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Resident says “Re-Nourishment is failing-What now?”

3 min read

To the editor:

On May 18, the town manager announced at town council meeting that the number of rescinding owners has now hit 32 rescinding owners as of last week. He also implied that despite a couple of months of concerted efforts by both county and town, there have been no new easements signed.

The trend is clear. The county’s renourishment project is failing, if the measure of success is the increasing number of easements being withdrawn.

Nonetheless, there should be neither gloating nor hysteria by either side on this issue. There can be a great deal of good for all to come out of the final result, if the trend continues.

When a project fails, true leaders analyze carefully the causes of failure, in order not to repeat mistakes. Then they look for how to achieve some success from lessons learned. Council can do this.

Causes of failure -Credibility losses

n County promised protection from hurricanes, yet conceded later that there was no wind protection nor protection from rising water.

n Government officials called the entire 4.6 miles of beach “critically eroded”. Yet, the county’s own independent engineering firm clearly stated and clearly showed only 2 areas of actual erosion.The most eroded area got the least beach widening. The fastest growing area got the most widening.

n County promised no vegetation nor dunes when granting easements. Then changed their minds after years of easement signing and required vegetation and dunes.

n County did not explain the control rights of the State on all sand added and the implications to owners.

n County used ancient technology of just pumping sand on the beach, knowing that it will all wash away as it has done eight times before on our beach, as well as on other area beaches.

Future Success Potential

If the beach widening project fails, then the question becomes what to do next?

n We need to put together a town team, appointed by council, to come up with an erosion fix plan. We need to help those with actual erosion. That proposal should evaluate ways to stop erosion plus new technology proposals that the town should consider. We potentially have money to do this in the initial town $1 million commitment plus the follow on renourishment yearly dollars committed.

n Town needs to ratchet up the water system priority to No. 1. Some renourishment money can go here. There is little question that we can do without renourishment, but we can not do without water service. This Town deserves better than to be subject to periodic Town water shut downs due to water main eruptions that are sure to come.

The Town does need to change course on vegetation as a result of the easement “vote”. The Town does need to recognize that some people like vegetation and dunes on their beach front property. However the vast majority of people picked this area for our beaches which are largely clear beaches. Both positions are acceptable.

The vast majority of private beach front owners feel that it is wrong to force those with clear beaches to put dunes and vegetation on their property. Likewise, it would be equally wrong to force those with dunes now to clear their beaches of dunes and vegetation.

We need to stop the one-sided overt and covert pressures to convert our private property owners’ beaches from clear beaches to beaches with vegetation and dunes!

Why is it wrong for property owners to want what they bought and the town has allowed???

Frank Schilling

Fort Myers Beach