Declaring a state of emergency expedites the permitting process to dredge and restore sand in the area and opens the town to additional sources of funding and reimbursement from the Massachusetts emergency management agency (MEMA).
Edgartown declared a local state of emergency Wednesday after a series of winter storms decimated South Beach’s dunes and surrounding roadways.
Officials are looking at dredging to get more sand for South Beach.
Officials are looking at dredging to get more sand for South Beach.
In a meeting with the select board, town officials and environmental engineers discussed the best way to get the popular recreation destination open for summer. The board voted in favor of the declaration, which expedites the permitting process to dredge and restore sand in the area and opens the town to additional sources of funding and reimbursement from the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), town administrator James Hagerty said.
“If the biggest public beach on the Island were to suddenly be gone, that would be a big problem” he said. “It’s a solid return on investment.”
Officials’ top priority is restoring Left Fork, the easternmost section of South Beach abutting Norton Point. The area is not as damaged as the other side of the beach, and can more easily be recovered using existing materials and funds, parks commissioner Andrew Kelly said. The town has already put out a request to begin dredging Katama Bay for sand and is in contact with the state Department of Environmental Protection, said conservation agent Jane Varkonda.
Atlantic Drive is also quickly becoming a major safety concern, according to highway department superintendent Alan DeBettencourt. The roadway is currently closed to the public, preventing several homeowners from accessing their properties. Near Right Fork, the culverts have sustained serious water damage, he said, and the department will need to consult with an environmental engineer on how best to reconstruct them. Mr. DeBettencourt estimated the costs to repair Atlantic Drive and the culverts at $5,300 and $16,000.
Town officials are still calculating the estimated costs of damages to the beach and surrounding area and the budget for necessary repairs. The deadline to apply for state emergency aid is Jan. 23.
The road near South Beach buckled in the recent winter storms.
The road near South Beach buckled in the recent winter storms.
In the meantime, Mr. Hagerty encouraged the parks department and conservation commission to get all other budget requests in time for the June 30 special town meeting, since the annual town meeting deadline has already passed.
As the effects of climate change worsen, he stressed that the town should continue to search for a long-term solution.
“We’ve got to come up with some plan here,” Mr. Hagerty told the room of officials. “We’ve all seen since we were kids, the acceleration of erosion getting faster and faster.”
“If we have to reroute Atlantic Drive in my lifetime…that’s a likely possibility.”
Comments
Great job working to quickly
Neil Treehorn OBGreat job working to quickly repair the damage. Our local economy is based on our beaches. We need to get the south shore beaches from Chappy to Aquinnah repaired and accessible as fast as possible.
Long term it would be helpful
Danny East ChopLong term it would be helpful to engineer some kind of sandbar about 200 yards out so swells with 15 second intervals break offshore instead of on Atlantic avenue.
I recall the right fork
KD KatamaI recall the right fork culvert at the end of Herring Creek Rd. that caused the roadway by Atlantic Dr to be damaged, was exceedingly overgrown; water flow seemed to be impeded through Herring Creek at that point. I wondered why this was the case when i observed this since my wife and I have seen fish and even a group of smaller stripers happily swimming further up Herring Creek near the Winnetu. Would dredging out Herring Creek be a help by giving the storm water a place to go…and flow?
I have seen many millions of dollars wasted on beach restorations in our home state of NJ. There must be proven approaches to dealing with beach erosion that have a longer lasting impact? What are they? Trying to hold off the onslaught of the North Atlantic on the South Beach dunes by putting back more sand seems a poor solution.
I could be wrong here, but...
AlexI could be wrong here, but... "Left Fork, the westernmost section of South Beach abutting Norton Point.” Wouldn't that be easternmost?
Rebuild, Destroyed, Rebuild,
Beach Walker EdgartownRebuild, Destroyed, Rebuild, Destroyed, Rebuilt, Destroyed in a few hours in 1 storm . Get the picture?
The term "State of Emergency"
Fred Justin Brewer or just FJB for short. EdgartownThe term "State of Emergency" is being over used/ misused, to the point that the term doesn't correspond to the situation it is being used for, just as the term "Breaking News". It reminds me of the boy who cried wolf. Let's just say, the island needs help with clean up after a big winter storm, its a stretch to consider the island in a "STATE OF EMERGENCY".
Global warming
Jean ChilmarkGlobal warming
We have been summer residents
katamapoint katamaWe have been summer residents since 1979. We have unfortunatley witnessed the devastation of South Beach. We recall that in the eighties there was considerable effort to stop the erosion by erecting fences and planting grasses. During the eighties Norton Point was free and open to all. Then the trustees took over. And it seemed that all conservation efforts were stopped. The trustees were more interested in collecting revenue from overland paaaes then saving the beach. The town itself seemed to have ignored the problem. We hope its not too late to save the area. One easy solution is to stop vehicles from accessing Norton Point. I am not an engineer, but it seems that merely piling sand on the beach is not enough. The town needs to consider erecting an retaining wall along Atlantic Drive.
A retaining wall is what is
Longtimerenter South shoreA retaining wall is what is NOT needed; there is one in Texas and nothing is kept out. OSV should be closed off weekdays. Revenue may drop but Norton Point’s beauty will increase
Where is the army corps of
wake up edgWhere is the army corps of engineers? They do beach replenishment everywhere else except here. Why the silence from our US Senators? They are the majority party in the senate with their Democrat President? Why not do their job and bring something back to the taxpayers who elected them. Where is Obama and the rest of the influential Democrats that love this place? Its long overdue they use their power and connections to do something useful that benefits the island.
Didn’t know storms were based
Big Top Oak BluffsDidn’t know storms were based on your political affiliation….interesting.
Not politics, influence. We
Elizabeth EdgartownNot politics, influence. We need help with this problem or lots of jobs and real estate values for everyone disappear when the tourists go elsewhere.
I don't care if the help comes from the left or the right. We do play host to many influential policy makers, billionaires, influencers. It is appropriate for them to add something here to help.
Our trucking company back in
Jerome Sclafani ChappyOur trucking company back in the 90's was employed by the army core to move sand onto the beaches in West Haven. All towns who rely on tourism and beach traffic make extended efforts to maintain and repair the beaches. They have the expertise to solve these issues. The beaches in Oak Bluffs have a series of jetties protruding into the ocean and sand in between. This stops the beach from being depleted when the ocean takes a swipe. Employing similar methods to insure South Beach is returned to its former glory.
Add new comment