Quick Take
In the next two months, Capitola will install wave-shaped bikes racks, an informative kiosk, educational signs and embed locally made bronze fish in the wharf, finishing up the wharf’s short-term enhancement projects.
Capitola will complete its wharf’s short-term enhancements in the next two months, with 85% of the additions already installed, Katie Herlihy, the city’s community and economic development director, told Lookout on Thursday.
Already completed:
- a new gated arch entryway to the wharf, better lighting at night, public restrooms, a water filling station;
- 40 additional benches and four additional picnic tables;
- four ocean viewing stations;
- a custom-built fish cleaning station, trash receptacles and a mosaic art piece for the new donor recognition panel.
All that’s left are 10 wave-shaped bike racks, a six-panel kiosk, four informational signs and several bronze fish embedded into the wharf’s floor leading from the kiosk to each of the signs, in the project approved by the Capitola Planning Commission in March 2024.
The commission approved the final adjustments to the design at its Thursday meeting by moving a donor recognition panel to a less congested space, literally clearing the way for the rest of the planned installations.
Herlihy said the changes aim to make the wharf “a great experience for [visitors] that is reflective of the local culture.” That includes adding “really, really special finishes,” created by local businesses and artists.
Next up is the work on separate master plan, approved by the city council at the end of June. That plan provides a longer-term vision, which will feature a restaurant and flexible market space and could come to fruition in two to three years, Herlihy said.
An informational kiosk and four educational signs make up a large part of the remaining short-term improvements set to finish up in the next two months.
The wharf received grant funding from the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Foundation on March 15, 2024, to add the signs at the viewing station and kiosk at the wharf entry to explain the natural systems at work surrounding the wharf. The signs include both English and Spanish descriptions.
The entry kiosk will feature six zigzagging, connected panels in a single display, with three facing east and three facing west.
The first three panels visitors will see, the eastern-facing ones, describe the history of the wharf, advise visitors on water safety measures, outline the dos and don’ts of the wharf, provide emergency contact information and inform people on fishing safety measures.
On the back side, the panels display a map of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary that points out where the Capitola Wharf lies on the map and denotes ocean depths, tell about efforts to preserve Capitola’s waves through the Santa Cruz World Surfing Reserve and instruct people on how to properly view wildlife with respect.
The four other interpretive signs stationed at the viewing portals provide a comprehensive history of the Capitola Wharf, describe the role of kelp forests in ocean ecosystems, and educate on the differences between coastal bird species and the role whales have in storing carbon that mitigates global warming.
The city finalized the artwork for each of these signs and kiosks, which can be viewed as an attachment to the planning commission’s meeting agenda.
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