Price tag for Marina del Rey’s Boathouse redevelopment becoming pricey

LOS ANGELES — Plans to upgrade a site once used by the Sea Scouts for boating activities have been circulating for years and they are back on the table as the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors reviewed the venue’s refurbishment plans and revised budget last month.

Updated and expanded plans could cost the county at least $6.4 million, more than double the previously established budget. The county approved a construction budget of nearly $2.8 million in 2010, which was higher than an initial estimate of about $1.3 million in 2008, according to official records.

County officials say the Boathouse, once construction plans are realized, will feature new restrooms, a storage area, machine room, seismic upgrades and access points meeting Americans with Disabilities Act standards. A public viewing area could be added to the top floor.

“We think [improvements to the Boathouse] will allow the facility to provide a variety of public benefits to the community, including those who want to recreate on the water,” said Carol Baker, spokesperson for L.A. County’s Department of Beaches and Harbors (DBH).

The expanded budget request would, according to county staff, adjust several elements of the project’s redevelopment.

“The revised project will change the interior floor plan layout and repair and reconfigure the top roof deck as a public viewing area. These changes required the installation of a fire sprinkler system in the building,” county staff stated. “The project scope will be expanded to include site improvements to provide improved access to and around the Boathouse, including resurfacing and restriping of the parking lot and construction of enhanced pedestrian walkways with associated landscaping improvements.”

County officials anticipate construction will begin in March 2016 and be completed nine months later.

“Renovation of the Boathouse will allow us to better serve the boating community in a number of ways. The Boathouse will have meeting space for groups to gather and conduct indoor training. The department also will make kayaks and other watercraft available to members of the public who wish to rent them and take them out in the marina,” Baker said.

DBH currently manages and operates the Boathouse. Cal Boating and lifeguards from the county’s Fire Department use the venue for training purposes; DBH operates an educational program — Water Awareness, Training, Education, and Recreation, or W.A.T.E.R. — out of The Boathouse. W.A.T.E.R. educates and trains children in equipment, kayak and sailing safety.

“The W.A.T.E.R. program provides ocean safety days to more than 6,000 students from across the county each year during the school year. During the summer and on holiday school breaks, the W.A.T.E.R. program offers sailing lessons to youngsters. That programming also will be conducted out of the Boathouse and the docks adjacent to the facility,” Baker said.

Before the venue was dubbed “The Boathouse” it was the Pardee Sea Scout Base. The Boy Scouts of America held a 30-year lease on the base until DBH took possession of the property and venue in September 2002, according to county documents. The Sea Scouts remained at the base for an additional 15 months under a joint use agreement with the county. Officials shut down The Boathouse in January 2004 but allowed the Sea Scouts to continue using the venue’s docks. A permit granting the Sea Scouts use of the docks was in place through December 2008; the sea base no longer exists in Marina del Rey.

The Boathouse’s history in Marina del Rey might strike a chord with supporters of the O.C. Sailing and Events Center in Dana Point, where Orange County officials seek a private vendor to operate the waterfront venue. O.C. Sailing and Events center houses the Sea Scouts and various nonprofits promoting boating and water education. There have been concerns whether the new vendor, once selected, will allow the nonprofits to continue operating out of the center.

The Boathouse is a three-story and 6,000-square-foot building located at Burton Chace Park.

Baker said the Boathouse, once complete, will be home to the Boating Section and Recreational Services. Staff members of both departments will operate the venue and work from there. The venue’s two internal meeting rooms and the rooftop deck will be available for rental for small events, according to Baker.

2 thoughts on “Price tag for Marina del Rey’s Boathouse redevelopment becoming pricey

  • January 8, 2016 at 1:34 pm
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    Thank you for mentioning the possible disastrous impact of harbor privatization in Dana Point on the Sea Scouts and other long-established youth and community groups.
    Since the creation of the Dana Point Harbor in the early 70’s, the Harbor Park has been a mecca for use by all the citizens of Orange County. The Harbor Park at the west end of the harbor consists of Baby Beach, two adjacent parking lots and three Cape Cod buildings surrounded by docks. Hundreds of persons use the Harbor Park campus daily to have access to swim, kayak, stand up paddle board, paddle outriggers and sail. Instructional programs in maritime skills are provided by the Mariner Sea Scouts, Saddleback College, the Outrigger Club, Westwind Sailing, JSerra Sailing, and Dana Hills High School. The rooms of the of the Orange County Sailing and Events Center are used by every conceivable community group including Sea Scouts, religious groups, Jazzercise, weddings and community celebrations.
    A few years ago the administration of the Harbor Park was removed from the County Beaches, Harbors and Parks department and placed under the newly created Harbor Department. Now it appears that the Dana Point Harbor Department is proposing to privatize the buildings in the park for commercial use. If this is allowed to happen, the park would be destroyed and the people of Orange County would lose a valuable access to the use of the harbor.
    Please write today to the Orange County Board of Supervisors and tell them to keep the Harbor Park available for Mariners Sea Scouts, Saddleback College, the Outrigger Club, Westwind Sailing, JSerra Sailing, Dana Hills High School and other youth and community groups, and please sign our online petition: https://chn.ge/1RNinSo

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  • March 24, 2019 at 12:22 am
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    Why was there a supposed contract when pardee sea base was originally dedicated and given to boy scouts of America? I truly hope that you spend more in renovations than you make. Shame on you for shoving a good thing away. BSA along with girl scouts are our future. After all it’s about our youth and not just about how rich you can be.

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