Capitola Wharf grand opening delayed until September
CAPITOLA — Those looking to celebrate the recovery of one of Capitola’s most prized possessions will have to wait a little longer.
The city announced Wednesday that its planned Wharf Grand Opening event, originally set for Aug. 14, has been rescheduled for a yet-to-be-determined date in September.
Chloé Woodmansee, an assistant to the city manager, wrote in an email to the Sentinel Wednesday that while repair and infrastructure work is still on pace to be finished in June, additional facility-based items such as new benches, trashcans, donor art and an upgraded entry gate are likely not to arrive or be fully installed by the original August celebration date.
“Once we have confirmation of certain shipments and installations, we can confirm the event date,” wrote Woodmansee. “The City thought it best to hold the formal celebration once everything that will make the Wharf special for years to come has arrived and been installed for the public to enjoy.”
Woodmansee clarified that the city’s goal is still to have the wharf open to the public before August, though it may need to close during certain periods to finish various installations.
In advance of the grand relaunch, city planners have also been pursuing temporary use permits that will allow food, live music and other entertainment to be available to the public whenever the much-anticipated event occurs.
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The 167-year-old structure was wrecked by brutalizing winter storms and a raging tide in early 2023 and it has been closed ever since. Not long after the historic storms rolled through, city officials began planning to incorporate the newly needed repairs into a previously existing project meant to improve the wharf’s public access and bolster its resiliency to future raging tides and heavy storms.
Construction crew continue to rebuild the damaged Capitola Wharf in Capitola, Calif., on Friday, May 17, 2024. The Capitola Wharf, an 855-foot-long landmark that has delighted generations of beach visitors since its construction in 1857, was badly damaged in winter storms last year. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)
Capitola officials announced Wednesday that the much-anticipated Wharf Grand Opening event will be delayed until sometime in Sept. as the city waits to receive and install some facility-based items. The event was originally scheduled for Aug. 14 and officials said the city still anticipates opening the wharf to the public “on a rolling basis” before August. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)
The Capitola Wharf is undergoing repairs in Capitola, Calif., on Friday, May 17, 2024. The Capitola Wharf, an 855-foot-long landmark that has delighted generations of beach visitors since its construction in 1857, was badly damaged in winter storms last year. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)
Memorial plaques are saved in a pile to be reinstalled on the Capitola Wharf in Capitola, Calif., on Friday, May 17, 2024. The Capitola Wharf, an 855-foot-long landmark that has delighted generations of beach visitors since its construction in 1857, was badly damaged in winter storms last year. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)
Lucy Hernandez, of Pacifica, looks towards the Capitola Wharf that is undergoing repairs in Capitola, Calif., on Friday, May 17, 2024. The Capitola Wharf, an 855-foot-long landmark that has delighted generations of beach visitors since its construction in 1857, was badly damaged in winter storms last year. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)
Workers begin the demolition of Capitola Boat and Bait Shop on the Capitola Wharf this week. (Shmuel Thaler – Santa Cruz Sentinel)
Demolition of the Wharf House Restaurant and Boat and Bait Shop on the Capitola Wharf began this week. (Shmuel Thaler – Santa Cruz Sentinel)
Work proceeds to repairs to the Capitola Wharf. (Shmuel Thaler – Santa Cruz Sentinel)
A crew works to rebuild the Capitola Wharf. (Shmuel Thaler – Santa Cruz Sentinel) default
Workers begin the demolition of Capitola Boat and Bait Shop on the Capitola Wharf this week. (Shmuel Thaler – Santa Cruz Sentinel)
A newly broken Capitola Wharf piling swings freely as waves crash around the structure on Saturday. (Shmuel Thaler – Santa Cruz Sentinel)
A wave set repeatedly pushes up against the bottom of the Capitola Wharf on Thursday morning. The damaged wharf remained closed and under repair from a series of damaging storms at the beginning of the year. (Jessica A. York — Santa Cruz Sentinel)
The Capitola Wharf is surrounded by stormy waves in Capitola, Calif., on Thursday, Dec. 28, 2023. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
The Capitola Wharf is surrounded by stormy waves in Capitola, Calif., on Thursday, Dec. 28, 2023. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
High tide waves hit the wharf in Capitola, Calif., Thursday, Dec. 28, 2023, where repairs for last year’s devastating storms are still underway. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
The $10.6 million project includes replacement of all the decking and much of the railings, widening the wharf from 20 feet to 36 feet and the addition of 120 strong, fiberglass pilings that are more resilient to storms in an era of climate change.
This work was complemented by the Capitola Wharf Enhancement Project, a fundraising effort led by a volunteer group of community members that sought to bring in some extra cash through private donations that went to ancillary wharf facility improvements. According to the group’s website, it raised more than $350,000.
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