Missing Mobi-Mats spark residents’ ire

City officials attempted to clear up the whereabouts of some of Long Beach’s mobility mats at last week’s city council meeting, after residents claimed the ones missing from various beaches the last couple weeks were taken for the Long Beach International Film Festival.

The city installed the non-slip, roll-up surfaces, called Mobi-Mats, at Virginia Avenue, as well as Edwards, Long Beach and Neptune boulevards as part of a pilot program at the start of the summer season, after many residents advocated for improved beach access for people with disabilities, walkers, elderly visitors and parents with strollers.

Long Beach resident Mary Volosevich, president of the North East Bay and Canal Civic Association, told the City Council on Aug. 16 that she was “annoyed” when certain residents could not access the beach at Neptune Boulevard during a screening of “Zootopia” earlier this month, claiming the mats previously went further down toward the surf line, and that “they were taken.”

Many residents on social media, including Volosevich, said they believed that the mats were moved from Neptune Boulevard and used for the Long Beach International Film Festival from Aug. 3-5, which city officials strongly denied. Jim LaCarrubba, commissioner of the city’s department of public works, said at the meeting that the mats were removed because the wires within them were fraying.

“We have a tremendous amount of beach traffic between the lifeguard and maintenance vehicles that run these mats over every day, which has always been a concern for setting them so far out — that they’re going to get damaged.” LaCarrubba said. “Four mats were deemed to be unsafe, we decided to take them up. Why they weren’t replaced right away, I had that conversation with beach maintenance and that mistake won’t happen again.”

LaCarrubba said the city has separate mats for special events, such as Long Beach Waterfront Warriors events in July and the film festival, and that mats were never taken from a beach to be used for an event elsewhere. He added that beach maintenance was “totally in the wrong” by not substituting the mats immediately, and that they would be replaced by the end of the week.

“This issue is a Facebook issue and I’m not sure why we’re wasting our time with it,” he said.

Councilwoman Anissa Moore said that the city’s communication with residents is key during a pilot program, and perhaps could have helped avoid the residents’ uncertainty and speculation surrounding this issue.

“Because this is a pilot project…and we’re still working out the kinks of the project, I think it’s up to us to get the information out,” Moore said. “If this is a Facebook issue, then why wasn’t this posted on Facebook? We do have a City of Long Beach official page to make sure the people are aware of this.”

With many Facebook pages run by Long Beach residents — sharing opinions and rumors pertaining to the city’s many happenings — City Manager Jack Schnirman told Moore at the meeting that the city relays a lot of information through social media, but cannot always refute wrong information.

“Facebook is one means by which we get information out,” Schnirman said. “However, I would caution you that there is constantly a variety of places on Facebook with incorrect information, and we do not have the capacity to try to correct all of the information that is incorrect on a regular basis.”

But Long Beach resident Liz Treston, who has used a wheelchair for 25 years and has advocated for “beach access for all” for the last decade, claimed that the city does not have mats for special events and indeed moved some mats from Neptune Boulevard and other pilot beaches to cater to those at the festival. She added that if residents knew they were going to be used for people with mobility impairments at the festival, instead of just being taken, people would not have reacted the way they did.

“This was never ever about the event, this was an issue of communication from the city’s communications department to the residents,” said Treston. “We’re a generous philanthropic city. Someone dropped the ball and created angst among community leaders. It took away from the message that Long Beach and all of its events are open to everyone.”

Treston said Mobi-Mats are supposed to withstand wear from beach vehicles, and that she thinks the mats are being damaged because they aren’t put down properly, a complaint she has expressed in the past. Some residents on social media have criticized the pilot in the last few months, citing the sand that collects on the mats and claiming they don’t reach the surf line, as promised by the city.

“It’s a pilot program to be politically correct in a politically charged city,” she said.