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NEWSLETTER. From the San Mateo County Harbor District for January 2022.
West Trail Project is Underway
We are happy to report that the West Trail Project at Mavericks is underway and progressing nicely.
There was a slight delay in December because of the heavy rain but January has been dry.
The Project includes improvements to the existing storm drain system.
The existing hillside storm drain will be placed underground along the hillside slope and will drain to a new Bioretention Basin before discharging to the Pillar Point Marsh.
The restored freshwater connection will provide ecological benefits to the marsh ecosystem, and improve water quality in the area.
Photos of Upgraded Storm Drain System
New overflow discharge pipe and energy dissipater to the marsh; it replaces an old outfall that discarded storm water directly into the harbor.
Soils excavated from the drainage ditch where they will be constructing a biofiltration basin which will overflow into the marsh during heavy rains.
Thank you for your continued patience.
This week it is likely that the main parking will be closed to bring in cement to complete this phase of the project.
Parking is very limited as the West Trail parking lot is being used as a construction staging area.
Please be careful while walking around construction areas and keeps dogs leased.
Construction is right on track and estimated to be completed this April.
Construction Phase: December 2021-April 2022
CONSTRUCTION!! Pillar Point Harbor Mavericks West Trail Living Shoreline Project Begins 12/21; Ends April 2022
Parking will be limited as the West Trail parking lot is being used as a construction staging area.
The West Trail will remain open, however there may be temporary closures. If you plan to use the Trail please be careful while walking around construction areas and keep dogs leashed. Call 911 in case of emergency.
| PROJECT LOCATION: | PILLAR POINT HARBOR |
|---|---|
| STATUS: | Construction Underway |
| INITIAL FUNDING: | April 4, 2016 |
| ESTIMATED COMPLETION: | April 2022 |
| DESCRIPTION: | Evaluate alternatives to prevent further trail erosion with an emphasis on a Living Shoreline with minimal hard armoring, re-line concrete swale, and stabilize adjacent hillside with planting of native vegetation. |
| JUSTIFICATION: | The West Trail and adjacent bluffs have sustained substantial erosion. |
| STRATEGIC GOAL/OPERATING IMPACT: | 1) Comprehensive Long-Range Planning Guides District Actions and Decision-Making |
| 2) Infrastructure Improvements are Guided by Comprehensive Long-Term Planning. | |
| 3) Environmental Stewardship |
RECENT UPDATES by Pillar Point Harbor:
Construction Phase: December 2021 – April 2022
To protect an eroding segment of the West Trail, the District is constructing a Living Shoreline Consisting of a combinatino of cobble and sand dunes. The Project will restore beach and dune habitat within the harbor and allow for continued public and emergency vehicle access along the trail. The 300 linear foot living shoreline project has been designed for a lasting natural defense against coastal erosion and sea level rise.
The Project also includes Improvements to the existing storm drain system in this area. The existing hillside storm drain will be under grounded along the hillside slope and drainage will be routed to a new Bio retention Basin before discharging to the Pillar Point Marsh. This restored freshwater connection will provide ecological benefits to the marsh ecosystem.
On Friday, February 12, 2021, the California Coastal Commission unanimously approved the Coastal Development Permit for the long-awaited Pillar Point Harbor West Trail Living Shoreline Project. The project will restore the West Trail and provide a safe accessible trail to the Mavericks Beach Area, create new beach and dune habitat using an innovative living shoreline approach, and provide lasting protection against coastal erosion and sea level rise. The full Press Release can be viewed by clicking the link at the bottom of this page.
The project is located along the western edge of Pillar Point Harbor (Harbor) in western San Mateo County, California. The Pillar Point West Trail (West Trail or trail) varies in width from 8 to 18 feet and connects a pedestrian pathway from the West Point Avenue access and parking area to the Pillar Point outer harbor and Mavericks Beach.
