thelog.com
The Log • August 1-14, 2014 • 13 Moorings fuel Belmont Pier’s optimistic future By John W. Scafetta
LONG BEACH — When Mike O’ Toole received the go-ahead to install up to 45 eco-friendly moorings alongside the Belmont Veterans Memorial Pier earlier this year, his vision was to make the area a more viable destination for regional boaters. Since then, he has established 17
moorings adjacent to the five-decade- old pier and boaters have responded. The moorings, which can be rented for a daily rate of $1 a foot, allow boaters to secure their vessels while implementing the pier and the Belmont Shore district. “I would say by mid-August we’ll be
up to 25,” O’ Toole said. “I’m just going slower now because we’re learning so much about the desires and the needs of what works best.” For boaters, the process is straight-
forward. Simply pull up to a mooring ball, text Belmont Moorings to the number provided near the pier and operators will meet you there. Each sin- gle-point mooring is spaced 100 feet apart and is attached to the bottom of the ocean floor with 10 foot long helix screws, helping to reduce environmen- tal damage. O’ Toole said the majority of the ves- sels using the balls have been anywhere from 35- to 60-feet in length. Mooring rentals run 24-hours a day, with a maxi-
mum stay of 15 days, and the company will also soon take online reservations. Highlighted by views of the Port of
Long Beach skyline, bulky cargo ships and Catalina Island, Belmont Pier makes for a unique hub. But it’s the well-known breakwater
which rests 1.5 miles off the city’s coast that offers a distinctive advantage to boaters. O’ Toole said the calm waters are a perfect substitute to the popular moorings stationed at Catalina. And that’s why O’ Toole believes the
area is on its way to reinvention. The pier jutting out of the edge of
Belmont Shore is unconventional, devoid of retail venues or upscale restaurants. The area around the con- crete structure is surrounded by sandy- white beaches, tranquil water and bustling ocean goers. But, like anything with age, Belmont Pier could use a facelift. The popular fishing spot is home to vagrants, who can often be seen sitting on the pier’s benches. Still, the new moorings have helped
spark newfound interest. Long Beach Yacht Club recently
moored off the pier, organizing a local getaway for its members. “We have something that isn’t out
there,” said Fred Khammar, who oper- ates the pier. “We have 5,000 boats in Long Beach looking for somewhere to go and something to do other than
Long Beach’s Belmont Veterans Memorial Pier, constructed in the 1960s, attracts many fishermen throughout the year. While some visitors believe it is in need of a remodel, newly installed eco-friendly moorings are helping the pier became a hot-spot for boaters in Southern California.
cruise up and down the harbor and go back to the slip.” Khammar, who has run concessions
in Long Beach for more than 27 years, said in the first months of operation the field has sold out twice—including dur- ing the annual Pirate Invasion and the Long Beach Yacht Club event. Success aside though, even he admits the pier is a little rough around the edges and said he is much more invested in the infra- structure rather than attempting to tear it down and get it rebuilt. “We feel the city needs to come out and invest some tidelands money into an upgrade of the pier,” he said. “Our facility on the end of the pier that we
have as a restaurant has been completely redone…Now with the mooring field being in there and getting some synergy, the two of them feed off each other so that you’re actually promoting business to and from the ocean and you always have the busi- nesses coming to you from the land.” While City Council allocated $250,000 to a feasibility study on revi- talizing the pier on Sept. 3, 2013, plans
have been pushed back in place of more pressing projects. “The original plan was to begin the planning and feasibility study this fiscal year,” said Eric Lopez, Long Beach’s Tidelands Capital Improvement Project (CIP) officer. “However, the effort has been postponed for at least a year to accommodate funding for other proj- ects that have public safety needs including the Alamitos Bay Rebuild.” The pier is also scheduled to receive $10 million in 2018 and $15 million in 2019 for upgrades. Lopez said those funds will not become formalized until the council makes an official appropria- tion.
Management
Anchor
Introducing Online Mooring Reservations Now accepting mooring reservations on Catalina Island!
Go to
www.VisitTwoHarbors.com/MooringRez to make your reservations now. Visit us online or call 310.510.4253 for more information.
877.778.8322 •
VisitTwoHarbors.com
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