Civic group plans Strand distance markers
Darcey Kuhn and Darlene Dirstine, project managers for this year’s Leadership Hermosa Class, take in the sun along The Strand in Hermosa Beach, future home of the group’s latest project. Photo
Luis Pineda, a police services officer with the city of Hermosa Beach, likes running on The Strand to stay fit. But he often wanted a better idea of how far he had gone.
Pineda’s kernel of an idea inspired the project for this year’s class of Leadership Hermosa. The project, known as “Mark Your Mile,” will place distance markers every quarter-mile for the length of the 1.8 miles that The Strand runs through Hermosa, beginning in front of the 90210 house and ending near Herondo Street. They will be erected along the Seawall that separates the concrete from the sand, and indicate distance traveled in the city.
Each marker, project leaders said, will be decorated with themed art representing various aspects of Hermosa culture.
“We’re hoping it attracts people to The Strand. And with the art aspect, we hope people aren’t just getting a mile measurement out of it,” said Darcey Kuhn, one of the two project managers for the Leadership Class.
The group is aiming for a breadth of categories that represent various aspects of the city’s culture They are in the process of setting up a website for the project that will allow artists to submit their ideas online.
“Music, surfing, skateboarding, volleyball: all the things that make Hermosa Hermosa,” Darlene Dirstine, the project’s other manager, said. At least one of the markers will be set aside for a contribution from a city youth.
The group has applied for a micro-enrichment grant from the Beach Cities Health District. Kerianne Lawson, BCHD’s director of lifespan services, said that the leadership groups from each of the three beach cities commonly apply for the grants if their project is related to health and fitness.
“They’re specifically designed for these small community projects that need just a little bit of extra funding. It’s the board’s effort to help us be nimble,” Lawson said.
The group expects to make a formal presentation to the City Council in February and will hold a fundraiser at the Comedy and Magic Club on March 20th. They are shooting for an unveiling in June, capped off with a community walk on The Strand.