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Ahoy, Enjoying your boat? This little guy sure is enjoying ours. At the sight of his life jacket, he immediately heads to the garage where our boating gear is stored. Long Beach Marinas encourages you to come out and enjoy the great weather. Take advantage of our easy and quick access to the open ocean, fish along the breakwater, or sail over to Catalina. We enjoy our view from the office windows as we see you head out of the marina to enjoy a day out to sea. It makes us happy to know that our customers are enjoying their vessels. Thank you to everyone who replied to the Marina Capital Projects Survey. Of the 2,880 customers who received the survey, 500 customers responded the first day. Rebuilding and remodeling boat owner restrooms was the number one priority with complimentary marina-wide Wi-Fi coming in second. Other suggestions which we will prioritize with our annual preventive maintenance program included secure bike storage, new mail boxes, in-water trash collection, and redesign of traffic flow at ABM parking lots. We will convene the CIP Committee in the coming months to review the survey results and provide input for prioritization. During the months of April and May we had preliminary meetings with the CA Coastal Commission. It gives me great pleasure to report that our 2011 Coastal Development Permit is “vested,” meaning it is current and we don’t need to reapply. While the focus is on ABM projects, the 5-year CIP Plan will include projects for all three of the recreation marinas, Long Beach Shoreline, Rainbow and Alamitos Bay. Some of our latest improvements at Shoreline include striping of the mole road and the ongoing project to provide the necessary Wi-Fi infrastructure. Long Beach Marinas is fortunate to have employees who are innovative and dedicated. In May 2021, Kelly Armstrong was honored as the Department of Parks, Recreation and Marine employee of the month. Kelly is known for making the most of his budget and finding innovative ways to improve the customer experience. Read more about Kelly in this newsletter. It is that time of year again! This time I will end the newsletter with these words, “I am proud to be an American where at least I know I’m free. And I won’t forget the men who died, who gave that right to me. And I’d gladly stand up next to you and defend her still today. Cause there ain’t no doubt I love this land. God bless the USA.”                                                Until next time,

Marina Offices are open and accepting new vessel permit applications. To keep you and our staff safe from COVID-19 we are continuing window service at ABM and Shoreline offices. Note – Many requests can be readily handled by phone or email.  As Long Beach opens to full capacity please continue to fight the spread of COVID-19 by adhering to CDC recommended COVID-19 guidelines. For more info on CDC COVID-19 recommendations click here. Signage is City property – Destruction or removal can adversely affect your slip permit status. FIREWORKS ARE ILLEGAL IN LONG BEACH – Please do not engage in the lighting of illegal fireworks at, on or near Long Beach Marinas property. Violators can and will be cited and punished to the full extent of applicable law. Reminder – Criminal activity can jeopardize your slip permit. Guest Parking Passes – Due to impacted parking Long Beach Marinas will not issue guest parking passes on July 3 in Alamitos Bay and July 4 in Shoreline Marina. Vessel Security – As we enter the middle of the summer season remember to tightly secure all entry points to your vessel after use. We are expecting volume crowds in the Long Beach Marinas and an open vessel is an easy target for opportunistic criminal activity.      DID YOU KNOW – In July, the “dog days of summer” begin. They were historically observed in Roman and Greek astrology and connected with unexpected thunderstorms, heat, and drought. They were named “dog days” because of the star Sirius, which is part of the Canis Major (Greater Dog) star system. Nowadays, “the dog days” refers to the hottest days of summer. The first crewed mission to the moon, the Apollo 11 Mission, launched on July 16, 1969. On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong famously declared, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind!” On August 21, 1959 - President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a proclamation admitting Hawaii to the Union as the 50th state. On August 26, 1883 - One of the most catastrophic volcanic eruptions in recorded history occurred on the Indonesian island of Krakatoa. It was heard and felt 2,000 miles away. Tidal waves 120 ft. high struck nearby islands, while five cubic miles of earth were blasted into the air up to a height of 50 miles.

Refuse operators are seeing more hazardous materials in Marina trash enclosures. While we do not always see them or recognize their hard work, they work diligently and expeditiously to remove our leavings. They take away the things we casually discard. They are our Marine Bureau and Public Works Refuse Operators. Each week they canvas the Long Beach Marinas trash enclosures to remove tons upon tons of trash. In recent months these operators have run into an alarming trend. Hazardous materials are finding their way into our trash enclosures on an all too frequent basis. These materials, most often flammable in nature, are creating a dangerous environment for our Refuse Operators. In May a container of flammable liquid made its way via a marina trash enclosure into the back of one of the trash trucks. When the operator activated the compactor at the rear of the vehicle the liquid chemicals ignited, causing a small but aggressive explosion. Fortunately, the operator walked away with only minor burns and minimal injury. The Refuse Operators are seeing oil, gasoline and solvents left inside enclosure dumpsters. Do not throw flammables into the Marina trash enclosures. Please make sure to properly dispose of any and all hazardous materials in the appropriate manner. If you are unsure of how to dispose of a hazardous material or chemical please contact your Long Beach Marina Office and staff will direct you to the proper disposal site or format.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the Long Beach Marinas has not been able to hold a boat auction for the past 18 months. We are pleased to announce that on Saturday, July 10 we will be conducting our first live boat auction of 2021. The Marine Bureau has accumulated an inventory of power and sail vessels as well as dinghies and other small watercraft. We also have an assortment of marine accessory items that will be up for bid on July 10. Standard auction format will be in effect. An inventory list will be available the week before the auction event. For more information please contact the Alamitos Bay Marina Office.

