The Sand Dune Park Landscape Revitalization Project addressed major deferred maintenance issues by cleaning, stabilizing, and beautifying the park’s landscaping. The first phase consisted of pruning 294 trees, removing 38 failed or diseased trees, and hauling nearly 100 tons of dead plant materials from the park.

The second phase involved planting approximately 320 trees and plants, installing jute netting to stabilize four hillsides, and replacing approximately 6,300 square feet of turf with decomposed granite.

The new plantings contain native species and minimize disruption to migratory bird habitats. The updated plantings include:

In Spring 2019, the City held community meetings and requested public input on playground equipment designs from four different playground equipment manufacturers. Through this process, the playground equipment design by Kompan, Inc. was selected for a revitalized Polliwog Park playground.

The new, state-of-the-art playground equipment was unveiled on Tuesday, September 26, 2023 at Polliwog Park, marking the completion of the multi-year project to replace the old sunken galleon playground and equipment that anchored Polliwog Park for many years. The newly revitalized area includes approximately 12,500 square feet of playground with new resilient safety surfacing, 3,000 square feet of shade structure coverage, 5,000 square feet of walkways and an additional 4,000 square feet of park walkway rehabilitation.

In conjunction with the City’s Peck Water Reservoir Project, Begg Field improvements included new Musco LED lighting, new grass sod turf, and upgraded fencing.

Marine Field was converted to synthetic turf in 2013. Due to heavy use by soccer leagues, clubs, and other community members, the field deteriorated as expected. 2024 improvements included removing the synthetic turf surface down to the infill layer, making necessary repairs, and installing new synthetic turf.

In addition to replacing the turf, the City created a Turf Replacement Fund to finance future synthetic turf replacements at the Marine and Manhattan Village soccer fields.

On January 4, 2025, the City Council approved the Polliwog Park Dog Run Expansion as recommended by the Parks and Recreation Commission. Upgrades included the addition of 1,350 square feet to the Dog Run footprint by removal of old and underutilized storage containers from the Begg parking lot and extension of the fence line to the west, asphalt removal, installation of new perimeter fencing, new dual drinking fountain and trash receptacles, updated concrete pads and benches, irrigation relocation, lighting, and landscaping. All of the upgrades were completed by the Public Works Department in-house with hard costs for materials and amenities not-to-exceed $50,000.

The City continues to add new public art every year. Seven new murals and 15 artistically wrapped utility boxes were added in 2024. See the City’s Public Art Story Map for more information.

On September 17, 2024, the City Council approved the Sand Dune Park Conceptual Design Proposal with the bike path removed from the design. The conceptual design includes several improvements, including new playground equipment, an outdoor education area, pedestrian lighting upgrades, two prefabricated buildings to house an office and restrooms, and artistic fencing.

The next steps for the project include development of construction documents and additional funding allocations for the capital improvement project with an estimated cost of approximately $3.5 million.

The City Council authorized $350,000 from the Public Arts Trust Fund for artwork commemorating the history of Bruce’s Beach. The City, with input from the Art in Public Places Committee (APPC), will issue a Request for Qualifications in early 2025 to solicit proposals. Artwork from five semi-finalists will be presented to City Council for artwork selection.

A Begg Pool modernization study was approved and funded by City Council on August 1, 2023. After the presentation of modernization study findings on May 7, 2024, City Council directed the following:

1. Hire a consultant to conduct a poll regarding community priorities for funding Begg pool upgrades;
2. Continue discussions with the Bay Club regarding their proposal for a new community pool; and
3. Research the costs associated with ensuring the pool remains safe for the next two to three years.

On February 13, 2024, City Council directed staff to focus on improving the display and storage of the historical collection. The Parks and Recreation Department, Public Works Department, and Manhattan Beach Historical Society have collaboratively identified priority roof and interior repairs for the Historical Beach Cottage (Red House) at Polliwog Park as well as strategies for improving storage and developing new exhibits.

The City plans to replace rubber chips with pour-in-place surfacing at City playgrounds in a multi-year effort. The first three playground surfaces to be updated will be (1) upper Polliwog Park, (2) Marine Avenue Park, and (3) Manhattan Village.

The Pay N Play building will be demolished due to its deteriorating condition. A community meeting was held on December 7, 2024, and an online survey was conducted in order to gather input about what community members would like to see in its place. The City Council will consider the Parks and Recreation Commission’s recommendations for repurposing the site in 2025.

The City partnered with the Manhattan Beach Unified School District and local players to convert six under-utilized paddle tennis courts at Manhattan Beach Middle School to pickleball courts. The courts are used by students as part of their physical education classes during the day and by the public after school and on weekends. Drop-in play for all skill levels and the City’s Annual Pickleball Tournament are popular events at the MBMS courts. 

Updated parcourse exercise equipment donated by the Manhattan Beach 10K was installed by the Public Works Department in a collaborative effort to maintain the tradition of seaside exercise with a great view near the County Lifeguard Station.

A new StoryWalk was installed in Polliwog Park in August 2023 to encourage children to read as they head to the Manhattan Beach Botanical Garden, renovated playground, and other beloved areas of the park. The collaborative project with contributions from the Library Commission, Manhattan Beach Library, Eagle Scout Henry Johnson, and the Public Works Department, features picture books that are updated quarterly.

An updated HVAC system in Rocketship Hall allowed for the expansion of summer youth programming in a convenient and busy location.

Learn more about the project HERE.

RLA Conservation, Inc. conducted a survey of 82 distinct works of art located around the City of Manhattan Beach to determine the current condition of the artworks and identify damaging factors that may be contributing to deterioration. Where applicable, RLA calculated general cost ranges to provide an estimate of the scope of funding that would be required to achieve a baseline, stable state for every artwork.

On December 3, 2024, the City Council considered recommendations for priority projects compiled by the Cultural Arts Commission after their full review of the Public Art Collection Survey.

The Joslyn Center Crosswalk Improvement Project included removing existing curb ramps, constructing ADA compliant ramps and a new ADA compliant path in the Veterans Parkway greenbelt, installing rectangular rapid-flashing beacons, removing existing striping and installing thermoplastic continental crosswalks, installing ADA parking symbols and rearranging parking spaces, and installing new signs.