By Melissa Heckscher, Columnist

Skateboard artist Andy Jenkins stood on a ladder at the far end of the Redondo Beach Pier’s sprawling new Skate Park recently. Kids zoomed around the park behind him, and you could hear the clatter of wheels on pavement as they rolled back and forth.

But Jenkins was focused.

After all, it’d been seven years since local skateboarders and late Redondo Beach Mayor Bill Brand pushed to open this skate park in the middle of the busy pier. This mural, which stretches 90 feet long and 18 feet high, is in the final step of its completion; it’s expected to be finished this weekend.

“Before, it was really ugly,” Jenkins said of the wall beside the park. “It was just dirty and gray. Just a cement wall that had been there for decades.”

To be clear, the park itself opened a year ago and has been available for public use. Jenkins started painting the mural about a month ago.

Featuring bright colors that contrast with the slabs of concrete all around, the mural depicts a skateboarder in mid-air and the curled tentacles of an octopus stretching out beside him. It is meant to reflect both skate culture and the nautical elements of the Pacific, Jenkins said.

And it’s art, like any other kind.

“Any art that the layman can understand and relate to in some way, that’s beautiful,” Jenkins said.“That helps to make it legitimate.”

The 10,000-square-foot park is the second skate park in Redondo Beach, after a smaller one in Perry Park.

It was initially proposed by Redondo Beach resident and longtime skateboarder David Bernier and was supported by Brand, who died in February.

In total, it cost the city an estimated $281,000 to build.

“The new mural nearing completion at our skate park on the pier adds color to what has been a monotone concrete hardscape for decades,” Redondo Beach Mayor James Light said in an email. “It ties the skateboard culture to the ocean theme of the pier.”

The mural, Light said, is just one piece of what is slated to be a massive makeover for the iconic horseshoe-shaped pier. There are also plans to rebuild Seaside Lagoon and renovate the On the Rocks and Ruby’s buildings to create the California Surf Club, Light said. The city has also started negotiations with a nonprofit to replace the vacant Joe’s Crabshack site with a $20 to $25 million marine education facility.

“All these projects will achieve what we’ve been trying to accomplish for years,” Light said. “The harbor and pier area have not seen this level of investment since the pier was rebuilt in the 90s. But there is more to come.”

Jenkins, meanwhile, attributed the drawn-out approval process for the skate park to misconceptions about skateboarding culture.

“People don’t understand skateboarding,” he said. “It’s automatically associated with graffiti and people think that it’s kind of a rebellious, negative influence on kids. Which, it’s quite the opposite.”

To that, I can agree. When I visited the skate park on a recent weekend afternoon, I saw a dad skating with a baby on his hip, a toddler zipping around on a scooter, and two 14-year-old boys politely navigating around them.

“There are a lot of dads that come here with their little kids,” Jenkins said. “And the older skateboarders are totally respectful of the kids.”

An avid skater himself, Jenkins has worked in the skateboard industry for more than 30 years and is an art director for Girl Skateboards, a leading name in the industry that offers skateboard decks, wheels, apparel and accessories.

Jenkins said he hopes the sprawling mural will help non-skaters appreciate the art — as much as the skateboarders zooming around in front of it.

“Skateboarding is such a bubble,” said Jenkins, who has painted four other murals, including one for The Berrics in Downtown Los Angeles, an indoor skate park that was considered “an icon in the skateboarding world,” according to GoSkate, a leading skate lesson provider.

“I think it’s tough sometimes for people on the outside of that bubble to understand that it’s an actual industry,” he added.

The mural is the latest addition to the city’s Public Art Program, which seeks to make works of art accessible to anyone who can get outside to see them. Other Public Arts pieces include the bronze Bob and Bill Meistrell Memorial Statue near Seaside Lagoon and “Waves,” a three-dimensional aluminum art piece on the side of the Redondo Performing Arts Center.

So far, locals seem to appreciate the splash of color.

“It was the first thing I noticed when we got here,” said Claire Lopez, who visited the park with her husband and children.

As Lopez relaxed in the shade, her husband, Mario, navigated the park’s slopes via skateboard with their baby perched on his hip — while their 4-year-old fearlessly tackled the course on her scooter.

“It’s a really great park,” the Lomita mom said. “The pier needed something like this. Before, I didn’t really feel like it was a place you could bring your young kids. But now I feel like there’s something for them to do that’s more family-friendly.”

“Pride and Prejudice”

The El Camino Theater Department will present a bold retelling of the classic Jane Austin tale “Pride and Pedjudice,” directed by Kelly Herman. Described as “Pride and Prejudice” for a new era, the show explores the journey toward finding your perfect (or imperfect) match. Performances are set for 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Nov. 22-23, and 3 p.m. Sunday; and 8 p.m. Dec. 6-7 and 3 p.m. Dec. 8 in the Campus Theatre. Tickets are $10 and up.

Information: elcamino.edu.

Astra Lumina returns to South Coast Botanic Garden

The South Coast Botanic Garden has once again been transformed into a magical nighttime world where lights and music combine to create a pathway to the stars. During “Astra Lumina,” visitors will walk winding paths around the garden for the one-hour experience created by Moment Factory. This is the third time the experience has come to the South Coast Botanic Garden. There are various dates through January. Tickets are $28 and up.

Information: feverup.com.

Charles Phoenix Holidayland

Humorist and pop culture historian Charles Phoenix will show vintage flea market-found slides that show off the hilarious ways Americans showed their holiday spirit in the 1950s and 1960s. Revel in all the oddball traditions, ugly sweaters and quirky centerpieces of the seasons. The show will take place from 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday at the James Armstrong Theater, 3330 Civic Center Drive, in Torrance. Tickets are $27 and up.

Information: torrancearts.org/shows.