Grants to help build new pier, dock at harbor
Two recent grants totaling more than $1.2 million will pay to build a new dock for visiting boaters and to plan the replacement and enlargement of the dilapidated fishing pier at the Oceanside Harbor.
The California Wildlife Conservation Board has recommended approval of $267,000 to pay for the design, engineering and permitting of a fishing pier to replace the one built in the 1970s that was closed for emergency repairs over the summer.
The new fishing pier will be built in the same spot as the old one, but will be larger and in the form of a “T” to have more room for fishing, said Harbor Division Manager Ted Schiafone on Tuesday.
“We also intend to have an 80-foot (handicapped-accessible) gangway that would connect to an ADA paddleboard and kayak f loating launch,” Schiafone said by email.
Paddleboarders and kayakers now use a nearby transient dock with a 35-foot gangway that has a steep angle of descent during low tides, he said.
A construction estimate for the fishing pier will be obtained as part of the design and engineering work, he said. So far, no money has been allocated for construction.
The larger grant, $950,000 from the California Division of Boating and Waterways, will pay to replace and expand a dock used by transient boaters near the Jolly Roger
Restaurant. The restaurant closed, and plans are under way to sublease the location to a wedding and event company that could open in 2023.
“The Jolly Roger transient dock was built in the early 1980s and was identified years ago as having reached the end of its useful life,” Schiafone said.
The new dock will add space for six more transient vessels, for a total of nine, ranging up to 80 feet long. It will include a handicapped-accessible gangway, electrical supply lines upgraded from 30 amps to 50 amps to all slips, and an improved fire suppression system.
Engineering and obtaining permits will take about six months, Schiafone said. Construction is expected to start and finish within the first quarter of 2023.