Trial firepits lit on Half Moon Bay’s Poplar Beach

As part of her Eagle Scout project, Standez obtained approval from both the city of Half Moon Bay and the Coastal Commission. The firepits — that are legal under city regulation, which prohibits open-pit fires — will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis for two weeks.

And for two consecutive weekends on Friday and Saturday night, the Poplar Beach parking lot will be open until 10 p.m., allowing community members to easily enjoy the shared space into the night.

While individuals of all ages are welcome to use the firepits, Standez has been working on the design and implementation with her peers in mind. Bonfires have long been a way for teens on the coast to socialize and meet new people, but illegal open firepits often get shut down by law enforcement.

“Half Moon Bay is a small town. There is really not much to do. We don’t really have anything that teenagers can do to hang out,” Standez said. “I think that the lack of bonfires makes it really easy for people to privatize parties, and make it really hard to just build community in Half Moon Bay.”

Providing regulated spaces to have fires can also keep the area safer, Abundant Grace Director Eric DeBodi said — who assists with beach cleanups.

“I support it, because we do come across a lot of active fires the next day after a Sunday morning or a Monday morning,” he said. “We’ve found burning paper, wood, tons of nails and it’s dangerous. This makes sense, because it contains that piece of the problem.”

Keeping the firepits in place after the trial period would require more work, including a full coastal development permit and greater community engagement.

Neighbors that have been previously opposed to the potential for late-night parties and trash on the beach have been understanding thus far, Standez said.

“I went to neighbors that I have that have been opposing bonfires and have been vocal about really disliking bonfires, and I talked to them, and I said, ‘This is my idea, we’ve had this issue for years, it’s not going to get solved by us just sending more cops down,’” she said.

While the project, which was supposed to begin in December, faced some engineering challenges before installation, ultimately, it’s been a joint effort from the community, with various vendors donating or contributing.

“I feel like it’s a way to kind of pay that forward,” Standez said. “I want to put something into the community that’s going to let people make the friends that I’ve made.”