Updates are coming to Laguna’s Main Beach Park, but the council still has to decide the specifics

Main Beach Park is getting a fresh new look, but what exactly the facelift looks like will be up to the Laguna Beach City Council to decide Tuesday.

The park, located along Coast Highway between the city’s Marine Safety Department headquarters and Laguna Avenue, has seen several updates and additions in recent years, but its last major renovation was in the 1970s, according to a city staff report.

The council will consider several concepts Tuesday, including the possibility of replacing turf with sand or drought-tolerant landscaping — a move that also could entail changes to the park’s irrigation infrastructure. Maintaining the park’s existing turf costs an estimated $40,000 each year, almost $20,000 of which is solely allocated to watering, according to staff.

Other items up for consideration are the extension of the Marine Safety vehicle access ramp, maintenance of the historic lifeguard tower, adding a new pedestrian path and replacing other pathways, benches, lights and trash receptacles.

Council members also will decide Tuesday whether to keep the paved cobblestone areas at the middle and south ends of the park.

The city has budgeted a total of $600,000 to renovate the park: $100,000 for design and $500,000 for construction.

Several of the park’s notable features — including the boardwalk, which was renovated in 2009 and repaired in 2011; the playground, which was replaced in 2013; and the basketball courts, which were resurfaced earlier this year — will not be included in the upcoming renovations. Neither will the restrooms at the south end of Main Beach, which are already slated for renovation next year.

The project will be coordinated with the Laguna Beach Police Department to ensure it meets Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design standards, according to city staff.

Tuesday’s council meeting begins at 5 p.m. in City Hall, 505 Forest Ave.

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