Council Members Talk Boardwalk Refurbishment

When John Harley returned to live in his native Long Beach six years ago, he was surprised by the “terrible condition” of the boardwalk, he said. Now he wants to know how it will be refurbished.

So at Tuesday's City Council meeting, Harley asked Councilman Len Torres, a Democrat who is also running for reelection on the Boardwalk Party ticket, how he proposes to rebuild the deteriorated boardwalk, how much it will cost and how will it be funded.

Torres mentioned two proposals. One he described as a “share-a-highway” concept in which business outside of Long Beach invest in the boardwalk’s revitalization. Torres said that he has several companies willing to invest. “We then set the conditions that we can work with,” he added.

He is also looking to obtain donations through some 15 private foundations, including art, music, environmental and educational organizations. “Through the foundations, we’re looking at the concept of being able to do a matching type of thing with us,” Torres said.

About the projected costs to rebuild, Torres said: “There’s no exact figures at this point.”

Harley reminded the City Council that the beach and boardwalk are what draw people to Long Beach, and that the latter must be repaired.
 
“We have to ... do it right and make it a showcase,” Harley said. “I’ve seen boardwalks all over the country when I travelled for six years, and they are much better than Long Beach.”

Councilman John McLaughlin, a Republican whose seat is not up for reelection this year, said that the main problem with the boardwalk is that the wood underneath the top boards has become too porous to hold nails or screws for repairs.

Some people are adamant that a new boardwalk is made of wood, McLaughlin said, but wood must be replaced every seven years. He suggested a concrete boardwalk that is stamped to look like wood.

“It’s got a 70 year lifespan without maintenance and is also made of 95 percent recycled materials,” he explained. “For my money, this is the way to go.”

McLaughlin proposed that a new boardwalk should be put up as a bond referendum at approximately $25 million. “This would be separate and distinct,” McLaughlin said. “For arguments sake, say it costs $43 a year for every resident, and let’s say it takes 20 years — I don’t know the exact numbers — but during that period it is all paid for and still has 50 years left on its lifespan and we’re done. It’s not something we say we’re going to add on to the taxes. We know it’s separate and distinct for that period of time.”

In May 2009, the City Council passed a $110 million capital improvement plan that included a proposed $5.9 million overhaul of the 2.2-mile boardwalk.

"The boardwalk really needs to be maintained, and we would really love to have the ability to do it over with higher-grade materials," City Manager Charles Theofan said then.

To pay for the project, which some estimated could begin in 2011, the city planed to use $5 million of non-city funding from federal and state sources, and finance the remaining $900,000.