An Ocean of Information : 18 Panels on Ventura Pier’s History and Its Marine Life Installed

Since October, when the Ventura Pier reopened after a $3.5-million restoration, thousands of tourists and fishermen have flocked to the state’s longest wooden pier to catch fish, feed birds and gaze at the waves.

Now they will be able to read about what they’ve been seeing.

Workers on Wednesday finished installing 18 porcelain enamel panels on the pier railings in preparation for a dedication ceremony Friday. Scattered along the length of the 1,958-foot-long pier, the panels depict images of local fish, birds, marine mammals and the history of the 122-year-old state landmark.

Six of the panels, adorned with photographs dating back to the 1800s, have been on the pier since October. Installation of the remaining dozen panels--watercolors created by local artists--had been delayed because the manufacturer made mistakes in duplicating the colors, said Johnji Stone, who coordinated the 18-month project for the city.

“I’m very pleased with how the panels turned out,” she said. “These are not simply works of art, they also serve an educational purpose.”

Visitors to the pier can learn about the feeding strategies of the Caspian tern, the least tern and the brown pelican. For those tourists who want to know about the most common kinds of fish caught off the pier, the white croaker, top smelt, jacksmelt and surfperch are depicted in another panel. Curious about sharks? The leopard shark, shorelnose, guitarfishes and thornbacks that swim in the area are highlighted in a panel. Want to find out how a wave is formed? There’s a panel for that.

Dan Grotenhuis, who is in charge of installing the panels, said city officials were concerned about how the panels would endure the elements.

“These things are durable,” said Grotenhuis as he attached a panel onto a wood railing. “You could throw these in the bottom of the sea and they would still last.”

The panels, which cost a total of $40,000, are made of baked porcelain and are fused to molten glass and steel, Stone said.

“They’re the most expensive kind, but they’re the most durable and vandal-resistant,” he said.

Using a drill and wrenches, Grotenhuis and worker Bernard Vazquez spent about four hours bolting the panels to the pier.

First they had to make sure the surface was flat and smooth, then they drilled holes into the Douglas fir railings and screwed four bolts per panel into the wood. In some cases, they had to pry out large bolts in the railing to make room for the panels, which measure 18 inches by 24 inches.

“If someone wanted to take these,” Grotenhuis said, “they’d have to show up with tools.”

A fisherman who watched the workers put the finishing artistic touches on the pier said the panels are convenient for both tourists and regular visitors.

“This is great,” he said, peering at a panel that highlighted fish caught in the area. “Now maybe the tourists won’t be asking so many questions.”

Roger Arrowsmith, a salesman for a plastics company, said he enjoyed reading the new panels during his lunch break Wednesday. It was the first walk down the pier for Arrowsmith, who carefully read the panels he encountered.

“They put the pier in its place in history,” Arrowsmith said. “Otherwise, you’re just walking on a beautiful piece of wood.”