HomeMy WebLinkAbout20131120-SBPF response to Greenhill letter_201404070853472617BY EMAIL
November 20, 2013
Board of Selectmen
Town of Nantucket
Nantucket, Massachusetts
Dear Chairman Atherton and Vice Chairman DeCosta:
The Board of Selectmen have recently received correspondence concerning the Town’s proposed
emergency public infrastructure protection project at Baxter Road, which proposes using
geotubes to secure the bluff. While some of these points may be new to the Board or the public,
they have been well vetted for many hours at the Conservation Commission. As the Board has
said many times, the proper parties for designing and approving such projects are the engineers
and the ConCom. However, as a courtesy, please find below a brief explanation of these points.
1) Property owners 1-3 miles north of the proposed project are concerned about impacts
from down drift sand starvation (scour and flanking not relevant as they are highly
localized concerns). The experts have indicated that given sand mitigation equal to the
amount of sand that would otherwise be contributed by the protected bank, there is little
to no potential impact at this substantial distance and location. Moreover, it is clear that if
sand deprivation were to occur, it would initially impact one or both of the 500 foot
sections of beach adjacent to the project. Those sections will be closely monitored and
mitigation will be adjusted accordingly if required. While there is disagreement about the
sand calculation formula, the ConCom appears to be leaning toward a sand mitigation
requirement that would be significantly higher than the best practices used in other
locations as a way to replace natural sand erosion volumes and to ensure availability of
sand at important times (likely 50-100% more than the initial SBPF proposal and triple
the amount currently contributed by the existing jute bags). The conditions discussed
would also allow for the sand volume, schedule, and location to be adjusted, if needed.
This is why immediate neighbors of the emergency geotube project are supporters as
indicated by a letter sent by abutters stretching about 500 feet in both directions.
2) Some suggest that using jute bags instead of geotubes is a workable compromise. This
belies the facts. Jute terraces have been permitted for the entire length of bluff from the
lighthouse to mid-Baxter Road for many years and have been in use for many years on
the North Bluff. The jute has shown that protecting the toe and vegetating the face of the
bluff will keep the upper bank from sliding. However, the porous jute terraces are
designed to contribute their sand and shrink when impacted by waves. When impacted by
big, sustained, or successive storms they completely collapse,which then leaves the bluff
fully exposed and results in massive losses at those times, as happened last year.
Geotubes are designed to withstand such storms and provide consistent protection. Since
the bluff has eroded to the point where the road is immediately threatened in some
sections, there is no longer the luxury of time or distance to use jute in those endangered
sections. Any system designed to leave the road unprotected at times is not a viable
alternative in these circumstances.
3) Some suggest that the Town will not enforce the permit or be able to deal with problems
after installation. This is not consistent with the law, or the escrows that will surely be
required if a permit is issued.
4) Some suggest that the Town will be sued. In this dilemma, any action has litigation
potential. SBPF and the Town are working hard to find a mutually acceptable solution to
this serious problem we all face and cannot avoid. Unfortunately, the Town cannot avoid
its obligation to provide the public infrastructure, and alternatives cannot be put in place
before the pending storm season. It is worth noting that under the terms of the MOUs in
place and the license agreement under consideration by the Town, financial burden and
liability is shifted from the Town to SPBF, including liability releases for the Town for
damages related to the project, saving the Town many millions in actual expenses and
liability risks.
Sincerely,
Josh Posner
Siasconset Beach Preservation Fund