LA City officials making necessary corrections and installations to have pier lit again sometime by mid-October!
By Nick Antonicello
Light at the end of the proverbial tunnel regarding the iconic Venice Fishing Pier is now forthcoming according to an LA City official and that’s the good news locals have been anticipating for some time.
In a ZOOM meeting last week with the Oceanfront Walk Committee of the Venice Neighborhood Council, Venice Recreation & Parks head Sonya Young-Jimenez indicated that getting the lights operational again at the Venice Pier was a priority and the goal is to have the job complete by mid-October anticipating no “hiccups.”
The lights, which have been out for nearly three months was an item on the agenda of the Oceanfront Committee along with the installation of new fences and resurfacing of the paddle courts at Oceanfront Walk at their September meeting (www.venicenc.org).
Young was invited to make a progress report on both projects.
In a follow-up conversation with Young-Jimenez via e-mail, she indicated that she spoke “with the electrician today (10//1/22) and they were able to go out today and install the piping to run the electrical. Since there was an event today they could not have the trucks on the pier. Next week they plan to come back and finish the project. They will also be replacing the broken light pole next week. We may be closing the pier down from 7 am to 1 pm in order to get this completed. I will keep you posted.”
The Venice Fishing Pier is a 1,300 foot structure that just had millions in renovations last year for it’s under structure and is a popular tourist destination and venue for local fishermen since no license is required to cast and reel-in.
With the lights out, those fishing have been forced to provide their own illumination like flash lights and lighted head gear. The pier is probably the best location to view the dramatic sunsets that capture the Pacific Ocean each and every evening to say nothing of it’s popularity with tourists and visitors who stroll the pier while in Venice before or after dinner at Washington Square.
We will continue to monitor the progress and we would like to thank Sonya Young-Jimenez for her cooperation and keeping the public apprised of the work and timeline for completion of the project. A special thanks to Oceanfront Committee Chair Jim Robb and VNC President James Murez for making this issue a community priority as well.
Nick Antonicello is a longtime Venetian and member of the Oceanfront Walk Committee of the Venice Neighborhood Council (www.venicenc.org). Have a take or a tip on issue concerning Venice? Contact Antonicello via e-mail at nantoni@mindspring.com
