Harbor officials say the Avila Pier is now in emergency condition.
The iconic Avila Pier has been welcoming visitors to the small beach town for almost 120 years and the landmark is starting to show its age.
We talked to Andrea Davila and her family who were visiting from Minnesota.
“We love walking up and down the pier, but we get a little frustrated when we hit the sign that says that we can't go any further," Davila said.
The Avila Pier closed entirely in 2015 from age and damage from various storms. Since then, progress to rebuild the pier has been slow.
The Port San Luis Harbor District has determined that the unfinished portion of the Avila Pier is in an emergency state. In a recent staff report, the district said the pier continues to exhibit significant deterioration.
Because of the emergency situation, harbor district officials said there can’t be competitive bidding for who gets to repair the rest of the pier, speeding up the construction process.
Ron Pigeon is the Secretary and Treasurer for the local nonprofit, Friends of Avila Pier.
“That can speed up for critical months because there's only so many months during the year that they can actually do construction," Pigeon said.
Pigeon said the clock is ticking.
“During the winter months, they can't do much," Pigeon said. "Partly because of the weather and partly because of restrictions imposed by the Coastal Commission.”
The harbor commission plans to have construction start between August and October.
But time isn’t the only thing in the way of a finished pier. The most recent staff report said there is a $700,000 funding gap to get to the 80th support, let alone the completed pier.
Pigeon said the Friends of Avila Pier is doing what they can to help get enough funding by asking for donations from the public.
Linn Brown is from Santa Maria and said she walks down the pier at least three times a week.
“Avila needs to have their pier just like Pismo," Brown said. "It'll be great when it's done.”
