Michelle Mink regularly jogs along the Pacific Beach strand, a routine she has come to love – that is until she comes across what she calls an “eyesore” just at the end of Law Street.

On the beach, next to the small lifeguard tower are rusted metal shipping containers complete with a tarp and plastic lawn chairs to its side where many Pacific Beach lifeguards seek shade and rest while on the clock.

“It can’t be comfortable for the lifeguards,” said Mink.

Inside the shipping container is where the lifeguards cram their supplies wherever they can. Surfboards are held up on the walls by ropes and hung on the roof with PVC pipe. Wetsuits, bikes, and flotations rest against the walls of the eroded metal containers. Inside their office – the second metal container – they have a bench made out of a wooden slab and plastic buckets to sit on, or a desk with deteriorating flooring underneath to do their work.

“I just think that our lifeguards deserve a better place to relax and eat lunch and put their stuff,” said Mink. “They deserve a better facility than what is there, which is just really bad.”

Inspired by the uncomfortable sight, Mink wanted to see what she could do for the lifeguards at Law Street. She reached out to a City Council representative from Pacific Beach, Council President Pro Tem Joe LaCava, to see if there was a way to fund a revamp of the station, but was told the window to apply for financial backing had passed.

The station – which was initially intended to be temporary, has been there since the 1990s. In 2015, there were plans to build a 3,500-square-foot, $7 million permanent station to replace the current set-up, but that proposal was met by strong pushback from residents who feared the station would obstruct their ocean views.

With no clear direction left from the city on a revamp, Mink thought back to a similar project where she teamed up with her Pacific Beach neighbors to create a flower petal mural made of surfboards to adorn the Pacific Beach Recreation Center.

“That was a great project and tons of people came out for it and had a great time working on it,” said Mink. “I was thinking, there’s a lot of people in the community who are willing to come out and help so maybe we can make this the same type of project.”

Mink ran her idea of revitalizing the station by the Law Street lifeguards and was approved by the chain of command to go forward with her plans.

Now, she hopes to enlist the help of her community to see the space transformed, in a way that respects the wishes of her neighbors who previously objected to the 2015 plans.

“We’re not building a new station, we’re just sprucing up what’s already there,” said Mink.

She hopes to receive backing from the community in the form of donations and assistance. Supplies such as paint, a new bench, a floor mat, racks for storage, tables, and assistance with labor are what Mink believes could transform the space for the lifeguards.

“The community coming together to spruce it up – well, it’s a sense of pride,” said Mink. “It’s like hey, we’re ‘America’s Finest City.’ It doesn’t have to look like a terrible shack anymore.”

Mink has set out with the goal of organizing a weekend toward the end of September to revamp the station, just in time for Pacific Beachfest. Whether a nonprofit looking to help, or a San Diegan hoping to aid the efforts, Mink has created a form for anyone interested in assisting to get involved with the project.