San Diego added a strange new addition to its beachfront last month. In Mission Beach, a temporary lifeguard tower drew ire from citizens for its awkward-looking design and alleged high cost of installation.
Crews finished construction on the structure at the end of May. The two-story metal lifeguard station is an eye-catching structure, to say the least, resembling a standard lifeguard tower atop a massive metal frame. It’s also a temporary fix, intended to allow lifeguards to operate while the aging Mission Beach Lifeguard Station undergoes repairs.
As NBC reported, the Mission Beach lifeguard tower is one of the busiest stations in the city, and had become dilapidated and in need of repair. However, it wasn’t the intent of the project that raised eyebrows among the public, but the price tag. Initial reports claimed the cost of the tower would clock in at $4 million – a seemingly exorbitant price tag for what looked like a lifeguard tower welded to a metal platform…