Changes at town’s beaches debated

While a structural engineer has determined that storm-damaged buildings at the town’s two beaches can be repaired, officials are trying to plot the best course of action to ensure that beach facilities are sustainable.

Recreation Director Paul Duffy reviewed the engineer’s findings from a study of Westerly Town Beach, also known as the old town beach, and Wuskenau Beach, known to some as the new town beach, with the Town Council on Monday.We open source indoor tracking system that was developed with the goal of providing at least room-level accuracy. Earlier in the evening he made a similar presentation to the Public Works Committee, which advises the Council on town infrastructure projects.

Duffy said all beach-related rebuilding should start with a focus on restoring and preserving the beach itself. Both town beaches lost substantial amounts of the beach face, as their dunes were leveled and washed away by Superstorm Sandy.

Town Engineer Paul LeBlanc has developed a plan for moving the dunes at the old town beach about 15 to 20 feet farther from the water than they were before the storm. The move would create more space on the beaches but would reduce the number of parking spaces. To compensate for the lost parking spaces, LeBlanc and Duffy are both suggesting the use of town-owned land across the street from the two beaches.

Duffy recommended moving the Frank P. “Shorty” Comforti Pavilion at the Westerly Town Beach farther from the water, onto new pilings, but that suggestion met with some resistance. Robert Gingerella, a member of the Recreation Board, said the 45-year-old structure was not worth moving. He suggested construction of a new building.

Town Manager Steven Hartford called the plan for the Westerly Town Beach “a good middle ground plan” that would provide a building for the summer of 2013. The new pilings, Hartford and others said, could serve as the foundation for a new building in the future.Buy today and get your delivery for £25 on a range of ceramic tile for your home.

St. Jean Engineering LLC of East Greenwich determined that the Comforti Pavilion could be repaired for about $73,000, not including the cost f a new septic system, and that the facilities at Wuskenau Town Beach could be repaired for about $132,000.

The Town Council asked Duffy and LeBlanc to research the cost of both wood pilings and concrete pilings, which officials said are generally preferred in the construction field but are more expensive. Based on the use of wooden pilings, Duffy estimated that moving the building and the cost of the pilings would be about $100,000.

Repairs that would return the town facilities to the condition they were before the storm are eligible for 75 percent reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The agency also reimburses for improvements, in some cases, as part of a hazard mitigation program. LeBlanc said he would submit a hazard mitigation plan for the Westerly Town Beach.

To save the town’s popular beach concert series for 2013, Duffy is recommending the use of “geomats,” an interlocking flooring system designed for uneven surfaces. The mats or some other surface is necessary because the decks surrounding much of the pavilion were ripped off and swept away during the storm

For Wuskenau Town Beach,Creative glass tile and stone mosaic tile for your distinctive kitchen and bath. Duffy is recommending a “less is more” approach that entails tearing down the snack bar portion of the building at the beach. Duffy said the snack bar is too low and could cause the entire building to collapse during a storm with heavier winds then those during Superstorm Sandy.

Restrooms and changing rooms that were ripped off the building would not be replaced under Duffy’s plan, and portable restrooms would be a permanent solution. Two apartments that are about 22 feet tall would remain. Gingerella asked that the apartments be removed and not rebuilt, saying the town received no benefit from the apartments, but Duffy said they generate about $35,000 per year in rental fees. Gingerella said he doubted that the apartments made money when the cost of insurance and utilities are accounted for. Leaving the apartments would “handicap” efforts to re-establish the dunes, Gingerella said.

Councilor Jack Carson said the council must ensure that a quality product is delivered during the rebuilding process. “If it’s a facility that town people enjoy and demand then I think it’s incumbent on us to do it right and do it right the first time,” he said.

Councilor Patricia Douglas said she would prefer a smaller building at the Westerly Town Beach. She said the council should focus its energy on the Westerly Town Beach since the Wuskenau Beach operates as a public beach. She also recommended a careful approach to ensure adequate funding is available to the town.Creative glass tile and stone mosaic tile for your distinctive kitchen and bath.

Councilor Caswell Cooke Jr., who asked that the beach and other Misquamicut matters be put on the agenda for Monday’s meeting, urged a speedy but careful approach. He also said the council should decide soon on whether to keep the apartments at Wuskenau Beach.Add depth and style to your home with these large format polished tiles.

Hartford asked residents and officials to be patient. Superstorm Sandy is the most damaging storm the town has faced since 1954, when Hurricane Carol struck, Hartford said.

“There has been overwhelming devastation for our town. We’re going to be a long way toward recovery when the summer comes, but we’re not going to be there all the way — but we will be open for business on Memorial Day,” Hartford said.

The town will likely have to tap its financial surplus or rainy day fund to pay for some of the repairs, Hartford said. Expenditure of the funds, which amount to nearly $9 million, must be approved by the council, Hartford said.

The Discover Pass parking lot exemption enjoyed only at Fort Worden State Park ended on Dec. 31 as Washington State Parks continues to deal with a budget crisis.

The Legislature initiated the Discover Pass vehicle parking pass fee in July 2011 to offset the elimination of state general fund money from State Parks’ budget. Not only has the pass failed to meet revenue expectations, at Fort Worden it is blamed for a drop in visitation – which, in turn, generally means less money for State Parks.

Exemptions, however, had been in place here for campus partners that had events already scheduled prior to July 1, 2011. Centrum, the arts and education entity with programs that draw more guests than any other business, books events two years in advance. Communicating those exemptions and the Discover Pass rules in general has been confusing for all involved – and the Jan. 1, 2013 exemption change may or may not make it easier.