Residents, Redondo Community Association urge council to keep Redondo Pier funding intact

More than a dozen residents and community leaders pressed the Des Moines City Council on Jan. 23 to keep funding designated for the Redondo Fishing Pier and proceed with rebuilding work.

The requests came during the public-comment portion of the Council meeting, when community leaders and longtime Redondo residents described the pier as a multi-generational waterfront asset and said they feared the council might divert funds to other projects. "We are here specifically to request that you not consider moving funds away from the Redondo Pier Project," said Karen Sharpman, president of the Redondo Community Association, who said the group represents more than 250 members and submitted a petition signed by "over 1,700 members of our community." She also said the pier has been closed for "up almost six years."

Why it matters: speakers said the pier is central to the city’s waterfront identity, recreational fishing and local tourism. Several speakers tied the pier to neighborhood quality of life and local business attraction, and asked the council to prioritize reopening the structure as soon as feasible.

What residents said: Karen Sharpman said the pier closure is "not just a blight on our waterfront" but an "environmental concern for the Puget Sound," and asked the council to "ensure funding is available to begin this project now." Other residents recounted family memories and daily uses. Carol Coleman described fishermen shoulder-to-shoulder and prom and quinceañera photos on the pier. John Hartman urged elected officials to heed voters after repeated rejections of propositions he called costly civic projects.

Process and next steps: City staff and the mayor told speakers that the council will hold a more detailed discussion of the pier and related funding at a scheduled study session on Feb. 13, when staff plan to present a walkthrough of funding sources and project options. The city manager’s office also told the audience that a design-contract item for continuing engineering work on the new pier was on the Jan. 23 agenda, and that the design work would be before council that night.

Context and constraints: Speakers referenced existing grant and bond funds; Sharpman noted grants secured by a state senator and that bond proceeds were “in the bank earning low interest, as required by law.” Multiple speakers requested that city leaders avoid reallocating pier monies to cover shortfalls on other projects such as the Marina Steps and asked the council to protect the pier’s allocated funds.

Ending: Council members acknowledged the petition and public comments and repeated that Feb. 13 would include a deeper staff presentation on Marina Steps and pier funding options. Several speakers encouraged further community engagement at upcoming meetings.