The project area has experienced chronic coastal erosion, resulting in degradation of the existing Pillar Point Harbor West Trail and creating hazardous conditions for trail users. The erosion threatens the structural integrity of the trail for public and emergency vehicle use. In addition, because the trail is the only access point to Mavericks Beach and is a popular trail for visitors, permanent closure of the trail is not favored.
The project includes the stabilization of the West Trail and stormwater system improvements. To protect and stabilize the trail, the project will include the construction of a nourished beach with an elevated dune adjacent to, and east of, 300 feet of the trail.
Buried beneath the surface of the shoreline and dune would be a cobble berm (otherwise known as a dynamic revetment) and two rock fingers extending perpendicular from the trail. The stormwater improvements would address the aesthetics, function, and maintenance needs of the existing storm drain system as well as provide water quality improvements to the harbor.
With the Development Permit being issued, it is expected the project will be completed in the Fall/Winter of 2021.
Copies of the IS/MND can be downloaded from the following URL: https://www.smharbor.com/initial-study-notice-of-intent-to-adopt-a-mitigated-negative-declaration or can be viewed at the Pillar Point Harbor, Harbormaster Office at One Johnson Pier Road, El Granada, CA 94016 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday through Saturday.
PPH-WT Living Shoreline Project Website Announcement.pdfWest Trail Living Shoreline CDP Press Release.pdf
CCC Approves “Mavericks Trail” at Pillar Point Harbor West Trail Living Shoreline Project
PRESS RELEASE. From the San Mateo County Harbor District regarding the California Coastal Commission’s unanimous approval of the Living Shoreline model.
On Friday, February 12, 2021, the California Coastal Commission unanimously approved the Coastal Development Permit for the long-awaited Pillar Point Harbor West Trail Living Shoreline Project. The project will restore the West Trail and provide a safe accessible trail to the Mavericks Beach Area, create new beach and dune habitat using an innovative living shoreline approach, and provide lasting protection against coastal erosion and sea level rise.
The West Trail is located along the western edge of Pillar Point Harbor in western San Mateo County, California. The Trail connects a pedestrian pathway from the West Point Avenue access and parking area to the Pillar Point outer harbor and Mavericks Beach.
The West Trail has experienced chronic coastal erosion, resulting in degradation of the Trail and creating hazardous conditions for trail users as well as limiting access for emergency response.
The project includes the stabilization of the West Trail and stormwater system improvements. To protect and stabilize the trail, the proposed project will include the construction of a nourished beach with an elevated dune adjacent to trail. Buried beneaththe surface of the shoreline and dune will be a cobble berm (otherwise known as a dynamic revetment) and two rock fingers extending perpendicularly from the trail. The stormwater improvements will address the aesthetics, function, and maintenance needs of the existing storm drain system as well as provide water quality improvements to the harbor.
“The Harbor District is extremely proud of the West Trail Living Shoreline Project. The planning process began more than six years ago, and through excellent public participation and superior engineers and consultants, a Living Shoreline with an improved, safe and accessible trail with emergency access to the outer Harbor and Mavericks Beach area will be completed by the end of the year. The Living Shoreline is a new and innovative approach to combat coastal erosion and sea level rise, and can serve as a proof of concept to be applied in other regions of the California Coast,” said Jim Pruett, General Manager of the San Mateo County Harbor District.
“The West Trail Living Shoreline Project is a very important project for the Harbor District, San Mateo County, and the State of California. The Harbor Board is very grateful for the public’s support and the collaborative work done by many stakeholders over the last six years, resulting in the Coastal Commission’s approval of our project’s coastal development permit to protect the West Trail Shoreline and provide the opportunity to learn how living shorelines can benefit the California coastline,” said Virginia Chang Kiraly, President of the San Mateo County Harbor District Board of Commissioners.
With the Development Permit being issued, it is expected the project will be completed in the Fall/Winter of 2021.
For further information, please contact Jim Pruett, General Manager of the San Mateo County Harbor District at [email protected] or (650) 583-4400.
