Two lifeguard towers in La Jolla are still under construction and way behind schedule. NBC 7’s Megan Tevrizian explains why lifeguards are patrolling from temporary towers and not the ones taxpayers spend millions on.
Pacific Beach residents hope drum up more support for their effort to stop the construction of a permanent lifeguard station.
They say the community has its security and safety concerns but few believe the answer is a 3,500-square foot, $7 million lifeguard station.
Lifeguards have maintained a temporary guard station and storage facility at the end of Law Street since the 1990s.
Permanent stations were conceived of around the same time but the building permit application process is starting only now.
John Settles and others of the group “Protect PB” posted their own sign at the site.
It shows the artist renderings of the proposed station and how it would sit in the beach canyon. The city promised no obstructed views and minimal beach impact.
"The locals and a lot of the beachgoers would like to see something a lot more tranquil,” Settles said.
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"It's excessive in my opinion and many’s opinion,” said Protect PB member Rich Slayter.
The City Council approved it because the fire department demonstrated a need for it.
Settles says if safety is the issue, city leaders need to look beyond the beach.
Pacific Beach isn't the first neighborhood to object to a high-priced lifeguard tower. Towers at La Jolla Cove and Children's Pool ran behind schedule. The two stations have cost the city nearly $9 million.
A lifeguard station set for completion in 2016 near the North Jetty in Mission Beach was proposed in 2003. The $4.6 million project will replace the old wooden one currently near the site.