Long Beach Marinas Maintenance has been hard at work over the past months to ready our facilities for a very busy Summer 2021. Davies Launch Ramp – In May Marine Maintenance contracted to have the launch ramp parking lot slurry sealed and striped. The lot had not received a top coat or fresh paint in several years and the cracks were starting to show. As the new slurry seal was poured and the white parking lines placed Marine Maintenance staffers went to work on brightwork by addressing red curbs, yellow loading zones and blue ADA parking with fresh coats of paint. Mole Road – In June Maintenance gave a similar treatment to Mole Road in Shoreline Marina. Parking lot striping was redone between the Shoreline Marina Office to the Mole Road entrance at P Dock. Again, Marine Maintenance staff went to work on the curbs, loading zones and bike path along Mole Road to address brightwork and replace aged paint with a new shiny luster. Southshore Launch Ramp – Most recently, Queensway Bay maintenance staff addressed rusted and deteriorating drainage grates at the Southshore launch ramp. These grates help return saltwater back to the marina and keep vehicles and trailers from losing traction on standing water. Without these drainage grates in place trailered vessels would be slipping across the launch as they enter and exit the ramp.

Edwin Barillas, General Maintenance Assistant with Marine Maintenance recently became National Commission Certification of Crane Operation (NCCCO) certified. Edwin trained diligently for several weeks accumulating over 100 hours of crane operating time on a practice course set up by his trainer Chris King, Marine Maintenance Supervisor. Chris King had long been the only NCCCO certified crane operator in the Marine Bureau. Many times Marine Maintenance has had to adjust scheduling or delay projects to make sure that our only operator was available for a task or function that required the use of a crane. With Edwin’s recent certification the Marine Bureau has a second qualified crane operator and can now work more efficiently and provide even better maintenance service to the marina community. In addition to Edwin’s over 100 hours of crane equipment training he was required to take four days of in classroom education and pass one full day of written tests and exams. After he completed his class work and written tests Edwin needed to demonstrate his skill with crane equipment by completing four proctored practical tests. Thanks to the many hours of practice with his trainer, Chris King, Edwin passed all four practicals with 100 percent scores across the board. Eric Woodson, Marine Maintenance Superintendent and his maintenance staff will continue to identify training opportunities that enhance and elevate the capabilities of the Marine Maintenance team. Edwin Barillas’ new crane operator certification is the first of many dynamic maintenance skill acquisitions that will benefit the Long Beach Marinas now and well into the future.

Kelly Armstrong, Maintenance Supervisor in charge of Queensway Bay was selected as the PRM employee of the month for May 2021 by his colleagues and peers. Kelly was awarded this honor in recognition of his out of the box thinking that led to a $40,000.00 cost savings. He and his Queensway Bay maintenance team regularly demonstrate exceptional skill and work ethic as they take care of the daily maintenance and repair needs in their downtown marina footprint. Kelly regularly volunteers to take on extra projects that bring added value to the Long Beach Marinas. He works tirelessly to make sure he and his staff are prepared for any and all maintenance issues that may arise from high tides and storm surges to broken water mains and trash debris. Mr. Armstrong started with the City of Long Beach in Community Recreation Services as a Recreation Leader Specialist III-NC in 2004. He transferred to Marine Bureau Beach Maintenance in 2009 as a Maintenance Assistant I. Since then Kelly has advanced steadily over the years from MAI to Equipment Operator I and II to his current position as a Maintenance Supervisor in 2016. When not working Kelly spends his time with his wife, Andrea, and their two sons Carter and Sawyer.

Marine Patrol mainstay Steven Covarubias will be ending his shift in our Marinas on July 14. He began his career with the city on August 17, 2004 with the Harbor Department. To our marina community good fortune he then transferred to the Marine Patrol Detail in September of 2005. While with Marine Patrol Steve has served as a Field Training Officer and took the field training program under his wing as the FTO Coordinator. As the FTO Coordinator, Steve completely revamped the curriculum to establish a much more robust system responsible for generating many of the high-quality officers we have in our ranks today. Steve was promoted to Special Services Officer IV in 2012. He successfully completed the POST Supervisory Course shortly after his promotion. Steve has also served as a Terrorism Liaison Officer for the department and as a union representative for his peers. Above all else, Steve is known for his friendly demeanor and dedication to providing excellent customer service. His daily presence will be missed by his fellow officers, Marine Bureau staff and entire Long Beach Marinas community. Join us as we wish Steve fair winds and following seas in all his future endeavors.

On 3 June 1969 The USS Frank E. Evans (DD-754), an Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer, was operating with the Royal Navy, Royal Australian Navy and Royal New Zealand Navy in company with the aircraft carrier Melbourne near the Vietnam War Zone. At approximately 3:00am that morning the ship collided with the Melbourne during a formation change maneuver and was cut in half. Seventy-four sailors lost their lives. For the past seventeen years survivors of the USS Evans sinking have convened in Long Beach at The Naval Memorial near Shoreline Aquatic Park to remember those they lost. Lead by Roy “Pete” Peters, Machinist Mate Third Class the approximately sixty survivors, veterans and family members in attendance honored the seventy-four sailors lost on 3 June 1969 by reading their names aloud followed by a single ringing of the bell for each. Presentation of colors and a 21-gun salute was provided by The Hawthorne High School NJROTC. Echo Taps was played by members of the Air National Guard Band of The West Coast. A water display was also presented by our own Marine Safety rescue boats to further honor survivors in attendance and remember the seventy-four. The seventy-four sailors that lost their lives are not currently listed on the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C. Mr. Peters, his fellow survivors and their family members continue to push state and federal congressional leaders to add these sailors to “The Wall” so they too will never be forgotten.