Posted on March 2, 2021
SALISBURY, Mass. — The state legislative delegation is calling for emergency state assistance to rebuild sand dunes on Salisbury Beach that have been eroded by storms and surf.
The beach area was hit hard by a nor’easter Feb. 1-2 that eroded dunes and caused significant damage to homes between public access ways 6 and 7 on North End Boulevard.
Residents of the area have been meeting with the Salisbury Beach Betterment Association, Town Manager Neil Harrington, town selectmen, Sen. Diana DiZoglio, D-Methuen, and Rep. Jim Kelcourse, R-Amesbury, to see what assistance could come their way.
DiZoglio announced Thursday that she and Kelcourse, Sen. Bruce Tarr, R-Gloucester, and Rep. Lenny Mirra, R-Georgetown, are calling for the state Department of Environmental Protection to issue a severe weather emergency declaration to provide sand for dune nourishment in Salisbury.
DiZoglio sent a letter, also signed by Tarr, Kelcourse and Mirra, to Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Kathleen Theoharides on Thursday.
“Residents who live in Salisbury, particularly on North End Boulevard, are in a dire situation,” DiZoglio wrote. “The sand dunes in that area are rapidly being eroded. This must be addressed as soon as possible.”
DiZoglio also wrote that a similar erosion problem has led to property damage at Reservation Terrace on Plum Island in Newburyport and is a reason why immediate action must be taken in Salisbury.
The situation at Reservation Terrace has also prompted the federal government to include $19 million in the coming fiscal year budget for dredging 220,000 cubic yards of sand from the Merrimack River to rebuild the beach there.
“Residents there are seeing major flooding of their homes and destruction of their property,” DiZoglio wrote. “If we do not act quickly, we are going to see history repeat itself in Salisbury.”
North End Boulevard resident Eric Lamprey said DiZoglio’s letter is a step in the right direction.
“We are at a critical time right now,” he said. “We are in desperate need of any type of help right now. I’m not that familiar with the legislative process but I believe that this would free up more resources for us. But it is still one step in a long path that we need to go down.”
Lamprey added that he agreed with DiZoglio’s Reservation Terrace comparison.
“This really is history repeating itself,” Lamprey said. “We are in a different situation here where we have a major highway on the west side of the dune. Not to say that Reservation Terrace doesn’t have its own problems but I believe that, if we don’t get the help that we need, there will be major problems here.”
Between 200,000 and 300,000 cubic yards of sand is also expected to be dredged from the Piscataqua River between Maine and New Hampshire, which Harrington has said he intends to use to help replenish Salisbury Beach.
Harrington recently said he is considering a cost-sharing agreement with the state Department of Conservation and Recreation to pay the $900,000 to $1.2 million price tag for transporting the dredged sand.
DiZoglio gave Salisbury Beach Betterment Association President Bill Greilich and Salisbury Beach Citizens for Change President Tom Saab a platform in her letter to express their concerns to Theoharides.
Greilich wrote that the recent winter storms have compromised protective dunes and caused extensive damage to homes on Salisbury Beach.
“This erosion is putting homes and public recreation areas at immediate risk of significant, irreversible harm and is a clear illustration of the challenges our beach property owners and community face,” Greilich wrote. “An emergency response is urgently required along with long-term strategic planning.”
Saab stated that he and his neighbors continue to work together to rebuild dunes that protect their properties but they need the state’s cooperation to help provide them with sand.
“We, as homeowners, will then provide and pay for the contractors and equipment to do the work needed from that point on,” Saab said. “Without an emergency declaration from the state, it becomes much more difficult and sometimes impossible for property owners to rebuild dunes and protect their properties from further damage that will surely come from future storms.
“The key to protecting beachfront properties, once again, is an emergency declaration from the state,” he said.
