CAPITOLA >> In early fall, Capitola officials made good on a 19-month quest to restore a critical piece of local history and a treasured community asset that had disappeared from use, but not from view.

Since January 2023, the historic Capitola Wharf, as unnaturally as a bicycle with square wheels or rain on a sunny day, stood broken in two after absorbing a powerful onslaught of atmospheric river storms made worse by a relentless ocean surge that inundated the esplanade, and damaged homes and businesses throughout the coastal area. The reopening of the Capitola Wharf in 2024 came months before about 150 feet of the Santa Cruz Wharf broke off during powerful west swells, proving the relentless power of Mother Nature.But the dispiriting disaster in 2023, which caught the attention and a subsequent visit from President Joe Biden, was met by a groundswell of local, regional and even international support that propelled the city to a triumphant recovery, and was capped off in September with a jubilant grant reopening celebration.

Capitola Director of Public Works Jessica Kahn, who joined the city only three months before the inciting incident, said city staff and elected officials knew how deeply the community cared about the 167-year-old landmark, but admitted that even they underestimated the level of community engagement and support that was consistently seen along the wharf’s circuitous path to a full recovery.

“I’ve worked for a lot of cities and that’s not something you get everywhere,” Kahn recently told the Sentinel.

Years in the making

Though the destruction almost two years ago came as a surprise, the project that restored the wharf to its former glory was not. The gap in the wharf was filled and its general infrastructure was improved through the second phase of the Capitola Wharf Resiliency and Public Access Improvement Project, which Kahn said was in the works about a decade before the January 2023 storms hit.

The $10.6 million effort, most of which was finished in June, included widening vulnerable sections of the wharf by 16 feet, replacing 150 piles, replacing most of the decking and railings and installing a new restroom, along with other utility features. Funding came from a variety of sources including several state and federal grants, private donors and Measure F, a 10-year sales tax used to revitalize the city’s oceanfront infrastructure.

Some yet-to-be-established features on the wharf, Kahn added, include a kiosk and signage project at the wharf’s entrance that has historical information about the 855-foot-long structure and the city itself. The project is funded by a $40,000 grant from the Monterey Bay Sanctuary Foundation received in March. Also in development are a series of bronze figures of coastal sea life that will be routed to the wharf’s decking as decorative features. Both projects are anticipated to be finished by February, according to Kahn.

“The intent of those figures in the decking of the wharf is to, kind of, lead a little trail down the wharf,” she added.

All of the repair work encompassed within the long-planned resiliency and access project was done in conjunction with the Capitola Wharf Enhancement Project, a private fundraising effort that was launched in the name of improving the wharf’s aesthetics, while city staff looked after its basic infrastructure. The enhancement project managed to raise $450,000, which went toward a renovated entryway, new lighting, more seating, viewing stations and public art installations.

The enhancement project initiative was so successful it may have even rubbed off a little on its chair, Gerry Jensen. Less than two months after the wharf’s reopening, Jensen was the top vote-getter in the race to fill two seats on the Capitola City Council and was sworn in to his first four-year term Dec. 12.

The business end

It wasn’t just the wharf itself that suffered catastrophic damage during recent winter storms; it was also a pair of longtime businesses that it supported, literally. The Wharf House Restaurant and the Boat and Bait Shop both suffered major damages in the first and last months of 2023 and, after being deemed hazardous and irreparable, were torn down in March.

Kahn said the Wharf House Restaurant declined to reopen in some capacity once the wharf repairs were done, but the city struck a deal with the Boat and Bait Shop. The decades-old business now inhabits a temporary structure and offers many of the same services it had before the storms arrived, including bait, snacks, boat rentals and a hoist for private boat launches.

The shop was open for business during the September grand reopening as well as for a follow-up fall party in October that drew significant turnout. While Kahn said it was yet-to-be-determined if the wharf events as presented will be a recurring feature, she added that the community should “anticipate more in the future, (we’re) just not sure what that looks like yet.”

Those discussions will likely play a role within a broader conversation among city leadership about how the wharf will be utilized and cared for long-term. One thing that is assured is that there will be multiple opportunities for community education, engagement and feedback, though Kahn had no dates or details to offer just yet.

“We’re sure the community is going to keep engaged with this process,” said Kahn. “There are things to look forward to with this piece of infrastructure.”

As for the wharf’s longevity, Kahn said she’s optimistic the improvements are built to last, though she does think the photogenic coastal landmark will need another major overhaul at some point in the future, as powerful storms continue to arrive at the city’s shore.

“I do anticipate at some point, if the city is to keep this, it’ll be reconstructed at some point in the future, but the intent of the project was to make that in the far future,” said Kahn. “We’re optimistic that this was a multi-decade fix.”