Administrative
Report
N.3., File # 22-4986 Meeting Date: 10/18/2022
To: MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
From: TED SEMAAN, PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR
TITLE
DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION REGARDING THE CONDITION OF THE SPORT FISHING
PIER AND DIRECTION TO DEMOLISH AND/OR STABILIZE ALL OR PORTIONS OF THE PIER
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The City’s on-call pier maintenance contractor, Jilk Heavy Construction (Jilk), performs periodic inspection of the Sport Fishing Pier (SFP). The most recent inspection occurred in September 2022 and identified multiple structural pier members that are in critical condition and appear to be deteriorating at an accelerated rate. Of particular concern is that during the inspection, 7 of the 12 piles in close proximity to one another were found to be completely failed resulting in a high risk of a future pier collapse/failure. This follows several years of close monitoring of the SFP after a 2016 inspection by Moffat & Nichol (M&N), a marine engineering firm, revealed several deficient pier components, prioritized needed repairs, and characterized the pier to be in overall “serious” condition. The most urgent SFP deficiencies in the report were repaired and the pier was later closed to the public (in early 2018) due to safety concerns.
In order to address the now critical condition of the SFP, and the potential for structural failure, staff is recommending the City initiate actions to either temporarily stabilize, or completely demolish, the SFP in anticipation of its future reconstruction as part of the King Harbor Public Amenities Plan.
Stabilization of the pier in the short-term would include the step to shore up the failed piles and demolish the buildings on top of the pier in order to reduce loads on the underlying structure. Total demolition would remove all elements of the pier above and below the water line. A third option, to demolish the buildings and leave the pier structure as is, can also be considered. Any option that keeps the SFP in place, leaves the remaining structures vulnerable to the more volatile environmental loading (wind and waves) that occur in the winter and would not eliminate the possibility of an unplanned structural collapse. The costs and permitting pathways associated with each of these options are discussed below.
BACKGROUND
On September 6, 2016, the City Council approved a contract with M&N to provide above and under water inspections, evaluation and rehabilitation design services for the Municipal and SFPs in King Harbor. The inspections resulted in the discovery of several urgent defective and deficient pier components of the SFP.
The SFP was built in the 1960’s and consists of a timber substructure, including timber piles with timber bracing members, pile caps, and decks. Due to the age of the pier and the constant wave and
N.3., File # 22-4986 Meeting Date: 10/18/2022
timber bracing members, pile caps, and decks. Due to the age of the pier and the constant wave and tidal surge action, the pier requires continual inspections and repairs. The pier deck is laterally supported by a combination of pile matrices and bracing members. The deck resists lateral wave loads partly by the shear strength of the piles and partly by the axial strength of the bracing members. It is critical that all support members function properly in order to have pier stability, if one pile fails, or a large cap falls, it can act like a “domino” effect under the pier and cause the entire pier structure to fail. Over time, certain operational features of the SFP were discontinued due to reduced loading capacity of the pier’s structural elements, and, ultimately, the pier was permanently closed in early 2018 due to safety concerns.
In 2016, the M&N SFP inspection identified that the structure was in “serious” condition, and in need of urgent repairs. The urgent repairs were made and consisted primarily of reinforcing the lateral braces and piles. For public safety, it was necessary to completely prohibit access to the SFP and perform regular inspections and monitoring of the SFP until it could be demolished and rebuilt. When City Council approved the M&N contract for the inspections and evaluation, it also included tasks for permitting and preliminary engineering that can be authorized now. If Council directs staff to obtain permits necessary for the demolition of the pier, M&N will immediately be authorized to assist the City with these tasks.
State and Federal regulatory agencies will need to provide their approval of both the demolition and future reconstruction of the SFP. Staff anticipates that permits from the Coastal Commission, the US Army Corps of Engineers and potentially the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board will be needed to redevelop the SFP. In addition, the California State Lands Commission and California Department of Fish and Wildlife will be consulted. Demolition of the SFP will require at least approval of the Coastal Commission. An emergency demolition permit may be warranted given the critical nature of the SFP and upcoming winter season. City consultant M&N is currently under contract with the City to obtain regulatory permits and can be authorized to begin the process once City Council direction is provided. If Council directs staff to move forward with demolishing and/or stabilizing the pier, M&N will assist City staff to acquire all necessary permits.
Jilk’s cost proposal to remove the complete pier structure is $1,163,000. The emergency SFP demolition can be performed by Jilk, however a contract addendum would need to be prepared and brought back to Council at an upcoming meeting for consideration of approval before proceeding with the work. The scope of work would include all labor and equipment to completely remove all SFP components, including safely capping off land side utilities, lead and asbestos building abatement, disposal of all materials, temporary strengthening and bracing to allow for the demolition work to proceed safely and removal of the piles. The SFP demolition would be completed using both a barge and landside crane.
The estimated cost provided by Jilk to remove the buildings and stabilize the pier for a period of 2 to 3 years is $500,000. Jilk’s proposed cost to remove the buildings, is $367,300, which includes the cost for hazardous materials abatement and temporary structural support stabilization during the demolition. Staff got a second estimate to remove the buildings using a hand work, landside approach (no heavy equipment on the pier) of $150,000 to $200,000.
Staff recommends the Council provide direction to staff to, at a minimum, remove the buildings from the SFP. A preferred alternative is to remove the buildings and stabilize the SFP on a short-term basis until it can be fully demolished. Ultimately, a full demolition provides the best alternative towards eliminating the risks associated with an unplanned collapse, which is the key safety issue.
N.3., File # 22-4986 Meeting Date: 10/18/2022
towards eliminating the risks associated with an unplanned collapse, which is the key safety issue.
Staff will work collectively with the Finance, Waterfront and Economic Development Departments as well as the City Manager’s Office to identify potential funding for Council’s preferred approach.
Once funding is identified, staff can begin the planning, bidding and permitting processes with direction from City Council. Once costs and funding availability is better understood, staff will return with recommendations for budget appropriation, plan approvals and contract awards.
COORDINATION
This report and future actions associated with the SFP will be coordinated with the Public Works Department, the Waterfront and Economic Development Department and the Community Development Department.
FISCAL IMPACT
The cost proposal for full demolition of the SFP is $1,163,000. The cost estimate to remove the buildings and stabilize the pier on a short-term basis ranges from roughly $300,000 to $500,000 depending on the demolition method. No funding is currently available to execute this work. A supplemental budget modification will be necessary to proceed.
APPROVED BY:
Mike Witzansky, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS
· Jilk Heavy Construction September 9, 2022 Sport Fishing Pier Inspection Report