Pillars of the Community

Two months after monstrous waves smashed 423 feet off the Ventura Pier, the City Council will discuss how--and whether--to rebuild the broken section of the 123-year-old landmark.

On Monday, the council is scheduled to consider a staff recommendation to turn the issue over to the city’s Community Affairs Commission, which would serve as a clearinghouse for public input.

“Public passion and interest for the future of the pier runs strong throughout the community,” Public Works Director Ron Calkins said in a report to the council.

“It is appropriate that the City Council again seek public input for the pier’s future as a result of storm damage caused by December’s destructive surf,” Calkins said.

The city held a similar public review in 1992 before it spent $3.5 million it received from the state to renovate the landmark, a portion of which had been closed to the public for six years.

Also on Monday, council members will be asked to weigh in on three possible ways to rebuild and strengthen the pier:

* Leaving the structure at its current 1,535-foot length.

* Restoring the pier to its original 1,958-foot length, or a length in between, using steel or concrete materials.

* Restoring the pier to its full length using all wood.

Prior to the Dec. 13 storm, the Ventura Pier was famous as the longest wooden pier in the state--a title many residents and some council members want to preserve.

“My gut feeling is that I was born here and I am kind of a nostalgic guy and I am leaning to the original length and original wood,” Councilman Gary Tuttle said.

But given the pier’s stormy history--detailed in Calkins’ report in a series of timelines and old newspaper articles--Tuttle said he is keeping an open mind.

“I can be convinced otherwise,” he said. “I am willing to listen.”

In recent years, coastal cities up and down the state have repaired wave-damaged piers with steel and concrete--materials that are stronger but less attractive than the traditional wood. They are also more expensive.

A 1989 study by a Long Beach-based engineering company suggested using steel or concrete during the restoration of the Ventura Pier. The project would have cost more. But it wasn’t the dollar amount that concerned citizens as much as the pier’s appearance.

Calkins’ current report, however, suggests that the Ventura Pier could be shored up with steel or concrete while keeping the pier deck and its pilings wooden.

That is one alternative that has won support from some pier supporters, who simply want the structure fixed.

“I would like to see it go back to its original length,” said Edna Mills, a member of the pier’s steering committee whose family earlier bought 16 rows of commemorative planks to help pay for the pier’s annual upkeep. “I don’t care about the underpinnings--steel, concrete or wood.”

The pier’s insurance policy is expected to cover the storm damage, estimated at between $1.8 million and $2.2 million to fix.

Materials, length, deck elevation and configuration should all be taken into consideration when the public discusses ways the pier should be shored up in the future, Calkins says in his report.

Public art--whether to have the same, different or no art--should also be considered, he says.

A copper statue called “Wavespout” that spat water was washed away during the storm. The $80,000 artwork was pulled from debris on the beach during the storm and is being stored in a warehouse awaiting repair.