SANTA CRUZ >> Although hopeful to reopen the damaged Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf in the coming weeks, Santa Cruz city officials do not yet have a timeframe for the 110-year-old structure’s reopening until a structural assessment is completed, according to Santa Cruz City Manager Matt Huffaker at a press conference Friday.

In front of the wharf’s blockaded entrance, Huffaker explained that more than 20 businesses operate on the wharf and those businesses have about 400 employees whose livelihoods depend on the structure reopening.

“I know that folks are anxious to see the wharf reopen,” said Huffaker. “However, we cannot reopen the wharf until we know that it’s safe to do so. That really hinges on the completion of a structural assessment of the current structural integrity of the wharf. We are hoping to complete those assessments in the coming days with our goal to reopen the wharf as soon as possible when we have confidence that we can do so safely.”

The city manager also provided a rundown of the event where, around 12:45 p.m. Monday, a massive swell swept about 150 feet of the wharf — which had been damaged in December 2023 and was being repaired — into the ocean along with the crane staged there to drive piles into the seafloor.

“Our wharf has just continued to be battered winter after winter over the course of the last few years,” said Huffaker. “During this event we had three construction workers that were on site actively working to repair this area of the wharf. Those three individuals ended up in the water through the course of the collapse. Fortunately, through the swift action of our rescue swimmers and lifeguards, all three were brought to safety without sustaining any major injuries.”

Huffaker mentioned that the partial collapse of the wharf has resulted in a debris field that extends about 10 miles, and as far south as Manresa State Beach, which make it dangerous to be on local beaches and coastline. Currently, Main Beach and Cowell Beach are officially closed to the public.

“That debris cleanup will be a monumental effort including many other partnering agencies,” said Huffaker. “While that work is underway, I want to encourage our community and those visiting to really stay clear of those areas. They pose a significant safety risk to our community and to our visitors and we need our construction crews on site to do the important work so that we can safely reopen our beaches.”

Following Huffaker, Santa Cruz Parks and Recreation Director Tony Elliot explained that the damaged end of the wharf was in its fourth month of construction and about 20-30 of the pilings had already been replaced when the swell destroyed the precarious portion of the structure.

“Our construction window was from September through March and some folks have asked why we were working in December,” Elliot said. “We are bound by a number of permits and regulations, part of which is to the California Coastal Commission that regulates our ability to do major projects and maintenance on the wharf.”

Elliot mentioned that many commemorative benches along with historic artifacts and education materials were lost to sea Monday and encouraged anyone who finds them to please call the city’s Parks and Recreation office at 831-420-5270.

The Parks and Recreation director noted that alongside benches and historic items, the crane being used to drive piles into the seafloor is now resting on the bottom of the ocean. Removing that crane from the ocean floor is one of the first steps to reopening the wharf as it could cause further damage if the machinery is thrust into the pilings underwater.

“During the wharf collapse, we lost some large equipment,” said Elliot. “There was a crane, a skid steer and there was a toolbox that we lost. Some of those items have sunk to the seafloor and this is a priority for us to retrieve and remove these off the sea floor so that they’re not moving around further with additional swell coming this weekend and beyond.”

Following the removal of the crane, the next step for the city is to conduct the structural assessment and evaluate the results. Whether the 150 feet of wharf will be replaced in the future is also yet to be determined.

“I don’t think we can speak with any confidence at this point as to whether rebuilding that section of the wharf is feasible or the appropriate thing to do in light of the increased frequency and power of these storm events that we’re experiencing along this coastline,” said Huffaker. “We have some hard conversations and some hard decisions that we’re going to have to make as we move out of this initial emergency response phase. Right now, our immediate concern is getting the balance of the wharf open and our businesses operating as soon as possible.”

Huffaker said that pending the removal of the restroom building — which floated to shore in the mouth of the San Lorenzo River — Main Beach and Cowell Beach could be opened as early as Saturday. City staff was on hand with heavy equipment Friday, working to demolish the building that floated in after the part of the wharf the structure sat on broke off Monday.