LAGUNA BEACH : Storm Repairs Soon to Begin at Main Beach

Almost four months after flood waters ripped away part of a boardwalk, transforming eye-catching Main Beach into an eyesore, the city will launch a $400,000 project to renovate the oceanfront park.

Work is scheduled to begin Monday, and city officials say Main Beach will be as good as new--maybe better--by July 4.

Main Beach Park is perhaps the most visible section of the city, with its popular basketball courts at the edge of the sand.

It also took the greatest beating during back-to-back storms in January, which wiped out about 100 feet of the boardwalk and gnawed a hole in the ground about 10 feet deep and 80 feet across.

The picture did not improve when workers dumped boulders into the gaping hole to prevent further erosion.

But soon, city officials say, all that will be history.

“They’ll be finished by July 4,” said Terry Brandt, the city’s Municipal Services Director. “People, I’m sure, will appreciate it when we get it done, and so will I.”

In the meantime, however, Main Beach may not be the most tranquil spot in town as equipment moves in to remove the boulders and install timber for the boardwalk.

For about a week, Brandt said, about 200 feet of the beach next to the work site may be closed.

“We will request that people remain away from the area during the work hours,” Brandt said, from about 7 a.m. until 5 p.m.

During the last phases of the renovation, workers will repair the sidewalk next to the park and landscape the area.

The new design calls for the wooden walkway to include timbers that can be removed during storms so the water can flow beneath the boardwalk and out to the ocean.