After nearly six months of repairs the Ocean Beach Municipal Pier has partially reopened, just in time for summer.
Despite the “May Gray” skies, San Diegans and visitors alike enjoyed being able to walk down the pier over Memorial Day weekend.
The recent repairs made on the pier were after a winter storm in January, which damaged some railings. Winkie says the San Diego City Council, including Council President Jen Campbell, deserves a lot of credit for working to get the pier partially open again. But much more needs to be done.
“Although we have a pier that’s open now, we’ve got a long road ahead of us,” Winkie said. “If we don’t do anything to the structural part in the short term, it’s very likely that another big storm will come in this winter or the next and cause the pier to be shut down permanently.”
A recent report commissioned by the city says the concrete pier, built in 1966, is at the end of its service life. A short-term fix could cost the city about $8 Million dollars, which could keep the pier open while local leaders lobby the state and federal governments for funding. An estimated $30 to $50 Million dollars in repairs would need to be made to fully rehabilitate the aging structure. Another option on the table: tear it down and build a new one. That move could cost the city upwards of $60 Million dollars, but a new structure could last up to 75 years.
“Whatever makes sense economically, I would like the pier to be open and exist for sure,” said San Diego resident James Hall. “If they could just fix it and maintain it, I think that would be the happiest compromise.”
Keeping the current pier open as long as possible seems to be the general consensus of the greater community. Some residents say they don’t want to see it go.
“There’ll be a lot of disappointed people, not just in Ocean Beach right here, but in the county and state,” Akron said. “People come here from all over.” For now, the pier will remain partially open, but could be closed during high tides and storms.