City to Strengthen, Restore Historic Pier

Stronger and longer, the Ventura Pier will return.

After months of haggling over costs, and how best to rebuild, the City Council on Monday night approved plans to strengthen and restore the city’s wooden pier to its original 1,958-foot length.

The council also voted to apply for a $200,000 grant from the state Resources Agency to put toward the cost of rebuilding.

The city clerk’s office will now advertise for bids on the pier restoration project. The deadline for bids to be submitted is July 8.

Monty Clark, a longtime fan of the pier, said he supports both the rebuilding plan and the application for the grant.

“We are delighted to see that the city is moving ahead. The pier repairs seem like they have been a long time in coming,” Clark said.

The city’s plan puts to rest much angst in the community over the fate of the beloved landmark. Once judged to be the longest wooden pier in the state, powerful winter waves swept away a 425-foot section in December 1995.

Hoping to avoid future damage, city officials decided to reinforce the existing pier before rebuilding the lost section. But the city’s insurance policy did not provide sufficient funds to do both.

The estimated cost to both strengthen and rebuild the pier is $3.3 million. The city received $2 million from an insurance policy and $250,000 from the state Department of Fish and Game’s Wildlife Conservation Board to restore the pier.

That leaves a shortfall of roughly $1 million.

According to the city staff report, $795,654 will be used to strengthen the existing pier with steel pipes.

Engineers estimate that the design will double the pier’s strength, to better withstand the force of powerful waves.

The reinforcement work will begin in August, so that work can be completed by the beginning of the winter storm season. Officials said they hope to complete the entire project by summer 1998.

City officials said that most of the pier will have to be closed during installation of the steel pipes.