Divers to Remove 22 Damaged Pilings

Divers hired by the city of Ventura will descend into the seawater beneath the Ventura Pier next week to remove the remains of nearly two dozen pilings damaged during a fierce winter storm.

City officials will pay $9,758 to the American Divers Co., which won the low bid for the removal contract, City Engineer Rick Raives said. The divers will loosen 22 damaged pilings for maintenance crews, who will float the wreckage to the beach for disposal, Raives said.

Parks official Terry Murphy, whose office will supervise the piling removal project, said they are uncertain when the work will be performed because the divers must rely on optimal weather conditions.

“With the current forecast, it’s looking like Tuesday will be OK,” she said. “But it may be Wednesday.”

Before deciding what permanent measures should be taken to strengthen the pier, the City Council is awaiting a consultant’s report due in June.

With a restaurant almost ready to open at the foot of the wharf, council members are considering replacing the wooden pilings with concrete or steel.

The Ventura Pier used to be the longest wooden pier in the county, but more than 420 feet of wood and pilings was torn from the pier during heavy surf in December.