By Clara Beard, Special to the Independent
After feedback and discussion from concerned residents regarding the installation of an enclosed lifeguard tower at Moss Street Beach, Laguna Beach councilmembers approved the project Tuesday with the condition the tower would be removed during the off-season and meet specific design rules.
The lifeguard tower is part of a Moss Street Beach re-design which includes replacing the stairs and sidewalk and installing a ramp and bicycle racks.
The Laguna Beach Planning Commission gave the go-ahead for the project on May 4 but some residents met the city’s design with apprehension, stating a permanent lifeguard tower would be an eyesore to one of Laguna Beach’s most beautiful locations.
The council also heard from several retired lifeguards who said anything less than an enclosed tower would harm lifeguards, who face the sun for eight hours a day during the summer months. The former lifeguards feared the tower would be replaced with a sun-exposed red chair.
“The most important consideration of this project before you tonight is not the tower. It’s the city’s public safety employees and the community they serve,” retired Marine Safety Chief Mark Klosterman said. “These young men and women have taken an oath to protect the public and are tasked with the duties of rescue, prevention, emergency medical response and enforcement of marine protection. It is the city’s responsibility to provide marine safety employees were safe, adequate equipment and resources necessary to execute their duties for the community.”
Marine Safety officials heard concerns and returned to the City Council with a seasonal design alternative—a flat-roof tower—that would allow for its removal during the off-peak season. The removal would be done by crane and annually cost $8,000 to $10,000.
“Eight to $10,000 is a lot of money to lift the tower up and down every year,” Councilmember Peter Blake said. “But if it means that we keep our beach beautiful, we keep our staff safe; then we’ve got to figure out how to make this happen.
“First and foremost, I don’t want a lifeguard sitting out in the sun,” Blake said. And I don’t want a lifeguard sitting on some creaking structure and then having to jump off that structure to go save someone. So I’m going to vote for whatever keeps them safe. I would really prefer that you guys work something out to keep our staff safe and the residents happy, because it is a really beautiful beach.”
The so-called Surveyor Jr. tower is more compact and more flexible than a fixed tower, officials said. The manufacturers could also work with designers and artists to customize the tower to fit Laguna Beach’s character.
“This has been a very positive thing to watch in action,” said resident Dave Gervin, who lives close to Moss Beach. “A compromise seems to be on the way, and we want to thank Chief [Kevin] Snow and the council for giving us the opportunity to speak and finding a path forward that looks like it works for all of us that protects the lifeguards who we value so much. And we see how hard they work and to also leave a geological wonder as relatively as untouched as possible.”
Snow brought the enclosed tower as a top priority for the department in the City Council’s Strategic Planning Session on March 4.
