VENICE : Boardwalk’s Problem Is on the Surface

After the second public workshop on the future of the Venice boardwalk, one issue remains a sticking point threatening to renew bitter clashes among community groups: the surface of the walk.

At a weekend workshop, near the basketball courts off the boardwalk, consensus came easily on some issues, such as the need for more restrooms and separate paths for bikers and roller skaters.

But the issue of brick versus asphalt--which could mean a difference in cost of more than $1 million--is proving to be far more intractable.

Asphalt studies, letters of testimony from paving companies and personal statements circulated. One distributed by People for a More Cooperative Venice Plan read “No Designer Brick Boardwalk!”

“Brick is simply not an option,” another read.

But Mark Ryavec, the executive director of the Venice Boardwalk Assn., said that upgrading the asphalt surface would cost more money in the long run than replacing it now with more durable brick.

“If you use asphalt, you will end up with the same rutted, potholed boardwalk you have now,” he said. “Brick is the cheapest in the long run, and this is one-time money only.”

The $7-million plan to renovate the boardwalk is part of a bond issue approved by voters two years ago and includes $3 million to restore the Venice Pier.

With the money in place, all the community has to do is agree how to spend it.

Asphalt enthusiasts passed out a memo from the Asphalt Institute saying that the surface would cost less, be easier to repair and take less time to install, thus disrupting businesses for a shorter period.

An independent survey circulated by RRM Design Group, a San Luis Obispo company that is creating a preliminary plan for the boardwalk, confirms these findings, estimating costs of $3.25 per square foot for asphalt surfacing and $7 per square foot for brick.

But the Asphalt Institute memo also confirms that brick will outlast asphalt.

The cost of resurfacing the boardwalk will depend on how much work needs to be done to upgrade it to acceptable standards. The 41 boardwalk samples taken by RRM show that the quality and depth of the boardwalk asphalt and its base are inconsistent.

But the city’s public works, fire and recreation and parks departments have yet to decide what standards the new surface must meet.

“The boardwalk is used primarily by pedestrians, but it also has to support commercial trucks, although not continuously,” said T. Keith Gurnee of RRM. “We are working with the departments to determine how flexible we can be with what is already there.”

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At the public workshop scheduled for Sept. 9, RRM will present eight to 15 examples of surface materials and cost estimates. In addition, it will show three preliminary plans for the public to evaluate.

In a separate matter, Kathleen Chan, a project manager at the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks, announced that the department will recommend to its board of commissioners that Venice Arts Mecca, a nonprofit arts group, be allowed to lease the boardwalk pavilion.

The pavilion has been empty for nearly 10 years, she said.

Some residents want it torn down, claiming that it blocks the beachfront view and is poorly designed. But parks commissioners have decided to try to put the structure to use, said David Conetta of the recreation department.