The City Council on March 3 accepted a grant from the California Department of Parks and Recreation’ Division of Boating and Waterways.
The vote was unanimous.
This was a Consent Calendar item. Consent items are voted on collectively, without discussion, unless a council member pulls one or more items for further discussion. Nothing was pulled this week.
The money will go to the replacement of the Green Pleasure Pier End Float. The project will be paid for by a combination of federal, state, and local monies.
“The City submitted a grant application in July 2024 to replace the deteriorating city-owned harbor end float through the Division of Boating and Waterways Boating Infrastructure Grant Program,” according to the staff report by Harbor Master Kevin Schmidt and Administrative Analyst Aliana Gonzales.
“This project will replace an existing 30-year-old steel and wood end float attached to the fixed pedestrian Pleasure Pier and replace two non-ADA compliant aluminum gangways with a single 80 foot ADA compliant gangway. The size of the float will be approximately 60’ x 20’ and construction materials will be determined during the engineering and permitting phase, but will be such to exceed a useful life of 20 years,” Schmidt and Gonzales wrote.
“The City was notified in late February 2026 that the grant request of $300,000.00 to replace the Pleasure Pier End Float was recommended for funding. This project will be funded with $300,000 of federal funds combined with a local cash match of at least $100,000 and the City contributing the remaining $100,000 to allow for ineligible use,” Schmidt and Gonzales wrote.
The project is budgeted at $500,000, according to Schmidt and Gonzales.
In other news, the council also voted unanimously to authorize the harbor master to buy two Yamaha outboard engines and related equipment with grant money from the Division of Boating and Waterways. This was also a Consent Calendar item. With shipping, the estimated total cost was $55,296.
“The grant makes available $55,663.02 in funds to purchase two (2) Yamaha Outboard Engines and necessary installation hardware to replace existing stock of engines currently in use by the Avalon Harbor Department,” Schmidt wrote in his staff report about the matter.
“The Harbor Department currently has two (2) patrol boats that utilize outboard engines. Both are very high-time engines. One engine currently requires a major repair; the other is nearing the end of its useful life. The Yamaha 150XSA outboards for which grant funding has been approved will provide reliable and efficient powerplants for the patrol boats,” Schmidt wrote.
“Staff will procure the outboard engines from West Coast Marine Services, lower unit gear assemblies from RJ Nautical and installation will be performed by Avalon Boat Stand,” Schmidt wrote.
