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The Surfer Walk of Fame in Hermosa Beach may have to find a new home. First created in 2003, the walk of fame features bronze plaques commemorating surf legends like Hap Jacobs, Greg Noll, Dale Velzy, Dewey Weber, Mike Purpus, Bing Copeland and Rick Stoner. However, next week the Hermosa Beach City Council will discuss moving the attraction to a new location.
As the Easy Reader reports, the walk of fame has encountered a host of troubles since its introduction. One plaque is missing and believed to have been stolen. Five more were removed in order to prevent further theft. Six new inductees never even got plaques, also for fear that they would be stolen. Furthermore, city officials say the plaques also introduce structural issues in the pier, due to their installation requiring shallow holes to be cut into the deck, allowing water to seep in.
Several other locations have been proposed, such as attaching the plaques to the pier’s railing or eschewing the tablets entirely, in favor of inscribing the surfers’ names on a wall at the foot of the structure. However, these ideas have been met with resistance from the local surf community.
“It’s called the Walk of Fame,” said Dennis Jarvis of Spyder Surfboards. “It deserves to be on a main thoroughfare, like Huntington Beach’s Surfer Walk of Fame, and the Hollywood Stars Walk of Fame.”
“The pier location is epic,” added inductee Derek Levy. “You’re standing over the ocean, looking at the surf. It’s great for tourists to walk out there and read about the exploits of local surfers.”
Though alternate proposals are plentiful, it may prove difficult to actually come to a decision that satisfies all parties. “We have to figure it out,” Parks and Recreation Commissioner Barbara Ellman told the Easy Reader. “But it’s hard in this small little town for people to reach an agreement.”
