Pier upgrades go before council
By EMILY SKEHAN Special to the Daily Press
(Editor’s note: This story is part of an ongoing series that tracks the city’s expenditures appearing on upcoming Santa Monica City Council consent agendas. Consent agenda items are routinely passed by the City Council with little or no discussion from elected officials or the public. However, many of the items have been part of public discussion in the past.) CITY HALL A trip to the restroom during a seaside outing at the Santa Monica Pier will be more enjoyable for beachgoers as the City Council looks to approve a construction project deal to revamp the existing facilities.
The agreement is just one of 10 moves expected by the council Tuesday that will impact the city budget and facilities. Other issues to be addressed include the management of Santa Monica-owned water treatment plants, waste disposal and asbestos removal at a city beach club.
SPARKLING SINKS One of Southern California’s premiere attractions, the Santa Monica Pier, draws over 3,000,000 visitors annually. As visitors have increased over the years, the central pier restroom facility has become inadequate in size, deteriorated beyond practical maintenance and is in need of replacement.
The project will include the construction of a new central restroom facility, a retail space facing the main pedestrian walkway, vending cart storage areas and a storage space for the modular stage units and chairs used for pier events.
TLD. Construction was chosen as the most desirable bidder for the project based on their timely manner and high quality work on past public projects.
The total project cost is estimated to be $2 million.
REACHING OUT WITH WATER Though they are located outside of Santa Monica, two city-owned facilities will participate in neighborhood outreach programs after the council approves a professional services agreement.
Santa Monica will be constructing and operating a Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether treatment facility at the Charnock well fields as well as constructing water softening facilities for the treated Charnock water at the Arcadia Water Treatment Facility. The treatment facilities will be built on Santa Monica-owned lands within the City of Los Angeles.
The agreement with consulting firm Harris & Company is for community outreach and public information services required during the planning, environmental documentation and design phases of the restoration project.
The firm will be providing their outreach services for approximately three years for a total cost of $250,000.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on September 11, 2007. Read the original PDF.