City Council OKs Plans to Rebuild Pier

Although the pier will not be restored by this winter, and perhaps not by next, the City Council at last settled upon a plan Monday night to rebuild the city’s most battered, beloved landmark.

With uncharacteristic speed, the council unanimously voted to strengthen and reinforce the existing pier, to rebuild the missing pier as far as possible with the remaining insurance money and to continue to search for additional funding to restore the wooden pier to its original 1,958-foot length.

The council members agreed to ask for a design that would allow a boat landing off the side of the pier if they should wish to build one in the future.

They also agreed to make speedy reconstruction a priority.

On Oct. 7, the council agreed to elevate the rebuilt segment of the pier by 4.2 feet and to spend $200,000 to strengthen the existing pier to its 1993 capacity. It also agreed to widen a section of the rebuilt pier to 40 feet to allow fishing from the seaward end.

On Monday, the council approved a plan to strengthen the existing portion of pier with steel braces at a cost of $600,000 and build the pier out to about 1,700 feet with the remaining $1.2 million in insurance money.

City Engineer Rick Raives said using steel to brace 15 pairs of vertical support piles--or bents, as they are known--would make the existing pier 60% stronger than it is now, at about one-third of the cost of bracing every bent.

Although the approved plans do not provide funding for the final 200 feet of pier, Director of Public Works Ronald Caulkins said he is optimistic that outside funds can be found to supplement the $2 million in insurance money.

“We are looking at the possibility of state funding,” Caulkins said. “I’m not ready to say more, but it looks like we will be able to get several hundred thousand dollars.”

Just shortly after it reopened, a winter storm last year drove huge swells underneath Ventura’s wooden pier and scattered 425 feet of newly laid planks and piles upon the beach like matchsticks.