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Laguna Beach Marine Safety officials and nearby residents struck a compromise over what kind of lifeguard tower will be used at tiny Moss Street Beach, which is surrounded by high bluffs and historic homes.
The Laguna Beach City Council on Tuesday, July 12, agreed to a proposal to lift in by crane a more substantial enclosed tower for the lifeguards on duty for the summer – at a cost of $8,000 to $10,000 a year – instead of making the structure permanent. Lifeguards at this beach now sit in a red-painted chair on an elevated wood platform with an umbrella.
The current lifeguard stand at Moss Street Beach in Laguna Beach on Friday, July 8, 2022. The city Planning Commission approved the construction of an enclosed lifeguard tower at the cove. Some residents in the area want to keep the current portable lifeguard stand. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Due to beach erosion, wooden stairs lead from the bottom of the stairway down to Moss Street Beach in Laguna Beach on Friday, July 8, 2022. The city Planning Commission approved the construction of an enclosed lifeguard tower at the cove. Some residents in the area want to keep the current portable lifeguard stand. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A woman speaks to the lifeguard at Moss Street Beach in Laguna Beach on Friday, July 8, 2022. The city Planning Commission approved the construction of an enclosed lifeguard tower at the cove. Some residents in the area want to keep the current portable lifeguard stand. 2022. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Moss Street Beach in Laguna Beach on Friday, July 8, 2022. The city Planning Commission approved the construction of an enclosed lifeguard tower at the cove. Some residents in the area want to keep the current portable lifeguard stand. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
The stairway leading down to Moss Street Beach in Laguna Beach on Friday, July 8, 2022. The city Planning Commission approved the construction of an enclosed lifeguard tower at the cove. Some residents in the area want to keep the current portable lifeguard stand. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Residents had appealed to council members the Planning Commission’s recent approval of the department’s request to install a permanent tower.
Instead, starting in May 2024, the temporary tower will be lifted by the crane from the street above and placed below on the beach and removed after September.
The $30,000 lifeguard tower will be about 4 square feet and made from fiberglass, which, unlike wood and metal, is less corrosive in the marine environment. The structure will sit on a base that is about 3 square feet, which during months when the tower is not in place, will be covered with something to avoid making it a safety hazard.
Councilman Bob Whalen called the fiberglass lifeguard tower manufactured by a Laguna Beach company and popular in Hawaii and Australia “tried and true,” adding maybe residents could “dress it up” with a color or design fitting the neighborhood.
“Let’s stick with our standard lifeguard equipment,” he said of the decision to compromise and use the originally proposed structure, but make it temporary.
Marine Safety will evaluate if more guard hours are needed at the small beach, reporting back in three years.
The tower is part of a larger city project to renovate the access stairs to Moss Beach and the surrounding landscape. The city has renovated five other beach areas south of Main Beach – at Oak, Mountain, Agate, Thalia and Pearl streets – with new stairways, landscaping and other amenities.
The hour-plus discussion Tuesday centered on whether the tiny beach, which is about 250 yards of sand in Laguna Beach’s midtown stretch of coastline, warranted an enclosed, permanent tower.
Lifeguard officials argued an enclosed tower is critical to protecting their staff from harsh sun rays, water glare and temperatures, but also provides for better vigilance when watching over the cove known for hazards such as rip currents, steep shore breaks and covered shoreline rocks. A swimmer died at Moss Beach in 2018.
Lifeguards told council members their presence in the cove, which is popular for scuba diving, snorkeling and exploring the tide pools, also helps with conservation.
Marine Safety Chief Kevin Snow said just that day, the first call at Moss Beach had been about a violation of the rules protecting the local marine life.
The residents, led by Nolan Miura and Debra Lewis, argued the cove doesn’t get a lot of visitor traffic and often has almost no sand, especially during high tides. They also lamented the look of the white industrial tower planned and said they hoped for something more artistic to reflect the neighborhood’s character.
Both residents – and those in the audience who came in support – agreed it is essential to protect the lifeguards from the outdoor elements and thanked the council for being open to compromise.
Dale Ghere, a longtime lifeguard who served on the city’s beaches in the 1960s, said he was amazed the city still had so many exposed chairs where lifeguards end up covering themselves with towels and seek protection under a small umbrella.
“More than half of us guys have had major surgery,” he said. “To take a kid and put him on the beach facing the sun all summer long, year after year …. guys facing the sun all the time is hard. Do whatever it takes to get the tower there.”
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