The Gaviota State Beach Pier has been closed since 2014, leaving locals wondering when or if repairs will ever start.
Resident Richard Sherry is one of many Gaviota residents who say they’re frustrated with the lack of repairs being made to the Gaviota pier.
"I would just like to see this opened again before I’m dead," said Sherry.
Currently, there have been no upgrades to the Gaviota Pier since 2014.
"I say, just make it an operable pier, like San Simeon, like Cukor's, like Stearns Wharf. Just open it up to the public. I mean, it's been confiscated by the state," suggests Sherry.
But according to State Parks Chief Planner Kate Wilson, it's not that simple.
"Anytime you have built infrastructure on the coastline in California, it opens up a lot of different regulatory compliance issues that are very difficult to navigate," said Wilson.
Wilson says within the last 30 days, the pier has started to sag, and out of an abundance of caution, state parks put in braces and signs to keep people away from that area. As for repairs, the State Parks general plan, involving Gaviota, hasn’t been updated since we last checked in with State Parks in September.
"Essentially, the more public involvement we have on a particular topic drives where the efforts of that, particular plan is going to go," said Wilson.
For Sherry, the lack of a timeline, repairs, or updates has him worried.
"The general public is thinking, well,l I think the state's just going to let it fall into the ocean. And that's the end of Gaviota Pier. Well, that'd be a tragedy," said Sherry.
Wilson encourages the public to visit the state's general update plan website to leave feedback and to check for updates
