Boardwalk to Get a Face Lift

Long-awaited improvements to the Venice boardwalk got underway this week after a groundbreaking ceremony attended by city officials and residents.

The first phase of improvements along Ocean Front Walk will include constructing a wooden beach access ramp for people in wheelchairs, refurbishing and replacing restrooms, and creating a children’s play area near the north end of the parking lot at Rose Avenue, said Mike Bonin, deputy to City Councilwoman Ruth Galanter, who represents the area.

The $6.5-million Venice Boardwalk Renovation Plan is funded through Proposition A, a 1992 voter-approved bond measure. The plan calls for improved lighting, new paving, updated recreational facilities, public art and new benches and trash receptacles.

The plan also calls for construction of a police substation to be built with funds from the sale of city-owned surplus properties in Venice, Bonin said.

Completion of the improvements is scheduled for spring 2000.

Galanter and Steven Soboroff, president of the board of Recreation and Parks commissioners, attended a groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday, in addition to officials from the Westside Center for Independent Living, an advocacy organization for disabled people.