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Health & Fitness

Boardwalk Ipe Wood Discussion

I would like to share a recent article in the Long Beach Herald and share some thoughts about some of its content.  Here is the original article:

http://www.liherald.com/longbeach/stories/Environmentalists-city-clash-over-boardwalk,48630?page=1&c...

Now first off, I already tried to get this ordinance investigated. I was working with ABC to do a story and they declined because the Ipe was "certified" by the Forest Stewardship Council.

Some comments about the article:

1. Corey Klein's admittance that ordinances don't mean anything, and that they put things in there to appease people "In 2001, this piece was put in as, in essence, a fluff piece, and it really has no teeth in it. It has no legal merit on the city whatsoever."

2. Saying that the residents voted for Ipe - NOT TRUE - we were given the options of Wood, Wood & Concrete or Composite. No mention of Ipe.

3. Gordon Tepper, who runs the city's FB page says nobody has expressed concern. I HAVE MANY TIMES ON THE CITY'S FB PAGE. 

4. Klein says "Hardwood is what’s being used in most boardwalks, and it provides the best safety barrier” - since when does WOOD laid horizontally of any type provide a safety barrier from the ocean?

While the city does get away with using Ipe on a technicality, their justifications just don't fit.  I really wish ABC had better researched this months ago when I first raised the validity of the city's claim that they were "within the guidelines of the ordinance".
I also asked for proof that the wood was in fact certified by the FSC and that request was ignored.  It seems like the only way to get facts with this administration is with a FOIL request. 

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