Residents Rally to Reopen Dune

The sun managed to poke through some of the earlier haze on Sunday afternoon, as a group of about 50 people gathered along The Strand to urge the city to "Free the Dune" in Sand Dune Park.

Manhattan Beach Mayor Mitch Ward showed up early on to welcome rally attendees, and Mayor Pro Tem Richard Montgomery addressed those assembled with a few words on the Council's approaching decision.

"Someone asked me earlier what Council is going to do," Montgomery said. "I have no idea what Council is going to do. I think Council is evenly divided on what they think of the future of the park. But, there's got to be some place in the middle that we can say, 'Look, we know there's a problem out there. How do we address it without closing the park?' It's that simple."

City Council will revisit the issue during its April 20 meeting at City Hall. Additionally, a public workshop study session will be held at 6:30pm Tuesday, April 13 at the Joslyn Community Center to discuss the results of a soil study currently being completed. The public is encouraged to attend both meetings and weigh in on the matter.

Editor's note: A previous version of this story mistakenly listed the April 20 City Council meeting as occurring on April 13.