Beach Commission Takes State Funds Out of Boat Ramp Proposal

The has finalized its recommendation for a new Third Beach boat ramp—but without the state funding component that originally anchored the proposal.

The advisory board met Tuesday night and unanimously approved the conceptual project points for the Town Council to consider as a replacement solution for the aging and problematic boat ramp. The most dramatic change was the recommendation that the town no longer pursue the 75-percent match grant from the state Department of Environmental Management (DEM) that initially ramped up the project discussions earlier this year.

“It is recommended that federal or state funds not be used for the project because it will hinder the ability of the town to set its own parking, beach access or ramp usage fees,” one of the key points of the recommendation stated. The memo continued, “Federal or state funding should not be used for the project if the funding will impose restrictions on how the town manages the beach.”

Town Councilor Christopher Semonelli, who serves as council liaison to the commission, indicated the council had similar reservations. “My personal feeling is that the council will have an issue with accepting federal funds,” Semonelli said. “If anything, we’d be going to a budget scenario.”

Town Administrator Shawn Brown informed the Beach Commission that without federal funding, the proposed new boat ramp would likely find a spot on the town’s Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) list by 2015. He also concurred that the town would likely maintain greater control over the ramp and beach without state funding.

The Beach Commission also recommended that the ramp location be kept in the approximate location where it currently sits, after town resident Carole Cummings and Beach Commission member John Bagwill shared concerns that the ramp might have to be built further west closer to the Maidford River because the current ramp technically is located on abutting property owned by St. George’s School, as part of a deal worked out with the town years ago.

Bagwill had argued that if the official survey would change the exact location significantly, and if the Beach Commission didn't specify that their recommendation would pertain only to the current approximate location, “it would be a mistake for us to move forward.”

Brown advised the Beach Commission that an official site survey would have to be conducted to determine exactly where the town boundary begins, but the town would not be able to fund such a land survey in the current fiscal year.

The Beach Commission also included in its final recommendations:

• That the seasonal floating docks be incorporated into the final design, with no more than four to five floating docks.
• No fixed pier system.
• No pump-out station.
• Access for persons with disabilities be included in all final designs.
• The ramp should incorporate an improved safety environment for visitors who access the beach near the boat ramp.

Since that time, public concerns from residents and neighbors over the summer prompted the Town Council to seek further review from the Beach Commission.

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