5 million, with about 50% of that number from Orange County and less than 17% from Huntington Beach. The regional nature of the beach supports a contribution from areas of the county other than Huntington Beach to improve the beach experience.”

Victor Leipzig, president of Amigos de Bolsa Chica, an environmental group that works to protect wetlands and open space, said the organization will only be concerned about the county’s $1.4-million share of the project if the money from the parks account is not restored as Wieder promised.

This and other issues surrounding the Bolsa Chica area will be discussed tonightat the Amigos’ regular 7:30 p.m. meeting at City Hall.

More than half of the county’s contribution--$760,000--had been budgeted by the county Harbors, Beaches and Parks Department for land acquisition for the Bolsa Chica linear park, which is intended to be part of a system of trails extending from Huntington Beach Central Park down along the coast to Newport Beach.

The other half of the county’s $1.4 million will come from the following accounts: $450,000 from the “urban parks program account” in Wieder’s district; $80,000 from the Bolsa Chica Planning account and $110,000 from the Bolsa Chica Marina Feasibility Study.