More Coastside Buzz on the:
Mavericks Trail (“West Trail”) Living Shoreline Design
San Mateo County Harbor District Board Meetings ~ 3rd Wednesday @ 1:00pm
Watch remotely. Comments and questions by email.
Commission via the District’s website are considered public records and may be subject to disclosure and additional distribution pursuant to the Public Records Act and the Brown Act.
Board of Harbor Commissioners Contact Information:
To email the entire Harbor Commission, click here.
Nancy Reyering, President
At Large / Term: 2018-2022
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 650-331-0655
At the Regular Board meeting of January 19, 2022 Commissioner Reyering was voted in as President of the Harbor Board of Commissioners.
At the Regular Board meeting of January 20, 2021. Commissioner Nancy Reyering was voted in as Vice President of the Harbor Board of Commissioners.
Previously she held the position of President which she was voted into at the Regular Board meeting of January 15, 2020,
At a special meeting of the Harbor Board of Commissioners on September 19, 2019, Commissioner Reyering was elected to the office of Vice President in addition to her office of Secretary.
At the January 16, 2019 Regular Board meeting, Commissioner Reyering was elected to the position of Secretary by the majority of the Board.
Commissioner Nancy Reyering was elected to the San Mateo County Harbor Commission in November 2018.
Nancy is a lifelong peninsula resident. She graduated from Stanford University with degrees in Linguistics and French. During her professional career, she founded a property development and management company specializing in executive office complexes in Atherton, Menlo Park, and Redwood City. As a volunteer she has taught high school (AP French), served as VP at Stanford Professional Women Alumnae Association, and is currently on the Advisory Board of the non-profit Green Foothills.
Awards for Ms. Reyering’s work include a San Mateo County Sustainable Development Award, and Woodside Environmental Champion.
As a third generation Californian, and a sailor from a young age, Ms. Reyering has sailed out of almost every port in San Mateo County, and has lifetime interests in our coast and marinas. Nancy will work collaboratively with the public and fellow commissioners to ensure the mission statement of the Harbor District is met.
William Zemke, Vice President and Secretary
District 1 / Term: 2021 -2025
mail: [email protected]
Phone: (650) 730-9239
Commissioner Zemke was voted in as Vice President and Secretary to the Harbor Board of Commissioners at the January 19, 2022 Regular Board meeting.
Commissioner William Zemke was voted in as Secretary to the Harbor Board of Commissioners at the January 20, 2021 Regular Board meeting.
Commissioner Zemke was appointed to the position of Commissioner San Mateo County Harbor District, District 1 on November 3, 2020 for a term of four years. He has been a resident of South San Francisco since 1976 and has worked to improve the community as an appointed city official on various commissions as well as filling many volunteer positions.
Tom Mattusch, Treasurer
District 4 / Term: 2021-2025
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 650-619-0459
At the Regular Board meeting on January 19, 2022. Commissioner Tom Mattusch was once again voted in as Treasurer of the Harbor Board of Commissioners.
Commissioner Mattusch has served as the Treasurer 2018 – Present.
Commissioner Tom Mattusch was first elected to the San Mateo County Harbor Commission in November 2014, and re-elected in November of 2016. He was elected as President of the Commission, re-elected for a 2nd term at the Board Meeting of January 18, 2017.
