Hermosa Beach now has a safer, more beautiful, and more environmentally friendly pedestrian destination. And it was completed with out using any of the City’s general funds, saving taxpayers additional costs and protecting vital services.
Using Federal stimulus money, grants, and already-existing bond money, the City’s $4.3 million Pier Avenue Beautification Project has vastly improved this vital avenue in the middle of “The Best Little Beach Community,” as Hermosa is sometimes referred.
“The Pier Avenue Beautification Project has created a more welcoming place for visitors and residents alike to shop, eat and play,” Mayor Peter Tucker said at a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the project’s completion.
Among the improvements are wider sidewalks, a center median lined with palm trees, new street lighting, improved pedestrian crosswalks, additional seating and benches, and an innovative storm water capture system. The new storm water system has a series of trash and debris traps that will prevent any storm water from polluting the City’s world-class beaches. It also channels storm water to help the city from preventing flooding. The most important advantage the new storm water system offers is the ability to recycle storm water to irrigate the landscaping in the center median. “The innovative storm water drainage system on Pier Avenue is helping protect the ocean from trash and other pollutants, while also guarding against flooding on the street and reducing the city’s need for water to irrigate the landscape,” Mayor Tucker said. “We thank the merchants, restaurant owners and other businesses along Pier Avenue for their patience during this project,” said Mayor Tucker. “We also thank the city’s staff for their diligence in seeing the project through to completion. Together, we are ensuring Hermosa Beach is the best little beach city.”
Dan Oney is the Editor of PublicCEO.com and can be reached at dan@publicCEO.com