Question 8: Should the city consider a fundraising drive to cover the cost of a new Lifeguard Headquarters?
Perla Mendoza
Absolutely! If our community wants to come together to help fund a new Lifeguard Headquarters, I welcome that effort. There’s no better feeling than knowing you played a part in making the community you love a little better.
Seal Beach has a great history of coming together when it matters most! In 1983, devastating storms destroyed much of our beloved pier. Residents rallied and raised approximately $140,000 toward its $2.3 million reconstruction. When the pier reopened in January 1985, thousands gathered to celebrate. Imagine the pride our residents felt! What a wonderful example of what neighbors can accomplish working together.
I would love to see that same spirit surrounding our Lifeguard Headquarters. A voluntary fundraising campaign could give residents, visitors, local businesses, and community organizations an opportunity to contribute to something meaningful. Of course, any fundraising effort should have a clear goal and transparent accounting, so everyone knows exactly where their contributions are going.
Neighbors, these are my thoughts; I’d love to hear yours!
Election Day is November 3! I hope to earn your vote for Seal Beach City Council, District 1. PS. Please remember that there are four names on the ballot. The top two have dropped out and won’t be seated. Please vote for #3 on ballot, Perla Mendoza and make your vote count!
Your neighbor,
Perla Mendoza
www.perlaforsealbeach.com
An experienced leader and voice for our district.
Matthew Terry
Yes, the city should be doing everything that it can, including a fundraising drive, to close the roughly $5 million gap right now for the lifeguard headquarters.
For those of you that are not aware, the building needs to be replaced. The building is way past its life span and is deficient in pretty much every way imaginable. For reference, the Sun wrote an article about a year ago called Lifeguard HQ: A look. It provides a good summary of its current conditions.
We need to find a solution as soon as possible because construction costs will only keep going up, and we don’t want to keep sinking money into repairing a building that is hopefully going to get demolished soon.
If elected, the first thing I’d do as an architect is look at where we can bring costs down. All construction projects have wiggle room, so I would review the scope of the project and see where the numbers can come down, while also making sure we meet what’s required of the building.
We also need to look at this another way. This can be more than just a building. I really love the history of this town, especially the Joy Zone era. We used to have iconic buildings as the gateway to the pier and that’s missing now. I see the lifeguard headquarters as an opportunity to build something iconic, a crown jewel for the end of Main Street and the base of the pier. If we build something like that, people would be lining up to donate to put their name on it.
With that said, I also want to use this answer to focus on the McGaugh pool. It’s a fixture in our community. It’s the place where I learned how to swim as a kid and it’s where my daughter is learning right now. But the pool is on its last legs and by all accounts doesn’t have much time left. We need to find a solution for a new pool before it’s too late.
For more information about me and my priorities, visit my website at mattforsealbeach.com.