Beach renourishment confusion
By Rick Catlin. Islander Reporter
A number of Island beachfront residents are confused about when the
beach in front of their property will be renourished,
a confusion not helped by the abrupt departure last month of Goodloe
Marine from the uncompleted emergency beach renourishment project overseen
by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The project was only completed along
the beach from 81st Street in Holmes Beach south to
18th Street in Bradenton Beach, leaving about .8 mile in Bradenton Beach
and .6 of a mile in Anna Maria untouched.
But
Manatee County Ecosystems Manager Charlie Hunsicker
has plans for a renourishment project on the Island starting this fall
and he’s also begun work on the
next full-scale beach renourishment project slated to begin around 2011-12 (The
Islander, May 3).
The problem is that the planned fall renourishment
project may not include those beach sections that didn’t get any sand from
the Goodloe project because funding by the Federal Emergency Management Agency
for that portion of the project has been exhausted. Those beaches
may have to wait until 2011-12 for renourishment.
Fall 2006 renourishment
If approved by the county commission,
the fall 2006 program would be funded primarily by
the $1 million to $1.5 million that FEMA still has
available for the City of Anna Maria renourishment startup. Hunsicker
is proposing that the county use available state and local funds to renourish
Coquina Beach at the same time, since the federal government is paying
the startup costs, which make up the majority of the renourishment expense.
The
fall 2006 project would include:
- Renourishment
of the .6 mile portion of Anna Maria’s beach
not done by Goodloe. That area is the same area that
was renourished in the 2002 project, but does NOT
include beach areas along North Shore Drive, Bean
Point or along Anna Maria’s
bayfront.
- Coquina Beach south to the Longboat
Pass Bridge. This area was not included in Goodloe’s
renourishment contract.
- Beer Can Island in conjunction
with the Town of Longboat Key.
If funding is available, the commission
could also include those areas not completed by the
Goodloe effort, Hunsicker said, but they are not included
in the beach renourishment feasibility study that will
be presented to the commission within the next few
months.
Renourishment 2011-12
- Renourishment of all areas included
in the 2002 renourishment project, provided that
property owners and city governments again grant
the county acceptable easements.
- Renourishment
of those areas of Anna Maria that were not included
in the 2002 project, provided that enough easements
are granted to Manatee County by the respective property
owners. Those areas could include the beachfront
along North Shore Drive on the Gulf of Mexico side
of the city, along Bean Point, and along North Shore
Drive to the Rod & Reel Pier on the bayside of
Anna Maria.
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