Capitola’s new and improved wharf is only days away from reopening, a year after reconstruction began. The grand reopening festival will be held Sept. 25 at 2:30pm, with food vendors, live music, a beer garden, and guest speakers, including Capitola Mayor Kristen Brown, who will celebrate the wharf’s new chapter.
The improvements feature widened terrain, beefier pilings and ADA-friendly viewing stations. It also includes new decking and railings, repairs and replacements to 148 piles and the installation of permanent public restrooms, as well as new lighting, benches and tables.
Future improvements include information stations regarding the Marine Sanctuary, floating docks targeted for next year, and two colorful mosaics by Watsonville artist Kathleen Crocetti.
One work already in place is a 21-foot donor panel showing brightly colored fish emblazoned with the names of those who stepped forward to help with the project.
“It was super fun because we opened a satellite studio in the Capitola Mall to invite the public to engage in the artworks,” Crocetti said. “The number of people that showed up was astonishing. While we thought it would take three months, it only took two. I think everyone who was involved has a tremendous sense of pride and ownership and came away very happy.”
The second mosaic, which Crocetti said is already completed and is awaiting installation, will have a bar on top of the entrance gate with images of a kelp forest woven into the lettering “Welcome to Capitola.”
A bomb-cyclone storm in January 2023 destroyed parts of Capitola Village and the Capitola Wharf. Severe structural damage forced the demise of the Wharf House restaurant and the Boat & Bait shop, which were demolished because they were safety hazards. Construction on the Capitola Wharf began on Sept. 25, 2023, and cost an estimated $10 million.
The people of Capitola spoke out regarding the desire to maintain business on the wharf.
A temporary lease agreement with Boat & Bait through 2025 has passed, allowing the former business to maintain itself under temporary structures on the wharf.
Unfortunately, the owners of “Wharf House” said they do not wish to provide temporary food services on the Wharf.
