By Eric Heinz
As the sun dipped below the horizon over the Pacific Ocean, people joined together at the San Clemente Pier to celebrate the efforts of Pier Pride on Oct. 13.
The organization Pier Pride was established about a year and a half ago as a way to help raise funds for the iconic San Clemente structure following the dissolution of the state’s redevelopment agency funds.
Hundreds of twinkling lights from cell phones and flashlights created a constellation of white dots suspended by the dark of night. The goal was to line the perimeter of the Pier for night photography taken by drones.
Council member Lori Donchak and Julia Darden have been leading the Pier Pride effort since the beginning of the program.
“In our first year, the goal of the Pier Pride foundation was to get enough community support to paint the Pier, and if you walk the Pier now, it has a professional paint primer and polish to it,” Donchak said prior to the Oct. 13 event. “It’s marine-quality, so it’s guaranteed for 10 years. We’re trying to replace the educational signs on the Pier as our 2018 goal because it’ll be the 90th birthday of the Pier. We divide our responsibilities with the city.”
The city of San Clemente spends about $1 million to maintain the structural integrity of the Pier, and Pier Pride focuses on maintaining accessibility and other needs such as replacing nails or planks.
The Pier will undergo other maintenance repairs in the near future including the installation of netting underneath as well as other deterrents of pigeons, which are being blamed for the continuous subpar water samplings taken at the location by Orange County Health Care Agency.
Pier Pride has a few more fundraisers before the end of October, which was dedicated as Pier Pride Month by the city of San Clemente. A fishing derby will take place at 8 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 21, as well as a fundraiser at Blaze Pizza at the Outlets at San Clemente on Wednesday, Oct. 25.
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