You can hear the sound of the surf as it moves around a California landmark. We’re on the Ventura Pier, which is the oldest pier in the state.
"Everyone loves a pier. When they come to Ventura, what are they going to do? Visit the pier," said Steve Doll is with “Pier Into The Future,” a non-profit group which helps support the 150 year old landmark. It’s been a tough year for the pier.
It was heavily damaged by the January storm, and most of it still remains closed to the public. It could be closed through the end of the year.
"We hate it. Tourists come here, and they can't go out on the pier. It's pretty depressing," said Doll.
About three quarters of the pier is closed to the public. The restaurant is open, as are public restrooms. But, a few hundred feet up the pier is a big metal fence posted with signs saying the pier is closed. That's where Doll is standing, and talking to KCLU.
"We lost 17 timber piles...we were able to replace seven under the emergency time frame after the storm," said Mary Joyce Ivers, who is the City of Ventura’s Deputy Public Works Director.
She says while the pier has a history of being damaged by major storms, and fire over the decades, this time what happened was unusual. It wasn’t the sheer force of waves which caused the destruction.
"We had a lot of wood debris flow out of the Ventura River," said Ivers. "It hit the Pacific Ocean, and then the tides brought it back onto our beaches. Some of the debris was large trees trunks, which were stuck underneath our pier. It was banging, but because of the storm, we were not able to get those tree trunks out."
Repairing the pier is an expensive, and time consuming process. An engineering firm is creating a repair plan. But then, the city has to go through a bidding process for a contract, and get permits from the State Coastal Commission for the work. And, it won’t be cheap. The hope is that because it was storm damage, FEMA will pick up a big chunk of the estimated $1.2 million tab.
Doll, with “Pier Into The Future,” said they are also prepared to help financially. The group does fundraisers for the pier, and also provides labor for some pier-related projects. The hope is that the need will also prompt some people in the community to make donations to the foundation to help with the repairs.
Everyone agrees the pier is an iconic part of the region’s story. Ivers talks about its history.
"The Ventura Pier was originally built as the Ventura Wharf in 1871," said Ivers.
It was how Ventura received much of its goods from the Bay Area, or Los Angeles. "It was the longest wooden pier in California," she added.
Ivers said the pier has actually shrunk in size during its history. It was 1958 feet long when it was built, but after damage like fires and storms over the years, it was reduced to 1600 feet,
Unfortunately, the pier will miss the summer season. But, Ventura’s Public Works team is hoping that if things come together, the project will be complete, and the pier could reopen by the end of the year, and possibly even a little sooner.
