Phantom Erosion
To the editor:
Fort Myers Beach vice mayor Herb Acken thinks that the entire 4.6 miles of beach has eroded to half its original size. County’s artificial beach plan doubles the current size of the beach. Acken supports this.
Herb is totally unaware of the definitive Coastal Engineering Consultants, Inc. report, dated July 14, 2005, ordered by Lee County to settle the questions about erosion.
Coastal Engineering’s purpose: Show where that beach has had: Actual beach growth or stability or erosion.
The actual two erosion areas
The Vice Mayor should have looked at Coastal Engineering’s large map on page 6.
Acken could simply read the text for the erosion area which says “at R192.5 erosion begins…” This is the worst erosion of the actual 8 blocks erosion., yet it gets the least beach widening.
The pier area is the other part of the 8 blocks of actual erosion. The pier area has been renourished with dredgings a total of eight (8) times since 1961. Those beach renourishments totalled over 1.16 million cubic yards of sand. I spoke to Herb about this. He had no knowledge of all of this.
New Beach Technology
Herb Acken thinks that the solution to erosion is to just pump and dump sand forever. The Vice Mayor opposes new technology for the erosion areas. What Acken does not understand is that the pier area has been renourished on the average of once every 6 years. And Acken is crying about the sand is all gone.
County says their artificial beach plan will be washed away every 7 years and have to be re-done again and again , like the pier!
It’s time for Herb to wake up and and study some new technology that the engineers show has promise!!!
We need Council to learn from the pier failures of just “pump and dump and watch the sand wash away.”
Are not eight pier renourishment failures enough, for the light bulb to go on?
Do we have to expand on these eight failures to a ninth colossal artificial beach failure? ……all washed away in seven years!
No wonder county wanted 50 year easements and got them.
Easements
Nine years ago Lee County started collecting their first 50 year easements. Today, less than half the properties are in agreement with easements.
” You can’t fool all of the people all the time.”
The Vice Mayor also has forgotten about our Town Council’s position on rescinding easements. Council has been steadfast in promising to allow easements to be rescinded. Council, but not Acken, regards this rescind allowance as a matter of “good faith”.
County growth needs more beaches
What is the real purpose in artificially doubling the size of the beach area? Just create more BEACH space for a growing Lee County.
The Tourist Development folks recognize that and have offered millions of tax dollars for County’s Artificial Beach Plan.
Acken does understand Lee County’s desire for more artificial beach to support Lee County Growth!
That is: The rest of the story.
Frank Schilling
Fort Myers Beach