Posted on April 22, 2019
NEWBURYPORT — The city’s dune nourishment project planned for Reservation Terrace on Plum Island has been postponed until September, according to Mayor Donna Holaday.
The city originally had plans to begin dredging about 1,000 cubic yards of sand from Plum Island point on Monday, and to use it to extend and build up the berm that runs along Reservation Terrace, protecting homes from flooding that has increasingly become a problem in the neighborhood during storms and high tides. The sand sits on property owned by the city and Christopher Charos, who runs Captain’s Lady Cruises.
But Holaday said in an interview on Tuesday that the eight-week project has been pushed back until September on account that it would tie up the city’s Department of Public Services employees during a busy time of year when they would be needed for various other projects.
“It would take eight DPS employees to do dune nourishment during the height of construction season, and I can’t devote that many staff,” said Holaday. “I need them out doing catch basins and the street sweeping, getting cemeteries ready and working with the Parks Commission.”
Last year, dune nourishment efforts were shut down several times by the state because the city did not have the correct piping plover monitors. Holaday added that by postponing the dune nourishment project, the city will miss most of the plovers’ nesting season and could avoid such issues.
“If we started now, we would rent the special equipment to be on the beach and they could shut us down immediately if they see one bird,” explained Holaday, also noting that because sand typically accretes on Plum Island in the summer, the delay could work to the city’s advantage.
“We might make out with more sand than we have right now to use for that project,” said Holaday. “We just have to commit to doing this in September, which is when erosion season starts.
Holaday said she has notified Reservation Terrace neighbors and that she hasn’t heard any pushback, which is likely because the spring and summer months typically come with less flooding concerns than the fall and winter.
Last week, the council earmarked $22,500 to fund dune nourishment and erosion control near Reservation Terrace. The money was originally allocated to pay for concrete blocks that would be installed to form a wall along the neighborhood to protect from washover, but the city has since been informed this approach could exacerbate erosion and cannot be legally permitted. The money will now be used to cover the city’s cost of work, engineering, equipment rentals and project supervision.
Earlier this month, Marc Sarkady, president of the Plum Island Foundation, highlighted that the planned dune nourishment project will only cover part of what is needed, and that about another 1,000 cubic yards of sand will be necessary in the near future to complete the replenishment of the berm along Reservation Terrace. To pay for the additional sand, which costs between $15 and $20 per cubic yard, the foundation is seeking donations from residents, hoping a total of about $27,000 can be raised.
Holaday also noted that the extra time will allow the Plum Island Foundation to raise more money that could be used to purchase additional sand.
Holaday also said contracts are signed and measuring is in progress to begin paving on Merrimack Street between the roundabout and Kent Street, and on High Street between Route 113 and Buck Street. She said these will be the main paving projectsfor 2019, though other roads will be paved later this year.
The Plum Island Foundation is seeking funds to pay for the Reservation Terrace sand replenishment project as well as various other long-term dune nourishment projects on other areas of the island.
Source: salemnews.com