Captain Tom Mattusch is the owner/operator of the Huli Cat, a charterboat in Pillar Point Harbor. He has fished the West Coast since 1967. He fishes for salmon, rockfish, tuna, Dungeness crab, flatfish and Humboldt squid. Tom also participates in Nature Trips, Bird Watching, Whale Watching and ash scattering at sea. He was a Member of the CA DFW Salmon Stamp Committee, License Agent Advisory Committee, NOAA’s Sportfishing Action Team and is an Ambassador for DFW’s Fishing Passport Program. Tom was a Member of the Regional Working Groups for the Central and North Central Coast Region to assist in the creation of the network of marine reserves along the coast. Past Board Member of the Golden Gate Fishermans Association and the Fishery Enhancement and Research Foundation. He is currently on the Board of Coastside Fishing Club and assists the National Weather Service as a Marine Users Group member. Tom has collaborated with the PCFFA and Institute for Fisheries Research on research projects. In addition to charterboat activities Tom participates in fisheries research with NOAA/NMFS, The Nature Conservancy and has completed projects with Scripps, Point Reyes Bird Observatory and Moss Landing Marine Laboratories. He has participated in Exempted Fisheries Permit projects for chilipepper and other underutilized species. Tom has experience in healthcare operations management and an MBA in Management. A former competition freediver, underwater hockey player, Tom has worked out of Pillar Point Harbor since 1992.
Virginia Chang Kiraly, Commissioner
District 5 / Term: 2021-2025
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 650-730-3911
At the January 20, 2021 Regular Board meeting. Commissioner Chang Kiraly was voted into the position of President.
She previously held the positions of both Vice President and Secretary which she was voted into January 15, 2020 at a Regular Board meeting,
Commissioner Chang Kiraly was elected as President of the Harbor Board of Commissioners at a special meeting on September 19, 2019. She was previously Board President in 2018.
At a special meeting on November 16, 2015, the Board of Commissioners interviewed six candidates seeking to fill the vacancy on the Board. Virginia Chang Kiraly was appointed by the Board to fill the vacancy, Commissioner Chang Kiraly ran for a four year term in 2016 and won, being elected to a four year term on the Harbor Board. She was re-elected to Vice President of the Board on January 18, 2017.
Virginia earned her B.A. in Government and Economics from the University of Texas at Austin. In 2007, she was appointed by Governor Schwarzenegger to the California Commission for Economic Development. She served on the San Mateo County Civil Grand Jury for two years from 2007-2009 and as Foreperson from 2008-2009. During her time on the Civil Grand Jury, she led an effort to connect public school fire alarms to first responders, such as fire departments (2008-2009); curb public employee pensions in San Mateo County cities (2008-2009); and discourage public agencies from using cash out re-funding of their general obligation bonds (2007-2008)– a practice that has since been deemed illegal in California.
Virginia has fifteen years of professional experience in corporate financial analysis, planning, and investments. She is a former Senior Director of the Nasdaq Stock Market and has worked at some of the country’s leading financial institutions.
She serves on the boards of the Menlo Park Fire Protection District, Silicon Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross, California State Parks Foundation, and Sequoia High School Education Foundation. She is the founder and President of Ring The Bell Fund, which was established in 2012 to advocate, educate, and raise funds for school fire alarms to be connected to first responders and for automatic sprinklers to be installed in schools. She is a member of the San Mateo County Community College District’s Measure G Parcel Tax Oversight Committee and the Sequoia Union High School District’s Career Technical Education Steering Committee. She is a guest lecturer on “Women & Management” at Notre Dame de Namur.
A daughter of Chinese immigrants, Virginia was born and raised in Austin, Texas. She and her husband, Ken, live in unincorporated West Menlo Park with their two sons.
Edmundo Larenas, Commissioner
At Large/ Term: 2018-2022
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 650-730-3810
Commissioner Larenas was re-elected to his seat on the Harbor Board of Commissioners in November of 2018.
Commissioner Larenas was elected as Secretary of the Harbor Board of Commissioners at the Board Meeting of January 17, 2018.
Edmundo Larenas was re-elected to a four year seat on the San Mateo County Harbor Commission November 6, 2018. Commissioner Larenas was elected originally for a two year seat on the Commission November 2016.
Commissioner Larenas was voted to the position of Treasurer at the SMCHD Board Meeting of January 18, 2017.
District Office: 504 Avenue Alhambra, Ste. 200, El Granada, CA 94018
Mailing Address: PO Box 1449, El Granada, CA 94018
Phone: (650) 583-4400 Fax: (650) 583-4614
Author: Coastside Buzz
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