NEWPORT BEACH : Plan to Close Piers at Night Rejected
The City Council on Monday informally rejected a proposal to close the Newport Beach and Balboa piers at night to curb vandalism and rowdiness.
“Most of the council did not favor it,” City Manager Robert L. Wynn said. “It wasn’t a serious consideration” of the idea.
In a study session, the council reviewed a staff report on the proposal requested by Councilwoman Ruthelyn Plummer. The report said the city would have the authority to close the piers at night but concluded that doing so would probably result in the vandalism and rowdiness problems moving to other areas of the city.
Closing the piers at night also would involve constructing an unsightly fence and paying for nighttime patrols to keep fishermen off the piers, the report said.
“While the closing of the piers at night would be beneficial to this department, I don’t think it would be publicly accepted,” said David Niederhaus, director of the city’s general services department.
In the future, the city may consider charging admission to enter the piers at night or may install more lights on the piers, Wynn said.
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