Pismo Beach Pier to close for renovations until 2019

Hand in hand, Tom and Pam Espino waved goodbye to the Pismo Beach Pier. It’s here they’ve shared more than 40 years of memories.

“We heard the pier was going to close down and we had to be here before it closed down,” says Pam Espino.

Like the Espino’s, many came out to enjoy one last look and walk on the pier.

It will be closing down for the next two years as part of a rehabilitation project to make it safer and give it a new look.

“I would come down here with my family as a teenager, different groups of families, and I have a lot of good memories here,” says Espino.

Signs around the pier let people know it is closing down, this project is estimated to cost $8.8 million.

“I think in the long term it’s a great investment in our community,” says Joanne Currie, owner of Splash Cafe.

As construction is set to begin, business owners in the area are faced with some challenges.

“It’s going to affect the parking situation so it will require me to get here before 7 a.m,” says Rodney Roller, owner of Zada Surf School.

He teaches amputees how to surf. He says while the remodeling is a great thing for the city, because of construction, he’ll now have to surf on the south side of the pier.

“The current is going to push them toward the pier so keeping them safe will be an added responsibility,” he says.

However, other business owners anticipate the closure won’t have a significant impact.

“Everybody is a little afraid of it but, I don’t think in reality it’s going to have a huge impact, the boardwalk is still open,” says Currie.

At the Splash Cafe they say regardless of what’s going on outside they’re ready to serve locals and tourists alike.

“I think everyone will be flexible, we love our tourists, so we are looking forward to having them this summer,” she says.

The boardwalk and the beach will remain open. Construction is scheduled to be complete in September 2019.