Redondo Beach Sportfishing pier to be replaced

The Redondo Sportfishing Pier is to be rebuilt, but the fate of the popular Polly’s on the Pier remains uncertain. Easy Reader file photo

The Redondo Beach Sportfishing pier will be reincarnated as a modern concrete pier, following a unanimous vote of Redondo’s City Council to replace the decaying timber pier.

However, the future of the popular cafe Polly’s on the Pier remains unclear, as there are no clear plans to replace the pier’s existing buildings.

“It didn’t make sense to throw good money after bad to just repair the Sportfishing Pier,” Councilman Christian Horvath said. “I think it’s the responsible thing to do; it’s us reinvesting in the harbor.”

Repairs to keep the 1960s timber pier are becoming increasingly urgent, according to a report by city contractor Moffatt & Nichol.

The report deems the pier in “serious” condition, due to three severely damaged timber piles in close proximity to one another. One pile has lost an entire section, while two others appear to be broken inside their wraps. The pier is sagging in the area of the piles.

Three lateral braces are also badly damaged. Another is missing entirely. A steel fender pile, which is not structural and is used for vessel berthing, has a large hole in it, according to the report.

According to city staff reports, it would cost the city $460,000 to make the repairs, which are estimated to extend the pier’s lifespan by a negligible period.

A new pier is estimated to cost between $4 million and $6 million and take two to three years to build but is estimated to last 50 years. The money will come from the city’s Tidelands Fund, which has $14 million in reserve.

That cost does not include the construction of buildings on the pier. One current tenant, Redondo Sportfishing, will soon move to the International Boardwalk. Polly’s on the Pier, however, is in flux. The city has discussed possible relocations options with the business.

“They’re iconic — they’re everyone’s friends,” Councilman John Gran said. “I want to make sure we can take care of them in negotiations.”

“We now have a path forward,” Mayor Bill Brand said. “A lot has to happen, public hearings, commission meetings, and the quicker the better.”

Following the vote, Councilman Nils Nehrenheim called back to the Pier-Aid series of fundraisers, quipping “there will be pier.”

Correction: A version of this story states that repairs to the Sportfishing Pier may extend its lifespan by five years. Repairs would not “significantly extend the pier’s useful life.” Easy Reader apologizes for the error.

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