Will damaged end of historic SLO County pier be replaced after it’s demolished?

When work starts soon to remove the damaged end of the iconic Cayucos Pier, will the county actually replace it?

Or will it just shorten the historic pier by 15 feet?

That’s a lingering question hanging over the current effort to get repair bids in and perform the demolition of the last length of the pier, followed by stabilizing the remainder of the nearly 1,000-foot-long structure.

The hand rail with plaques at the end of the pier also will be reused or replaced as part of the project, for which the county has $250,000 in hand, according to Shaun Cooper, deputy director of the San Luis Obispo Parks & Recreation Department.

The job went out to bid May 22, he said, and interested firms have until June 12 to submit their bids.

The parks department plans to take those bids to county supervisors for an award decision in August.

If all goes according to plan, “Work would start in September,” Cooper told The Tribune.

Under the current estimate, weather and supply chains permitting, the project would be done in about two months, preferably before winter weather sets in, he said of the predicted November finish.

The end of the Cayucos Pier was damaged in a Feb. 20, 2024, storm that knocked loose multiple pilings.

Should county rebuild end of Cayucos Pier?

The rebuild question is a decision pitting maintenance risk versus the pier’s benefit, history and the iconic reputation.

“Historic piers are dwindling along the coast,” Cooper said about one factor that county supervisors surely will have to consider after what’s left of the pier is stabilized and readied for winter storms and surf.

“A lot of municipalities aren’t replacing the piers,” he said. “They’re becoming a rarer feature along the coast.”

That’s sad, Cooper said, because “they give people a different perspective of the coastline without having to be out there in a boat.”

Steel would replace wood to support the Cayucos Pier

If the supervisors do opt to replace the final 15 feet of the pier, he said, the new structure would be supported by steel piles.

They’d be in lieu of wooden ones, like the ones that got knocked loose and wound up on the shore last year and in years past.

The county has estimated the replacement pier end, with those steel piles, would cost about $750,000.

That estimate, of course, was prepared before tariffs and other factors began causing supply price increases and delivery slowdowns.

That factor is also slowing down completion of the remodeled Cayucos Vets Hall, Cooper said. “There’ve been some hang-ups with some materials, causing a lag time.”

The county is still hoping the historic building will reopen this summer, he said. But under the current circumstances, he couldn’t even estimate a specific time frame or date.

Why is the Cayucos Pier’s history important?

The Cayucos Pier was built as a 380-foot wharf in 1872 by Captain James Cass, a founder of Cayucos.

Structure was redone and lengthened to 982 feet in 1876, allowing ships to tie up alongside it. It became an essential component for commercial activity on the North Coast.

When the state assumed responsibility for the pier in 1944, 40 feet of the structure was removed.

At that time, the county agreed to a management contract for the pier, the vets hall and Cayucos Beach, Cooper said.

For decades the pier has drawn fisherfolk, visitors and residents, especially when the weather turns hot in the Central Valley.

Through the decades, however, waves and storms have taken a toll on the structure.

The pier was completely renovated and rebuilt from 2013 to October 2015, drawing significant funding from community donations.

Townspeople and supporters also contributed considerably to the vets hall restoration.

This story was originally published June 2, 2025 at 5:00 AM.

Kathe Tanner

The Tribune

805-781-7904 (voicemails only)

Kathe Tanner has been writing about the people and places of SLO County’s North Coast since 1981, first as a columnist and then also as a reporter. Her career has included stints as a bakery owner, public relations director, radio host, trail guide and jewelry designer. She has been a resident of Cambria for more than four decades, and if it’s happening in town, Kathe knows about it.