A Triumph for Community Consensus Building

by Councilman Scott Peters
May 2003

Everyone in La Jolla understands the need to rehabilitate and build new lifeguard towers for the men and women of the lifeguard service who play a critical role in keeping La Jollans, our families and our visitors safe at the beach. Lifeguards perform a very important public safety role in our community and it is important that we support them with good working conditions and facilities. Some may say that looking out at the La Jolla coastline from your office at the beach is a pretty good job, but the decaying towers and inadequate space at these towers tell a different story. The role and responsibilities of lifeguards has changed dramatically in the decades since the lifeguard towers in La Jolla were built. Lifeguards now use more advanced equipment, include people of both sexes and require advanced training. These changes have led to the need for larger spaces for storage, locker rooms for both sexes, and better facilities for training and office space. Renovating our lifeguard towers requires a balance between the real needs of our lifeguard service and the concerns of some residents about bulk and scale of the buildings.

In La Jolla we are off to a great start in moving forward with the plan to reconstruct towers at La Jolla Shores, the Cove and the Children's Pool. The Shores is a particularly important tower because it serves a beach that sees heavy usage, especially by children.

On April 9, city staff presented a concept for the La Jolla Shores Lifeguard tower to the La Jolla Shores Association and received overwhelming approval on a 12-1 vote. The icing on the cake was unanimous support for the public art component of the project, with a 14-0 vote. The strong show of support for this much needed project is a testament to the architect, city staff, and residents who worked together closely to achieve a common goal.

The key to the success of this project was that the project team held a workshop with the community to listen to their needs before starting to design the project. This allowed the project to evolve from the community instead of forcing a design onto the community. At the beginning of the process the Shores Association created a subcommittee to deal with specific issues. The subcommittee worked closely with Roesling Nakamura Architects Inc., City engineering staff and lifeguard Lieutenant Greenhalgh to understand the needs of each group. The group set, and kept to, a timeline that has allowed the project to stay on-time and on budget. Lieutenant Greenhalgh's insights into lifeguarding, and the community's willingness to make compromises, made this community input process what Susan Gullian, chair of the Shores Association, called a model for San Diego.

The result of the process will be a gorgeous new lifeguard tower that will provide lifeguards added space and better working conditions that are essential to their mission, while providing a building the community can point to with pride. The new structure will be moved northward to open up new view corridors, and will replace the current decaying structure with one that will be worthy of an Orchid architectural award. The public art incorporated into the structure will also help make this an attractive addition to the Shores. La Jolla is a special community, and this structure will reflect the unique and creative spirit of the community. I am proud of all the great work on this project and look forward to joining everyone at a ribbon cutting next spring.