Question: How should the renovation funds be spent?

LANSING McLOSKEY

Member, Venice Action Committee

Everyone agrees the boardwalk should be fixed. They should resurface it with asphalt and not put in those weird designer bricks, which are vastly more expensive and not as good for roller-bladers. We should fix up the pagodas, benches, Pavilion and bathrooms, put inexpensive sand walls along the bike path and not limit street performers to eight little nooks, like the original plans, and forget those costly, old-fashioned, Beverly Hills kind of street lamps.

What some people really want is to upscale the entire area. But we don’t need another yuppie place. You don’t just have entertainment in Venice, but a really important exchange of opinions. Many political, philosophical, religious and environmental causes have booths along the boardwalk. You don’t get that at the Third Street Promenade.

*

ALBERT ELZAS

Board member, Venice Boardwalk Assn.

There’s a resistance to the commercialization of Venice. Venice is supposed to keep alive the spirit of the 1960s. It will always be a place of free expression. It’s supposed to be funky, but now it’s become shabby.

The boardwalk is more popular than Disneyland and draws at least 600,000 people per month. The purpose of the [renovation] funds is to improve amenities--for example, clean, safe, nearly indestructible public bathrooms.

The proposed brick surface for the boardwalk has become the evil symbol of gentrification to those who oppose it. But it’s one of a few things our organization and many other individuals and groups feel quite strongly about. It’s attractive, durable and can be set so that it poses no problem to roller-bladers. We also strongly support replacing the present street lights with durable new street lamps that reproduce a historical design.

I’d also take down the Pavilion, have a separate walk-skate path and a bike path sand wall, rebuild the gazebos and add planters to keep skaters from purposely careening off their sides. We need tons of benches. And the pier is an icon, an emblem, so we need to repair it.

*

RANDY DeGREGORI

Assistant chief lifeguard, Los Angeles County Fire Department, Venice

Safety is our major responsibility, so I’d like to see any renovation plan address that issue.

First should come refurbishing the pier, closed since the 1986 storm. I understand it just needs the superstructure repaired and new decking. If they don’t fix it soon, it will gradually crumble into the ocean and they’ll have to pay to clean it up anyway. Already a fence has been put around it to catch the chunks of concrete so no one will get hit, as happened at the Manhattan Beach pier not long ago.

*

GINGER DRINKWATER

Member of People for a More Cooperative Venice Plan and of the Venice Historical Society

As an artist, I’ve been painting Venice landmarks for the past 30 years, especially the life and times of its boardwalk. Venice is one of the few art communities in the world still intact. I’d like to see it restored back to the way it was in the 1930s, with the pagodas rebuilt with wood and the old ornate benches that matched them brought back. I’ve heard they’re stored somewhere. We don’t want the wrought-iron love seats some people are talking about.

I’d also like to see the Pavilion restored as a community center for seniors, kids, teens at risk, arts and crafts classes, child care and so on. But we want to leave something behind for our kids besides malls, and once Venice Beach is gentrified, it’s gone.