Renderings of what a proposed female surfer statue would look like in the Pleasure Point neighborhood of Santa Cruz. Photo: City of Santa Cruz
Residents of Pleasure Point on the East Side of Santa Cruz voiced opposition to the scope of a proposed female surfer statue. At a community meeting that 60 people attended on Thursday, March 19, residents in the neighborhood supported the idea of the statue, but expressed concerns about the proposed location, according to a report in Santa Cruz Local.
The statue would mirror the iconic male surfer statue that has stood on the other side of town near Steamer Lane since 1992. The current proposal would place the statue on East Cliff Drive near the stairway access at 38th Avenue in an area known as the “dirt farm,” east of the iconic O’Neill house.
“I walk every day on the Point — nobody that’s a local that I’ve spoken with wants a statue at the dirt farm,” Kathy Welch, a Pleasure Point resident of three decades, said.
Resident Dawn Imbrie expressed concern that the statue would be built on one of the last unpaved parts of the cliff, which were encased in cement to prevent erosion in 2012.
“I still have issues with the scale and size of it, but at The Hook, we are not taking away from our natural open space,” Imbrie said.
To Imbrie’s point, the Hook is already paved, while the dirt farm proposal would pave over one of the last remaining portions of exposed cliff around Pleasure Point.
Another neighbor, Christa Martin, is concerned that the statue — including three curved benches — would bring unwanted riffraff.
“This can become a gathering place for loud groups, bands, campers, homeless and late night problems — all of which currently exist,” Martin said.
The statue has gained the support of the region’s county supervisor, Manu Koenig, who created an online poll to gauge public support for the project. The proposal’s creator, Kari Lochhead, says it will be a way to honor the legacy of women surfers in Santa Cruz.
The proposal has already completed environmental and development reviews, and now faces review from the county zoning administrator on April 3.
