SEAL BEACH : Pier May Close for 3 Weeks for Repairs

Businesses on the Seal Beach Pier are bracing for the start of a repair project that will close the landmark for as long as three weeks.

At least one of the businesses will have to close during the construction, and the merchants are urging city officials to schedule the closure between Thanksgiving and Christmas--the traditional slow season. “Historically, the weather doesn’t bring many people to the pier,” said Rob Bukacek, assistant manager of Ruby’s restaurant on the pier.

The city is now selecting a company to repair the parts of the pier damaged in a 1992 fire. The project is expected to cost between $190,000 and $230,000. The city’s insurance policy covers the damage. Seal Beach will have to pay a $100,000 deductible.

“We are working with the businesses,” City Manager Jerry L. Bankston said. “We are trying to be accommodating because this impacts not just the businesses but the employees.”

During the closure, Ruby’s will try to find temporary jobs at other branches of the chain for its 60 Seal Beach employees, Bukacek said.

Ruby’s management plans to remodel the restaurant while pier construction is going on, Bukacek said.

Also affected by the closure will be a charter boat company and Unocal, which uses the pier to take workers to and from offshore oil platforms, Bankston said.

City officials originally expected the pier to be closed for seven to 10 working days. But now they say it could remain closed for as long as 15 working days.

The May, 1992, fire burned a 75-foot span of the pier’s midsection and also a portion of the lifeguard station. Workers need to replace damaged wood planks and to make repairs to the station.