San Diego officials are scrambling to figure out how to fix or replace the 43-year-old Mission Beach lifeguard tower, which is in such bad shape structurally that it’s been declared a threat to public health and safety.
Such problems are expected to become increasingly common in San Diego, where many city structures have reached the end of their lifespans and have not been proactively repaired or replaced due to lack of money.
Lifeguard towers have been particularly neglected. The city’s infrastructure planning outlook says $64.4 million is needed for lifeguard tower projects during the next five years and that only $4 million has been set aside.
Tackling the city’s backlog of needed infrastructure projects, which surpassed $6.5 billion this winter, was one of the selling points of a proposed one-cent city sales tax increase that voters rejected in November.
City officials say failing lifeguard towers present two problems: Lifeguards could get injured inside a dilapidated structure, and the public could be at higher risk if lifeguards can’t effectively scan beaches and bays.
The tower illustrates what can happen when aging buildings don’t get renovated or replaced fast enough: Structures get deemed unsafe and unusable before the city has had time to design and build replacements.
Fire-Rescue Department officials say the tower poses “an imminent threat to public health and safety” and are not sure if it can be repaired.
Analysts from the city’s Engineering and Capital Projects Department are scheduled to evaluate the tower this month with two key questions in mind — whether it can be repaired, and whether lifeguards can keep using it as it’s being fixed.
The evaluation is being handled in-house because outside contractors have declined to give the city estimates for the repairs, apparently because the repairs are so challenging.
There are conspicuous cracks along the tower’s outside walls, and debris is falling inside and outside as the concrete masonry pulls away from the structure due to the spalling of rebar, officials said.
An architectural evaluation conducted last year said the city has two options: Demolish the tower immediately, or find some way to make emergency repairs while a new facility is planned and built.
This month’s evaluation will help determine which of those two options the city chooses. The city has set aside $1 million to complete the emergency repairs if they end up being deemed feasible.
The stakes are high, said Assistant Fire Chief James Gaboury. The Mission Beach tower is the busiest in the entire city, and the beach’s popularity with tourists makes emergencies more likely there.
Connor Robbins, chief steward of the city lifeguards labor union, said San Diego must start prioritizing lifeguard tower repairs and replacements.
“We can’t afford to wait for a tragedy to take place before we take action,” he told the City Council’s infrastructure committee last month.
Larry Webb of the Mission Beach Town Council said it’s frustrating to spend so much money on a temporary fix. But he stressed that the tower is essential to maintaining safety and order in Mission Beach during the summer.
Lifeguard Chief James Gartland said he’s optimistic his crews can make the tower work if temporary repairs are possible.
“Our major concern is observation and view corridors,” he said. “We believe we have two areas we can observe from to effectively protect the beach.”
City Councilmember Marni von Wilpert suggested officials consider accelerating the fundraising needed for a replacement tower by selling the naming rights to the tower, similar to how the city handled recent renovations to the Botanical Building in Balboa Park.
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