Boardwalk Project Flawed, Some Residents Say

Story by Jeff Lipton

Although city officials are touting the planned Long Beach boardwalk as a durable and low maintenance structure, one local firefighter believes they are making a huge mistake by not raising its height or building a strong seawall underneath it.

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Ray Ellmer said he was on call Oct. 29 when Hurricane Sandy struck and forced several feet of water onto the streets, making them impassable.

He strongly questioned the city’s plans to keep the boardwalk 10 feet high, since Sandy easily cleared that height, leaving a path of destruction in its wake. He was with Engine 42 on Washington Boulevard at around 6:30 p.m. the night of the storm when the water came rushing toward them.

“It was the first time ever that water had gone over the boardwalk,” said Ellmer, 57, who has also served as a Long Beach lifeguard for 35 years. “There were certain sections of the ocean that were two to three feet over the boardwalk.

“Everyone is looking at protection for Long Beach and we were destroyed,” he added. “There was six feet of water on Park Avenue and cars were floating by.”

Last week plans were unveiled for a new $40 million boardwalk, consisting of concrete and tropical ipe wood along its 2.2-mile span, from National to Long Beach boulevards. The new boardwalk would last 40 years, according to LiRo Engineering, a firm the city hired to oversee the project. The new structure will also feature a wave-break wall to guard against future storms.

But Ellmer believes the boardwalk plans are flawed and there is no guarantee that it would keep another hurricane at bay. Although it would be aesthetically pleasing, the new boardwalk would not be practical, placing residents and merchants at the mercy of another huge storm, he added.

He suggested that the height of the new boardwalk should be at least 17 feet, with a concrete seawall providing protection against the surging ocean during storms. He also believes the boardwalk should be four miles long, extending from Pacific Boulevard to Ohio Avenue, roughly the length of the city’s beachfront. He said to do this, the boardwalk may have to be narrowed by a third to distance the homes from the concrete seawall.

He noted that the planned wave-break wall will be made of vinyl and fiberglass with little expectation of protecting property from a destructive storm.

“During Hurricane Sandy, huge sections of the boardwalk ended up on Park Avenue,” said Ellmer, who is an attorney, Long Beach Medical Center trustee, former commissioner for the city’s Zoning Board of Appeals and ex-chairman of its Board of Ethics. “A wave-breaker made of vinyl and fiberglass under the boardwalk will not stop the ocean during a superstorm.”

Ellmer said the extra expense could be covered in the $40 million price tag or an additional $7 million could be picked up by the state.

Since the federal Army Corps of Engineers has proposed constructing 18-feet-tall dunes to protect the shorefront against the ocean, building a boardwalk 17 feet high would not obstruct the view of the ocean, Ellmer said.

Tim Kramer, who has lived on Broadway since 1986, said he also objected to the materials being used. He said that by building the new boardwalk with tropical wood, the city would be using the natural resources found in the tropical rain forest.

“They will be ripping down our rain forest to rebuild the boardwalk,” Kramer said. “That’s why we’re getting these storms to begin with.”

In addition, he said the new boardwalk would not be able to withstand another storm like Sandy, which is why a concrete deck should be constructed.

“The main focus should be the safety of the public and their property,” Kramer said. “Basically, this is the same thing we had and you can expect the same results, which is the ultimate sign of ignorance.”

He thinks it’s foolish to expect the new boardwalk to last 40 years, which means more maintenance costs. “Cars will be driven on top of it and maintenance trucks,” he said. “It doesn’t make sense. This is a $40 million white elephant train wreck.”

City officials said the recommendations for the boardwalk included input from residents and business owners, based on online surveys and a series of community meetings.

“Based on that input and advice from experts, we have made firm decisions about the future of our boardwalk,” City Council President Scott Mandel said in a recent letter to residents.

City officials said around 88 percent of those who responded to a survey agreed the new design is far stronger and more durable than the previous materials used.

In addition, city officials said it will be “aesthetically appealing” and require much less maintenance than the former boardwalk’s planks, which had a life span of three to seven years. The new planks, with a 30-to-40-year lifespan, will be strong enough for emergency and maintenance vehicles to pass over them, they said.

City officials insist they are building the boardwalk to “be resistant to future storms and hopefully last for the next 100 years.”

The retaining wall will be built under the boardwalk and “mitigate wave action from passing the south side of the boardwalk, thus preventing the same type of damage resulting from Superstorm Sandy,” according to officials.

The project is soon scheduled to go out to bid, with sections of the boardwalk expected to be opened sometime this summer.

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