Demolition on pier to start soon
City staff says pier will be open as much as possible
By Charles M. Kelly
According to Community Development Director Jim Basham, the city expects to start work on the pier the week of July 5. The city has hired the contracting firm John Meeks and Company to do the work. According to Basham, insurance will pay for the repairs to the pier. Basham said the contract with Meeks is for $400,000, which Basham called an estimate.
“That covers the demolition and replacing some bracing,” Basham said, adding that after the debris is removed the city will have a better idea of needed repairs. Basham said the demolition work should be considered Phase 1. (In 2015, city staff estimated that mandatory repairs on the pier would cost $1.9 million.)
Associate Engineer David Spitz told the City Council this week that as much of the pier as possible would be open to the public as often as possible during the work. As previously reported, after the demolition takes place there will be further assessment of the condition of the pier before repair work begins. Repairs could take from eight months to a year.
A May 20 fire destroyed two buildings at the end of the pier: a long-empty bait shop and the building that once house Ruby’s Diner.
District One Councilwoman Ellery Deaton thanked city staff for opening and cleaning the pier on June 14. The end of the pier has been closed to the public since Ruby’s closed in 2013.
That same night, the City Council:
• Hired a consultant to lobby against a recently proposed state assembly bill that could potentially eliminate Seal Beach’s representation on the board of the Orange County Fire Authority.
• Called for the November City Council election. The city will piggy-back on the General Election ballot. Two council seats are in play this year, in District Two and Four.
To win, a City Council candidate must receive 50 percent plus one of the possible votes. If a candidate does not win enough votes, a runoff election would be held on Tuesday, Jan. 31.
• Approved an agreement to have city staff work with Caltrans staff on the 405 Improvement Project, which began in spite of lawsuits by I-405 corridor cities that include Seal Beach. City Attorney Craig Steele said the agreement would have no effect on the city’s on-going lawsuit against Caltrans. According to the staff report, the agreement will allow Seal Beach staff to work with Caltrans at Caltrans’ expense.
• Directed staff to begin the process to limit buildings on Main Street to 25 feet in height and no more than two stories. Deaton placed the item on the agenda. Several Seal Beach residents spoke in support of a height limit on Main Street. The height limit advocates were apparently critical of the construction of a building on the corner of Pacific Coast Highway and Main that was built according to the current Main Street Specific Plan.
Community Development Director Jim Basham said it would take about six weeks to bring a draft of a new city ordinance to the Planning Commission.
• Approved the city’s nearly $30 million budget for 2016-17 and the city’s planned construction and maintenance projects. Staff is expecting a year-end surplus of $16,900. The budget includes increased funds for legal services to cover the potential costs of legal action against Caltrans over the 405 Freeway Improvement Project and a possible lawsuit over the removal of trees from Gum Grove Park.
• Authorized the city manager to hire a contractor to make emergency repairs to the Seal Beach Tennis Center, which recently suffered severe termite damage. One building at the Tennis Center has been red tagged—meaning it is not considered safe for human occupancy. District Four Councilman Gary Miller argued that the repairs did not meet the definition of an emergency under the City Charter. City Attorney Steele argued that the fact a building had been red tagged was evidence that the project did qualify as an emergency. The council voted 4-1 to authorize the repairs.
• Received and filed a staff update on water conservation efforts.
Staff recommended that Seal Beach continue with its existing water conservation ordinance.
