The Ajijic pier and the shabby abandoned restaurant attached to its east side will be getting a major facelift at the expense of prominent Guadalajara businessman Hector Fabio Rizzo Jasso and well-heeled investors from the city’s gastronomic services sector.
The renovation project got underway on Monday, July 27, when workmen arrived to install metal frames over the entire western façade of the raised structure that initially housed the Sr. Pier restaurant-bar, later re-launched as Tequila Republic. Both eateries went belly-up and the building has been left to deteriorate for the past couple of years.
Rizzo promptly contacted the Reporter to provide details on what will transpire over the coming weeks in preparation for the arrival of a brand new watering hole and dining spot to operate under the management of one of the city’s best-known upscale restaurant chains. He expects the business will ready to open sometime in September.
Exterior remodeling of the building will consist of covering the entire western facade with drywall panels attached to the metal framework, with the addition of awnings and prefab molding.
Plans to improve the pier will include installation of a one-meter-high iron railing along its perimeters to prevent pedestrian accidents, repairs to the street lamps, replacement of bench seating that has been destroyed or removed and a fresh coat of paint.
The mere existence of the restaurant has been a recurrent subject of controversy among a sector of the village population that considers the building to be an eyesore and deeply resents the fact that their muelle (pier) is held in private hands.
As quickly as the metal frames went up this week, the rumor mill began churning, with some folks speculating that their purpose would be to hold up giant commercial signs. When Chapala’s Urban Development Office got wind of the situation, inspectors were dispatched to post a citation calling the owner to appear at city hall. Department Director Manuel Buenrostro told the Reporter that Rizzo will be asked to present authorization from Conagua (National Water Commission) in order to continue the project.
Rizzo explained that he is legally entitled to carry out the renovations because he holds rights to the property under a long-term concession title granted by Conagua. As listed in the agency’s title registry ( 4JAL100031/12EEGE94) he is permitted to occupy 3,362 square meters of waterfront land in the denominated federal zone and make use of it for “services.”
The area includes the town pier and stretches of beach situated on both sides, including a major portion of the Parque de la Amistad and Malecón. Rizzo underscored that he ceded occupancy of that western segment to the municipal government for development of the park and boardwalk as recreational areas for public use, while continuing to foot the bill for annual Conagua concession fees.
Aside from that, Rizzo noted that back in 1988 the Department of Ports and Merchant Marine – under the wing of the federal ministry of Communications and Transports – issued him a permit to remodel the pier which was in deplorable condition at that time. He says that the authorization implicitly entails his responsibility for the pier’s upkeep.
Rizzo insisted that the new components comply with official guidelines prohibiting the building of permanent structures in the federal zone. “There is no construction work involved and everything being added can easily be dismantled,” he said.
Rizzo also stressed that ever since the restaurant opened in 1990 it has always had drainage tubes connected to the municipal sewage system buried under the beach to avoid contaminating the lake. “We have always been careful about that issue,” he said.
As for people who may be inclined to grouse about the makeover, Rizzo posed an open question.
Do you know any villagers who have made improvements to the muelle of their own account? If you know someone who wants to invest a few pesitos, I would welcome an introduction. Everything that benefits the community, adelante.”