Big Splash : Venerable Ventura Pier Reopens With Fanfare, Speeches

Thirteen months after it was closed for repairs, the Ventura Pier reopened Saturday amid much fanfare.

As Ventura Mayor Greg Carson cut a ceremonial red ribbon to officially reopen the pier at noon, cannons were fired from a flotilla of boats and about 100 swimmers dived into the water to stroke around the 121-year-old landmark.

About 2,000 people attended the opening ceremony, and swarms of others continued to visit it through the day. The $3.5-million renovation included a new bait shop, snack bar and public restrooms. The 1,958-foot pier is the longest wooden pier in the state.

“I think the pier means something to all of us,” Carson said. “This is what Ventura is all about.”

On Saturday, the pier bore a faint resemblance to Venice Beach. Tuxedo-clad bands piped music into the air. Acrobats contorted their bodies. Jugglers threw things into the stiff breeze. Even a fire-eater was on hand to spew out flames for audiences.

Visitors brought cameras and video recorders to preserve the day. Some wheeled baby strollers, others walked their bikes and brought along their dogs to the pier. One woman pushed a large, beige rabbit in a baby stroller.

Some were thrilled--and others decidedly unthrilled--to discover a noticeable wiggle in the structure as it moved with the waves and wind. “Whoa, is that an earthquake?” asked one alarmed woman as she clutched a pier railing.

City officials said the pier is stronger and more stable than it was before the renovation. The entire pier deck was redone, and about 17% of the pilings were replaced.

“Wavespout,” an $80,000 sculpture near the end of the pier, drew intense interest and mixed reviews from the first-day crowd. The 6-foot-tall copper fountain imitates a blowhole, spurting seawater up to 10 feet high. The circle of copper tubing, designed by San Francisco artist Ned Kahn, is mounted in a 10-foot-by-60-foot opening in the pier deck.

Waves pressurize air in pipes leading to the 800-pound fountain, shooting a reservoir of water into the air. An electric pump ensures that the fountain receives a steady supply of water and bystanders have a good chance of getting sprayed.

“It’s great,” said Bill Philbrick, a Ventura High School teacher who was peering closely at the contraption. “I thought it was an inner tube at first.”

Terri Bailey, a 52-year-old counselor who has been coming to the pier since 1986, said she thinks the city paid too much for the fountain.

“Art is wonderful, but I would rather see the money go to things that are more of a necessity,” Bailey said.

Julie Mohr, a 40-year-old social worker from Ventura, said she was happy that city officials did not radically change the pier by adding more buildings.

“I’m glad they didn’t make it like the Santa Monica Pier, which is overcrowded,” Mohr said, as she took a picture of her husband, Larry, leaning on the railing. “I like the way they kept it in a very historic and nostalgic period.”

Les Metcalf, who has been coming to the pier for 17 years, said it carries good memories for him.

“We used to jump off the end of the pier with our surfboards and ride the waves in,” said Metcalf, who now uses it for walking and fishing.

The Ventura Pier has always been a popular fishing spot. But on Saturday, anglers were not allowed to cast their lines off the pier until after 4 p.m. because city officials were worried that the crowds would get in the way.

“If you had a bunch of people flinging hooks, it wouldn’t be too good,” said Kevin DeWolfe, who carried a blue fishing pole and anchovy bait.

Jack “Red” Maurer, who has been fishing off the pier for 53 years, caught about 15 fish in about an hour.

Using mussels for bait and two fishing poles, he hooked a variety of yellow fin, perch and mackerel. During the pier’s closure, Maurer said he went to other beaches, but they didn’t have as friendly an atmosphere. Fishing pals greeted him as they passed him on the pier.

“I’m just glad to get out here again,” he said, reeling in a perch.

Although the Ventura Pier is now used for fishing and recreation, its original use was geared toward shipping and commerce.

It was built in 1872 by private businessmen for $45,000. The San Buenaventura Wharf, as it was then called, soon became a popular spot for steamers to pull up and unload cargo. Farm machinery, lumber and food were all brought in, while ranchers, farmers and oil producers exported their products via steamer.

The pier was damaged numerous times and in 1914 the structure was sliced in half when stormy waves pushed a steamer into it.

By the mid-1930s, the wharf was no longer used for commercial shipping because the railroads had become more efficient.

And so the pier became a popular fishing spot and favorite place for pedestrians. It was heavily damaged by storms in 1986, and the final two-thirds was closed because it was considered hazardous. After some repairs, it was partly reopened in 1988.

The pier’s renovation is part of a long-term plan by city leaders to revitalize the beach and downtown area. City officials estimate that it will cost about $50,000 annually to maintain the pier. They also want to save $50,000 each year for future major repairs.

To fund the pier’s maintenance, an endowment fund has been established by civic and community leaders. About $250,000 has been raised in cash contributions through the “Pier Into the Future” campaign. The endowment has a $1-million goal.

The names of donors are engraved in plaques near the pier’s entrance. One black plaque carried the names of more than 800 donors who had given $100 to “buy” a plank of the pier.

As Mayor Carson concluded his remarks to the crowd on Saturday, he explained that the city agreed to take over ownership of the pier from the state in return for maintaining the pier.

“We have to take care of this pier now,” Carson told the audience, urging residents to take pride in the landmark.