Can the Beach mission rescuer tower be saved? – San Diego Union-Tribune

San Diego officials rush to understand how to repair or replace the 43 -year -old Beach Mission Rescuer Tower, which is in such poor condition that it has been declared a threat to public health and security.

Such problems should become more and more common in San Diego, where many structures in the city have reached the end of their lifespan and have not been repaired in a proactive or replaced manner due to the lack of money.

Rescuers have been particularly neglected. The city’s infrastructure planning prospects say that $ 64.4 million is needed for rescuer tower projects over the next five years and that only $ 4 million has been put aside.

Tackling the city’s backwards of the necessary infrastructure projects, which exceeded 6.5 billion dollars this winter, was one of the sale arguments of a proposed increase in a city sales tax that voters rejected in November.

City officials say that failing rescuers have two problems: rescuers could be injured in a dilapidated structure, and the public could be more at risk if the rescuers cannot effectively scan beaches and berries.

The tower illustrates what can happen when aging buildings are not renovated or replaced fairly quickly: the structures are deemed dangerous and unusable before the city has had time to design and build replacements.

The managers of the Fire Savior Department say that the tower is “an imminent threat to public health and security” and are not sure they can be repaired.

Analysts of the City Engineering and Impabilization Projects Department should assess the tower this month with two key questions in mind – if it can be repaired and if the rescuers can continue to use it as it is repaired.

The evaluation is managed internally because external entrepreneurs have refused to give city estimates for repairs, apparently because the repairs are so difficult.

There are visible cracks along the exterior walls of the tower, and the debris fall inside and outside while concrete masonry moves away from the structure due to the scarage of the reinforcement bars, officials said.

An architectural assessment carried out last year said that the city had two options: immediately demolishing the tower, or finding a way to make emergency repairs while a new installation is planned and built.

This month’s assessment will help determine the two options that the city chooses. The city has reserved $ 1 million to complete emergency repairs if they end up being deemed possible.

The issues are raised, said deputy chief of firefighters James Gaboury. The Beach Tower mission is the busiest in the whole city, and the popularity of the beach with tourists makes the emergency room more likely there.

Connor Robbins, in chief of the Steward of the City Labor Labor, said that San Diego must begin to prioritize the repairs and replacements of the rescuer’s tower.

“We cannot afford to wait for a tragedy to take place before taking action,” he said the infrastructure committee of the municipal council last month.

Larry Webb of the Municipal Mission Council Beach said it was frustrating to spend so much money on a temporary solution. But he pointed out that the tower is essential to maintain security and order to Mission Beach during the summer.

The head of the rescuer James Gartland said that it was optimistic that his crews can operate the tower if temporary repairs were possible.

“Our main concern is the observation and vision corridors,” he said. “We think we have two areas that we can observe to effectively protect the beach.”

The member of the Municipal Council Marni von Wilpert suggested that the officials plan to accelerate the fundraising necessary for a replacement tower by selling the names of name to the tower, similar to the way in which the city has managed the recent renovations to the botanical building of the Balboa park.

Originally published: April 5, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.