Construction expected to begin in September for junior lifeguard headquarters
Come next summer, Newport Beach’s junior lifeguards will have a new home in the A Street parking lot near Balboa Pier.
The Newport Beach City Council unanimously approved a $6.4-million contract Tuesday with TELACU Construction to erect the approximately 5,145-square-foot building set to replace the trailer the program has been operating out of since 1984.
Construction is expected to begin in September and be completed by Memorial Day weekend next year, just ahead of the beginning of the junior lifeguard season.
Initial projections pegged construction costs at about $4.9 million when conceptual plans were approved in March last year. In a staff report prepared for the agenda item this week, city staff noted the costs came in significantly higher than originally estimated due to inflation and pandemic-induced supply chain and labor shortages.
Deputy public works director Jim Houlihan said the Newport Beach Junior Lifeguard Foundation committed $2.1 million toward the project. The city will pay about $5.8 million in design, permitting and remaining construction costs. The total cost of the project is estimated at about $7.9 million.
About 1,485 kids ages 9 to 15 are participating in this year’s junior lifeguard program.
Roughly $5.2 million of the city’s costs will be paid for by federal funds received from the American Rescue Plan Act, according to a news release on the contract’s approval.
Councilwoman Diane Dixon thanked the Newport Beach Junior Lifeguard Foundation for its efforts in helping finance the new headquarters, which the community has been asking for since at least 2011.
Dixon said she didn’t know if the costs were evenly split, since the city will also perform additional maintenance on the A street parking lot outside of the building, but she acknowledged the foundation went “over and beyond” what the city hoped to raise.
“It’s really fantastic to have a project that touches thousands and thousands of families in Newport Beach and this is a well-designed [and] simple project and I’m really proud to support it and honor that the Newport Beach Junior Lifeguard Foundation has been a consistent partner from day one ... and to get to this point,” said Dixon, who also thanked city staff for finding a reasonable contract.
Councilman Brad Avery said the headquarters is “such a good thing,” as the junior lifeguards program is an important part of Newport Beach’s culture, as evidenced by the push for its return and operation throughout the pandemic.
The junior lifeguards program runs from late June to early August and includes children from the ages of 9 to 15. About 1,485 kids participated in the program this year in what Newport Beach Fire Department spokeswoman Natalie May described as an above-average turnout. About 43 instructors and group leaders were present.
When the program is not in session, the building will be used by the city’s recreation and senior services department.
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