This seems like a waste of city resources. Clean it and it fills back up again in a day?

I am guessing if Public Works were to do the complete job and move the dune back away from the stairs/lane, that this wouldn't even be an issue. It is a waste of city resources to have to do it twice. It should be done right the first time.

I wander who is liable if a child falls off that dune and onto the concrete below. The dune is on City Property and the concrete appears to be someone's driveway. Either way it looks like a pretty dangerous situation to me. I understand this actually happened on Sharon LN to a 3yr old. The grandfather put up netting on the hand rails so it wouldn't happen again. Not sure how this could be done here. Probably the best solution is to push the sand away from the walls and make it a couple of feet lower than the walls.

I just finished reading the "new" sand management plan (although I'm guessing that it's basically a cut'n'paste of some other study.) This is what happens when taxpayers demand results from bureaucrats who, by nature, will cautiously tip-toe around a realistic solution to a given problem.
The inherent flaw I observe with this plan is very basic: It represents a comprehensive attempt to restore &/or preserve a beach that was man-made. Look at some of the very early photographs of Pierpont Beach. Dunes? Natural vegetation? I wish these early photos were of better quality, as they don’t clearly show examples of the ‘Legless Lizard’ or the ‘Globose dune beetle.’ (In my 30+ years of using the beach on an almost daily basis, I can’t say that I’ve ever actually seen either of these - I hope they’re not buried under the blowing sand drifts and crying out for help!)
My solution to the problem is two-fold:
1. Take a copy of the 42 page report, have all of the bureaucrats initial it as read; put various official stamps all over the cover page and file a copy at City Hall. All extra copies could quickly be made into the world’s most expensive note pads (of course, following the appropriate feasbility study.)
2. Get a Cat D-8 and move the sand back to the ocean. Do this every year. Simple, cost-effective and, in keeping with the “Beach Restoration� mentality, represents a solution which has Local Historic Precedence (LHP for the bureaucrats) since it pre-dates the initial, artificial creation of our “natural dunes.� This used to be done annually and virtually everyone was happy - beachfront homeowners actually had ocean views and stable retaining walls; beach users had clean areas for recreation and barefoot walking (try that today!) and everyone living on the lanes could actually get to the beach using the stairs (for newcomers to the area, there actually are stairs under those dunes.)
Should #2 not be possible, then maybe it’s time for Pierpont and Keys residents to consider the possibility of separate incorporation. The tax revenues generated in the beach/keys certainly warrant a higher level of leadership from City Hall. In a time when Venturans are asked to pay for 911 emergency calls, our leaders are throwing valuable financial resources at a problem that has a single, proven solution. Leaders respond to challenging situations; bureaucrats just slide down in their chairs and commission a study, hoping the problem will fade away. I'm awaiting the next study.

Bill, I like your approach. This nightmare was created by the City when they decided to no longer maintain their 40 feet of beach in front of Pierpont. They really need to belly up to the bar with a simple straight forward solution that moves the sand away from the homes and lanes and back onto the beach.

Murray:
I also recall the day the "natural" dunes were installed. We used to play lots of volleyball at the end of our lane. One day, two workers in a white truck pulled-up and began mounding sand to start a dune with iceplant and plastic wind barriers. We respectfully informed them that it was very close to our volleyball court and could they put it elsewhere. "How 'bout over there?" one asked, randomly pointing to the north. And that's how our dunes started - not by tides and winds over the millenia, not by uplifting of the Pacific tectonic plate - just two guys in a white truck.
I enjoy nature as much as the next guy, but let's at least have a realistic view of Pierpont Beach. The beach is man-made. The jettys are man-made to limit natural tidal erosion. The dunes are man-made in a futile attempt to control sand movement. We created this beach and, like it or not, we have inherited the responsibility of maintaining it. There's no more time available for sand-management experiments. The situation has reached a critical state, with sand encroaching on some of the most valuable real estate in the nation and, sadly, the inevitability of a personal injury and the multi-million dollar legal action that will follow.

And the houses are man-made, too. If they weren't there, the dunes wouldn't be piling up against them.

People who live in California have to deal with elements of nature - fire, sand, flooding etc. It's part of the deal. But who should pay - homeowners or taxpayers?

Good question, Skip, and I assume that if your house is on fire that you personally will pay the fire department, just like you personally pay the police when they patrol your street, and you personally take the sewage out of your toilet. Or wait, perhaps you think your taxes should take care of that.

I happened to be tuning in to the City Council meeting tonight and saw Councilman Carl Morehouse going berserk on this poor, old man that went up the to the podium to simply speak his piece about the City's neglect of its sand maintenance responsibilities in the Pierpont area. This is a classic example of how arrogant and out of touch this Council has become with the public it is supposed to serve. It is clear that we need a new day in this City. Perhaps that will be in early November of 2009!!!

I just returned from the City Council meeting. Since time was limited, concerned citizens had to complete their statements to the council in about 2 minutes. Additionally, the council members could not respond to any comments, since this topic (sand managment)conveniently wasn't on the agenda. What a joke! You've got the mayor, CC members, city mgr., city attorney present and they can't just enact an emergency agenda inclusion for the session? Meanwhile, a good portion of this "valuable time" was spent on CC members addressing various critical issues, which included:
(1.) Fashion week at the mall.
(2.) Some cargo plane named after the City of Ventura (with plaque!)
(3.) A recognition of some Venturan winning some award (probably a campaign contributor.)
Time to get real here. Our city council is overflowing with self-importance. Do they realize that this is not the U.N. or the U.S. Congress? Their job is not to lean back in their chairs and philosophize on the future path of mankind or the situation of the world as we know it. No, they should just sit up, grab a pencil and start addressing the taxpayers' problems . Certainly there's nothing glamorous about sand management or city street maintenance - but it just happens to be their job.

