Lake Forest council signals preference to start boardwalk work early despite staff recommendation to delay

Lake Forest officials signaled a preference April 1 to start rebuilding the popular lakeside boardwalk as early as late May or June, even though city staff recommended delaying the main construction until after the summer peak season.

Byron Cutts, superintendent of engineering, told the council the work on bluff stabilization is "substantially complete" and that 88 concrete piers already installed required redesign of steel for 24 piers because of as-built conditions; he said the contractor is covering redesign and additional steel costs and that "the boardwalk is gonna be safe" under the revised details. Cutts outlined two scheduling options: Option 1 would start in late May or early June, overlap peak beach season but finish earlier and allow a summer ribbon cutting; Option 2 would start after Lake Forest Day in August to avoid the busiest weeks but push final restoration into fall and carry an estimated $10,000–$15,000 cost for maintaining fencing during the summer.

Cutts said Option 1 would forbid Saturday work during the most intensive two-month construction window to reduce impacts on beachgoers, adding roughly a week to the schedule, while Option 2 would allow Saturday work to accelerate progress. He also told the council crews would work "at least 10 or 12 hour days" under either option and estimated a one-week margin of uncertainty for the planned start date.

Council discussion focused on trade-offs between minimizing disruption to summer recreation and avoiding prolonged site restoration risk from fall weather. Several members argued starting earlier would reduce public perception of inaction and satisfy donor expectations for visible progress. One councilmember summarized the meeting by saying there was "a pretty strong consensus for option 1." Staff emphasized no formal vote was required that night and presented the options for the council’s guidance.

The presentation included operational details intended to limit neighborhood impacts: much of the heavy work will be concentrated at the south end of the beach, the brick walkway will remain open during construction, and staff coordinated an access route through the boat storage area so boat owners and sailing programs retain access. Cutts said there would be three heavy steel deliveries and daily pickup-truck traffic but that the work would be less disruptive than recent bluff reconstruction.

Next steps: staff will proceed consistent with the council’s direction and advance required approvals, shop drawings and fabrication. The council did not adopt a formal motion that night but instructed staff to move forward in line with the indicated consensus.