On March 20, the City Council’s Active Transportation and Infrastructure Committee unanimously endorsed spending $1 million for emergency repairs to Mission Beach Lifeguard Station.
A staff report on the emergency funding proposal for the station pointed out that a structural evaluation by an architectural firm in May 2024 concluded that it needs “immediate hazard mitigation” to alleviate the threat it currently presents to the “health, safety, and welfare of the general public.”
The structural evaluation found the tower and its support facility have aged, been deteriorating, and are now antiquated, and that the facility no longer meets the needs of the City’s lifeguards and public.
The Lifeguard Station is within the Mission Bay Park Improvement Fund. That fund requires the use of a portion of lease revenues from Mission Bay Park to go toward capital improvements in Mission Bay Park.
In a follow-up Q&A, Beach & Bay Press asked the City for answers on how this situation got to be where it is today.
BBP: Tell us about the history of the station and its function.
CITY: The Mission Beach Lifeguard Station is located on Ocean Front Walk, adjacent to Belmont Park, within the Mission Bay Park Improvement Zone. It is our busiest lifeguard station in San Diego, and it serves Mission Beach and Mission Bay. Lifeguards provide critical public safety services in this area from this station, such as water rescues, first aid, and beach enforcement. The facility was built in 1982. It is in extremely poor condition, and it has not kept pace with the growing demands resulting from the increased influx of visitors to this popular area.
BBP: Tell us how the physical deterioration of the station got to be so bad, and why it’s taken so long to address it.
CITY: The Mission Beach tower exterior was resurfaced (stucco) in 2015 to protect the masonry walls. Small cracks in the exterior stucco were noticed several years later. By 2023, the stucco cracks were expanding, and a structural assessment was completed in 2024. The assessment determined that the crack extends into the masonry walls, which limits the lifespan of the facility.
BBP: Tell us about the environmental factors contributing to the deterioration of lifeguard stations along the coast.
CITY: The average lifespan of a lifeguard tower is 40 years, depending on the construction materials. The coastal environment is the main contributing factor to the deterioration of the Mission Beach tower. Moisture entered the cracks in the stucco, causing the reinforcing steel (rebar) to rust and increasing the cracks in the masonry walls.
BBP: How much will the emergency repairs cost, and where will the money come from? Will all or some of the funding for repairs come from the Mission Bay Park Improvement Fund?
CITY: We anticipate repairs to the temporary facility to cost approximately $3 million. In FY25, $500,000 came from the City Facility Improvements annual fund, with a transfer of $500,000 of infrastructure funds from another Fire-Rescue project, and the remaining $2 million will come from the Mission Bay Park Improvement Fund in FY26.
BBP: We would like to get the City’s response to the “structural evaluation” by an architectural firm in 2024 that concluded that the lifeguard station needs “immediate hazard mitigation.” What exactly will that entail?
CITY: The 2024 “Structural Evaluation” provided a temporary repair recommendation that we were unsuccessful in getting a certified contractor to submit a proposal for. The creation of this project will fund another structural evaluation by a structural engineering specialist and determine the scope of work for the temporary repair.
Excerpts from structural assessment letter from Libby Engineers in 2024 regarding Mission Beach Lifeguard Station’s condition:
“The Mission Beach Lifeguard tower is an oceanfront building exposed to chlorides. Additionally, the building is a Concrete Masonry Unit (CMU) structure, and the porous nature of the masonry construction helps to provide pathways for moisture, oxygen, and chlorides to enter the materials and eventually cause corrosion of the embedded reinforcing steel, eventually shortening the life of the structure.
“Current test results indicate the CMU construction is providing minimal protection to the reinforcing steel against corrosion. As a result, the reinforcing steel is corroding and expanding, causing the cracking and spalling of the CMU construction that is observed. Repairs can be made to the currently observed cracks and spalls. However, due to the age of the structure, proximity to the ocean, and the materials used in construction, repairing the cracks and spalls will be a continuing maintenance issue.
“The current cracks and spalls should be addressed before pieces detach from the building, possibly causing damage or injury. It is our opinion that the masonry in the structure is close to the end of its lifespan in a very aggressive atmosphere, and the cost of repair will continue to spiral upward. It is recommended that the exterior CMU walls be replaced within the next 10 years.”
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