Well said, Bill. They are brimming with self-importance most of the time, but when it comes to making tough decisions, like which parts of the budget to pare, they defer to staff and let them run with the ball and divest themselves of the decision. That way, when something goes wrong, or when someone complains, they can pawn it off on the staff. What a group. November 2009 won't be here soon enough!

Bill,

I'll be attending the public meeting for the new Sand Management Plan tomorrow night at 6 in the Community Meeting Room at City Hall and I'll post something else on Wednesday. I think you'll get all your questions answered then.

I know the 2-minute time limit is frustrating. But when they have big groups of people -- like tonight -- all wanting to speak, if they don't limit the time, they don't get done with their agenda until the wee hours. This happened once before after First Monday public comment. Because of the lengthy public comment, an important agenda item came up well after midnight and they didn't finish until nearly 2 a.m. That hour is not conducive to making thoughtful decisions. They took some heat about that from the Chamber president who waited all that time to speak on the agenda item.

Ever since then, they've been really strict about the 2 minutes.

It is my understanding that the Coastal Commission has the final say here -- not the Council.

Well, actually, Rod, they can pawn it off on the Chamber of Commerce, too, because each committee making the decisions on what to cut had a Chamber member involved in the process. I thought that was wonderful.

But seriously, what the staff comes up with are only recommendations, the Council has the final say and I am sure they'll have plenty to say.

Marie:
I think my frustration lies in the fact that for many Pierpont taxpayers this sand issue has reached critical mass. At the same time, our local "leaders" fail to exhibit even the slightest image of concern. You'd think that just one of these CC members would at least fake it, roll up his sleeves and ask the mayor "Isn't there something we can do tonight to address the issues of this standing-room-only group?" But no, they just sit there studying their notes (probably a list of things to pick-up at Von's on the way home,)or, eyes fixed on the ceiling dome, pretend to be pondering the situation (What will catapult my career to Sacramento, then D.C.?)
The next time they remodel that public conference room, let's go with lecture hall/theater-style seating. If nothing else, having taxpayers sitting above their elected officials might remind everyone that WE are picking-up the tab for this fiasco.
Years ago, my wife & I returned from a movie only to find our well-paid babysitter sound asleep on the sofa - all responsibilities ignored. How I felt then is exactly how I felt as I left City Hall last night. Our city leaders are asleep at the wheel.

I agree you have a mess on your hands.

But I do know our mayor has been really good about responding and she and Brian Brennan met with you folks on Friday morning. I am hoping you will find some resolution tonight.

First Monday public comment at council meetings, while good for stating positions, is not set up to be a venue for immediate action. You are officially on the agenda March 10.

I still think the state, the Coastal Commission and the biologists in charge of the SMP have more control over your fate than the council. But the city does need to come to grips with who pays to implement the plan on the easement.

Well, it seems the City Council pretty much told the Pierpont residents to "go pound sand" at last night's Council meeting. Although I'm not necessarily in favor of the City picking up the full tab for the sand maintenance program in the Pierpont neighborhood, I certainly think the City shares the responsibility for performing some of the maintenance down there, particularly when they've established a precedent by doing it in the past. They shouldn't dump it all in the laps of the property owners.

The State and the property owners also need to step up to the plate, however. It will be interesting to hear what the ultimate solution turns out to be, but, hopefully, they can work out an amicable arrangement with the residents down there. It is, and continues to be, a major issue for the residents.

They didn't tell the residents any such thing, Mongo. The first Monday public comment period is not the place to get all the answers and you know it.

Residents got plenty of opportunity to speak tonight at the forum. I left after three and a half hours and it was still going strong!

They'll have another chance to speak March 10 when the item is agendized.

Then the plan will undergo revisions by the Coastal Commission and the city staff before the Planning Commission signs off on it. There are many, many opportunities to speak to this.

Sure they did, Marie, by virtue of reducing their time for individual comments from 5 minutes to 2 minutes and by their arrogant attitude and responses to some of their questions and comments (case in point, Morehouse's tongue-lashing of the old-timer who came up there to say his piece). Bill also made reference to the "attitude issue" in his previous comments on this thread. They didn't tell them to pound sand literally, but this is the impression that was clearly conveyed.

This Council & City Manager have completely lost touch with the community. We need a new Council and a new City Manager!!!

I explained up there a bit earlier -- and very clearly -- why public comment was limited to two minutes at the beginning of the night. Then they had three additional minutes at the end. Last night they had 4 hours of public comment and they will have many more hours ahead.
While the blogger Bill above complained about the two minutes, I just talked to another resident who was fine with it.

Carl did not "tongue lash" that older gentleman and he wasn't talking about Pierpont issues. Your gross exaggerations to suit your own purposes are not adding to the constructive dialogue here.

That being said, I welcome your contributions to the blog. I like to present all viewpoints. You're a smart guy, but my word, you are cranky.

Sorry, I've been PMS-ing bad lately...