Westerly presenter urges $24–$30 million beach-nourishment pilot to protect Musquamicut

Caswell Cook, a Musquamicut resident and business owner, asked the Westerly Town Council on March 3 to pursue a three‑mile beach‑nourishment pilot for Musquamicut that he said would cost an estimated $24 million to $30 million per decade and require years of permitting.

Cook told the council the work would be “a proposal that lasts somewhere around a decade,” and asked two specific actions: authorize the town manager to meet with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to revisit prior studies, and place the state beach parking revenue (roughly $250,000 a year, he said) into a restricted account to build a local funding match.

Why it matters: Cook said Musquamicut’s shoreline erosion threatens homes, businesses and public beach access, and that losing parking would eliminate public access along the three‑mile shore. He presented estimates for local impacts — including roughly 215 homes, about 50 businesses, 1,500 seasonal jobs and multiple millions in tax and parking revenues — and told the council that the Army Corps and other agencies would need to be involved in any full project.

Details and council reaction

Cook argued the town already spends money cleaning up after storms and that a nourishment program (soft‑engineering sand placement and dune restoration) would be a recurring cost — repeated roughly every 7–10 years — but would protect infrastructure and maintain public access. He said the Army Corps might pay up to two‑thirds of construction costs if a federal project is approved and suggested a possible town contribution of about $3 million to $5 million per decade (roughly $300,000–$500,000 per year).

“We're spending $3,000,000 to buy … the waterslide property,” Cook told the council, urging that acquired properties be protected if the town is going to own them. He asked that the council “take that 250, roughly thousand dollars and put it in a lockbox and let that build every year so that 5 years from now … you'll be close to getting there.”

Councilors generally said they wanted more information before committing money. Councilor Vandover described an alleged incident of a man following and threatening a councilor after a previous meeting and linked that remark to the broader tenor of public debate; other councilors emphasized the need to coordinate among state and federal agencies. Councilor Healy said she was “all in” on both of Cook’s asks — meeting with the Corps and budgeting money — and encouraged using state contacts to pursue permitting.

Concerns raised

Speakers raised several cautions: one resident noted that the town’s inland pond is a working oyster farm and warned that dredging the pond to obtain sand could harm a local livelihood; another councilor questioned some of Cook’s revenue figures and urged more documentation. Several members emphasized permitting complexity: Cook himself warned the council the project “would take 4 years to permit at best if we got a yes.”

Cook also summarized prior studies and past, piecemeal efforts such as limited pond dredging and short‑term sand placement that washed away; he framed nourishment as a regional practice used in places like Montauk and Virginia Beach.

Next steps

Councilors said they would ask the town manager to meet with the Army Corps and obtain further technical and cost information. Multiple councilors supported at least pursuing an information meeting with the Corps before any budget commitment; Cook asked the council also to begin setting aside state beach parking receipts in this year’s budget.

Ending

Cook closed by reiterating his two asks — authorization for the town manager to meet the Army Corps and a small annual town contribution held in reserve — and councilors voted to pursue follow‑up, with staff to report back as permitting and funding options are developed.